Meter on Hymns

[raintree]

Hi all,

Question from a newbie.

I've started playing hymns and notice that many hymn books don't indicate a time signature, but rather something my hymn book calls the meter - ie. "Blessed Assurance"  has the following meter - 9 10 9 9 with refrain.

I can see how the 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th measures contain 9 beats - but am basically perplexed.

Any help here would be much appreciated! 

RT

[ptmidwest]

That may be syllables within a line.

[a-sharp]

If it's chant... it probably didn't have a meter...

?

[Bob]

I've seen some without a meter signature.  Kind of a pain.  They went with the phrase of the word, so if you actually wrote it out it would keep changing meter and might look a little odd that way.  The tricky part was where the congregation would breathe, but you just practice something and put the breaths in where they breath.  Whatever feels natural.

It probably means the meter isn't as important as the phrase and the words.  It's more like hightened text.

[quantum]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meter_(hymn)

Yes it has to do with the syllables per line.  You can mix up tunes and text which have the same meter.  Check the back of your hymnal for a Metrical Index, where hymns are listed according to their meter. 

[rhpatten]

Yes, the numbers refer to the number of SYLLABLES in each line of words in one verse of the hymn.    Sometimes known as the "Metre" of the hymn. 

One day you may find that someone complains that you have played the "wrong" tune for a particular hymn.  To find another tune which will fit the same words, note the metre of the "wrong" tune, and consult a standard large hymn book.   This will have at the back various indexes.  One index will list the Tunes, by name, according to their exact metre.   Thus, it gives all the tunes in 6.6.6.6  [which have four lines, with 6 syllables in each line], then all the tunes in 6.6.6.6.6.6 [six lines with 6 syllables], then tunes in 6.7.6.7  and so on.   If your hymn is in, say,  6.6.6.6, look at all the other tunes with this metre until you find the one that is needed.    In these indexes "CM" is short for Common Metre which is 8.6.8.6.   SM is Short Metre, 6.6.8.6.   LM is Long Metre 8.8.8.8.

A few of the very modern hymn books do not bother with this sort of helpful practice, nor do they give a "Name" to each of their tunes.   This makes cross-referencing all the more difficult.   They may be cool and laid back but they are not efficient!

[ramseytheii]

A few of the very modern hymn books do not bother with this sort of helpful practice, nor do they give a "Name" to each of their tunes.   This makes cross-referencing all the more difficult.   They may be cool and laid back but they are not efficient!

Damn all those who righteously disdain bodies of knowledge!

Walter Ramsey

[keyofc]

I've never seen that before written down.
But I do that when I'm writing a song - it helps
me figure out if I have enough balance to my words

If I am thinking about putting pouring - and I need an extra syllable to balance it
then I come up with another word - say cascading.