Rhythmic Hymnody

The Long & Short Rhythms Originally Present in Older Hymns

You might be thinking, “‘Rhythmic Hymnody’, isn’t that an oxymoron in the likes of ‘political science’ or even ‘the sound of silence’?” Over the last decade of working in church music and on small hymn compilation projects, I have discovered that many hymn versions in hymnals printed in the twentieth century, in particular, have a significant rhythmic modification from how they were initially written and published. That change is worth highlighting because it has contributed to many hymn versions being retired from use. Allow me to try to explain what I mean in a winsome and hopefully interesting way by using some musical examples.

Rhythmic vs. Simplified Versions

Comfort, Comfort Ye my People is typically sung during the Advent season before Christmas. I picked this one because the hymn first illustrated the difference between rhythmic and simplified for me.¹ Two versions are below. The first is a rhythmic version sourced from the Genevan Psalter from 1551. Listen to the first 45 seconds and the long and short quality the quarter and half notes create in the rhythm in the clip below.

Next is a simplified rhythmic version from the Trinity Hymnal (1961 & 1998). Listen to the first 53 seconds or so and hear how the same melody primarily uses quarter note values instead.

These two versions are rhythmically different. That’s easy to see and hear. It’s not a matter of the speed (or tempo). They both have a similar rate of pacing in these YouTube recordings. More precisely, one has more rhythmic variation. The other has been simplified to a point where it loses a good bit of its character and forward motion.

So What?

It might seem like I’m being overly nit-picky here and possibly a bit too nerdy. You may even think, “I see the difference between these two versions, but why does this matter?” I suggest that just like a good story is said to have an arc of tension and resolution, so should a good tune or melody have a rise and fall in a similar arc. The rhythm of this melody should also have strong and weak beats that give it an arc as well. But that is precisely what is missing from the second Trinity Hymnal version above with its continuous quarter notes.

Consider an analog clock. We describe it as going “tick-tock.” Imagine if it didn’t go “tick” but only “tock.” That would be pretty monotonous and would be uninteresting, to say the least. Imagine an ocean with no waves (Yes, I know. It’s called a lake). The lack of ebb and flow would leave you with only salty water and sand between your toes (and definitely in your shoes). People put up with sand’s pesky way of sticking to you because there is something interesting—even mesmerizing—about the ebb and flow of the ocean’s waves as they crash the shore.

Returning to music, when the rhythm gets simplified to all uniform quarter note rhythmic values in hymns like this one, the piece loses its interest, not to mention forward momentum. It then becomes more susceptible to dragging and clunkiness of pace. No wonder folks today will often want to retune some of these hymn texts to more upbeat and energetic settings. Most of the hymnals today have adopted and kept these simplified versions of hymns past. It’s not just Comfort, Comfort Ye My People where this change has occurred.

It’s also worth noting that this affects music literacy as well. When the majority of music sung has quarter note beat values, then over time, the skill of your people to read music with other beat values goes away in much the same way that reducing good novels to Dr. Seuss rhyme scheme would diminish a reader’s ability to read broadly in the past and present more complex literature.

How Did We Get Here?

There are several reasons why simplified hymn versions have replaced their original rhythmic ones. The work of J. S. Bach and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy both played a part. These men took some great hymn (also called chorale) tunes and scored them for instruments used in church cantatas and other instrument-only versions. These works are glorious and highlight how composers can glorify the music that has come before them in rich and complex ways. The downside is that we generally don’t live in a musically literate society, nor do we have the same level of skillful musical leadership in our churches to know how and when to use other versions for congregational singing versus other church service times.

Returning to Comfort, Comfort. Bach’s scoring and harmonization are lovely. Below is a link to how he arranged the tune into a four-part chorale setting. Notice the stepwise motion between the inner voices that smoothly move the chords along. The rhythm is simplified, even though the harmonization is more complex and interesting.

This above version has led some churches to adopt this chorale arrangement by Bach in their sung versions. Look and listen to twenty seconds of this YouTube version below to see what I mean.

While the use of different harmonies and voicings of chords in this version is more complex, the rhythm is the same quarter note, with evened-out values. Then you add passing tones that move in between the strong beats, and you have a possibility that this version can get bogged down by an overwhelmed young accompanist in a small rural church.

What Do We Do?

Some might be puzzled that a church musician like myself would say anything but “More of Bach, All the Time.” But, I’m saying that as much as I love the music of Bach, his arrangements of hymns from cantatas do not fit our people in the same way they fit his people in the early eighteenth century for the reasons listed above. It’s okay for choirs to cover these settings and use them in our services and church music life. But most people would agree that we need more vibrant, participatory congregations who “sing lustily and with a good courage”² in our worship services.

The older, rhythmic versions of most hymns are a better starting point to grow our congregations’ singing and reading ability.

If your church does not have skilled musical leadership, then older rhythmic versions stand as a great jumping-off point to get your congregation to sing heartily. Additionally, if your church has only a young pianist, then the rhythmic arrangements can serve the needs of your people.

Some churches already have skilled musical leaders in place, shepherding which versions of psalms/hymns are appropriate for their congregation. These musicians will likely be aware of how to accompany and play these songs in ways that lead the congregation in joyful, vibrant singing.

Summary Thoughts

While many hymns were originally rhythmic with short and long note values creating an energetic character, these have virtually been forgotten in favor of more rhythmically simplified versions.

Despite great composers like Bach and Mendelssohn arranging these simplified versions with more complex harmonies and passing tones, these simplified versions provide numerous challenges to Christians singing in worship as well as to the lesser-skilled church accompanist who is simultaneously trying to both lead the congregational singing and still not get bogged down (or slowed down) to a point where the pace is no longer robust in accompanying the singing. When the speed and vigor of these hymns have gotten bogged down, it’s no wonder many Christians today have called for rewriting new settings for these hymns.

Ultimately, this post’s point and goal is to suggest that we don’t have to retire these hymns or rewrite new settings for them. Instead, we could again try singing more of the rhythmic versions of hymns like Now Thank We All Our God at our dinner tables. We don’t have to stop singing the Bach chorale version of O Sacred Head Now Wounded in our congregations or with our choirs on Good Friday. But many rhythmic versions are just waiting to be sung again: The Old Hundredth, A Mighty Fortress, Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands, and more like these. Here’s a free PDF of one of these hymns to start with:

1. Hymnologists will use the term isometer to describe the simplified, evened-out rhythms of hymn melodies in church music.

2. John Wesley’s quote from his singing directions at the back of his 1861, Select Hymns publication. See my previous article on this here.