| All rights reserved. |
Trellis Magazine
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Writing Hymns
by Robert P. Sonkowsky
by Robert P. Sonkowsky
One fine day a musician by the name of Gwen Goldsmith, who attends the same church as I do, asked me if I
would like to try my hand at writing hymns with her. She would compose the music. I, as a poet, the words.
I said “YES!” enthusiastically, but I had a lot to learn.
Have you ever thought about writing lyrics for a song? Did you ever wonder what those number sequences
like 76.76.76.76. mean when you see them at the top or the bottom of a song in a church hymnbook? (1) You
don’t need them just to participate in the congregational singing, but they are important for understanding
how words and music work together in composing hymns. Whatever experiences you have had in singing
with a group, whether singing in a classroom, in a chorus, or in church, you know that, when singing, you
really had to stay together with everyone else. You not only had to be on the same page of the songbook,
but the same syllable of the song. Your teacher or conductor could help you do so. When Aretha Franklin
sang “My country ‘tis of thee” at the recent United States Presidential inauguration, she had considerable
leeway to elongate some syllables with heartfelt and enchanting changes of pitch, but this is the privilege of
a soloist. In congregational or choral singing the situation is different.
The aim of this article is to explain how the words for hymns are composed when these hymns are songs for
congregational and choral singing in main-line Christian churches. Not included are other kinds of singing in
churches, such as solo hymns and solo chants. I found that my work as a poet of spoken verse did not differ
impossibly from writing hymns: “English verse can be written in three types of meter. The simplest meter is
‘syllabic meter,’ but it is rarely used in poetry. A common type of meter, especially in older poems and folk
poems, is ‘accentual meter.’ The most common type of meter used in traditional poetic forms, and the most
exact meter for writing, is ‘accentual-syllabic meter … The building blocks of metered verse are syllables,
stresses, lines, and stanzas.” I found that the type of meter necessary for hymn writing, unfortunately for
anyone looking for an easy ride, was the accentual-syllabic meter, the most exact meter. This metrical
terminology and the system used for scanning lines are the same as those found in Trellis Magazine, “The
Right Word” (2), where additional bibliography is also given.
The following is an illustration of the accentual-syllabic meter of the words in the first four-line stanza of a
well-known hymn (1). The words are written in an iambic rhythm (each pair of syllables is accented “ta
TUM”). The underlined syllables are “accented” (receive the “beat” or “ictus”). The forward slash (/) divides
each line after the first seven syllables where what would have been a fourth iambic foot is missing the final
syllable (is “catalectic”)(3):
The Church’s one foun-da-tion/ is Je-sus Christ her Lord;
she is his new cre-a-tion/ by wa-ter and the word:
from heaven he came and sought her/ to be his ho-ly bride;
with his own blood he bought her/ and for her life he died.
The Hymnal 1982 annotates such a hymn as “76.76 76.76”, meaning each stanza has two pairs of lines so
divided, each line having seven syllables followed by 6 syllables. Note also the rhyme scheme. A two-syllable
rhyme comes at the end of the first seven syllables of each pair of lines, linking them by rhyming them (for
example, foun-da-tion – cre-a-tion). A monosyllabic rhyme at the end of each line links each pair of lines (for
example, bride – died). (Notice that “Lord – word” is also meant to be a monosyllabic rhyme, although it is
not a pure rhyme, but a “slant” rhyme or “near” rhyme.) Thus the aspect of euphony (good or harmonious
sound) becomes very important for singers.
Whereas a choir soloist or a member of the clergy can chant parts of the liturgy without regard to syllabic
coordination with other singers, it is usually important for the choir as a whole or the congregation to be not
only on the same page, but on the same syllable. Even descant singers and sections of choir and
congregation singing rounds have to observe such orderliness. That is why, of the three types of metrical
patterns, the most applicable is the “accentual syllabic,” but with certain modifications since these three are
primarily spoken, rather than sung meters. My musician friend, Gwen, advises to avoid a tongue-twisting
combination of consonants that are hard to pronounce, as in "When from thence thou leddest them steadfast
to Jerusalem," or "We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps." Yet trained singers have techniques for
handling most things like this. Gwen also suggests it might be useful to note that "while a choir usually sings
a hymn in four parts, the congregation usually sings only the melody, which is notated on the top or soprano
line. Any singer will be more comfortable singing in the higher part of their vocal register on open vowels
than on closed ones -- just think of the end of our National Anthem: 'the land of the free...' and how hard it
is to make a good sound up there!" Closed vowels are sounds that leave little opening between the tongue
and the roof of the mouth, such as the sound of "ee" or "ay."
Some other metrical patterns are:
87.87, a trochaic rhythm used in hymns for children, such as the Cradle Hymn, “Hush my dear, lie still and
slumber…,” #242 in The Hymnal 1940.
86.86, an iambic meter also known as Common Meter and annotated as CM, excellently exemplified by
“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, …,” #671 in The Hymnal 1982.
66 10. 66 10. 14. 66 10 for #599 in The Hymnal 1982, especially verse 2, is a wonderful and timely example
excellent matching of music and words.
Irregular meter is annotated “Irr.,” as for the hymn “Silent Night” and the Afro-American spiritual “Were you
there when they crucified my Lord?”
There are many other patterns annotated by syllable-count and by other abbreviations such as SM (Short
Meter), LM (Long Meter). All of these become clear with practice. (1)
In approaching the actual writing of hymns, I think you’ll find it’s different strokes for different folks. Some
familiarity with hymns is prerequisite. Rhymes are the essence of the sweetness of song, but as with trends
in other kinds of rhyming verse “slant rhymes” (near rhymes) are okay. John Oxenham’s famous old CM hymn
“In Christ there is no east or west” (#529 in The Hymnal 1982) rhymes “north” with “earth.” Perhaps some
rhymes have become too trite (place – grace?). I think a reasonable approach to hymns as to other kinds of
verse is to depend on inspiration from one’s own feeling in reaction to an image, a theme, a dream… or you
may not know where it comes from, as in “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.” The “wind” is the spirit of your
inspiration. Your hymn can, for example, take the form of a prayer, a meditation, or a praise of God.
When you have an inspiration, you can experiment with different metrical patterns. Get feedback from
fellow poets, from an editor, and from a musician collaborator. Experimentation could take the form of a
prose statement as a preview of your verses; I myself have not found this helpful unless I use prose poetry.
(4) Composer-poet collaborations themselves also take different forms. Some composers prefer to have their
music led by the text; others can supply the music for the words to fit into. There can also be back-and-forth
adjustment and reciprocal suggestions between wordsmith and tunesmith.
In order to broaden one’s experience of listening to hymns, it is not even necessary nowadays to attend a
church; you can listen to a diversity of hymns on various websites. (5) As in the writing of poetry in general,
it can be very helpful to read our own written lines aloud, or sing them.
Notes and References
(1) The Hymnal 1982 (The Church Hymnal Corporation, 800 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10017)
and The Hymnal 1940 (The Church Pension Fund, 1940). The latter as well as The United Methodist Hymnal,
1989, provide metrical indexes showing the great variety of metrical patterns in which hymns are written.
The Lutheran Hymnal is available in an on-line collection with music.
(2) Trellis Magazine, “The Right Word,” January 2008, “Measuring the Marigolds: Meter Part I.” The
bibliography at the end of this article is also very useful.
(3) If you have studied any Latin, you might enjoy comparing the use of metrical terms such as
“catalectic,” “acatalectic,” “septenarius,” “hexameter.” If, however, you are interested in Latin “ictus” or
“beat,” and have access to the internet, please go to:
"Latin Verse-ictus and Multimodal Entrainment," Robert P. Sonkowsky (Classical and Near Eastern Studies) and
Franz Halberg (Lab Medicine/Pathology, Halberg Center
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V8N2/SonkowskyArticleAudio.pdf
(4) If you are not familiar with prose poetry, an introduction can be found in The New Princeton
Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (Princeton University Press, 1993) pp. 977-979.
(5) You can listen to hymns on websites such as these:
http://www.hymntime.com/tch
http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh_online.html
http://midihymns.homestead.com/midiindex.html
http://www.fisheaters.com/hymns.html
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMhistory/wesley/hymns/
http://www.americanunitarian.org/hymns.htm
http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/music.aspx?lvl=Digital+Music&catname=Online+Congregational+Hymns
would like to try my hand at writing hymns with her. She would compose the music. I, as a poet, the words.
I said “YES!” enthusiastically, but I had a lot to learn.
Have you ever thought about writing lyrics for a song? Did you ever wonder what those number sequences
like 76.76.76.76. mean when you see them at the top or the bottom of a song in a church hymnbook? (1) You
don’t need them just to participate in the congregational singing, but they are important for understanding
how words and music work together in composing hymns. Whatever experiences you have had in singing
with a group, whether singing in a classroom, in a chorus, or in church, you know that, when singing, you
really had to stay together with everyone else. You not only had to be on the same page of the songbook,
but the same syllable of the song. Your teacher or conductor could help you do so. When Aretha Franklin
sang “My country ‘tis of thee” at the recent United States Presidential inauguration, she had considerable
leeway to elongate some syllables with heartfelt and enchanting changes of pitch, but this is the privilege of
a soloist. In congregational or choral singing the situation is different.
The aim of this article is to explain how the words for hymns are composed when these hymns are songs for
congregational and choral singing in main-line Christian churches. Not included are other kinds of singing in
churches, such as solo hymns and solo chants. I found that my work as a poet of spoken verse did not differ
impossibly from writing hymns: “English verse can be written in three types of meter. The simplest meter is
‘syllabic meter,’ but it is rarely used in poetry. A common type of meter, especially in older poems and folk
poems, is ‘accentual meter.’ The most common type of meter used in traditional poetic forms, and the most
exact meter for writing, is ‘accentual-syllabic meter … The building blocks of metered verse are syllables,
stresses, lines, and stanzas.” I found that the type of meter necessary for hymn writing, unfortunately for
anyone looking for an easy ride, was the accentual-syllabic meter, the most exact meter. This metrical
terminology and the system used for scanning lines are the same as those found in Trellis Magazine, “The
Right Word” (2), where additional bibliography is also given.
The following is an illustration of the accentual-syllabic meter of the words in the first four-line stanza of a
well-known hymn (1). The words are written in an iambic rhythm (each pair of syllables is accented “ta
TUM”). The underlined syllables are “accented” (receive the “beat” or “ictus”). The forward slash (/) divides
each line after the first seven syllables where what would have been a fourth iambic foot is missing the final
syllable (is “catalectic”)(3):
The Church’s one foun-da-tion/ is Je-sus Christ her Lord;
she is his new cre-a-tion/ by wa-ter and the word:
from heaven he came and sought her/ to be his ho-ly bride;
with his own blood he bought her/ and for her life he died.
The Hymnal 1982 annotates such a hymn as “76.76 76.76”, meaning each stanza has two pairs of lines so
divided, each line having seven syllables followed by 6 syllables. Note also the rhyme scheme. A two-syllable
rhyme comes at the end of the first seven syllables of each pair of lines, linking them by rhyming them (for
example, foun-da-tion – cre-a-tion). A monosyllabic rhyme at the end of each line links each pair of lines (for
example, bride – died). (Notice that “Lord – word” is also meant to be a monosyllabic rhyme, although it is
not a pure rhyme, but a “slant” rhyme or “near” rhyme.) Thus the aspect of euphony (good or harmonious
sound) becomes very important for singers.
Whereas a choir soloist or a member of the clergy can chant parts of the liturgy without regard to syllabic
coordination with other singers, it is usually important for the choir as a whole or the congregation to be not
only on the same page, but on the same syllable. Even descant singers and sections of choir and
congregation singing rounds have to observe such orderliness. That is why, of the three types of metrical
patterns, the most applicable is the “accentual syllabic,” but with certain modifications since these three are
primarily spoken, rather than sung meters. My musician friend, Gwen, advises to avoid a tongue-twisting
combination of consonants that are hard to pronounce, as in "When from thence thou leddest them steadfast
to Jerusalem," or "We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps." Yet trained singers have techniques for
handling most things like this. Gwen also suggests it might be useful to note that "while a choir usually sings
a hymn in four parts, the congregation usually sings only the melody, which is notated on the top or soprano
line. Any singer will be more comfortable singing in the higher part of their vocal register on open vowels
than on closed ones -- just think of the end of our National Anthem: 'the land of the free...' and how hard it
is to make a good sound up there!" Closed vowels are sounds that leave little opening between the tongue
and the roof of the mouth, such as the sound of "ee" or "ay."
Some other metrical patterns are:
87.87, a trochaic rhythm used in hymns for children, such as the Cradle Hymn, “Hush my dear, lie still and
slumber…,” #242 in The Hymnal 1940.
86.86, an iambic meter also known as Common Meter and annotated as CM, excellently exemplified by
“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, …,” #671 in The Hymnal 1982.
66 10. 66 10. 14. 66 10 for #599 in The Hymnal 1982, especially verse 2, is a wonderful and timely example
excellent matching of music and words.
Irregular meter is annotated “Irr.,” as for the hymn “Silent Night” and the Afro-American spiritual “Were you
there when they crucified my Lord?”
There are many other patterns annotated by syllable-count and by other abbreviations such as SM (Short
Meter), LM (Long Meter). All of these become clear with practice. (1)
In approaching the actual writing of hymns, I think you’ll find it’s different strokes for different folks. Some
familiarity with hymns is prerequisite. Rhymes are the essence of the sweetness of song, but as with trends
in other kinds of rhyming verse “slant rhymes” (near rhymes) are okay. John Oxenham’s famous old CM hymn
“In Christ there is no east or west” (#529 in The Hymnal 1982) rhymes “north” with “earth.” Perhaps some
rhymes have become too trite (place – grace?). I think a reasonable approach to hymns as to other kinds of
verse is to depend on inspiration from one’s own feeling in reaction to an image, a theme, a dream… or you
may not know where it comes from, as in “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.” The “wind” is the spirit of your
inspiration. Your hymn can, for example, take the form of a prayer, a meditation, or a praise of God.
When you have an inspiration, you can experiment with different metrical patterns. Get feedback from
fellow poets, from an editor, and from a musician collaborator. Experimentation could take the form of a
prose statement as a preview of your verses; I myself have not found this helpful unless I use prose poetry.
(4) Composer-poet collaborations themselves also take different forms. Some composers prefer to have their
music led by the text; others can supply the music for the words to fit into. There can also be back-and-forth
adjustment and reciprocal suggestions between wordsmith and tunesmith.
In order to broaden one’s experience of listening to hymns, it is not even necessary nowadays to attend a
church; you can listen to a diversity of hymns on various websites. (5) As in the writing of poetry in general,
it can be very helpful to read our own written lines aloud, or sing them.
Notes and References
(1) The Hymnal 1982 (The Church Hymnal Corporation, 800 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10017)
and The Hymnal 1940 (The Church Pension Fund, 1940). The latter as well as The United Methodist Hymnal,
1989, provide metrical indexes showing the great variety of metrical patterns in which hymns are written.
The Lutheran Hymnal is available in an on-line collection with music.
(2) Trellis Magazine, “The Right Word,” January 2008, “Measuring the Marigolds: Meter Part I.” The
bibliography at the end of this article is also very useful.
(3) If you have studied any Latin, you might enjoy comparing the use of metrical terms such as
“catalectic,” “acatalectic,” “septenarius,” “hexameter.” If, however, you are interested in Latin “ictus” or
“beat,” and have access to the internet, please go to:
"Latin Verse-ictus and Multimodal Entrainment," Robert P. Sonkowsky (Classical and Near Eastern Studies) and
Franz Halberg (Lab Medicine/Pathology, Halberg Center
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V8N2/SonkowskyArticleAudio.pdf
(4) If you are not familiar with prose poetry, an introduction can be found in The New Princeton
Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (Princeton University Press, 1993) pp. 977-979.
(5) You can listen to hymns on websites such as these:
http://www.hymntime.com/tch
http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh_online.html
http://midihymns.homestead.com/midiindex.html
http://www.fisheaters.com/hymns.html
http://gbgm-umc.org/UMhistory/wesley/hymns/
http://www.americanunitarian.org/hymns.htm
http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/music.aspx?lvl=Digital+Music&catname=Online+Congregational+Hymns