Comments on: A Modest Proposal: Making More Hymns “Familiar”

By: bekah

bekah — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:20:52 +0000

Great advice. Wish my ward was reading this. And, like you mentioned in #87, I also love singing hymns of the same meter to different tunes. If you like I Saw a Mighty Angel Fly, try singing it at Christmas with the words to O Little Town of Bethlehem–that’s how it is in the Oxford Book of Carols for Choir.

By: D. Fletcher

D. Fletcher — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:03:30 +0000

Called to Serve is football music. I think it’s just plain awful.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:54:25 +0000

Well, I like them anyway :)

By: D. Fletcher

D. Fletcher — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:48:52 +0000

My grandfather, Wallace Bennett (former U.S. Senator) wrote the words to God of Power.

By: D. Fletcher

D. Fletcher — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:43:43 +0000

I don’t know who Fletcher is; when I find out, I’ll tell you if we’re related.

P.S. I love the music to Come Follow Me, with that minor bridge.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:51:38 +0000

Can you imagine how sick they get of “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet”?

Actually, I was just trying to track down that comment by Pres. Hinckley–no telling yet if I’ll succeed–but I found a note in the November 1987 Ensign that says the men’s choir version (#323) was sung in the October 1987 priesthood session. So, his memory wasn’t perfect after all.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:48:51 +0000

Well, of course he hadn’t, since he mostly only goes to Stake Conference. The GAs must get really sick of “High on a Mountaintop”.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:45:31 +0000

And, the priesthood meeting corollary to your list, Kristine, should include:

320 The Priesthood of our Lord (sung as a round)
324 Rise Up O Men of God

The latter was sung by a choir in a general priesthood meeting a few years ago, and President Hinckley commented on how wonderful it was, but said that he had never heard it before. What a shame! in the nearly 20 years since that hymn showed up in our books, he had never heard it once!

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:40:12 +0000

Nice list of hymns, Kristine. It’s always surprising to “discover” what hymns are considered less familiar.

We sang “Hie to Kolob” yesterday–it was as fast as our organist could play, but, sadly, not as quick as the hymn begs to be sung. (And it ought to be written in 2/2 time, or at least the director should beat it in two.)

265 is a terrific old missionary anthem. It too, though, can inflict death by degrees if not sung at tempo. But sung at the top of the suggested range (126), it is a good rousing number that really should supplant that other thing that D. Fletcher has declared he will not play–what’s wrong, D., don’t they have a calliope in your building? : ) –as the missionary anthem of the church.

About 167 and 231, it’s hard to sing “evening” hymns when sacrament meeting ends at 11:10 a.m. But those two are sufficient justification for having Evensong one Sunday a month. Or maybe once every two months. (In the only meetings we have in the evenings–the Saturdays of stake conferences–those would be nixed for “unfamiliarity.”)

Finally, did you make that comment about #20 just for D.’s sake? Isn’t he related to the author? :)

By: Mathew

Mathew — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:39:57 +0000

Adam,

That is one of the best hymns.