Yep I know, it’s okay though, I do not want to make any money on it. I am with BMI and if I wanted to record it I would have to pay royalty on the music.
“Many of the tunes were simply titled after the city in which they were written or some other short identifier like “Grace” or “Zion”.”
Lots of good information! Did you know I am a music director at a Church and did not know some of this? So thanks! Of course I got a pretty late start.
Still, it is good to learn stuff and to learn that you still can. I like the links, good stuff. I think before 1922 you are pretty safe with public domain but not always. Sound recordings are protected in America till well after 2050.
Maybe you should try a CD again! This time bolder! ;-)
Have you checked your hymn books for “meter” or a metrical index in the back? Some of them might still have them.
Do any churches use hymnals any more, or do they all sing off the wall (overhead projector) now?
If you were going to look for a tune for this old one (Meter = syllables per line):
When I come to the river 7
at the ending of day 6
When the last winds of sorrow have blown 9
There’ll be somebody waiting 7
to show me the way 5
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone 9
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone
On my way to my heavenly home
When the darkness I see, they’ll be waiting for me
And I won’t have to cross Jordan alone
Many times I am lonely and I’ve often been sad
With a heart that is heavy as stone
But there’s one thing that cheers me and makes my heart glad
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.
That might be what they call “Irregular meter” and tough to match up with an existing tune other than the one written for it.
As I was learning about all this on the Mudcat forum
http://www.mudcat.org/
here is what one of the resident experts said:
” The “7s and 8s” (etc.) refer to the number of syllables in each line of the hymn.
CM, LM & SM are just shorthand ways of saying some of the more common ones.
“D” means double (i.e repeat everything).
So 8.7.8.7D would be an eight line verse with alternate lines of 8 and 7 syllables. “While Shepherds Watched” would be 8.6.8.6 (which is probably CM or SM).
Note that the tunes may contain more (or occasionally fewer) notes than there are syllables in the poem - “Alleluia” is only four syllables, but can be many more notes than that.”
And another added:
“This is your clue for what tunes to try with what words.
Many hymnals have a meter index, probably a vestige of when more text/tune switching was done.
CM=Common Meter=8,6,8,6 (Amazing Grace, While Shepherds, Gilligan’s Island, Dundee-a tune used multiple times in most hymnals)
LM=Long Meter=8,8,8,8 (Praise God From Whom all blessings flow,I know that my Redeemer lives, Old Hundred)
SM=Short Meter=6,6,8,8(I love thy kingdom, Lord; St. Thomas)
PM=Particular (or Peculiar) Meter. A rare meter or one open to different interpretations.
The expectation is a 4 line hymn, so “7’s & 8’s” is short for 7,8,7,8. “11’s’ is 4 lines of 11 each.
“ 7’s double” is 8 lines of 7. “
Sounds pretty complicated, but it comes in handy if you want to play around with switching lyrics and melodies around just for fun, or if you want to put a poem to music. That’s the way they used to do it.