Have You Ever Wondered…
What are those funny numbers at the bottom of the page in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal? Did you ever look at all the information that is on the page of your favorite hymn? There’s a lot of data provided, including: the title of the hymn, the composer of the music, the lyricist (word person), and their life spans.
There is a general category description such as Celebration of Life, Autumn, or Freedom that tells the subject of the hymn. There is also, in many cases, a name of the tune and a set of numbers such as 10.10.10.10. Those numbers represent the metrical characteristic of the hymn: the number of syllables in each word phrase that fit to the tune.
In the back of our hymnal among all the listings such as Titles of Hymns, First Lines of Hymns, and others there is a Metrical Index of Tunes (pages 664-668) that indicates which tunes have the same metrical pattern. Such tunes may be substituted for one another, and the words of the different hymns will fit.
Let’s look at a couple of examples:
Amazing Grace (page 205) has a metrical index of 8.6.8.6, which is the same index as Joy to the World (page 245). Yes, you can sing Amazing Grace to the tune of Joy to the World. Just keep repeating the last phrase of the verse when you reach the refrain. And, for a slightly different flavor, try singing Amazing Grace to the tune of Immortal Love (page 10)!
Take a look at that Metrical Index. You might find a tune for your favorite hymn that you like as well as, or better than, the original.