Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.
Showing posts with label Awake My Soul and with the Sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Awake My Soul and with the Sun. Show all posts

Friday, July 14, 2023

"Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun"

A couple years ago, I noticed a few features in the hymn "Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun," sung to the tune "Morning Hymn."  Here's the first musical phrase:


In the third verse, the text here is "All praise to Thee, who safe hast kept" (the sense is continued into the second line:  "And hast refreshed me while I slept").  "All" is sung with a melisma (G A), giving something of a sense of entirety.

The third musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise."  "Shake" is sung with a melisma (D E), giving a sense of its meaning, and the phrase generally ascends, illustrating that "ris[ing]."

The fourth musical phrase:


In the third verse, the text here is "[Grant that] I may of endless light partake."  "Endless" is sung with a melisma (G B D C), and since it's stretched out, there's a sense of duration.