Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Friday, September 15, 2017

"Holy Spirit, Light Divine"

A couple months ago, while transcribing "Holy Spirit, Light Divine," I noticed a couple instances where the text corresponds to the melody.  I've been transcribing the hymns as they appear in The Lutheran Service Book, but if they're in Lutheran Worship too, I also transcribe those versions.  There are quite a few differences between the LSB "Holy Spirit, Light Divine" (#496) and the LW "Holy Spirit, Light Divine" (#166).

The two things I found both correspond to the third musical phrase in the oddly titled "Song 13."  The LSB notation is in D major, but the LW notation is in Eb major.  I find the sharp keys easier than the flat keys, so I'm using D major:


In the fifth verse of the LSB version of "Holy Spirit, Light Divine," the text sung to this phrase is "Cast down ev'ry idol throne."  "Ev'ry idol throne" is sung to those descending notes, so they're literally cast down as far as musical pitch.

In the third verse of the LW version of "Holy Spirit, Light Divine," the text sung to this phrase is "Send your radiance from above."  In that version, the descent represents the Holy Spirit's radiance's coming down "from above."

Notwithstanding the key, I prefer the LW version of "Holy Spirit, Light Divine" because all of the verses begin with some variation of the titular "Holy Spirit, light divine."  There's "light divine," "grace divine," "truth divine," "pow'r divine," and "peace divine," and in the final verse, these culminate in "all divine."

In the LSB version, however, the second verse begins with "Let me see my Savior's face."  Certainly, I have nothing against that sentiment, but it interrupts the anaphoric vocatives in the LW version.