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

Friday, September 27, 2019

"Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord"

About a year ago, I sang "Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord" in church and noticed something about the last phrase:


(The tune is "Woodlands.")

The last two lines of the hymn (in the fourth verse) are "Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord / To children's children and forevermore!"  "Forevermore" is sung to the last four notes:  a quarter note (D), a dotted half note (E), a quarter note (D), and a whole note (D), for a total of nine beats.  "Forevermore" is held longer than any other word in the hymn, providing a sense of duration.