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

Friday, December 11, 2020

"Watchman, Tell Us of the Night"

Back in September 2018, I recorded the tune "St. George," used for TLH #71 "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night."  I noticed a small feature in the second verse.  The first two lines are "Watchman, tell us of the night; / Higher yet that star ascends," sung to these phrases:


"Star ascends" is sung to a rising group of notes (F G A), musically giving a sense of that "ascend[ing]."

Side note:  I hadn't realized this before, but "St. George" in The Lutheran Hymnal is the same tune as "St. George's, Windsor" in Lutheran Worship and The Lutheran Service Book.  I don't know why the titles are different, though.