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

Friday, November 19, 2021

"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"

Last year and then again a couple months ago, I found a handful of features in "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling."  It's sung to the tune "Hyfrydol."  Here's the third musical phrase:


In the second verse, the text here is "Let us all in Thee inherit."  "All" is sung with a melisma (F G), musically giving a sense of entirety.

The fifth musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Jesus, Thou art all compassion."  "Compassion" is sung with a melisma (Bb Bb A G), musically illustrating that "all."  In the second verse, the text is "Take away the love of sinning."  Here, "away" is sung with a melisma (C C Bb), giving a sense of (metaphorical) movement.  In the third verse, the text is "Thee we would be always blessing."  "Blessing" is sung with a melisma (Bb A G), providing a sense of the duration of "always."

The sixth musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Pure, unbounded love Thou art."  The words "unbounded love" are sung with melismas (A A Bb C | C Bb), and since the words aren't limited to their usual amount of syllables, there's a sense of the meaning of "unbounded."

The last (eighth) musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Enter ev'ry trembling heart."  "Ev'ry" is sung with a melisma (D C Bb), and each syllable is sung to a different pitch.  Both of these features indicate that breadth.