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

Friday, November 18, 2022

"Father, We Praise Thee"

Last year, I noticed two instances in "Father, We Praise Thee" where a melisma provides a sense of entirety for an "all."

The first instance is in the first line of the second verse.  "Monarch of all things, fit us for Thy mansions" is sung to this phrase from the tune "Christe sanctorum":


Here, "all" itself is sung with a melisma (F# E).

The second instance is in the last line of the third verse (also the last line of the hymn):  "Through all creation," sung to this phrase:


Here, "creation" is sung with a melisma (G F# E D), giving a sense of that modifying "all."  Since each syllable is sung to a different pitch and since the last note has a longer value, there's an additional sense of this entirety.