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

Friday, June 2, 2023

"My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord"

A couple years ago, I noticed a small feature in "My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord" (LSB #934), sung to the tune "Wo Gott zum Haus."  Here's the last musical phrase:


The text here in the fourth verse is "His gracious promise always stands."  "Always" is sung with a melisma (Ab G F), and since it's drawn out, there's a sense of duration.  While looking at the hymn again, I also noticed that "stands" is sung to a whole note, and this long note value mirrors the sense of that "always," too.