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

Friday, June 9, 2023

"Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 2 May.  The hymn was "Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me," and I noticed a few features to write about.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen."  Here's the first musical phrase:


The second verse begins with the line "When life's troubles rise to meet me" (the sense is completed later in the verse with the line "They will not defeat me").  The phrase generally ascends, giving a musical sense of that (metaphorical) "ris[ing]."

The second verse ends with the lines "He who knows / All my woes / Knows how best to end them," sung to these musical phrases:


The words "All my woes" are sung to notes of different pitches (Bb C A), and this variety provides something of a sense of the entirety of that "all."

The fourth verse ends with the lines "I am His because He gave me / His own blood / For my good, / By His death to save me."  As I indicated above, the last musical phrase contains a cross inscription, which corresponds to "By His death."  This musical figure points to the crucifixion and gives a bit more detail about Christ's death.