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

Friday, July 14, 2023

"Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun"

A couple years ago, I noticed a few features in the hymn "Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun," sung to the tune "Morning Hymn."  Here's the first musical phrase:


In the third verse, the text here is "All praise to Thee, who safe hast kept" (the sense is continued into the second line:  "And hast refreshed me while I slept").  "All" is sung with a melisma (G A), giving something of a sense of entirety.

The third musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise."  "Shake" is sung with a melisma (D E), giving a sense of its meaning, and the phrase generally ascends, illustrating that "ris[ing]."

The fourth musical phrase:


In the third verse, the text here is "[Grant that] I may of endless light partake."  "Endless" is sung with a melisma (G B D C), and since it's stretched out, there's a sense of duration.