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

Friday, August 16, 2024

"Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor"

One of the hymns on Worship Anew earlier this week was "Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor," and I noticed a handful of small features in it.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Bryn Calfaria."  Here's the fourth musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Lifting up Your people's head."  There's an ascent of a third between "Lifting" (sung to two Bb notes) and "up" (sung to a D), musically illustrating the meaning.

In the third verse, the text is "Shall forevermore remain."  "Forevermore" is sung with a melisma (Bb D C Bb A), and since it's drawn out, there's a sense of that duration.

Here's the second-to-last musical phrase:


In the third verse, the text here is "Cleansing souls from ev'ry stain."  "Ev'ry" is sung with a melisma (C Bb A G), giving a sense of that entirety.