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

Friday, September 5, 2025

"Splendor and Honor"

I was looking at "Splendor and Honor" last month and noticed a couple small features.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Shades Mountain."  Here's the second musical phrase:


In the first verse, the text here is "Are Yours, O Lord God, fount of ev'ry blessing" (it continues the sense from the previous line:  "Splendor and honor, majesty and power").  The phrase "ev'ry blessing" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F E D C), giving a sense of this breadth.

The third verse is a doxology, ending with "Now and forever," sung to this phrase:


"Forever" is sung to notes that have a combined total of nine beats (a quarter note and two whole notes), and since this is the longest of any word in the entire hymn, there's a sense of this duration.