"Through Jesus' Blood and Merit"

About a year ago, I wrote a post about some features in "Through Jesus' Blood and Merit," but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service I watched recently, I found an-other small point to note.

The third line in the third verse, continuing the list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God, is "Nor angels of high station," sung to this phrase from the tune "Lob Gott getrost mit Singen":

"High" is sung to the highest pitch in the phrase (an A), so there's something of a sense of its meaning.

"Through Jesus' Blood and Merit"

I found a couple small features to note in "Through Jesus' Blood and Merit," sung to the tune "Lob Gott getrost mit Singen."

Here's the third musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here (based on part of Romans 8:38-39) is "No want, no pain whatever."  The three syllables of "whatever" are each sung to a different pitch (A F# D), musically giving a sense of breadth.

The last musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text (still drawing from Romans 8) is "Nor darkest depths of gloom."  "Depths" is sung with a descending melisma (D C B), giving a sense of its meaning.  In Lutheran Worship, this line is "Nor depth of deepest gloom," where "deepest" is sung with a melisma (D C B A), which gives a sense not only of the meaning, but also of the superlative nature of this adjective (more notes for a greater degree).

"Let Me Be Thine Forever"

Almost two years ago now, I found a few features in "Let Me Be Thine Forever," sung to the tune "Lob Gott getrost mit Singen."  Here are the fifth and sixth phrases:

In the first verse, the text here is "Lord, do not let me waver, / But give me steadfastness."  "Waver" is sung with a melisma (C B A), musically giving a sense of its meaning.  In the second verse, the text is "For Thou hast dearly bought me / With blood and bitter pain."  The second syllable of "bitter" is sung with an accidental (G#), giving something of a sense of its meaning.

The second verse ends with the lines "Let me, since Thou hast sought me, / Eternal life obtain," sung to these phrases:

"Life" is sung with a melisma (D C B), musically giving something of a sense of the duration of "eternal."