The Loomii re-tune another hymn - your thoughts?

[MamaJunebug]

I wasn't familiar with the hymn, Commit Now All Your Griefs until learning of Steven & Rebecca Loomis' efforts to craft a new melody for it.

I think the lyrics are very fine, but then, most Gerhard hymns are. The first verse:

Commit thou all your griefs

And ways into his hands;

To his sure truth and tender care,

Who earth and heav’n commands.

Who points the clouds their course,

Whom winds and seas obey,

He shall direct your wand’ring feet,

He shall prepare your way.

Traditionally, the words have been sung to the tune associated with the hymn Crown Him With Many Crowns (words and tune here: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/r/crownhim.htm)

But as they did with another hymn, Steven & Rebecca wanted more gravitas (my word) to the tune. They explain, "Our hope in composing a new tune for this hymn, which used to go to DIAMETIA (Crown Him With Many Crowns), is to communicate these truths with a tender, plaintive tune. God is faithful even in the midst of difficulty."

Well, we all know from difficulty, and we Christians see God's faithfulness there, that's true. For me, though, the Loomis product is Appalachian in its tone: haunting, moody, tragic. I like the tune for a legend of great sadness happening in the mountains.

For a hymn encouraging me to take my troubles to Jesus and to trust that God is with me and will always be, I personally prefer a tune like Diametia. Its tempo, its notes ascending the scale, its concluding notes, all say to me, "It's gonna be okay, it's in God's hands, rest in that knowledge!"

As opposed to the Loomis' tune, which says to me, "It was a dark and lonely night, and it stayed dark and lonely, isn't life a series of woe!" Again, I loves me a good, sad ballad. But not in church.

Oh, and I also got a cold chill when I read that "Commit Thy Griefs" used to go with Diametia. Mmf! Steven and Rebecca have declared it to be so, so it must be all past-tense!!

OK, I'm pretty much kidding/overreacting to that. :shifty:

Except that it may well tip the hand of these smiling, attractive gingerfolks -- they look friendly, but they have an agenda. And they will impose it. One tune used to go with the hymn, now their tune goes with the hymn.

I'd really love to hear others' reactions to this latest re-do, all over at reflecthymn.com

Here's the new tune. Give it up for Becky at the Keyboard! :clap:

reflecthymn.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cnayg.mp3

[clarinetpower]

Well, their tune is pretty, but yes, you're right that it's kind of sad. And as a singer, I have to say--there's no WAY a congregation could sing that at that tempo. They'd all pass out. I'm a clarinet player, and I would be able to play it, but singing it at the speed necessitated by the accompaniment would be rough going. That's part of the reason traditional hymns are set with a lot of block chords--you can speed them up if need be to move the service along.

I prefer the old one, too, MJB. And quite frankly, most hymns are reworkings and resettings of other tunes. To arrogantly proclaim this is NOW THIS WAY and not just "my version" is incredibly self-righteous.

[Marian the Librarian]

"Except that it may well tip the hand of these smiling, attractive gingerfolks -- they look friendly, but they have an agenda. And they will impose it. One tune used to go with the hymn, now their tune goes with the hymn."

*THIS.*

I can't bring myself to listen to the Loomis-approved version of another hymn, MJB; I'm just going to take your word for it. I like these people less and less, the more judgmental musical pronouncements they make. Frankly, I think they're suffering from fundamentalism-induced depression. "Our world view is dour and drear, and we won't be happy until yours is too." Feh.

[anniebgood]

All of her hymns sound drudge like. There is no emotion or feeling to me in it. I love Crown Him With Many Crowns, it's inspiring and moves along. Her hymns plod. I don't like organists who plod through hymns and I'd be bitching through the service if she played for us.

[Guest Anonymous]

" Frankly, I think they're suffering from fundamentalism-induced depression. "Our world view is dour and drear, and we won't be happy until yours is too." Feh.

There's an H.L. Mencken quote that goes thusly: “Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.â€

Substitute "fundamentalism" in there and I think it's appropriate for our dreary Loomis family and the Maxwells, too. Happiness does not equal sin, fundies!

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24 (Of course I'm still going to hell, because my translation of choice is the NASB.)

[Patsy]

I'm sure there'd be programs out there that can search the Bible for phrases and words. I'm willing to bet "rejoice", "song", "sing", "dance" would appear an AWFUL lot. And this is coming from a grumpy atheist who's very :eusa-snooty: about the Bible in general. This isn't how to interpet the hair-covering passage, you know? It's like, have you people READ a Bible?

[anniebgood]

This is from the people who had the pleasure of listening to Mr Loomis read the entire Declaration of Independence to the gathered at their 4th of July festivities. There might be a small spattering of joy in their lives, the remodel, the garden, visiting the missions, but in the end they are reformed calvinists who know they are the elect and the rest of us are going to dance at the end of a pin over the lake of fire. :geek:

[maybeizfundie]

If they want to sing it their way, that's fine.

And I do have a love of the Appalachian style, and some of the old European tunes that might come across as "dreary" to others. They have their own sort of beauty. I can see those particular lyrics going either way, and honestly Diametia isn't exactly a bouncy pop-tune in the first place.

But...I'm pretty sure the Loomii :D aren't the authoritative body on which tune we can sing with which song. I have some hymnbooks which have a number of tunes for several songs. Also a psalmnody where it looks like they just picked whatever tune worked best with the flow of the lyrics. Some of the longer psalms end up spread across 5 different tunes.

[MamaJunebug]

If they want to sing it their way, that's fine.

And I do have a love of the Appalachian style, and some of the old European tunes that might come across as "dreary" to others. They have their own sort of beauty. I can see those particular lyrics going either way, and honestly Diametia isn't exactly a bouncy pop-tune in the first place.

I was thinking about how much "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" means to me at Lent or really, any time. The tune traditionally associated (in my experience) with the lyrics goes perfectly.

I gave more thought to the Loomis tune and the Gerhard lyrics -- I even sang along to Rebecca's playing! -- and I still find the minor-key ending to the tune to be overly gloomy for the lyrics. Please pardon my inept musical descriptions, I'm no musician nor musicologist!!! ;)

But...I'm pretty sure the Loomii :D aren't the authoritative body on which tune we can sing with which song. I have some hymnbooks which have a number of tunes for several songs. Also a psalmnody where it looks like they just picked whatever tune worked best with the flow of the lyrics. Some of the longer psalms end up spread across 5 different tunes.

[MamaJunebug]

If they want to sing it their way, that's fine.

And I do have a love of the Appalachian style, and some of the old European tunes that might come across as "dreary" to others. They have their own sort of beauty. I can see those particular lyrics going either way, and honestly Diametia isn't exactly a bouncy pop-tune in the first place.

I was thinking about how much the sad tune "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" means to me at Lent or really, any time. The tune traditionally associated (in my experience) with the lyrics goes perfectly, makes me meditate upon the enormity of what Jesus took upon Himself, on my undeserving behalf. There is a time and a place for somber, sober, dreary [sic] tunes. :)

I gave more thought to the Loomis tune and the Gerhard lyrics -- I even sang along to Rebecca's playing! -- and I still find the minor-key ending to the tune to be overly gloomy for the lyrics. Please pardon my inept musical descriptions, I'm no musician nor musicologist!!! ;)

But...I'm pretty sure the Loomii :D aren't the authoritative body on which tune we can sing with which song. I have some hymnbooks which have a number of tunes for several songs. Also a psalmnody where it looks like they just picked whatever tune worked best with the flow of the lyrics. Some of the longer psalms end up spread across 5 different tunes.

The old Lutheran hymnal had cross-references to what tunes could be used for a variety of hymns. I sat quietly through many a long sermon, as a pre-teen, amusing myself discovering the various tunes to which the same lyrics could be sung. Think it gave me my lifelong love of a good hymn, actually!

And yes, I'm perfectly sure that just because Rebecca and Steven say that this tune is the new and proper one, doesn't make it so, anywhere but at Heritage Reformed Church (where they were members, last anybody mentioned it). It's just the dominionistic tone of their phrasing that amuses and bothers me!

[clarinetpower]

MJB, just a question, which hymnal(s) do you use at MSL churches?

We're using the LBW (green) and WOV (With one voice, blue). I prefer the LBW--WOV is too modern for me (as in drippy sentimental non-four part harmony, not as in jazz and other awesome things. I like to be challenged, so I usually sing either the alto or tenor line, just for fun.)

I used to teach in Catholic schools and one Christian (read: Baptist) school. The Catholics used a one-part hymnal that I hated (and so did everyone else), and the other one put up that Mustard Seed song and the Potter's Clay song on power point, then the music was a trap set, worship "team" and a piano (played by a woman with diamonds on her fingers as big as a kidney bean who also underscored everything the pastor said which drove me bonkers) and sang the same two tunes over and over and over and over and over until I thought I would scream. And I can't tell you how many people approached this music teacher and said they "came here for the music, stayed for the message." It took all the Christian in me to just smile and nod and say, "how wonderful!"

PS, sorry about that major run-on sentence. Stream of consciousness.

[MamaJunebug]

Oh, sister clarinet! don't worry about a thing -- I left one congregation because of the music! Came for the message, left because of the 'minister' of music. Long story for another day. :naughty:

Just let me say, when you mentioned the pianist underscoring everything Pastor said -- I started to grind my teeth. And I'm currently very low on teeth!!!! :lol: :lol:

You ask the hard questions! I'm 99% sure the hymnal we use is the Lutheran Service Book

http://www.cph.org/p-98-lutheran-servic ... erm=031170

isn't that a hoot? I really like the hymnal, enjoy reading all the rites that are printed out, at long last, for us lowly layfolk and can't say I've ever taken notice of its name!

I wish I were good enough to sight-read the harmonies. As is, I'm developing a good rapport with the congregational secretary and I mean, this week, to ask when I could regularly give her a call for a list of the weekend's hymns -- all to teach myself the alto lines in time for service!!! My cousin attends the same congregation and our voices are almost identical, so we've been known to lead a song now or then. Give us two-part harmony, and .... we will sing out, Louise. This is most certainly true!

[clarinetpower]

Ah, I wondered if we were different! Ours is here:

http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store ... ew-Edition

But there is also another (red) that has been a cause for argument--though the churches I've attended always went green.

And *puts on music teacher hat*, the best way to get better at sight reading is to do it! :) I usually sing the first line in soprano, find my first note from the end of the line somewhere, and then take off on another line. You can always default to the melody if it's challenging (which I often do). Or just sing "watermelon". :lol:

[anniebgood]

ClarinetPower, We switched to the new cranberry book, and though it's crammed with hymns, over 800 I believe, it's not too bad. We use the new Evangelical Hymnal.

http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Wo ... s/ELW.aspx

A lot of the WOV has been put into it so we don't need 2 hymnals. We also have a brown hymnal in our pews that has lots and lots of old gospel songs as well as some 70's stuff.

We use basically the same setting for the worship service as we did with the green hymnal. Not too hard to learn. Now if we had a decent organist, it would be great. (I have a systematic rant against the music we get because she's a competent pianist but crappy organist, and the congregation bought a $$$ Clavinola which the Korean church uses and we don't. grrrrr.)

I look forward to the absences of the current organist because we get some really good subs.