What on Earth is a “Meter?” And What Does it Have to do With Hymns?

Those old enough to have studied older forms of poetry in grade school will remember terms like: Iambic Pentameter, which refers to poetic text organized by “unstressed/stressed” syllables (Iambic), five times per line (Pentameter). While that can certainly be a part of the poetry we find in our hymnals, that is not quite what we are referring to. Since the text needs to be married to a tune, the first concern is does the number of syllables match the available number of notes. The next step to finding a tune/text match is to check where the musical stresses lie within the tune. The pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables need to have a reasonable relationship to the pattern of metrically stressed and unstressed notes in the tune for the best fit (among other considerations).

In music, “time signatures” or the better term: “meter signatures” such as 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, etc tell us not only the note values present within each measure, but more importantly, the accent pattern. For example, 4/4 starts with a strong pulse, followed by a weak pulse. The third quarter has a moderate pulse and the forth is another weak pulse. The signature 3/4 will contain either a strong/weak/weak pattern, or a weak/weak/strong order. The affect is quite different. The first is typical of some dances such as a Waltz. In the latter, the third beat acts as a pickup or driver towards the next measure. The opening to the US national anthem is a perfect example of this.

So, within Christian hymnody, the initial focus is on syllable count in both the texts and tunes. This makes for an easy matching of familiar tunes paired with new texts. You can often find a tune/meter index in the back of many better hymnals. If an author used one of the more common meters, their text could find a home in a much wider variety of of tunes and traditions. Also, if a composer kept to a frequently used meter, their tunes would find more uses. This has indeed been a common occurrence. Within my catalog of hymns, there are more than a few tunes which have been set to dozens of different texts. And it is a somewhat rare text which gets a wide distribution without having a number of different tunes used at some time.

There are three frequently used meters which are often indicated with the letters: SM, CM, LM. (Short meter, common meter, and long meter.) You may also see a “D” added to these meters (SMD, CMD, LMD). The “D” stands for “Double.” The meter is used twice for each stanza.

Here is what these meters stand for and some famous examples:

SM 6.6.8.6. Blest be the Tie That Binds; I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord

CM 8.6.8.6. Amazing Grace; O God, Our Help in Ages Past; All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

LM 8.8.8. All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night; Jesus Shall Reign; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

This is by no means the only meters used through the centuries! Nearly any imaginable metrical pattern has been used at one time. Obviously, some are more common, such as these three, but even so, they make up only a small percentage of all meters.

One of the discoveries I made in my hymn recording project (now over 7400 hymns for those keeping score) is the extent different tune/text combinations have been used. This can serve a number of purposes. My recent video dealing with a variety of tunes for the hymn: And Can it Be by Charles Wesley looked at how the emotional content of the music can radically alter the affect of the text. It would be worth checking it out!

Another benefit of understanding meters, shared by several people, is the ability to use familiar tunes to sing through a Psalter. The vast majority of the Psalms in the new 2024 Reformed Psalter I am recording uses tunes in SM, CM, and LM meter. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but even these are not in any wild meters. If you regularly sing the Psalms part of your devotions, this can help.

Here are examples of other meters commonly found.

A majority of hymns will use Iambic feet (weak/strong), more energetic hymns will often use Trochaic feet (strong/weak)

7.7.7.7. (Trochaic) “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

• 8.7.8.7. (Trochaic) A very common “stately” meter. “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

• Irregular Meter (IM) This is a catch-all for irregular patterns that don’t fit standard classifications. These are usually a melody written specifically for that text that cannot be used elsewhere. (Very common within Baptist hymnals, Fanny Crosby’s hymns, many contemporary hymns.)11.10.11.10. Is often waltz-like. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”

  6.6.4.6.6.6.4.: Often called the “National Anthem Meter.” “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”

The next major upgrade to the database for my recording project, found on my website: AndrewRemillard.com is to include meteric information for all the hymns.