Hymn metre
The numbers under the tune name are the most useful thing in the hymn book, and almost nobody uses them.
Open a hymn book at any hymn and you will see something like CM, or 87.87.D, printed near the tune name. It is the metre: the number of syllables in each line of a verse. Any text and any tune sharing a metre can be sung to each other.
The named metres
| Abbreviation | Syllables | Example tune | Example text |
|---|---|---|---|
| CM — Common Metre | 8.6.8.6 | St Anne | O God, our help in ages past |
| LM — Long Metre | 8.8.8.8 | Tallis’ Canon | All praise to thee, my God, this night |
| SM — Short Metre | 6.6.8.6 | Franconia | Blest are the pure in heart |
| CMD — Common Metre Doubled | 8.6.8.6 twice | Kingsfold | I heard the voice of Jesus say |
| 87.87.D | 8.7.8.7 twice | Hyfrydol | Alleluia, sing to Jesus |
| 87.87.87 | as written | Cwm Rhondda | Guide me, O thou great Redeemer |
D means doubled — the pattern runs twice per verse. Anything not fitting a named pattern is simply written out, which is why you also see things like 10.10.11.11 or, in the case of Thaxted, 13.13.13.13.13.13.
Why this is useful
- The tune is unsingable but the words are right. Find another tune in the same metre. This is the commonest reason to care, and the metrical index at the back of the book exists precisely for it.
- The congregation knows a different tune. Two hymn books in two parishes frequently set the same text to different tunes, and a congregation will sing the one it learned regardless of what is printed.
- You want variety without novelty. A familiar text to a second familiar tune is a much smaller ask than a new hymn.
The cautions
- Metre is necessary but not sufficient. Stress patterns have to match too — a text can fit the syllable count and still land its emphases in the wrong place.
- Mood matters more than arithmetic. A penitential Lenten text technically fits a triumphant Easter tune. Do not.
- Print what you are actually singing. If you have swapped the tune, say so in the booklet — the visiting organist and any visitor with a hymn book will otherwise both be wrong.
Questions
What does CM mean in a hymn book?
Common Metre: lines of 8, 6, 8 and 6 syllables. Any text and any tune in Common Metre can be sung to each other — for example O God, our help in ages past to St Anne.
What does 87.87.D mean?
Each verse has lines of 8, 7, 8 and 7 syllables, and the pattern is doubled — so eight lines per verse. Hyfrydol is the best-known example.
Can you sing a hymn to a different tune?
Yes, provided the tune shares the text's metre. Check the stress pattern and the mood as well as the syllable count, and print the tune you are actually using.