What's your favorite Hymn and why?

[Jeff Lebowski]

From the handbook on music in sacrament meetings:: “Music coordinators and bishoprics try to find a balance between familiar and less-familiar hymns.”

we have tried to incorporate some of the new hymns. The ones that are harder to sing as a congregation we sing once and shelve for the choir to use. When we sing a new hymn, the organist plays it as prelude, and also plays it all the way through before singing. Some we have asked a family to sing as a musical number first as well.

Yeah, we have no balance.

[Bo Diddley]

We sang This is the Christ in one of my meetings today. I enjoyed singing it.

[chrisrenrut]

In our ward, we have had the same music leader for years. She loves the job and tells everyone she never wants to be released. Years ago she seems to have decided that it was her duty to give life the all of the hymns that are less popular and that you normally don't sing. Literally every week we are singing hymns that most of you have probably never heard in your life or maybe sang 1-2 times. BUT THERE IS A REASON THESE HYMNS ARE LESS POPULAR. Most of them are terrible! Yet there we are, week after week, slogging through these boring hymns. When we attend stake conference or another ward and sing a gold standard like "Redeemer of Israel", "I know that my redeemer lives", "Lord, I would follow thee", "Be still my soul", etc. it is incredibly refreshing and I almost want to cry. It bugs me that our ward leadership isn't more assertive in the hymn selection. Hence my cynicism.

From the handbook on music in sacrament meetings:: “Music coordinators and bishoprics try to find a balance between familiar and less-familiar hymns.”

we have tried to incorporate some of the new hymns. The ones that are harder to sing as a congregation we sing once and shelve for the choir to use. When we sing a new hymn, the organist plays it as prelude, and also plays it all the way through before singing. Some we have asked a family to sing as a musical number first as well.

[Shaka]

I'm the opposite of many of you. I think most of the hymns in the book are snoozers. We need more revival style stuff to sing. Those songs are actually fun to sing and can really wake a meeting up. The Lower Lights was started partly to help give life to some of this music. If you look hard you might recognize some of these people.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I’ve had some who are very active in managing the music selection. Others less so.

In our ward, we have had the same music leader for years. She loves the job and tells everyone she never wants to be released. Years ago she seems to have decided that it was her duty to give life the all of the hymns that are less popular and that you normally don't sing. Literally every week we are singing hymns that most of you have probably never heard in your life or maybe sang 1-2 times. BUT THERE IS A REASON THESE HYMNS ARE LESS POPULAR. Most of them are terrible! Yet there we are, week after week, slogging through these boring hymns. When we attend stake conference or another ward and sing a gold standard like "Redeemer of Israel", "I know that my redeemer lives", "Lord, I would follow thee", "Be still my soul", etc. it is incredibly refreshing and I almost want to cry. It bugs me that our ward leadership isn't more assertive in the hymn selection. Hence my cynicism.

[LVAllen]

In case anyone here doesn’t know the story of the writing of It Is Well With My Soul:
https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/a....html?lang=eng

Pretty humbling to think someone could go through all of that and this song was the outcome. Gives perspective on my petty little complaints about life.

I can't hear that song, in any setting, without my mind instantly providing a Hugh Bonneville voiceover. That Christmas performance of the Tabernacle Choir is the ultimate version of that song to me.

[chrisrenrut]

Our ward choir sang that recently. I liked it.

In case anyone here doesn’t know the story of the writing of It Is Well With My Soul:
https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/a....html?lang=eng

Pretty humbling to think someone could go through all of that and this song was the outcome. Gives perspective on my petty little complaints about life.

[Northwestcoug]

I’ve had some who are very active in managing the music selection. Others less so.

The dude abided during his tenure.

[All-American]

That’s funny you think bishops pay that much attention to what the word music leader happens to pick for the hymns.

I’ve had some who are very active in managing the music selection. Others less so.

[Copelius]

This. Some hymns just don't work very well as congregational hymns nor are they written to be playable or even sound good on an organ.

From what I heard, that was the reason Come Thou Fount got axed in the '85 hymnal.

[beefytee]

We’ve sung “it is well” a couple of times now. I’ve loved it.

i might be biased though because I’ve of those sacrament meetings was my daughters homecoming.

[The_Tick]

Our ward choir sang that recently. I liked it.

This is one of my favorite songs, and I love singing it at the Stake Choir level.

Using it as a hymn in a ward setting just lacks the emotion behind the hymn.

[Bo Diddley]

Our ward choir sang that recently. I liked it.

The TabCATS ended with that song on Sunday. It was moving.

[Pelado]

Our ward music director seems to feel the need to sing one of the new hymns every week. Some of them are great. Others are awful as congregational hymns. For example, It is Well with My Soul is a fine song but we tried to sing it as a congregation and it sounded awful. Same with Gethsemane.

Our ward choir sang that recently. I liked it.

[BigFatMeanie]

Our ward music director seems to feel the need to sing one of the new hymns every week. Some of them are great. Others are awful as congregational hymns. For example, It is Well with My Soul is a fine song but we tried to sing it as a congregation and it sounded awful. Same with Gethsemane.

This. Some hymns just don't work very well as congregational hymns nor are they written to be playable or even sound good on an organ.