Mixing and Matching Hymns, and Duke Street

It is interesting to see how different the hymns in our hymnals can be from each other. A familiar hymn for one church may be found with a different melody for another. The lyrics may be the same though the notes, different. For example, the hymn "I Know My Redeemer Lives" can be found with different melodies. Typically these melodies are identified by name. In a Lutheran hymnal ((c)1978, p352) it is sung to the "Duke Street" melody, and in the EUB hymnal ((c)1957, p120), the song lyrics are sung to the "Truro" melody. (EUB being the Evangelical United Brethren denomination that merged in 1968 with the Methodists to become United Methodist Church (UMC) denomination.)

    For the "Duke Street" melody, I find this an interesting one to study for looking at the different ways it can be mixed and matched - and reassigned - to different lyrics. Within the current UMC hymnal ((c)1989), this melody is used for three different hymns: "For All That Dwell Below the Sky" (p101), "Jesus Shall Reign" (p157), and "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord” (p438). And from the EUB hymnal we also find "We Bid Thee Welcome" (p342), "Look from the Sphere of Endless Day" (p354), and "O God, Beneath Thy Guiding Hand" (p394). From the Presbyterian hymnal ((c)1990) we see also "Fight the Good Fight" (p307). And from the Lutheran's ((c)1978), there is "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" (p352), and "Give to Our God Immortal Praise" (p520). To keep looking, I suspect there may be even more that can be found!

     It seems the hymn "Jesus Shall Reign" may be the most common use of this melody (shown above from the Brethren in Christ hymnal, (c)1963, I had grown up with as a child). My selection though for further study would be "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord" (UMC hymnal, p438) with lyrics written by Charles Wesley.
    Aside from the lyrics, and the melody used, there is also the arrangement for the song that adds the accompanying notes which creates a progression of chordal harmonies. These SATB harmonies are attributed to John Hatton,1793. and the songsheet provided here, is one I have worked on for identifying these chords.
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CODA
    Noting the dates for the melody and lyrics, and too the age of the arrangement for added harmonies, it becomes clear that these have stood the test of time by being passed down through many generations over the course of several centuries. It would seem that what is being expressed with these different versions of sung lyrics is timeless and still relevant for today, and for generations to follow.
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