Factors That Influence Tempo

Musical Characteristics (continued)

Hymn Length

Some hymns are very long. As more verses are sung, it becomes more important that the hymn be sung with enough motion that the congregation does not tire of singing.

The tune of one hymn (no. 134, “I Believe in Christ”), for example, includes twelve measures of music for the first half that are repeated nearly identically the second half. There are four verses of text, resulting in a total of 96 four-beat measures. The tempo indication is “Fervently, quarter=88-104.” If the hymn is sung under tempo, it could last more than six minutes. (If there is no variety in registration it could seem even longer!) If sung at the highest suggested tempo, the hymn would be finished in about four minutes.