Hymn Desk
Hymn Tunes /

HAMBURG

Lowell Mason (PHH 96) composed HAMBURG (named after the German city) in 1824. The tune was published in the 1825 edition of Mason’s Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music. Mason indicated that the tune was based on a chant in the first Gregorian tone. HAMBURG is a very simple tune with only five tones; its simplicity allows us to focus entirely on the text. Sing stanzas 1-3 in harmony and stanza 4 in unison. Try singing one of the middle stanzas unaccompanied. Although some prefer larger organ accompaniment on stanza 4, Watts’s profound text can also suggest a more quiet and humble treatment. The suggested alternate tune ROCKINGHAM (178) is also closely associated with this text, especially in British and Canadian hymnals. [Liturgical Use] Lent; Holy Week; Lord’s Supper; many other occasions—perhaps profession of faith, adult baptism, and similar times of consecration and renewal—especially with the unqualified commitment of stanza 4. Lowell Mason composed HAMBURG (named after the German city) in 1824. The tune was published in the 1825 edition of Mason’s Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music. Mason indicated that the tune was based on a chant in the first Gregorian tone. HAMBURG is a very simple tune with only five tones; its simplicity allows us to focus entirely on the text. Sing stanzas 1-3 in harmony and stanza 4 in unison. Try singing one of the middle stanzas unaccompanied. Although some prefer larger organ accompaniment on stanza 4, Watts’s profound text can also suggest a more quiet and humble treatment. The suggested alternate tune ROCKINGHAM (178) is also closely associated with this text, especially in British and Canadian hymnals.

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law reveals emptiness of worldly gain and pride; Gospel proclaims Christ's sacrificial love as sole worthy object of devotion; believer responds with total surrender of self and possessions

Associated Hymn Texts (10)