Musical notation 8.7.8.7.D

[marytk]

I looked more carefully through the hymnal this week, and I noticed many of the hymns don’t have the notation listed at the bottom - does this mean all of these are irregular?

Also, I found the metrical index in the back, which in addition to listing the numbers we’ve discussed above, also listed some as “long meter” and “short meter”. Educate me, please.

I don’t know about the hymns without the notation but Long meter (L.M.) is 8-8-8-8
(A very common hymn “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” or “On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry”)
Short Meter(S.M.) is 6-6-8–6 “Rise UP of Men of God” (Or as I discovered “Happy Birthday”)
If there is a D i.e. S.M.D It means you repeat the pattern (“Crown HIm with Many Crowns” is an example)

 

[Prometheum_x]

I looked more carefully through the hymnal this week, and I noticed many of the hymns don’t have the notation listed at the bottom - does this mean all of these are irregular?

Also, I found the metrical index in the back, which in addition to listing the numbers we’ve discussed above, also listed some as “long meter” and “short meter”. Educate me, please.

I suppose it depends on the hymnal, but in my experience, if there isn’t a separate name given to the tune, then there won’t be a meter given. Naming the tune separately from the text isn’t a very common practice anymore (even for songs that have a regular meter), so you don’t tend to see the meter for newer compositions.