7/31/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Hymns:

#194 - There Is a Green Hill Far Away | Suggested: 72-84 | Actual: 60

#117 - Come unto Jesus | Suggested: 50-58 | Actual: <40

Again, my metronome only goes down to 40 BPM. That last hymn was slow.

7/24/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Hymns:

#35 - For the Strength of the Hills | Suggested: 88-104 | Actual: 85

#172 - In Humility, Our Savior | Suggested: 72-84 | Actual: 69

#124 - Be Still, My Soul | Suggested: 84-96 | Actual: 75

7/17/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Hymns:

#30 - Come, Come, Ye Saints | Suggested: 66-84 | Actual: 57

#176 - 'Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love | Suggested: 76-96 | Actual: 75

#308 - Love One Another | Suggested: 46-56 | Actual: <40

Singing Come, Come, Ye Saints at that tempo was one of the worst experiences of my life.

Also, my metronome only goes down to 40 beats per minute, so I have no idea how slow Love One Another was.

6/26/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Hymns:

#21 - Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice | Suggested: 80-96 | Actual: 75

#182 - We'll Sing All Hail to Jesus' Name | Suggested: 76-88 | Actual: 67

#143 - Let the Holy Spirit Guide | Suggested: 60-80 | Actual: 61

6/19/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Hymns:

#7 - Israel, Israel, God Is Calling | Suggested: 72-84 | Actual: 76

#196 - Jesus, Once of Humble Birth | Suggested: 76-88 | Actual: 70

#302 - I Know My Father Lives | Suggested: 76-96 | Actual: 73

6/5/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Hymns:

#189 - O Thou, Before the World Began | Suggested: 84-96 | Actual: 65

#277 - As I Search the Holy Scriptures | Suggested: 66-88 | Actual: 64

5/22/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

We arrived during the sacrament.

Hymn:

#148 - Sabbath Day | Suggested: 80-92 | Actual: 68

5/15/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

Our old organist has moved out of the ward and the tempos have improved:

Hymns:

#94 - Come, Ye Thankful People | Suggested: 96-108 | Actual: 89

#193 - I Stand All Amazed | Suggested: 66-84 | Actual: 70

#247 - We Love Thy House, O God | Suggested: 72-88 | Actual: 80

#219 - Because I Have Been Given Much | Suggested: 48-58 | Actual: 48

The opening hymn was a bit low, but other than that they were all within the acceptable range.

5/8/2011 - Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward

When they changed all the BYU student wards, they renamed our home ward from the BYU 141st ward to the Provo Utah Married Student 22nd Ward. We got to the ward a bit late today, so we only have one hymn to report:

#2 - The Spirit of God | Suggested: 96-112 | Actual: 78

It took seven minutes to get through the four verses.

5/1/2011 - Midland 2nd Ward

Today we attended the Midland 2nd Ward in Midland, Michigan.

Hymns:

#193 - I Stand All Amazed | Suggested: 66-84 | Actual: 65

#97 - Lead, Kindly Light | Suggested: 54-72 | Actual: 64

Pretty good tempos for the two songs we sang. We got there a little late and missed the opening hymn. One neat thing that I saw here that I have not seen in any of the other wards I have visited:

That's right - a space-age sacrament tray. Once you take the water, you put the empty cup in one of the four cylindrical tubes. Pretty nifty if you ask me.

4/24/2011 - BYU 141st Ward

We showed up a little late today, just missing the sacrament, so I only have one hymn to report.

#198 - That Easter Morn | Suggested: 92-108 | Actual: 75

The ward choir sang two other songs that I didn't measure the tempo of because, contrary to LDS Church recommendations, they were not hymns as written in the hymnbook. Now a few alternate arrangements are certainly allowed, but "Choirs should use the hymnbook as their basic resource, selecting from the entire book" and our choir does not do that (Hymns page 381).

4/17/2011 - BYU 141st Ward

Today we experienced the longest sacrament meeting ever. The closing speaker (a visiting high councilor) spoke for 10 minutes past the time the meeting (not his talk) was supposed to end. The extremely long meeting was only compounded by super slow hymns and an organist who played two verses of the closing song when the chorister told us to sing only one.

Hymns:

#182 - We'll Sing All Hail to Jesus' Name | Suggested: 76-88 | Actual: 58

#35 - For the Strength of the Hills | Suggested: 88-104 | Actual: 75

#62 - All Creatures of Our God and King | Suggested: 66-76 | Actual: 47

4/10/2011 - BYU 141st Ward

Today we were back in the BYU 141st ward where the music is always dreadfully slow. Each song today was like a funeral march.

Hymns:

#113 - Our Savior's Love | Suggested: 84-96 | Actual: 59
#188 - Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done | Suggested: 80-96 | Actual: 58
#143 - Let the Holy Spirit Guide | Suggested: 60-80 | Actual: 50
#103 - Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer | Suggested: 66-76 | Actual: 52

Thoughts:

It doesn't matter what the tempo should be, it's always between 50 and 60 BPM in the BYU 141st ward.

3/27/2011 - Lake Creek 1st Ward

Yesterday I attended the Lake Creek 1st Ward.

Hymns:

#280 - Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning | Suggested: 76-92 | Actual: 85
#180 - Father in Heaven, We Do Believe | Suggested: 80-96 | Actual: 75
#23 - We Ever Pray for Thee | Suggested: 72-88 | Actual: 75
#98 - I Need Thee Every Hour | Suggested: 60-72 | Actual: 63

Thoughts:

These tempos are pretty respectable for a Utah ward. The Lake Creek 1st Ward meets at a chapel in Heber City and has LOTS of little kids in it. That having been said, you'd think it would be really noisy - but it's not. No one sings the hymns; I felt like I was a soloist. Also no one says "amen" at the end of the talks or prayers.

3/13/2011 - Seattle 1st Ward

Today I attended the Seattle 1st Ward.

Hymns:

#116 - Come, Follow Me | Suggested Tempo: 69-76 BPM | Actual Tempo: 81 BPM
#123 - Oh, May My Soul Commune with Thee | Suggested Tempo: 69-88 BPM | Actual Tempo: 76 BPM
#178 - O Lord of Hosts | Suggested Tempo: 72-84 BPM | Actual Tempo: 80 BPM
#222 - Hear Thou Our Hymn, O Lord | Suggested Tempo: 84-92 BPM | Actual Tempo: 82 BPM

Thoughts:

The tempos of the hymns in the Seattle 1st ward were awesome - MUCH better than most wards I've attended in Utah. The members of the ward were very friendly and the sacrament bread was tasty. Also - the chorister had the congregation sing the "extra" hymns at the bottom of the page (that the First Presidency suggests that we sing). She signaled with her left hand that we were going to sing the additional verses as she conducted with her right hand. Near the end of the third verse (the last printed at the top), she held up four fingers on her left hand and that way everyone (including the organist) could tell we were going on, with no awkward pauses.

Welcome!

You know the feeling: You're sitting in the middle of the pew singing Come Come Ye Saints at a snail's pace thinking - if the pioneers had started this song in Nauvoo, they'd get to the Salt Lake valley and only be on the third verse. The chorister's arms are barely moving and your fellow saints are falling asleep mid-word. I feel your pain.

Last year I asked for one thing for my birthday - a pocket metronome with a mute switch. Since then I never attend Sacrament Meeting without it. I use the "tap-in" feature of said metronome to figure out the tempo of each hymn as we sing it and record the date, ward name, hymn # and tempo in my mini hymnal.

I then started this blog so that I have a place to report this data to you, my non-existent readers.

Enjoy.