United Methodist Church - Kum Ba Yah (Come By Here)

Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
Carlton Young included "Kumbaya" in the official Methodist hymnal in 1989. In doing so, he changed it from a song to hymn.

The format for publishing a hymn is unique. It first assumes the text and tune are separate pieces of music that can be recombined by a song leader. Thus, a hymnal always provides the meter with the text. [1] Young identified "Kumbaya" as "Irr." for irregular because the text lines did not all contain the same number of syllables. Unlike older songbooks, he did not include the 8-8-8-5 line-syllable count.

Second, a hymn tune must have name. Young called the melody "Desmond" for "Tutu,　social activist and anglican Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa." [2]

Third, a hymn must have some basis in scripture. This usually requires the editor provide chapter and verse from the Bible. In this case, Young implied its meaning when he included it in the "Prayer, Trust, Hope" section. He further located it within the Wesleyan tradition by including the prayer section in the Sanctifying and Perfecting Grace subsection of the larger group of songs devoted to The Power of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, a hymn must be in four-part harmony and suitable for an organ or piano to play as an accompaniment. In the treble clef, Young used the parallel thirds published by Cooperative Recreation Service, with a variation in the second to last measure. Instead of a "kum ba" being thirds, he made "kum" a D and C, or a second apart, and "ba" a third.

Young added the bass clef part. It followed the contours of the melody usually with a third, a fifth, and a series of octaves. This pattern was altered in the last line, when "oh" used E below middle C and a very low F.

Much of this, of course, followed from applying the rules of western harmony to the melody. Young’s desire to give the last line the feeling of an amen climax led him to modify the guitar chords from a simple F-C-G⁷-C to D^m-C-G^sus-G⁷-C.

The church copyrighted his version. To make the request legally unassailable, Young add his own final verse. It changed the basic someone+verbal+ing format to "let us" and "praise the Lord."

Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: four parts
Instrumental Accompaniment: guitar; any keyboard instrument
Rhythm Accompaniment: none

Credits
Words: Afro-American spiritual
Music: Afro-American spiritual; harm by Carlton R. Young, 1988
Harm © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: no comments
Verses: kumbaya, praying, crying, needs you, singing, praise the Lord

Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone, us
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none

Basic Form: six-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none

Unique Features: own verse in different line format

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5 labeled "Desmond"
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: not indicated
Key Signature: no sharps or flats
Guitar/Autoharp Chords: C F D^m G^sus G⁷

Basic Structure: strophic repetition; new chords on every note of last line suggest amen form

Singing Style: one note to one syllable except for final "Lord"

Harmonic Style: sung chords

Notes on Performers
The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren in 1968. This was the first hymnal since the reorganization. When the two churches combined, the resulting UMC made both their hymnals official. [3] The 1966 Methodist one had been edited by Young, and replaced the cooperative effort of the Southern, Northern, and Methodist Protestant churches in 1935. [4]

The Hymnal Revision Committee believed this was the first "substantial revision of content and format since the 1870s." This meant it had "more singable qualities" and contained "a broader base of musical styles." That diversification included adding 70 hymns from "the Afro-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native American heritages." [5] "Kumbaya" was followed by "Sweet Hour of Prayer" from the gospel music tradition [6] and "Send Me, Lord" from South Africa. [7]

Young was the son of a southern-Ohio Methodist minister, but raised by his mother’s parents after she died. As a child he took piano lessons, and added brass and string bass when he was older. He graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati in 1950 before earning a degree from the Methodist seminary at Boston University in 1953. [8] His 1969 doctorate came from Ohio Northern University, [9] after he edited the 1966 hymnal.

When the church retreated from many of its traditional activities after the 1968 merger, Young was hired as an editor by Hope Publishing in 1971. [10] The shadow Methodist publisher was mentioned in the post for 16 December 2018.

Availability
Book: The United Methodist Hymnal. Edited by Carlton R. Young. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989. 494.

End Notes
1. In traditional hymnals this appeared to the right of the title; Young placed it at the right below the text.

2. Carlton Young. Email to the author, 5 January 2017.

3. Alan K. Waltz. A Dictionary for United Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991. Section on "Hymnal, The United Methodist" reproduced by United Methodist Church website.

4. Guide to the Carlton R. Young Collection of 1935 Methodist Hymnal Commission Records. Southern Methodist University, Bridwell Library website.

5. "Preface." v.

6. "Sweet Hour of Prayer." Words by WilliamWalford, 1845. Music by William B. Bradbury, 1861. 496.

7. "Send Me Lord." Words and Music were described as "Trad. South African." 497.
8. "Young, Carlton Raymond (‘Sam’)." The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology website.
9. "Carlton Raymond Young." Hymntime website.
10. "Carlton Raymond Young." Hope Publishing website.