Phrasing the Text
When you begin working out the phrasing of a hymn, consider the text independent of the music. Start by considering each punctuation mark. Some (but not all) of them indicate a point at which you would breathe or pause as you read the text. To help you decide, read the text as you would read poetry, and then make a mark if a natural breath or pause would help to clarify the meaning of the text.
Some use a simple comma as a breath mark. Others use a line or slash. The OrganTutor recommendation is to use the number of the verse (see example to the right), which helps the organist to keep track of phrase breaks visually through the various verses.
For a reminder not to break at a certain point, you might use a small slur mark between words or at the end of a line (see example).
Consider now where you would make phrase breaks in the text to the right. After you have done this, see an OrganTutor recommendation on the next screen.
