Hymn tunes are assigned names to help in their categorization, and to aid other musicians, especially organists, to find suitable music that is based on the melody for use in the service. Then the composer and dates, or source of the melody is given. All this information may seem a bit luxurious, but it helps us to understand that the words which we sing bear witness to the great cloud of saints who surround us. We are not alone in our confession of the faith. This is one of the great comforts of hymnody, and one of the important reasons to include this information at the top of each page.
Every hymn has a story, and that story is usually worth knowing.
This information invites those who sing the hymns to explore those stories. Where more than five lines are set to the music a pointer has been inserted at the beginning of the third line throughout the hymn to assist in keeping the poetic lines clear. Extra verses are set outside of the music. The information at the bottom of the page relates to the thematic arrangement of the hymns. This arrangement is not an innovation.