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Common meter double

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A stanza form consisting of two quatrains in common meter (86.86) combined into 8 lines

Detailed Definition
Common meter double is a poetic stanza form consisting of eight lines—typically alternating iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6)—essentially doubling the standard common meter quatrain; this extended structure allows for greater narrative or thematic development while maintaining the singable, hymnal rhythm familiar in Protestant traditions, as found in many 18th- and 19th-century devotional poems.
Example
Example in poetry:
“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley uses common meter double (86.86.86.86); “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” follows common meter double for extended stanzas; Many Methodist hymns employ common meter double to accommodate longer theological reflections; “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is structured in common meter double stanzas
Additional Notes
Common meter double extends the standard Common Meter (8.6.8.6) by doubling each line length or repeating the quatrain structure, resulting in an 8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6 pattern; frequently used in longer hymns for narrative or doctrinal elaboration.
Also Known As
Double Common Measure Extended Hymn Meter Octave Common Meter Paired Common Stanza Long Meter
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