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Long Meter

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 four-line stanza in which every line is iambic tetrameter (eight syllables), with a rhyme scheme of ABCB or AABB

Detailed Definition
Long Meter refers to a stanzaic form commonly used in hymns, consisting of lines with eight syllables each, arranged into four lines of iambic tetrameter (8.8.8.8); this highly regular meter lends itself to easy memorization and communal singing, making it prominent in both religious and secular music traditions, with its balanced rhythm providing clarity, dignity, and solemnity in poetic expression.
Example
Example in poetry:
Isaac Watts’ hymns like “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” use Long Meter (iambic tetrameter quatrains); Emily Dickinson’s hymn stanzas alternate Long Meter and Common Meter; Contemporary poet Lucille Clifton’s “blessing the boats” adapts Long Meter for spiritual guidance; John Newton’s “Amazing Grace” uses Long Meter for congregational singing; Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” employs Long Meter; W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” uses modified Long Meter for elegiac control.
Additional Notes
Long Meter in hymns uses four lines of iambic tetrameter (8 syllables each), giving a steady, balanced form.
Also Known As
Common meter double 88.88 meter Long hymn stanza Extended common measure
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