We hasten to your patronage

This is one of the best-known of our Marian hymns, and since there’s little reason to make any substantive changes, I’d like to take a look at notation, and when to use (or not use) time signatures in the new hymnal.

Here is the version of We hasten to your patronage in the Marian Hymnal (1984):

and here is the Slavonic:

Discussion

This hymn is in a very regular meter, and if written out traditionally, it falls into measures of two beats apiece.  Unfortunately, the resulting bar lines and space around them take up enough room that an entire “line” of the hymn won’t fit onto a single line (stave) of music without crowding.

So… does the following make it easier or harder for you to sing?  (Remember  that if the bar lines are removed, as they are below, the singer needs to add some rests which are NOT marked, in between the lines of each verse.)

Thoughts or suggestions?

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