To split or to merge

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While indexing texts and adding lyrics, I came across a few hymns that I could not decide whether to merge different instances together or to keep them split. I would appreciate it if you have suggestions in this matter.

Some examples:
1. Hark the herald angels sing, by Charles Wesley. There are two authority records, but the instances are mixed up in the two. The main one is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, with the tune "MENDELSSOHN", and the other is Hark! the herald angels sing, Jesus, the Light of the world, which is slightly modified and with a refrain by George D. Elderkin, and the tune "WE'LL WALK IN THE LIGHT".

2. Have you heard the story of the cross, by Thomas Dennis. The first record is Have you HEARD the story of the cross, and the other is Have you READ the story of the cross, by the same author and the same tune.

3. Praise waits for thee in Zion. The two instances are: Praise waits for thee in Zion, to Thee, and the second Praise waits for thee in Zion, Lord, To thee with minor difference in text.


Comments

1 Hark the herald angels sing - the words are basically Charles Wesley's with a refrain added and "Jesus, the light of the world" added after Charles Wesley's words in the verses. It was a common practice to add refrains to popular hymns and we don't want a separate authority for every different refrain, so these should be merged. I already merged them.

2 Have you heard the story of the cross - the difference is basically one word was altered - they should be merged. I did that.

3 Praise waits for thee in Zion - these should stay separate. They look like separate versifications of Psalm 65. The first one may be based on the latter one, which is from "Scottish Psalms and Paraphrases," but the instances don't say that they are. The similarity is likely because they are from the same psalm. They are different enough in rhyme scheme to keep them separate.

I think there's a tremendous amount of confusion about multiple wordings to "Jerusalem, my happy home" and several other hymns beginning "Jerusalem" or "O Jerusalem", with mixups as to authorship and a serious lack of clarity as to how many different authorities there should be and which instances belong to which. I did, I think, at least merge the two person authorities "F_B_P" and "FBP"