Looking for Standard Hymns in Tenor-Tune Format
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Odd (and long and rambly) question:

    Since we am no longer allowed to chant much of the ordinary (Sanctus and Agnus only) or any of the proper (mode vi Alleluia w/ Lectionary verse only), and are relegated to ye olde fore hymne sandwiche, I have been spending this summer (the first without regular rehearsals, though cut to every-other week, since I took over almost 9 years ago) pondering what we should do. When I took the post, the oldest members of the choir hadn't sung in parts for about 30 years; the newest (who had--at that time-- been there for about 25 years) had never sung in parts before, and so chant was a God-send: glorious music for unison voices. We have learned some good Unison anthems/motets, and have been branching out into two part anthems and a bunch of rounds and canons. It has definitely been a steep up-hill climb.

    But I was thinking about the hymns - how to make the hymns more interesting for a choir that is still working on learning how to sing in parts, especially with tenors/baritones/basses who have only sung melody their entire lives. Unison hymn-singing (with an occasional descant) is fine if the hymns are there more or lesse as 'filler' after the propers have been sung, and the choir needs to spend it's time learning the propers and anthems, but if hymns are the 'daily bread' what to do? Then it hit me while reading Appendix 2 in New Oxford Book of Carols (English West Gallery Music/American Primitive Tradition): Tenor-tunes. The Basses can learn the Bass part; the Tenors & Baritones who (for right now) can only do melody can sing the Tune; and the Trebles can divide between the Tune an octave up, and a Treble part (like a descant); and BINGO, we're singing in parts! (If only I could get some 'clarionetts', serpents and 'bass viols' for a Gallery Band)

    The problem is: Where to find good Tenor-Tune settings of some of the Standard Hymns? I know they exist, since Treble-tune settings didn't come into vogue in many places until the mid-19th C.; and I vaguely remember seeing an English Catholic tune-book with 'Holy God, we praise Thy Name' (GROSSER GOTT) in Tenor-Tune. Some are readily available like OLD HUNDREDTH, and some actually adapt well this simply by swapping the Tune and Tenor around, but I don't really want to have to invent new harmonizations all the time.

    So basically, in a nut-shell (or 'case'): Does anyone know of any such resources off-hand? I am sure many are on IMSLP, but I haven't the vaguest idea how to go about searching for them.

    Sorry for the long winded-ness. Thanks.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    Hymnary.org might be a good place to look.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    Standard Hymns, with or without capital letters, means different things to different people. If your hymnal has shapenote tunes then it's easy to look up the original publications; if your 'Standards' are "You satisfy the hungry heart" help might be harder to get. I don't remember your particulars: are you bound to only sing together with the congregation and never sing choral anthems? What do you use for the Gradual Psalm? The energy that goes into teaching rounds and canons might as well be spent on learning something 4 parts.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Our "Standards" are regular SATB scored hymns: i.e. contents of Adoremus Hymnal. I can do a choral anthem, and would often do it at communion since there is more time, but the main thing is hymns with the people, you know, "active participation". All of the Ordinary is recited, save the Sanctus and Agnus, and all of the Proper, save the mode vi simplex alleluia.

    We are not really ready for four parts: we could possibly manage three (STB), but the Tenors/high Baritones are not used to singing inside a texure, so doing some tenor-tune things that they are more or less familiar with will get them used to being inside, especially when we learn things they don't know. My main problem is I have only one A (a falsettist) whom I usually force to either help along the trebles or to guide the men along when I'm trying to conduct and cope with the organ part.
  • G
    Posts: 1,397
    Sacred Harp hymnals?

    (Save the Liturgy, Save the World)
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    Unfamiliar music is your best friend in that situation. You could learn 3 chords and sing "Lord hear our prayer" a cappella or learn 6 or so and do psalms or Gospel Sentences to anglican chant. I imagine "Lo how a rose" is one of your standards, but it really should be a goal to relearn it and sing it unaccompanied. The prerequisite for singing in 4 parts though is a director with the faith that moves mountains...
    Thanked by 1eft94530
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Unfamiliar music is your best friend in that situation.

    We did Henry Ley's setting of Gelobt Sei Gott (can't remember the English name...) from the Church Anthem Book, it worked well, because they didn't know the tune, but the men new that the had a melody that made coherent sense (it was the tune after all); we tried learning the parts for "Break Forth" at Christmas (something else they didn't know) and though we started learning it in August the Bass part just never came along, after much ado I gave in and decided to do it unison two rehearsals before Christmas, the men read the melody almost flawlessly. Go figure.

    Apart from myself, my 2 girl trebles, my Counter and one Soprano, everyone is between 60 and 80, so I'm kinda in an old dogs, new tricks scenario: No offence intended to any of them, they are extremely dedicated and have worked very hard - when I started they couldn't even sing Sol-Fa-Mi-Re-Do in tune, and the organ was there mainly to drown them out, so chanting the Propers from LCSG a cappella and in tune was really not even on the radar back then, but they did it, it took almost 6 years to get to that point, but they did get there.

    It'd be great if I could hire a section leader for each part, but I know there's no way the parish would pay for professional musicians since the pastor doesn't even know why we rehearse for Christmas since "all [we] have to do is show up and sing a few carols".

    The prerequisite for singing in 4 parts though is a director with the faith that moves mountains

    Which, at present, is not I ... I guess maybe right now I just want to make good music I think they can handle and do a good job on. I don't have the stamina to deal with any more battles right now, whether it's fighting for permission to sing the Glory to God or to get the Tenors to sing a Tenor part.
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,046
    In the shape-note tradition, tenor and treble were regarded as registrally interchangeable. Perhaps a similar treatment would work for you for standard hymns (i.e., having some of your tenors sing the treble an octave down). There are a few issues with this. One is that any place with parallel 4ths between tenor and treble will have parallel 5ths instead. If the melody goes very low, it might become the functional bass. And the alto will have to be taken by falsettists; it won't work down an octave. It's up to you to decide how much offense to the ear this might cause. While what you're looking for might be out there for older tunes, it might be easier to arrange the tunes yourself. That way, you can do them in 3 voices, with some eye towards the capabilities of your singers. Yes, it's time-consuming. So is musicology.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    I figured I'd have to do a lot of re-arranging my self, but since there are many academics with access to university or big city liberries, I just thought I'd ask.
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Salieri, I've come across a number of alternate settings where the tenor has the melody
    in the Anglican Hymnal 1982. I'll take a look and let you know in more detail after I check it later today.
    Thanked by 1Gavin
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    Actually you're as close to the hymnals at IMSLP as any of us. Playford's Psalms and Hymns in Solemn Musick has tenor settings of Old 100th and possibly other Adoremus tunes; there's a more accessible edition of Ravenscroft too. The Genevan psalters are all there, if not always in G-clefs, and somewhere I once spotted a tenor setting of O HAUPT VOLL BLUT (perhaps in Zundel). And there are fun discoveries like Lowell Mason's Cherokee LM arrangement of "Batti, batti" from Don Giovanni.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Salieri
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    It's interesting, as one could play the harmony on the manuals and use the pedals to play the Tenor melody-line (4' Reed on pedal is handy here!)
  • mrcoppermrcopper
    Posts: 653
    If you have occasion, update us on what you find. In the past I've tried to write 'tenor-tune' stuff and found it difficult to be satisfied with the result.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Richard, thanks for the suggestions, that's exactly what I was looking for - I didn't really know where to start.

    I try to post some updates, William.
  • Daniel Bennett PageDaniel Bennett Page
    Posts: 833
    These are quite good:
    http://www.selahpub.com/Choral/ChoralTitles/415-702-DeoGracias.html
    Thanked by 1Gavin
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    A good practice for this is simply to swap the soprano and tenor lines. You may run into parallel fifths, which might bother you, but you can get around that if you wish. I was taught to do this as part of my hymn training.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Gavin, yes. I tried that out with a few and it did work well with some of them. I'm looking forward to trying a few of these out with my group--I think they will work well.

    I just discover'd a group call'd the West Gallery Music Association (WGMA) in England, which has links to some resources for hymns, psalm-tunes and anthems.

    Thanks for the link, Daniel - those are quite fine. I also discover'd a good faburden for HANOVER in the Book of Common Praise (Anglican Church in Canada).
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