Pacing of unaccompanied hymns
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    When my HS choir sings unaccompanied SATB hymns, they seem to want to sing rather slowly. It sounds good, and has a kind of lovely flow.

    My instinct with hymns is to keep things moving forward, and I kind of try to pull them in that direction, but I'm wondering if I should or not.

    Any thoughts?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    Hymns are not different from other music. There is no single tempo that fits all. In fact the tempo for a given hymn should be determined by 1) the acoustics of the room, 2) the character of the tune, 3) the hymn-text itself, 4) the choir, 5) the congregation, 6) the liturgical day, 7) its place and role in the liturgy (processional, offertory, communion, etc., 8) Etc.

    Some tunes (e.g., Hyfrydol, Abbot's Leigh, Easter Hymn) beg for great breadth and dignity. Others (Darwall's, Slane, Wareham) are their best with a firm but not overly slow tempo. Others (Personent hodie, Hilariter) should be sung at a challengingly rapid tempo. Then, there are tunes like Cranham, which demand a very deliberate, sensitive, and meditative pace.
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,021
    I believe there is one aspect that is critical to understanding the flow of hymns. Take for instance "Passion Chorale" as found in The Hymnal 1940". There are a number of 5/2 bars so that the singers can get through lines without having to sing 16 beats at a time. Was this the way Bach wrote it down and published it? Probably not. Is the way experienced choirs in England sing it? Probably so. Some hymns keep the 4/2 bars but insert a double bar mid-measure. Some hymnals ad a fermata to the last note of each odd phrase. I believe most hymns need to be sung with this in mind.

    "Melita" is another example. If one performs it as written, one is asking (demanding) that 48 equal beats be sung, AND that the final note is ONLY 3 beats so you can get back to the pickup note of the next verse. Listen to the US Naval Academy sing it some time. THIS IS NOT A MARCH! Nor is every 3/4 hymn a waltz. (Well, maybe in the case of "Let there Be Peace on Earth"!) Don't be afraid to add an extra beat where needed, and don't rush into the next verse. Let the people be able to sing each phrase, with reasonable breath, and have just a moment between verses for the thought of the verse to sink in. That is why we're singing it in the first place - to understand the text, and communicate it as such.
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CharlesW
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    Steve's point about pacing between stanzas should be graven in stone. The last note of a stanza should be lengthened (very) slightly and followed by a pause, a silence that lasts two or three seconds. There is nothing more discouraging to singing and artless than those organists who go from one stanza to the next without missing a beat, or fail to grant a gracious 'moment' to reflect on what has been sung, take renewed breath, and contemplate what is to come.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,151
    I'm assuming that Kathy is saying the choir sings more slowly for a given tune unaccompanied than they would if they were accompanied,

    If unaccompanied and without a director, there is a marked tendency for the pace of 4-part hymn singing to slow down, The root cause? Most likely, it is a combination of insecurity of some singers on their parts (especially non-melody singers) and/or an inability to give voice to a note on a beat until a split second after hearing others singing (i.e. these singers are, unwittingly, slavish "followers").
    Thanked by 2Andrew_Malton Adam Wood
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    I remind my choir that we do not sing hymns for the choir. They are for the congregation. I keep the tempo up a bit to encourage them to sing, and it seems to work.
    Thanked by 3Steve Collins chonak Casavant Organist
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    Intelligibility of text is paramount. If it's so fast or slow that the text becomes difficult to make out, then the tempo is incorrect.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    I default to lean forward. Rhythmic fluctuation or a more reserved approach invites stagnation and fragmentation, IMHO.
  • David Sullivan
    Posts: 355
    Go with moving forward. One thing with unaccompanied singing, and with relatively inexperienced groups is they tend to slow down. The congregation probably will tend to sing slower than the choir, especially on something new.

    In the end, you'd want your choir to be able to adopt the musical criteria outlined by MJ Osborn, and discerned by you, but if you let them sing at the slow pace they seem to like, they may not be able to do anything else. I'd stick with moving forward, and if the preferable pace is something slower, they should be able to adjust. But if they've only practiced it slowly, it will be much harder to pick up the pace.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    I inadvertently spoke above of hymns accompanied by the organ.
    A little reflection will suggest that the criteria are not at all different for a capella singing.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
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