New Children's Hymnal?
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    I seem to recall CMAA announcing a while back that a new children's hymnal was in progress. I haven't seen anything recently. Has this been published yet, or will it be soon? I don't recall the proposed title and I wasn't able to to find anything searching for children's hymnal.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    The book is "Now I Walk in Beauty", edited by Wilko Brouwers: not a hymnal, but a children's classroom songbook to provide supplementary material for lessons based on the Ward method. It starts with the simplest melodies, using just two notes (do, re) and builds from there, adding new skills step by step through the 100 songs in the book. (A table in the back of the book spells out how new musical features and corresponding notation are introduced at each point.)

    About 40 of the pieces in the book have religious texts; some are classic hymns and Christmas carols in English or Latin; some are short but authentic melodies from Gregorian chant, such as antiphons from the Office; a few are musical exercises and simple original songs composed by the editor. The remainder of the pieces include folk songs from around the world, play songs, and melodies without words.

    It all builds up to song #100, "Stella splendens", a pilgrim song for Our Lady of Montserrat, in Latin; it adds two new musical features, as the song features a key change between its refrain and its verse; and it is a choral piece for two vocal parts.

    The book is available from the CMAA Shop at
    https://shop.musicasacra.com/product/now-i-walk-in-beauty-coilbound-wilko-brouwers/

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  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Thanks, Richard, for this link. I was unaware of this Wilco project, and it should be very helpful this next school year.
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    That's the one. Thanks.
  • PolskaPiano
    Posts: 255
    Is this a teacher book or does each child need one?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    It's intended to be used by each child. (The single-copy price is on the CMAA shop site, but volume discounts are available.)