organ chorales on hymn tunes
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Hello Everyone,

    I am new to this site and this is my first post.

    I am looking for a book of hymn tune preludes to use as preludes before mass. I already own the 100 hymn preludes published by Kevin Mayhew. They are great arrangements. Does anyone know of any other companies to try for hymn tune preludes that are easy to moderately easy??

    Also, I am looking for a book of postludes that are roughly one or one/two pages max in length. I worked on the great prelude and fugue in g major(little eight preludes and fugues) by Bach for my postlude last week. The congregation talked over me and acted like I was not even there. It was very disheartening to have that happen. Good riddance on good postlude music for my congregation. I'm now on the hunt for simple one/one-two page postludes. I would prefer them to be hymn tune based but they don't have to be.

    A friend mentioned the Carlos Rossini Liturgical Organist series to me but I find them very sappy romantic and nonsense arrangements of non-organ music.

    I'm also looking for organ arrangements on these following hymn tunes:
    Prospect
    Woodlands
    Morning Song
    Land Of Rest
    Columcille- (Irregular-Gaelic, Those Who Love and Those Who Labor text (found in red catholic worship book)
    The Summons (Kelvingrove)

    I'm a big fan of Charles Callahan (I met him in May of this year and he's awesome. His organ music is top notch!)

    Would someone possibly be willing to writing a partita in Charles Callahan style on "The Summons"? That tune is a favorite of my congregation and I would love to have an organ partita written on that hymn in Callahan style.

    Please message me back with suggestions on any of these topics/items?

    Thanks!
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,050
    PRELUDES: This book has short and easy (though not always terribly interesting) hymn preludes - in fact, they are intended to be played as intros to the hymns themselves.

    POSTLUDES: I have found this series (4 volumes total I believe) to be a good source for postludes.

    Callahan's preludes on "Land of Rest" and "Morning Song" can be found in his American Folk Hymn Suite (Set 1). His prelude on "Prospect" is in his American Folk Hymn Suite (Set 2). They are written for piano, but at least the prelude on Land of Rest looks as though it could work for the organ.

    You probably know that Callahan has edited a series of preludes and postludes published by Concordia.
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Thank You for all those books. I wish the American Folk Hymn Suite books were organ based. It would won't pass on the organ, it sounds to piano-y.

    Do you know of any other settings besides Callahan's on the hymn tunes I mentioned in my first post??

    Do you know a organ setting on the summons at all??

    Thanks for your help!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,986
    There is a book titled, "The Organ Works of Russell Schulz-Widmar which has a prelude on "Land of Rest" and a nice one on "The King of Love." I keep the book with me because it contains pieces on familiar tunes that don't require much practice. It's good to have when needed at the last minute.
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Someone had recommended to me Gerald Near's Pastorale on Land Of Rest from his organ suite and the piece was in a collective works book was 26 dollars. I don't want to spend that much money on one piece. It was in a Marilyn Mason book on the Morningstar website.

    I looked and the Russell Widmar book is not longer in print or publish! That's a shame. :-(
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,986
    Alfred has bought H.W. Gray and Warner. They seemingly have little interest in adding to their organ publications. I think they were mostly interested in acquiring the pop music collections. Most of the St. Cecilia series has suddenly gone out of print. I suspect that is what has happened to the Widmar book. It was on the market for years.
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Would you be able to scan the Land of Rest prelude and email me it as an attachment?? Is that possible??
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,986
    It is possible, but illegal. Why don't you send me a private message and I will discuss possibilities with you.
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    If you know what I mean ...
    If you know what I mean..png
    420 x 317 - 58K
Add a Comment