marking in hymn arrangements/alternate harmonizations book
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    My organist has purchase a used copy of Thalben-Ball's alternate harmonizations, and she (and I) are stumped by notations in the book which she describes thus:

    "Whoever had this book used it frequently over the past 20 years. Here's the mystery: over and over again at top of page, he/she writes FF, or FM, or both, and also notes whether it's Pre, Off, or Post; then a date is listed. What services could those be?"

    Anyone?
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,116
    Pre-lude, Off-ertory, Post-lude.

    No Quaa-lude.

    Rank speculation: FF might mean For Funeral/FM might mean For Mass or Matrimony?

  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,333
    This is common among professional organists to describe under what circumstances they will play a particular piece:

    FF=fo' free!
    FM=for money
    Thanked by 4Kathy Liam Mark Husey Heath
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,116
    Most excellent decryption.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    Oh, good. I thought it had to be:

    FF=depends on using both feet at once
    FM=depends equally on feet and manuals

    or

    FF=loud
    FM=with high fidelity

    Never mind! :-)
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Maybe they refer to favorites and priest names? Ex
    Father Faber
    Father Morlini
    ?
    For feet
    For manuals
    ?
    Quizzical
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    More information from my organist:
    Gwalchmai:
    FM + FF Post 5-18-03
    Praise the Lord, His Glories Show

    Intercessor:
    FM 730
    O Day of God Draw Nigh

    St. Denio:
    Frmt. Post 1-24-93
    FF Post 9-13-98

    Gott Sei Dank:
    FF Off 10-27-96
    8, 9 <<<<<<<<<<<----- I dunno what the numbers are; could be volume settings; or a lazy reference to certain stops instead of writing them out<br />33,34
    Spread O Spread Thy Mighty Word

    Uffingham:
    FM Off 10-13-96
    2, 6, 7
    Celeste Dolc 8 + 4, Sw 8 + 4
    Creator of the Earth and Skies

    NOW WE DO NEED THOSE QUAA-LUDES!!
    ****************************************************
    My organist has a great sense of humor :-)

    I'm thinking that it looks like the original organist played for two parishes, perhaps yoked parishes or perhaps just two different parishes with Masses at times different enough for the organist to get to each. And, being part of a military family, I started to think that maybe they are post chapels? Fort F... and Fort M...
Add a Comment