Interludes/Preludes on Hymn Tunes
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Does anyone know of any preludes or interludes on communion hymns? I like to use one interlude from the Oxford Service Music for organ, which is an interlude on Picardy (Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence) but I would like to know if there are any other similar pieces, particularly on communion/adoration hymns. I often improvise on this hymn tune, but would like to expand the repertoire.

    I usually do this at masses where no incense or offertory procession is used and the offertory is too short to be worth singing a hymn, anthem or motet and often as a filler at communion either between the chant and hymn or after the hymn and waiting for the sacred ministers to purify the vessels before the postcommunion.
  • R J StoveR J Stove
    Posts: 302
    I can heavily recommend Stanford's treatment (only two printed pages long) of the tune usually sung by Catholics to the words "O breathe on me, o breath of God." Matter of fact, I wrote in a previous MUSICA SACRA post on the topic:

    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/comment/70989#Comment_70989
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    This is a nice collection by Charles Callahan.

    http://www.morningstarmusic.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/10-829

    And while not strictly communion, the following collections by the same are also nice for short, simple hymn based organ solos:

    http://www.morningstarmusic.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/10-597

    http://www.morningstarmusic.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/10-607
    Thanked by 1SamuelDorlaque
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    I second the Charles Callahan books. I own both sets of them myself and had them personally signed by Charlie when he gave me an organ lessons earlier this year! I enjoy his organ style settings on basic hymn tunes!
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    George Thalben-Ball

    A plethora of collections by Novello and Oxford

    Not that often encountered, but perhaps useful at times -
    Jan Bender
    Paul Manz
    Thanked by 1SamuelDorlaque
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    Gerald Near has composed several pieces based on chants and famous chorales. I believe they can be ordered from Morningstar Music Publishers.
    Thanked by 2Andrew Motyka marajoy
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    Check out Healey Willan's works. He has some preludes on Gregorian melodies.
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