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THE

ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF THE

CHURCH SERVICES A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE STUDENT

BY

H. W.

RICHARDS

(MUS. DOC., ETC.) Professor of the Organ and Choir Training in the Royal Academy of Music, Organist and Choirmaster of Christ Church, Lancaster Gate, W.,

London, England.

BOSTON, MASS.:

THE BOSTON MUSIC

CO.

G.

SCHIRMER

LONDON: JOSEPH WILLIAMS, LIMITED NEW YORK: G. SCHIRMER

(!NC.)

Mr

Boston Copyright, 1911, by G. SCHIRMER,

B.

M. co. 2622

TO SIR

GEORGE

C.

MARTIN, M.V.O.

CONTENTS PAGE

PREFACE CHAPTER I II

vii

INTRODUCTORY

i

CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS INCIDENTAL TO THE ART or THE ACCOMPANIST i ii

Touch

6

Reading at Sight

g

in Score Reading iv

10

Reading from a Figured Bass

12

v Transposition III

,

ACCOMPANIMENT OF HYMNS

V

ACCOMPANIMENT OF PSALMS AND CANTICLES

VII

VIII

IX

.

(Continued)

25;

3&.

ACCOMPANYING HYMNS AND PSALMS EMBELLISHMENT, AND RE-ARRANGEMENT OF VOICE PARTS

49,

VARIETY IN ACCOMPANYING HYMNS AND PSALMS (Continued) ORGAN TREATMENT, AND EFFECTS OF TONE-COLOR

65

ACCOMPANIMENT OF RESPONSES, AND MONOTONE

76

VARIETY IN

ACCOMPANIMENT OF ANTHEMS, AND SETTINGS OF THE CANTICLES

X XI XII

89

CHORAL COMMUNION SERVICE

101

PRELUDES TO ANTHEMS, AND EXTEMPORE VOLUNTARIES i

ACCOMPANIMENT

OF

ORATORIOS,

SACRED

SONGS,

108

AND

RECITATIVES ii

XIII

15 16'

IV

VI

.

ACCOMPANIMENT OF HYMNS

120

ORGAN AND ORCHESTRA

137

ACCOMPANIMENT OF PLAINSONG

APPENDIX

i

ii

A SHORT

OCCASIONAL SERVICES: Confirmation Service Service

139

ANALYSIS OF THE PSALMS Choral Baptismal Service

Marriage Service

Commination Service

GENERAL INDEX

152

Burial

181

183 v

PREFACE P IT

t

scarcely necessary to offer any apology for th^.app ance of the present volume, in view of the fact that there are very is

few works to be met with dealing with the subject of which it That this is one of supreme importance is manifest, for treats. music used in Divine worship, devotional feeling as well as for the exercise of the high-

to deal at all adequately with the calls for

est artistic faculties. is

sufficiently realised,

less

But

it is

accompaniments that are

of the increasing

by no means

clear that this fact

judging from the indifferent and thought-

number

still

often heard,

of organists

and

who have

this in spite

attained great

We

have said "in spite of," but, perhaps, "beskill. cause of " would more nearly express the truth. For very often " show off " his technical it is the desire to powers that causes the

technical

young organist to forget to accompany in the real sense. There are many points which might have been dwelt upon but the question of space made this impossible. hopes, however, that enough has been said to arouse the student's interest, and to make him think for himself. For,

at greater length,

The Author after

all,

that kind of teaching

the learner to use his

own

own

is

brains,

worthless which does not incite

and help him

to

work out

his

ideas.

The reader is specially advised to study Appendix I, which contains a concise analysis of the Psalms. By reference to this, he will see at a glance the dominant thoughts running through any particular Psalm, and he suitable

accompaniment.

will

It is

then find

it

easier to provide a

only when one

can, to

some

ex-

which called forth these wonderful and enter into the poems, thoughts, feelings and aspirations which one can that hope in any degree to give them symthey embody,

tent, realise the circumstances

pathetic musical expression.

PREFACE

Viii

It only remains to acknowledge the valuable criticism which the Author has received from the Editor of this series, from Sir

George Martin, M. V. O., Mus. Doc. (St. Paul's Cathedral), and Dr. F. G. Shine and, also, to thank R. R. Terry, Esq. (Westminster Cathedral), for kind suggestions on the subject of Plainsong. ;

H. W. 6,

NORFOLK SQUARE, LONDON, W.,

1911

RICHARDS

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF THE CHURCH SERVICES CHAPTER

I

INTRODUCTORY THE

increasing

Art of Music

demands made by the rapid progress

in general,

of the

should be a sufficient reason for more

thorough attention being given at the present day to the study of Church Music, and of the services to which it is adapted and towards the of that music should be help every elevating eagerly ;

No

welcomed.

organist, therefore, should be content to stand

he must not only give of continually widening his outlook. still

in his

Art

;

The Church tion,

his best, but also

be

organist, in particular, occupies an unique posiis able to affect for good or ill the worship

inasmuch as he

of multitudes of people.

The congre-

.

These multitudes, or

.....

congregations, must be considered, for they are very much at the mercy of the organist. They

true, elude his voluntaries by not arriving till the mowhich the service begins, and by leaving precisely as it finishes but from his performance as an accompanist, whether it be good or bad, there is no escape. A moment's thought is surely enough to convince us that the

can,

ment

it is

at

;

adequate accompanying of services is not only a necessity, but the paramount necessity, in the equipment of an organist. Yet more attention is often bestowed on solo performances than on accompaniment, which, indeed, of itself

;

and

this neglect

is is,

allowed in most instances to take care perhaps, responsible in some measure one so often hears in Churches

for the musical " caricatures " that

during a service.

It is natural that

an organist should be ambi-

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

2

become a recitalist, but this laudable ambition should not him from the study of the more unobtrusive work which we

tious to

deter

are about to consider.

In speaking of the accompaniment of a service, we shall aschoir which is tolerably efficient and reliable ; as any rules for the organist will be useless if the training of the voices given

sume a

has been inadequate.

What, then, are the

Much

qualifications of a

good accompanist

?

There must be required besides mere technical skill. musical taste and sympathy to begin with, and ' 6 * ,, ^ ., Qualifications of one can these the experience which accompanist comes with intelligent study and observation, the desired ideal will be attained. If these demands seem exis

.

what is this but a proof that a work of such high requirement deserves more than perfunctory attention ? Without cant, an organist, to be in the right mental attitude, must always realise that he is in Church, and that he is taking part, and a very imcessive,

If the character of the man portant part, in a religious service. it will quickly be noticed in his work, and will impart

be refined,

a nice discrimination to his interpretations. Again, it is desirable that he should be a man of strong character and personality, so long as such strength of character

character

does not result in wilfulness and conceit.

may seem an anomaly

in connection with the

work

This

of

accompaorganist and

nying but it must be remembered that the posts of choirmaster are usually filled by one and the same man, and whether acting in either or both of these capacities, someone is ;

needed will

in

whom

the choristers have implicit confidence, and

who

never allow them to get out of hand.

The demands on an organist's tact and experience are many and various, and he is frequently obliged to adapt himself to altered circumstances at a moment's notice. It experience

^s

usua

% ne wno

goes amiss tinually

on the

alert,

;

and

*

s

ne

^

he, at

if anything has to be con-

responsible

any

rate,

especially at those times when,

from one

THE CHURCH SERVICES

3

cause or another, his choir cannot be depended upon. A service is well rendered depends more often than is supposed on the

that

it may be, unobtrusive efforts of the organist, and on power as an accompanist to anticipate, and therefore to prevent, mistakes and unsteadiness in the singing of the choir. This is where experience, and experience only, can be his guide. An organist rarely has the chance of hearing a service from

capable and, his

the standpoint of a

member

he Hearing musical services

this position will

of the congregation

will realise, .

.

more than ,

,

;

when he

does,

possible from the

is .

.

,

organ bench, the enect of the organ with the choir, in Church. Only after he has occupied he appreciate his full responsibility as an ac-

companist. In recent years choir training classes have been established at both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College Choir training classes

been a great gain

and the opportunities which these afn. u accompanying Church music, under the supervision of an experienced professor, have

of Music,

to the

organ students. an advantage to an organist to have been undoubtedly under the influence of good traditions, such, for inbrought up as stance, prevail in many of our great catheIt is

and colleges

for such influences usually those help personal vagaries which are, of course, quite out of place in Church work.

traditions

drals

;

to stifle

It must be taken for granted that self-repression and selfcontrol are the most desirable attributes, and that any idea of personal display should be banished from the accompanist's mind. It

seems incredible that anyone who thinks of the solemnity of

his duties can indulge in unworthy musical "tricks" which only distract and disturb the worship of the congregation ; but it must

be confessed that exhibitions of bad are

still

too

common

in the

taste,

accompaniment

not to say vulgarity, of the services.

In order then to excel as an accompanist, a man must realise the value of culture, and the necessity for constant study, with a

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

4

view to understanding the meaning of the various portions of the service, quite apart from the

Necessity of gtu(j

For the more he knows about the hismusic. and meaning of a service, the more will he be able to do An organist who has no real musjustice to its accompaniment. tory

ical feeling

can never,

spite of executive proficiency,

in

succeed

beyond a certain point and he will never attain to the same heights as one who possesses sympathy sympathy with the music and with those who are singing it. A sympathetic organ accompanist will always appeal to the reflective and intelligent ;

among the congregation. The student will, of

course, need advice,

and a good teacher

qud non; but this sound teaching must be supplemented by the hearing of artistic services, whenever Good teacher ., , While he listens to the actual service, possible. is

a sine

he will, or should, be taking in ideas at every turn. He need never be ashamed of modelling himself upon the style of a good man his own ideas will mature later, if he has a firm foundation ;

already

/

Formation of te

laid.

In choosing his model he must ..

.

.

exercise great discretion, since there are many divergent views as to what forms a suitable ac-

.

companiment, and he cannot please all tastes. He will be urged on the one side (generally by a subscriber to the Organ Fund) to "let us hear plenty of that fine organ," and if he complies too while, if he gives heed to readily he will become a nuisance ;

others (generally the ultra-refined or sensitive), his playing will be reduced to a condition of utter ineffectiveness. He may be

young and impressionable, and therefore apt to make mistakes in either direction and if he has no reliable adviser at hand, we would say to him here, err on the side rather of too little than of Extremes are altoo much in the direction of self-expression. most always unsatisfactory, and certainly so in worship-music; therefore the happy medium, with due regard to variety, is the correct point to aim at. The good accompanist will always strive never allowing to attain this, and thus to become the true artist ;

;

THE CHURCH SERVICES

5

his fancy to run riot, but always

endeavoring to keep the perfect balance between organ and choir. If he should be the happy possessor of a good technique, he will

need

to restrain himself, as his fingers will naturally want to travel faster than his judgment ought to allow :

An

accompanist's a temotations

another snare.

m .

wav

devotional side of the music

may be ruined. A large and powerful organ is The debutant will be much tempted to let the

congregation have the privilege of hearing his realistic efforts, and to show how wonderfully he can reproduce the sounds of Nature.

All

this

form of " claptrap

"

should be absolutely

shunned, and the organ, especially in the services, should never be thus degraded, nor used for the mere glorification of the player.

Another temptation, usually arising from conceit,

is

to

be

guarded against. When a mistake is made by the singers, the accompanist is apt to play in such a way as to make it evident His efforts should that the accident is not in his department. 1

rather be directed to glossing over the fault, and to making everyMistakes will occur, but he thing blend and flow along smoothly. should remember that " prevention is better than cure," and much

may be done

in this

way by

careful anticipation of possible dis-

aster.

An accompanist must be prepared to face many and various disappointments and trials, especially if he is a man possessing as he should be. fine perceptions His hopes will often

be shattered and his cherished plans him from persevering

thwarted, but this should never discourage in the right path.

The clergy are realizing more and more the value of an who can accompany the service in a dignified, as well

ganist

or-

as

and helpful manner, and the ... Clergy and has not the ability to do this, alwho organist organist and clearly though a brilliant player, will not should not stand the same chance of preferment as his more artistic and self-abnegating rival. This is becoming more evident in a devotional .

every day.

,

,

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

CHAPTER

II

CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS INCIDENTAL TO THE ART OF THE ACCOMPANIST TOUCH; II READING AT SIGHT; III SCORE READING; READING FROM A FIGURED BASS; V TRANSPOSITION

I

IV

I

TOUCH

is

TOUCH

of vital importance in the

and shows

subject

may

Let

of the

service, everything that is such an extent to that a few hints on the played not be out of place. at

once be admitted that the organist who is also a be far more successful in his work than one who

pianist will

good is

it

accompaniment

itself in

not

;

in fact, for

modern organ music,

this qualification is

a

necessity.

of Touch should be as integral a part of an oras The organist has it is of that of the pianist. training ganist's almost as many special difficulties to deal with as the pianoforte In the first place, the fingers must be developed and student.

The teaching

made capable

and if the organist does not of independent action possess this power, his best plan is to take a course of pianoforte lessons from a good teacher without delay, letting his actual organ ;

practice take, for a time, a subordinate place.

A by

this

good, incisive and definite touch is what is required, but we do not mean a rigid touch. All stiffness must be en-

Definite touch

tirely eradicated,

and the basis

of a satisfactory

touch will be found to be elasticity of arm as well as of finger. This elasticity is difficult of attainment, and must on no account be confused with flabbiness, which is fatal in all playing. ticity

There must be

without flimsiness.

solidity without heaviness,

and

elas-

THE CHURCH SERVICES In organ-playing, the student

7

will find that the release of the

key will cause him more trouble than its depression. The fingers must never lie lazily on the keys, nor must one finger be allowed

on the help or leverage given to it by the others, but each must be self-active and entirely independent. Legato touch and part-playing, of which organ accompaniment so largely consists, need a reliable condition of finger con-

to rely

finger

otherwise, in contrapuntal music, the effect

trol,

Finger control

.

will

The practice the time value of key beyond a fault which has been attributed

be indistinct and "smudgy.

of allowing the finger to cling to the

the particular note indicated, is in a special degree to organists, and fault is in

evidence the blame

lies

training, not with the instrument.

it

is

true that where this

with the player and his want of

Again, where there

is

hesita-

tion, only partly depressed, the mechanism can only act imperfectly, and does not allow the wind to enter the pipe in

and the key

is

The organ, indeed, it to speak properly. and decision of touch than the even more distinctness requires is a and the sound is It not instrument, pianoforte. percussion 1

sufficient quantity for

often confused

by the echo in a large building. A clear and demust be insisted upon from the first, bear-

cisive touch, therefore,

ing in

mind

The

the basis of good organ-playing. 2 produced by the quick release of the

that a pure legato

staccato

Staccato touch

touch

is

is

key: the old idea of striking it from a distance , -, ^, has happily become obsolete. The whole point ,

,

the promptitude with which the key is allowed to rise. The mezzo-staccato or half-staccato, indicated in Mezzo-staccato musical notation thus lies in

:

1

3=4 These remarks apply with equal force to the matter of pedal touch. In this connection, much depends upon the building and the response of the organ resonant building will often need a staccato touch. 1

*

A

action.

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

8

implying that there

is

a perceptible break between each note, and

approximately sounding as follows

:

-^f^

etc.

It is constantly used in a most useful touch in accompanying. a a such as theme, fugue subject, and for making clear giving out is

any complicated passage. It is a compromise between legato and staccato, and its use in the case of chords will give almost the efThis touch may often be most effectively fect of accentuation. employed, even when not specifically indicated

in the

music

itself.

a moderately good pianist, and

if he accompanist has been well taught, and possesses good technique, his touch for

If the

is

little further attention, except, perhaps, in should be remembered that a good modern orlegato playing. as and responsive an action as a good pianolight gan possesses

the organ will require It

forte.

most cases, a neglected study, much is, in and The pedals, when inaccuracy inequality being the result. most are properly used, helpful in binding the Pedal touch the other hand, a -tone on organ together; tentative or staccato method of pedalling will ruin the comfort of the listener. There need be no noise with the pedals, no of the striking key or lifting the feet high. A neat and quick is pressure required in staccato, which must be followed by a prompt release, almost the same as with the finger, with this Pedal touch

important difference, that the pedals, usually acting upon 16' pipes, take rather longer to speak, especially in the lowest octave. Suppleness of ankle-joint must be cultivated as the secret of

good pedal-playing, and exercises should be used from the est

Loose ankle

moment

with

a view

to

earli-

obtaining this. for the with one foot, toe and heel, Passages

THE CHURCH SERVICES

9

can be so neatly played with a loose ankle as to conceal from the audience the fact that only one foot is doing the work. Heel-playing is too little cultivated, and should be employed

more frequently

in

than

pedalling

usually the

is

The

case.

stock-in-trade of a

good many organists consists This nothing but toeing with alternate feet.

of

a mistake, and the advantage of a judicious use of heels as well as of toes should be perceived without difficulty by anyone who has even a moderate acquaintance with organ-playing. is

We

cannot now enlarge on these points, but we hope that to impress on the accompanist that to have

enough has been said

a good, clear touch on manuals and pedals is all-important to him. If he has not mastered this already, let him lose no time

before doing so, under a reliable teacher.

READING AT SIGHT

II

Reading the

at sight is another matter

accompanist's work that

it

which

should

affects so

much

of

be considered as an

He is badly handihe does not possess this power of first-sight reading. It can, however, be acquired with hard work and perseverance, and its practice should be begun at an early stage in his studies. absolutely essential part of his equipment.

capped

if

A

player deficient in the power of reading at sight can hope to be successful on occasions, incidental to an This power organist's career, such as practical examinations. bears directly or indirectly on almost every test, for not only is an

hardly

actual piece or

hymn

or chant required to be read at sight, but figures, and transposition are

reading from score, reading from all

affected

by

it.

In reading,

thought of

first.

Above if

Key and time

obvious that the key and the time must be all things strict time must be kept, even

is

it

.

the pace be slow. ,

.

In practising reading b at ,,

.

,

.

,

,

is most counting helpful, does not count to his the that provided player playing, but plays

sight,

to regular counting.

to

oneself

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

10

An

organist must at any rate be able to read a

chant at

sight,

and play

it

in

cannot do increased

hymn

good four-part harmony.

this, his

difficulties will

when he has

to

If

or

he

be much

contend with words

as well as music, as in the case of accompanying the Psalms. Any inability to fit the music of a chant to correct pointing will

be detected

at once,

and

if,

in addition to this effort, the organist

make changes in his stops, confusion is bound knowledge of Harmony is an invaluable aid to the

tries to

to follow.

A

student in

his sight-reading. Ill

The

Score reading,

Three and F

G

SCORE READING

usefulness of score reading from three F clef cannot be overrated.

clefs

clef

remembered

that the

G

clefs

It

tenor part f"

played an octave lower than written, notes

and an

has to be is

always '

e. g.,

these

:

SOPRANO

ALTO are the

same as

:

TENOR (8ve lower)

3

BASS

An

accompanist, of a choral society, in particular, is conupon to play the voice-parts instead of the written

stantly called

accompaniment (which may be an independent or florid one). Especially is this likely to be so when the choir is learning an

THE CHURCH SERVICES intricate

work

if

;

11

he cannot afford the singers this help, his much reduced.

usefulness as an accompanist will be

The

student

find, in

will

any of the oratorio choruses, and for

excellent material for learning to play from vocal score,

purpose particular mention might be made music to the " Passion according to

this

Oratorio

of Bach's

choruses St.

John and

St.

Matthew."

He

will

be well

advised to practise those portions where the voice parts cross and have a good deal of independent movement, Score reading

The

with two

and tenor

score with two parts,

is

C

clefs 1 for the alto

written as follows

:

SOPRANO

ALTO

TENOR

BASS

i

Any

line

upon which the

the notes in

are the

Example same as :

5,

C

clef is placed

therefore,

2&

always represents the same note, viz

*

:

middle

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

12

This kind of score reading the vocal

manner.

parts of It will,

will

it

incidentally as there are

the

C

clef

trombone, If he

it

was

in years

much Church Music were

gone by, when written in this

however, be necessary for him to study it, and be a help to him as he advances in his Art,

several is

not of such practical use to

is

day as

the organist in the present

used,

instruments as well viz

as voices

violoncello,

viola,

:

for

which

bassoon, tenor

etc. is

studying

or Counterpoint, the student will

Harmony

be wise to write his exercises in open score, using the C clefs, and then to play them from these clefs. 1 This kind of practice will be a useful beginning to the reading of more complicated scores later on.

READING FROM A FIGURED BASS

IV

A

sound knowledge of Harmony

is

absolutely essential in

reading from a figured bass, and no general hints can be of much value to the student without it. The

Common

chords

is

beginner

and their

a d v ised to limit his practice to the ,

common chord and

inversions

_ . its first

and second

inver-

sions until he can play these readily in good not confining himself to the few four-part harmony in all keys easy ones.

When chords

he has become thoroughly familiar with these simple

he can deal with those

The chord Dominant 7th , ..

and

.

next

figured it

a

difficult

:

are ,

order, f

more complicated.

(?),

and J

yth will

follow

,,

then (4),

its

\

inversions,

(I).

If

the

matter to realise these inverted chords

quickly from the figures, he

1

that

the dominant

,

in

its

inversions

student finds

of

is

advised at

first

mentally to reduce

In any case the student should always play his exercises with the object of training his ,

ear to hear

what he

sees.

THE CHURCH SERVICES the figures of the

and second inversions

first

simple chord of the

|,

13

viz

of the 7th to the

:

6

and then

to

add the

5th, for the

chord of the

|,

thus

:

7

can be treated

in

a similar way.

After

3

a

little

practice in this

them more readily

easily at

manner, he should be able to reproduce

the'

keyboard.

The chord

of

the 4 can

be seen as involving the common chord on the note

above the one given,

e.g.

:

8

i

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF The playing of suspensions from figures, especially in their inverted forms, presents much more difficulty to the student than that of essential discords, and it is not easy to give suggestions which will help his realise

pended

them

quickly. 4th, viz :

9 -1.

The

last inversion,

mind

to

however, of the sus-

THE CHURCH SERVICES

16

become capable

of grasping the best positions of the various chords on the keyboard.

V

TRANSPOSITION

Every organist should be able, at a moment's notice, to transpose a chant or hymn tune a tone or half-tone up or down.

To ^ and chants

transpose

down

be a

will

village choir, especially *

if

relief to

many

a

there should be a

high reciting-note in the chant. Boys with untrained voices are seldom able to sustain a high reciting-note in tune, and the men, also, will be unduly straining after it, if, as is probable, they sing in unison. On the other hand, with a trained body of singers, transposition to a higher key may at

times be desirable.

necessary to make sure of the key, and also major or minor, before beginning to transpose. In addition to this, the usual advice given is to think of the whole chord in the new key, but this advice, though excellent, will be It is absolutely

of

its

mode,

difficult for first

*>.,

the novice to follow, as

it

will take

much

too long,

and then to transpose it. This will come when a more thorough knowledge of Harmony

to analyse a chord,

at a later stage,

has been acquired. In a large measure, transposition resolves itself into a question of reading at sight, except, of course, that one must think of and read the individual notes in a higher or lower key, as the case

may

The beginner

be.

to cultivate the habit of reading the bass note

will find first,

it

helpful

and thus

of

building the chord upwards. Transposition is a difficult definite rules, as people think

and what seems a help

to

it

subject upon which to give out from different standpoints,

one does not

assist another.

If the

student has acquired the power of hearing what he sees, his ear will be a great assistance to him in his transposing work, and little progress can be made until this is the case.

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

16

CHAPTER

III

ACCOMPANIMENT OF HYMNS WHATEVER form undertake, be of his

work

it

will

of service an organist is called upon to elaborate, or of the mission type, a great portion

be to accompany hymns.

The accompaniment one that forms an

of a

hymn may be

of

two kinds, either one that

to the voices, or

artistic

background prominent and leads the singing. In the latter case, the whole congregation usually J Jjoins is

;

accompaniment

.

and

if

the organist were to

accompany

in the

ordinary sense of the word, his efforts would be almost nullified by the enthusiastic vocalists the only thing he can do, therefore, With this " hearty " is to help to swell the volume of sound. ;

singing anything in the shape of an artistic accompaniment is impossible, for it is not only loud, but too often expressionless as

The

chief points to bear in mind are, first to play corand secondly to keep the hymn in good, strict time, not rectly, allowing any vagaries on the part of the singers, otherwise it may end in confusion. With a mass of voices, steps must also be taken to guard against the sentimental drawl, which is likely to have the same result. An accompanist will always be heavily handicapped if the choir has not rehearsed properly; and it must be taken for granted that the choir knows the tune and has studied the hymn, especially with a view to its pace, phrasing and expression. well.

There is great diversity in the character of hymn tunes. Think of the grand and dignified German Chorale, of which it

Different kinds of

hvmn

tunes

resources which

T *'

has been said that " under the treatment of _

_,

.

Bach ,

its

,

.

,

.

beauties were developed with a

depth of insight into its harmonic and melodic not likely ever to be surpassed." Then we

is

THE CHURCH SERVICES

17

Church hymn tune, probably the direct descendthe mawkish tune, with its over-sweetened so commonplace; and lastly, harmonies; the part-song tune have the

stately

ant of the Chorale

;

that with a chorus or refrain, the latter generally consisting of a reiterated chord for the tenor and bass parts, thus :

H

N IS A. A. A.

>

A.

A AN A.N A. I

-vvojt

^

r

^

N

is

rs

A. A.

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMEN1 OF

18

not necessary to repeat every note or chord in hymn A hymn is not an organ piece. If a chord is repeated in the music, it may be necessary o tie one Repeated notes note mostly in an inner part merely to In the the this of notes melody repetition organ-tone. steady It

is

tunes.

An

should never be omitted.

make our meaning

clear

example

is

here given which will

:

REINAGLE 13 /

(433 C.

H.

176 A.

& M.)

THE CHURCH SERVICES octave, the tenor inefficient

player.

" tune " lona

14

/Lrr Wv

is

sometimes

We

left

out by the

19

careless or the

hear the few opening chords from the

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

20

Occasionally, this might be difficult, because there may be a wide stretch in the R. H. already should this be so, the bass part must be played an octave higher i.e., Example 17 at (a) can be ;

;

played as at

On no

(b)

account should incomplete harmonies be tolerated

3rd of the chord, especially, should never

be omitted.

;

the

One has

only to play Example 15 to hear the baldness of the 4th chord in the first bar. After the playing over, the choir and organ should begin the music together promptly on the first note, without hesitation. There ought to be a complete understanding between choir and The habit of making a long organist on this important matter.

pause after the is

hymn has been

played over, while the accomdrawing out his stops, is

either collecting his wits or

panist inexcusable.

With an ordinary organ the stops can generally be arranged beforehand, for the first verse at any rate, and this

should always be done. In order to secure a good start, a preliminary note is sometimes sounded to remind the voices, but this is quite unnecessary,

Manner

of

beginning respect, the first

and the more one humors the choir with these artificial aids, the more one may. Occasionally the pedal note is made to do duty in this chord being played thus :

THE CHURCH SERVICES 18

etc

or sometimes the treble note

19

JEE

:

21

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

22

Another rather common peggiating) the

first

" trick is that of

chord, as in Example 21

combing

" (/'.

e.,

ar-

l :

will, in all probability, produce a ragged beginning, and can never, under any circumstances, sound crisp or satisfactory. Here it may be remarked that whenever an organist shows a tendency to open the chords in this way, or to play them with the

This

L. H.

at

before the R.

H.,

however slightly, this irritating habit must it becomes ingrained and almost im-

once be checked before

possible to eradicate.

The is

next point for consideration \space; and perhaps there

no subject on which such a

Pace of

hymns

site ideas prevail

We

diversity of opinion exists.

One

has only to attend half-a-dozen places of worship to discover what different and even oppo-

on

this question. 2

will first take the beautiful

German

Chorales.

The

ref-

erences given will always be found in "The Church Hymnal" 3 and "Hymns Ancient and Modern" (edition 1889). Such tunes

The Church Hymnal, 293, Jj8, 379, in Hymns An-

as Nos. 37, 202, 102 (ist tune) 533, 466, in

and Nos. 52, cient

86, 104, in, 192, 276, and Modern, should on no account be

accompanied

in

a broad and dignified

hurried, but sung

style,

and

with due regard to

the passing notes, which are generally a marked feature of this All tunes such as No. 418, C. H. (163, A. 6- M.\ class of tune. 1

Examples

18

and 19 are

less objectional than 20

and

21.

In deciding this point, it must be remembered that in large buildings and in accompanying large bodies of voices, the pace will, of necessity, be somewhat reduced. Published by The Parish Choir, Boston, U. S. A. *

THE CHURCH SERVICES

"O

23

God, our help in ages past," should be treated in the same manner, as any irreverent hurrying would utterly ruin their

stately

character.

The pace and

hymn should always be taken at a slower more measured manner than the hymns sung in the

processional in a

choir

Pace

of

processional

hymns in order to

a steady swing being maintained

stalls,

It will be necessary for the accomthroughout. panist to allow himself more license as regards

repeated notes and chords, or repeated pedals, in time and unless the choir is

keep the voices

;

taught to listen to the organ, the fate of the the balance. 1

The it will

staccato

touch

left

hand

tremble in

will

probably be required here, and,

if

so,

the right hand is played staccato, and the pedals are sustained, thus

be found quite

while the

will

hymn

sufficient

if

:

SULLIVAN

?

fr

On- ward,Chris-tian

a=i

j=^ sol

m

diers, etc.

&

II

This staccato must not be indulged in so frequently that the choir expects it, and that it degenerates into a habit with the oron the contrary, it should only be used occasionally to ganist remedy unsteadiness. In order to hear the voices he must reduce ;

the volume of organ-tone, and this in direct proportion to the distance they happen to be from the instrument. Of course, the larger the building, the greater the difficulty becomes in the matter of ac-

companying processional hymns,

1

It is often effective if the first line is

for the

played and sung

invaluable as a means of setting a steady tempo.

accompanist has also to

in unison, fortt; this will

be found

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

24

take into consideration such points as any echo, there may be, and the amount of time to be allowed for sound to travel. 1

One of the best general rules that can be given for deciding that proper time should always be allowed the pace of hymns is for the clear enunciation of all the words, particularly of such " and " of " and also for the neat small words as " to of :

finishing

In a hymn, the words must be the

the consonants.

first

consid-

and the correct reading and rendering of them should be deemed of even more importance than the music. eration,

Although the accompaniment of hymns should, as a general be characterised by a certain degree of reticence on the part of the player, he should never allow this to degenerate into liferule,

lessness. strict

Whatever pace

is

adopted he should keep the time

throughout, and take special care to hold out

notes to their

full

all

the long

time-values. 2

Hymn tunes of a bright and joyful character, e. g., as No. " Ten thousand times ten thousand,'" 396, C. H. (222, A. 6- M.}, Festal

hymns

and hymns used '

for festivals, should naturallyJ .

.

.

.

.

be taken at a quicker pace though it might be mentioned here that the old Easter hymn, No. 112, C. H. ;

A.

M., 2nd tune}, "Jesus Christ

is risen to-day," with AlleluOn the other hand, such a. usually sung too hurriedly. " Hark hark, my hymn as No. 398, C. H. (223, A. 6 M.~), soul," is often sung too deliberately, having regard to the diffi

Hymn tunes triple

measure, such as No. 453, C. H. (172, A, and No. 477, A. 6- M., " The

in triple

Hymns 6-

31

in

time

day Thou gavest. Lord, is ended," ("which are , favorite tunes), need special care as re-

,

.

,

gards tempo. Steady swing is required, but any semblance of waltz time must be guarded against. There are other hymns that present difficulties, such as No. " Lead, kindly Light," in 423, (ist tune), C. H. (266, A. 6- J/.),

which

seldom sung

good time. Again, in No. 621, C. H. J/.), "Days and moments quickly flying," if the crotchets are taken at too deliberate a pace ( it is marked slow To such a time) the dotted semibreves will sound never-ending. " hymn as No. 461, C. H. (295, A. 6 M.~), The strain upraise of joy and praise," which consists of a good deal of recitation, the remarks on pointing in Chapter V will be applicable. 1

|,

is

in

(289, A. 6-

already mentioned, a very common fault with orthe tendency to shorten long notes, such as breves and dotted semibreves, especially at the ends of

As we have ganists

is

Long notes

e. lines g., hymn No. 398, (ist tune), C. H. " Hark! 2nd A. 6 hark, my soul;" or No. 675, tune, M.}, (223, " H. A. C. 6* (2nd tune), (231, M.), "For ever with the Lord ;

(see the next example)

:

SULLIVAN

The choir is apt to do this from want of proper breath control, The rhythmic effect but the organist has not the same excuse. is entirely lost if the exact time-value is not given in every instance. 1

Plainsong tunes will be noticed in Chapter XIII.

THE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT OF

32

The gether.

hymn are rarely intended to be joined tothe last chord (or sometimes the last pedal-

verses of a

To make

note) of one verse do duty for the

Never loin

the next,

TT^O^O VciSCS

is

first

chord of

bad and not uncommon

a

habit,

which must on no account be indulged in. An organist is apt to think that anything is good enough for hymns, but he will give up this notion if he once hears the vast difference between a hymn that is unpractised, and one that has been carerehearsed and

fully

is

The double bar

intelligently

accompanied.

requires some explanation, for it has nothing whatever to do with the music, but relates entirely to the words, and merely indicates the end of a line. Double bars in .. because the line ends, it does not follow hvmn tunes that the sense of the words finishes also inin

hymns

.

:

deed, this is so far from being always true, that we must now consider the all-important question of phrasing. By the word phrasing, as applied to a hymn, is meant, roughly speaking, the observance of the correct breathing places and these must be accord;

ing to the sense of the words.

It

Phrasing

often very '

happens that the words run quite counter to the music in this respect, and in that case they alone must be considIf the sense of the words is not observed, ered. if the