Acnamusicresources.files.wordpress.com



CHOIR TOOLBOX IIEffectively Arranging Beloved Hymns as AnthemsClothing the HymnHymns can be very successfully arranged as anthems for the choir. This is true for beginning choirs as well as advanced. It is important though to recognize that although the little blobs on the printed page pretty much look the same to the untrained observer, the hymnal holds within its pages centuries of creative compositional inspiration by followers of Christ. And though hymns appear much alike on the printed page, one must take into account that a dance tune from the Renaissance will have a much different dance than say, a Spiritual or a Chant tune. The same would be true of an Appalachian folk tune in contrast to an English Cathedral hymn or a German Chorale. Check out the fine print at the top and bottom of the hymn page. This information will give you the historic context of how to authentically express or “clothe” the hymn in your leading of it. Ask yourself, how would the people who wrote this hymn tune have sung it? There is much joy in this journey of exploration and when you find the right dance for the hymn, the words will begin to leap off of the page for worshippers and singers alike!BreathsGenerally, it is best to lead hymns in four-bar phrases allowing and playing a breath at the end of each phrase. Sing along in your head as you lead and breathe along with the choir so that you can feel and/or play the breaths naturally. Why four-bar phrases? Because breathing every two bars causes the musical line to be interrupted too frequently and although the words are very important, the commas in the middle of musical lines are not, as the worshippers will still understand the meaning of the text without stopping at them in the middle of the musical line. Admittedly, the musical line is the more powerful force in the room when it comes to hymn singing. Exceptions to the four-bar phrase rule are German Chorales, which will often have two and three-bar phrases built into them.After taking these two items into consideration, the proper “clothing” of hymns and breathing within musical lines, the song leader/conductor can begin to move toward arranging the hymn as a choir anthem. Below are some examples of how this can be done effectively. Also, trying out some contrasting dynamics between verses can be very effective, although some dynamic contrast is admittedly already built into the arrangements below, as the voicings change between each verse. I have found that the congregation is very appreciative of getting to hear beloved hymns as anthems and in this getting to hear them in a fresh way. So try some of the examples below with your choir and after you catch the vision and have had some successes, try your own hand at arranging a hymn-based choir anthem. With some experimentation with the choir, the song will let you know what works and what doesn’t. Note: you can also add this method of arranging to congregational singing through the use of Alternation Singing between the choir, soloists, and the men, women/children, and the whole of the congregation. This is an effective means of teaching the congregation a new hymn and on a well-known hymn, it allows one part of the congregation to focus on the words while another part of the congregation is currently singing. Alternation Singing can also be effective in building up the congregation’s confidence as the various “tribes” sing their song to God. Try something like this:1. Soloist2. Choir3. Women and Children4. Men5. AllAnd finally, to aid the church choir in singing better and your leading of it, be sure to see the CHOIR TOOLBOX I article: Basics of Effectively Leading a Church Choir.Mark K. Williams: Christ Church Anglican, Savannah, GAHere are Some Hymn Arrangement SamplesFairest Lord Jesus (English Romantic Hymn) #383 The Hymnal 1982, tune: St. ElizabethIntro: last four bars on organ or piano (anthem is accompanied)1. Men on melody. Keyboard play 4 parts.2. Sopranos and Altos on their parts. Keyboard play 2 parts.3. SATB. Keyboard play 4 parts.4. ATB on melody. Sopranos sing a descant. Keyboard play 4 parts.The thinking behind this arrangement: By looking at the little informational notes printed at the bottom and top of the hymn page I see that the melody for St. Elizabeth was written during the Classical period and it was harmonized in the Romantic Era. As I sing and play through it, to get a feel on how to best “clothe” the hymn, and knowing the art, architecture, and style of these periods, I can sense that this is a flowing, horizontally-oriented melody. I also sense that the harmonies add to the lovely melody and that the text is an intimate description of our Lord, Jesus Christ. With these observations now in hand, I set our lining out the hymn for singing by a choir. I believe as you study it, you will now see how the arrangement above supports “clothing” this beloved hymn in an effective manner.All Glory Be to God on High (Renaissance Dance) #421 The Hymnal 1982, tune: Allein Gott in der H?hIntro: last four bars on organ or piano (anthem is accompanied)1. Sopranos and Altos on melody with triangle or finger cymbals on strongly accented words. (Simply hi-light them in the score for the percussionists: e.g. All GLORY be to GOD on HIGH, and PEACE on earth from HEA-ven, etc.) Keyboard play 4 parts.2. Men on melody with hand drum or tambourine. Keyboard play 4 parts.3. All on melody with hand drum or tambourine and with triangle or finder cymbals. Keyboard play 4 parts.The thinking behind this arrangement: Again, from the informational notes printed at the bottom and top of the hymn page, I see that the melody for Allein Gott in der H?h comes from Germany during the Renaissance. As I sing and play through it, I get a feel on how to best “clothe” the hymn, and knowing the art, architecture, and style of this period, I can tell that this is a Renaissance dance melody (a horizontally oriented melody), somewhat in the style of a Madrigal. Madrigals and Renaissance dance tunes often employ hand percussion instruments as embellishment such as tambourine, wood block, or finger cymbals. I also sense this is primarily a melodically-driven hymn and thus I would have the choir singing the melody in a dance-like “Madrigal” fashion. With these observations now in hand, I set our lining out the hymn for a choir anthem or Introit. I believe as you look over the arrangement above, you will see how the arrangement above supports “clothing” this beloved hymn in an effective manner.Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Early French Chant) #324 The Hymnal 1982, tune: PicardyIntro: Sustained tenor D and A (5th) pedal point on manuals. 1. Men hum or sing on oo the perfect 5th pedal point. Women sing the melody.Option: Handbells punctuate the text here and there on key words. Underline the words to create a part (e.g. LET all mortal flesh keep SI-lence and with fear and TREM-bling stand, etc.) Bells: D4, A4, D5, A5 (can add a color note life E6 if desired).2. Women trade off and now hum or sing on oo the perfect 5th pedal point. Men sing the melody. Handbells continue. Sustained Pedal point transfers to the women’s range on the keyboard.3. 2-part round, men begin. (a capella)4. All in unison with bells again. Add triangle or finger cymbal with bell part to add further color.The thinking behind this arrangement: I see from the informational notes on the page that this is an Early French Chant melody. And what do I know about chant? I know that it is based on the rhythms of speech and that an authentic singing of this hymn will be clothed in this way. First, I would have my choir speak the text together as though reading a good poem in unison. Then I would ask them to chant the text on a unison note changing nothing from speaking the text together other than now singing it on a unison pitch. I would then apply those learnings and experiences together to the singing of the melody and words together, asking them to simply “drop” the chanted words onto this beloved melody. You might model this for them first.In addition, I know that most chant melodies are written in a church mode rather than a diatonic scale and so a pedal point of the interval of a 5th played along with the melody adds an effective accompaniment to the music and aids in keeping it in tune. Finally, the use of handbells can add some magic to the soundscape (see arrangement above).Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? #172 The Hymnal 1982, (Spiritual)Intro: first three pitches played softly (anthem is unaccompanied)1. Women on melody. (sopranos or sopranos and altos) 2. Solo, choir hum or oo their parts quietly beneath.3. Soprano and Tenor sing their parts in 2-parts. (Baritones join if needed.)4. SATB. The thinking behind this arrangement: Clearly, we see from the informational notes on the page that this is an American Spiritual. This particular text is a text for Holy Week and the spiritual’s melody and harmonies add particular power and immediacy to the hymn. The dance of this spiritual is slow, and should be deeply felt by the singers. The melody is oriented horizontally with a forward flow within each line of the hymn. I also note that the text of the first line is restated twice on each stanza, therefore singing the repeat of the phrase with more intensity each time is highly effective. Also, note that the end of each second one, sung on the somewhat wailing word “Oh!”, can be brought out with the subsequent repeated words afterward, “Tremble, tremble, tremble” getting softer and more intimate on each reiteration of the word. With these simple details in mind, I believe you will see that the above arrangement for choir “clothes” this beloved hymn effectively.Mark K. WilliamsChrist Church Anglican, Savannah, GAFURTHER RESOURCES ON CLOTHING HYMNS AND HYMN ARRANGING FOR CHOIRS & CONGREGATIONSMelodious Accord Hymnal by Alice Parker (available on Amazon)Rounds, responses, spirituals, folk-songs, and psalms abound in this new hymnal by the renowned composer, conductor, teacher, and author Alice Parker. This collection of her work also offers valuable information by the composer that can help you to successfully introduce this marvelous music to your choir or congregation in a way that will uphold each song's integrity and will bring the music and texts alive in the hearts of all who sing them. Also included are a multitude of indices organized in categories like historical, geographical, stylistic, movement and mood, tempo, tune name, poetic meter, and of course first-lines in alphabetical order. It is Alice Parker's intent to enable all who use the Melodious Accord Hymnal to sing with better understanding; with both heart and mind.Creative Hymn Singing: A collection of hymn tunes and texts with notes on their origin, idiom, and performance, and suggestions for their use in the choir by Alice Parker (available on Amazon) and here: book contains suggestions and examples of ways to use hymns and other church music — from Gregorian chant, to German and British hymns from the Reformation, to American gospel shouts and spirituals — as a foundation for choir singing that fully involves the singers in creative and often improvisational. Alice Parker does this by going back to the rhythmic and harmonic roots of much of this material. She illustrates the ways in which music and the words can work together rhythmically and melodically to raise hymn singing to new musical and spiritual heights.I have had the pleasure of attending some of Alice Parker's Sing workshops. This booklet only gives a skeleton of that extraordinary experience; nevertheless, it is a offers an excellent jumping off point for those interested in the, usually untapped, possibilities for creativity and vitality in hymn singing. It is a book every choir director should read.The Melodic Voice by Alice Parker by Cameron LaBarr and John Wykoff (available on Amazon)The Melodic Voice presents a series of interviews with preeminent composer, conductor, and teacher Alice Parker that offers a fuller and more intimate view of her life and music than ever before. The conversations Cameron LaBarr and John Wykoff document in these pages perfectly capture the essence of Alice s core philosophies on melody, arranging, singing, music teaching, conducting, and many other topics. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download