Odd (and long and rambly) question:
Since we am no longer allowed to chant much of the ordinary (Sanctus and Agnus only) or any of the proper (mode vi Alleluia w/ Lectionary verse only), and are relegated to ye olde fore hymne sandwiche, I have been spending this summer (the first without regular rehearsals, though cut to every-other week, since I took over almost 9 years ago) pondering what we should do. When I took the post, the oldest members of the choir hadn't sung in parts for about 30 years; the newest (who had--at that time-- been there for about 25 years) had never sung in parts before, and so chant was a God-send: glorious music for unison voices. We have learned some good Unison anthems/motets, and have been branching out into two part anthems and a bunch of rounds and canons. It has definitely been a steep up-hill climb.
But I was thinking about the hymns - how to make the hymns more interesting for a choir that is still working on learning how to sing in parts, especially with tenors/baritones/basses who have only sung melody their entire lives. Unison hymn-singing (with an occasional descant) is fine if the hymns are there more or lesse as 'filler' after the propers have been sung, and the choir needs to spend it's time learning the propers and anthems, but if hymns are the 'daily bread' what to do? Then it hit me while reading Appendix 2 in New Oxford Book of Carols (English West Gallery Music/American Primitive Tradition): Tenor-tunes. The Basses can learn the Bass part; the Tenors & Baritones who (for right now) can only do melody can sing the Tune; and the Trebles can divide between the Tune an octave up, and a Treble part (like a descant); and BINGO, we're singing in parts! (If only I could get some 'clarionetts', serpents and 'bass viols' for a Gallery Band)
The problem is: Where to find good Tenor-Tune settings of some of the Standard Hymns? I know they exist, since Treble-tune settings didn't come into vogue in many places until the mid-19th C.; and I vaguely remember seeing an English Catholic tune-book with 'Holy God, we praise Thy Name' (GROSSER GOTT) in Tenor-Tune. Some are readily available like OLD HUNDREDTH, and some actually adapt well this simply by swapping the Tune and Tenor around, but I don't really want to have to invent new harmonizations all the time.
So basically, in a nut-shell (or 'case'): Does anyone know of any such resources off-hand? I am sure many are on IMSLP, but I haven't the vaguest idea how to go about searching for them.
Sorry for the long winded-ness. Thanks.
Since we am no longer allowed to chant much of the ordinary (Sanctus and Agnus only) or any of the proper (mode vi Alleluia w/ Lectionary verse only), and are relegated to ye olde fore hymne sandwiche, I have been spending this summer (the first without regular rehearsals, though cut to every-other week, since I took over almost 9 years ago) pondering what we should do. When I took the post, the oldest members of the choir hadn't sung in parts for about 30 years; the newest (who had--at that time-- been there for about 25 years) had never sung in parts before, and so chant was a God-send: glorious music for unison voices. We have learned some good Unison anthems/motets, and have been branching out into two part anthems and a bunch of rounds and canons. It has definitely been a steep up-hill climb.
But I was thinking about the hymns - how to make the hymns more interesting for a choir that is still working on learning how to sing in parts, especially with tenors/baritones/basses who have only sung melody their entire lives. Unison hymn-singing (with an occasional descant) is fine if the hymns are there more or lesse as 'filler' after the propers have been sung, and the choir needs to spend it's time learning the propers and anthems, but if hymns are the 'daily bread' what to do? Then it hit me while reading Appendix 2 in New Oxford Book of Carols (English West Gallery Music/American Primitive Tradition): Tenor-tunes. The Basses can learn the Bass part; the Tenors & Baritones who (for right now) can only do melody can sing the Tune; and the Trebles can divide between the Tune an octave up, and a Treble part (like a descant); and BINGO, we're singing in parts! (If only I could get some 'clarionetts', serpents and 'bass viols' for a Gallery Band)
The problem is: Where to find good Tenor-Tune settings of some of the Standard Hymns? I know they exist, since Treble-tune settings didn't come into vogue in many places until the mid-19th C.; and I vaguely remember seeing an English Catholic tune-book with 'Holy God, we praise Thy Name' (GROSSER GOTT) in Tenor-Tune. Some are readily available like OLD HUNDREDTH, and some actually adapt well this simply by swapping the Tune and Tenor around, but I don't really want to have to invent new harmonizations all the time.
So basically, in a nut-shell (or 'case'): Does anyone know of any such resources off-hand? I am sure many are on IMSLP, but I haven't the vaguest idea how to go about searching for them.
Sorry for the long winded-ness. Thanks.
