Dust on the Hymnal: Pondering the Decline of Hymn Singing in American Denominations

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 6/1/2014 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[AnAmericanMother]

LOL!

The Church of What's Happenin' Now!

[Heart-Rest]

"The classic Kid Version Misheard in Sunday School. A classmate of mine at St. Philip's actually thought we were singing:"

"Bringing in the cheese
Bringing in the cheese,
We shall come with George and them,
Bringing in the cheese."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

That's a good one!    :-)

Kid's have also been known to deliberately change the lyrics of some songs.    I remember this version of the chorus of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" when I was very young:

"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
Teacher hit me with a ruler
I knocked her on the bean
with a rotten tangerine
Now there ain't no teacher no more!

[mdmathis6]

Baritone or upper bass(2nd bass) to a lower tenor(2nd tenor). Just a “dime a dozen” baritone.

[mdmathis6]

It would feel like I was in heaven if I could be in a choir in a good conservative church that sang pieces like the Palestrina. The acapella choir I was in in college sang pieces like this. As well as by more modern composers like Barber and others.

[AnAmericanMother]

We've sung some John Tavener ("The Lamb"), Faure' (Requiem and the "Cantique de Jean Racine"), Harold Darke ("In the bleak midwinter"), a bunch of Anglican stuff (C.V. Stanford, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, etc.) Our choirmaster also composes (he composed some music for my daughter's wedding. It was pretty cool. Modern but chant-based, mostly.)

We can use anybody who can manage anything near the tenor range - most of our basses are the basso-profundo type and they complain bitterly when they have to sing baritone. I sometimes wind up singing tenor in a pinch, but I don't like to because it contracts my upper range if I do it too much (I'm a true contralto with a range from about D3 to (sometimes) F5.)

[mdmathis6]

My old high school chorus teacher hoped I would become a show singer someday...alas other priorities...think Gordon McCrae (Oh what a beautiful mornin’...oh what a beautiful day) and that is my range though I can handle all the Messiah bass parts(when I’m fortunate enough to be a part of a choir that’s singing it during the Christmas or Easter seasons). When I’m warmed up and singing in a small group I can manage a decent sotto voce and squelch the vibrato when I need to.

Legato, legato... May God keep you connected and smoothly flowing in his Spirit, American Mother!

[AnAmericanMother]

Merci! And you too!

Our choirmaster likes to hit the 'sweet spot' between the absolutely straight "Anglican tone" and too much vibrato.

He says it should be used for emphasis only and not as a matter of course.

You just missed our "Messiah". We sang quite a bit of it at my daughter's wedding too. We also sing the Purcell "Rejoice in the Lord" a/k/a the Bell Anthem, which is fun for bass/baritone. They have some really good bits.

The Bell Anthem as sung by Alfred Deller (one of the first modern countertenors) and the Deller Consort, long, long ago! (I remember this recording from my youth in the 1960s!) - I also remember Gordon MacRae - our usual Sunday musical program was Bach before church and musical comedy afterwards.

[AnAmericanMother]

This just in - we're singing the Bell Anthem this Sunday for the parish's 50th anniversary celebration. Ran the whole thing last night, sounded good.

Of course, we don't have a viol consort which is the way it's supposed to be performed. But so it goes (I don't imagine there are 3 viol players in the entire city).