Hymns used in the Anglican service are, as a rule, dignified in character. There is no place for verses which are frankly sentimental, those in which a line is repeated over and over as a refrain. Negro spirituals and "gospel" hymns. If this statement seems to reflect a superior attitude, let us hasten to say that no Anglican disparages the spiritual or inspirational values of a type of church music used by large numbers of sincere Christian people. It is not used in the Anglican church for the same reason that a plainsong tune would not be used at a revival meeting - it is out of place.
The choirmaster might expect that any hymn contained in the official hymnals of the church could be used without question or examination. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The committees that compile these books are sometimes caught nodding; sometimes, indeed, a committee will surrender a complete section of a hymnal to a very poor type of hymn which they believe to be suitable for Sunday School or mission services.
Most people are indifferent to the words they sing in church. Even those who are critical of the verse they read throw all literary standards to the winds where hymns are concerned. Yet, as the church in its liturgy so carefully preserves the beautiful and dignified phraseology of the Bible and the early Prayer Book, as the preacher is expected to express his thoughts lucidly, logically and in the language of a scholar, surely it is not too much to ask that our hymns possess some literary merit.
The tests of a good hymn are the tests of any piece of poetry. It is not suggested, of course, that any good poem can be considered suitable for use as a hymn; but, certainly, any hymn should be good poetry. While the responsibility for the hymns that are to be sung is generally assumed by the rector, the choirmaster should take a firm stand in support of good hymns, and be prepared to choose them discriminately if and when he is called upon to do so. For no music, however worthy, can compensate for poor words.
If hymns should be good poetry, hymn tunes should certainly be good music. Tastes in music, as in poetry, vary; but, while neither is subject to strict specifications, there are recognized standards of excellence. Tunes by Cruger, Filitz, Bourgeois, Gibbons, Tallis, Croft, Dykes, Stainer and Vaughn Williams are representative of several schools and periods that have stood the test of time. They might well be consulted by young musicians who feel the need for bases of comparison when estimating the worth of other composers, periods and styles of church music.
Plainsong tunes, well sung and accompanied, have a particular beauty. They can be made effective even by small choirs and, since they are sung in unison, may solve the problem of a choirmaster who cannot muster four parts. Good chanting that teaches the choir to disregard measured time, bar lines and string beats is excellent preparation for plainsong.
A choirmaster who has had no experience with plainsong would be wise not to attempt it without first seeking instruction, written or oral, from one who specializes in that type of music. There are several books on the subject, and most lovers of the art are enthusiasts who would gladly lend assistance to a convert!
Plainsong is not widely used, and it must be admitted that it seldom appeals to ears that are not accustomed to it. In a parish where it has not been used, it should be introduced cautiously and in small doses. An entire service in plainsong might be the ideal of the choirmaster, but it would be resented by a congregation that had never heard plainsong. The same caution should be exercised in introducing any style of music strange to the choir or congregation, lest the choirmaster defeat his own purpose by impatience.
For many hymns, the hymnals offer a choice of more than one tune. In making his decision, the choirmaster should consider musical merit first. If two tunes are of equal worth, preference may be given to one which has long been used in the parish: if neither is good, an alternative tune may be chosen.
The metres (indicating the number of syllables to a line) are generally printed above the tunes; for example, 6.6.6.6. shows that the tune was written for a four line verse and that each line must contain six syllables. In some cases, letters are used: C.M. for Common Metre is substituted for 8.6.8.6., L.M. for Long Metre is 8.8.8.8., S.M. for Short Metre is 6.6.8.6. The letter D (for double) in D.C.M, D.L.M, 7.6.7.6.D., etc. shows that the verse is of eight lines, and that the last half of the verse has the same syllable pattern as the first half.
The metrical marks and the metrical index near the back of the hymnal, while of great assistance when substitute tunes are being sought, are not infallible guides. One could not, for instance, use the same tune for both the following hymns, although both are marked 7.6.7.6.D. -
Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought his Israel
Into joy from sadness; etc.
O Word of God Incarnate,
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky. etc.
The first requires a tune that begins on a string first beat; the second demands an anticipatory beat in order that the strong first beats of the measures may coincide with the stressed syllables. In a few books, the metrical index divides, where necessary, tunes having the same meter; those with a strong fist syllable being listed Trochaic, those with a weak first syllable as Iambic. This classification is by no means generally observed by compilers of hymnals; and when it is not, choirmaster must exercise some caution.
It is important that the character of the tune should be appropriate to the thoughts expressed by the words. No person of good judgement would consider the tune for
Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild; etc.
interchangeable with that for
Praise, O praise our God and King,
Hymns of adoration sing; etc.
although no metrical difficulties would be encountered. Nevertheless, tunes are often selected which are not consistent with the spirit of the words and, as a result, the effectiveness of the hymns is lessened. Vigilance and discrimination are necessary not only in the selection of substitute tunes, but also in considering the tunes which the hymnal "sets" for certain hymns, for the judgement of compiling committees is not invariably unerring. If it seems desirable, the choirmaster need not hesitate to use tunes no contained in the hymnal.
The use of alternative tunes can be carried too far, of course. While, as has been said, compiling committees do err, they do not err consistently; and before discarding a tune of their choice, the choirmaster should weigh carefully his reasons for doing so against the committee's reasons for prescribing the tune. The fact that a tune is new to the choirmaster or to the parish is not sufficient grounds for rejection. All tunes which are now popular were once new, and our hymnals contain many tunes that might become popular if choirmasters would teach them to their choirs and congregations. The habit of using only a few tunes and substituting tunes as Aurelia, Winchester Old, Regent Square, St. George, and Martyrdom, splendid though they are, should not be sung two or three times a month to a variety of hymns which have other good tunes set to them.
Having decided that a tune has musical merit, that the metre is correct, and that it reflects the mood of the hymn, one should make sure that it will not interfere with the easy phrasing of the words.
Phrasing does not receive the attention it deserves. The whole meaning of a verse may be lost or distorted by taking breaths in the wrong places or failing to take them in the right ones. The pernicious habit of making a break at the end of ever line and in the middle of long ones is a certain sign that the choir and people have little interest in what they are singing. It is a sheer waste of time to make a careful choice of hymns that are to be sung in such a manner.
More often than not, certain lines from a hymn, "For all the saints," are sung as if they were punctuated as follows:
For all the saints who, from their labors rest,
Thou in the darkness, drear their one true light.
Yet all are one in, thee for all are thine.
And when the strife is, fierce the warfare long,
Sweet is the calm of, Paradise the blest.
Here are a few familiar examples from other hymns:
Room to deny ourselves a road,
To lead us daily nearer God.
Thy kingdom come on bended knee,
The passing ages pray.
I have no help but, thine nor do I need,
Another arm save, thine to lean upon.
If with honest hearted,
Love for God and man.
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns,
All music but its own.
O come thou Rod of Jesse free,
Thine own from Satan's tyranny.
These examples are not given in an attempt to be funny or to exaggerate. They are quite commonplace, and pages could be filled with similar examples. And they are - or should be - as offensive to the ear that hears them sung as to the eye that reads them in print.
Choirs should be trained to take breaths where punctuation marks occur. As a rule this is not difficult if the singers form the habit of taking a few deep breaths in a stanza instead of shallow gasps every two or three measures.
It is not suggested that a long phrase or sentence be sung in one breath even if it leaves the choir in a state of exhaustion. There are instances where it would be extremely difficult to sing from punctuation mark to punctuation mark without taking a breath. However, even in such cases the sense of the words can be preserved by making breaks only at the beginnings or endings of subordinate clauses or phrases.
The following probably would not be sung in one breath by the choir, certainly not by the congregation:
If on our daily course our mind
Be set on hallow all we find;
but there would be no objection to imagining a comma after "course" and taking a breath there.
Or in the following, which is not easily sung in two breaths by untrained singers:
Bright the vision that delighted
Once the sight of Judah's seer; Sweet the countless tongues united To entrance the prophet's ear.
There could be no serious objection to taking breaths after "vision" and "tongues" - certainly it would be preferable to taking breaths at the end of the lines.
Most phrasing difficulties melt away with a little forethought. The principal think is to pre-determine where breaths are to be taken when punctuation marks are few and far between. These extra breathing places may be marked, but the choir will be more alert if the are expected to remember such details.
The breaking up of phrases that should not be broken up is not the only fault of the one-line-equals-one-breath method of singing hymns: it frequently results in running together phrases or words that should be separated. One often hears the words, "Holy, holy, holy," sung as if they were one word of six syllables: "holyholyholy."
Commas and other punctuation marks should be observed. It is not necessary that breaths be taken or the tempo interrupted, but there should be slight cessations of sound.
Occasionally, if the hymn is rather dramatic, the breaks may be slightly exaggerated, but only when they add to the effectiveness of the words. Here are some examples, written as if in prose that the phrasing may be more readily evident:
The wild winds hushed; the angry deep sank, like a little child, to sleep.
I heard the voice of Jesus say: "Behold, I freely give the living water, thirsty one. Stoop down, and drink, and live."
Give me the wings of faith, to rise within the veil, and see the saints above; how great their joys, how bright their glories be.
No other phrasing is practicable, regardless of where the lines of the verses end.
Congregations reflect the habits of their choirs, and will soon notice and imitate new habits in hymn-singing. The organist can do much to help the situation by observing the phrasing: it is not necessary to keep one's fingers glued to the manual throughout each verse.
The tempo of the hymn often makes the difference between good and poor phrasing. A hymn that has many long phrases may well be sung at a brisk tempo; one that has many commas should be taken at a comparatively leisurely pace to allow for the punctuation. There is nothing irreverent in singing hymns fairly quickly, and much is gained if it results in improved phrasing.
Hymn tunes are written as the composers intended them to be sung, and a tune written in four parts generally suffers when it is sung in unison. In some small churches there is a tendency on the part of the choir men (and the clergy) to "sing the air" on the slightest provocation. Although they would not care to admit it, the reason is sheer laziness - it requires less mental effort to sing the melody "by ear" than to read a part.
In some small churches four parts are not available, and it may be necessary to sing in unison. As far as possible, tunes written to be sung in unison should be used, supplemented by four-part tunes whose interest is not too dependent on the harmony. Even so, the tunes should be practiced in parts at rehearsals. The church owes its choristers some training in return for their services, and that training should certainly include instruction in the singing of parts.
When a four-part tune is sung in unison, either from necessity or for a special effect, the organist should supply a varied accompaniment to make up in interest what is lost in the voice parts.
But too much stress cannot be laid on the fact that the normal manner of singing hymns is in four parts. The choirmaster should insist upon his altos, tenors and basses singing the notes written for them unless, for some special reason, he gives instructions to the contrary. No man who would refuse to wear his wife's hat in public has the right to sing is wife's part in church.
An interesting variation of the hymn tune is the faux bourdon