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Unmistakeable
Congregations
should have the confidence to start singing from the first note of each and every
verse of a hymn or worship song, just as they do in almost any other
area of singing.
Experience suggests that this does NOT happen in most places of
worship led by the organ. |
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The conventional way
of starting a hymn - first two lines, pause on the last note and
silence for two beats then start has always been a somewhat hit and
miss method; the pulse and rhythm are usually lost with any pause and this
convention is almost useless with modern hymns and worship songs
that are much more rhythmic or start off the main beat. Because it
works sometimes that's no excuse to use it all the time. |
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Tailored
The musicality of
our hymn playing can be almost primitive when compared with the world of the
anthem and oratorio (in sacred music) and opera, folk and pop
(in secular music). There the music is so much more joined up. Only in hymn playing
is it so fragmented. |
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The complete music for each hymn or worship song should be properly worked
out and joined
up with playovers and bridges leading naturally into each verse. It is good that some recent music is written with
the complete score in mind. |
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The
Professionals
Worse still is that this fault is blindingly obvious watching
the videos of the big hymns on some major occasions. There are several
examples on YouTube of royal weddings, and other state occasions
where these faults remain apparent. |
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CWM RHONDDA slowed down considerably in the 2011 royal wedding and
many hymns fail to start properly even with choir and conductor.
This is LESS a criticism of the professionals; it is MORE a criticism of
the METHOD. |
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The
Scope.
All hymns and songs should be sung like this
so I have published this major VOLUME comprising some 250 hymns
and worship songs (just over 200 tunes) illustrating how it can be achieved.
(These are The Specials.) |
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In addition to the detailed work, the Volume includes a table of
playovers and verse joins (bridges/short interludes) for a further more straightforward 250 hymns and songs. |
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You
are the Orchestra and the Conductor!
It is your job to
lead;
it's a far better
expression than the common "accompany" which gives all the
wrong messages. You might accompany a choir or a soloist but not
your congregation. You have to set the pace and timing.
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Organists
really do need to
look carefully at how they lead their congregations in the singing, and
particularly how they lead into each verse; if you
get this wrong the whole worship environment can and does suffer.
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So before you play your next service,
take a good look at the music you are expecting to play and see if
it really works or not. Examine the
score carefully to see if you could do it better.
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You must not be
the reason congregations feel uncomfortable about singing in
worship. Take a look at the examples on the website. More may be added in PDF for free download.
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