Free Organ Accompaniments to One Hundred Well-Known Hymn Tunes

92 pp. "The practice of singing hymns in unison has been a common one for many years, especially in churches where the congregation really knows the spiritual uplift to be gined from such a custom. I recall the thrilling effect produced by scme seven hundred undergraduates singing in unison at Trinity College, Cambridge, England during the services held there on Sunday evenings. It was not only the unisonal singing that moved one, but also the masterful, free organ accompaniments improvised by Charles Villiers Stanford. As his assistant, from 1890 to 1892, I came under the inspiring influence of this outstanding church musician; and ever since that time it has been my practice to encourage unison singing in all hymns, at least in one verse, or, if the humn is long, in two or three verses. Since retiring from active church work, I have had the opportunity of writing down some of these organ accompaniments used in actual practice. This book is the outcome of over fifty years' experience of congregational singing in churches and cathedrals in England, and at St. Thomas' Church, New York City. I hope that its contents will be useful to organists throughout the country in churches of every denomination; at least they will be found useful in demonstrating what can be done in this fashion. There may be some who will challenge the changes of harmony and the free accompanimental treatment that has been used to embellish the melodies. But I am sure that a large number of organists will enjoy the varied treatments provided, and I trust they will be considered in good taste. In selecting the humns for such treatment, I have kept in mind those most frequently used in American churches. The verse numbers suggested correspond to the text of the Episcopal Hymnal; they may, of course, be altered to suit any text. In a number of instances, the pitch of the hymns has been lowered in order to bring the melodic line within the compass of all those in the...." [from preface by T. Tertius Noble]