'The seven tunes by Tallis are all transcripts of his original four-part
compositions. Only two of these tunes are in the common books; one of
them "The Ordinal" is always reset, the other "Canon," which is usually
sung to Bp. Ken's evening hymn, is completely altered, the canon being
put in a different position and the harmony changed. This tune is I
believe correctly edited for the first time in the Y. H. and it is now
thus sung at Wells Cathedral.
'Of the eight tunes by Orlando Gibbons, two only (and these altered both
in rhythm and harmony) appear in the common books. All Gibbons' tunes are
given in the Y. H. with his own bass, the inner parts being supplied.
'There is a complete list of the music in the word-book of the Yattendon
Hymnal, which is published by Mr. Blackwell of Broad Street, Oxford, and
may be bought for 1_s._ 6_d._'
THE
PREFACE TO THE NOTES
The origin of this book was my attempt, when precentor of a village
choir, to provide better settings of the hymns than those in use.
When I gave up my office, I printed the first twenty-five hymns for the
convenience of the choir, and also for the sake of the tunes by Jeremy
Clark, which I had been at some pains to restore, and for the
preservation of the tunes composed on our behalf by Professor Wooldridge.
My choice of music had so far been limited to tunes, for which suitable
words were to be found in _Hymns Ancient & Modern_; but by the time that
these first tunes were printed, I determined to continue the book free of
this restriction, and, from whatever source, to provide words for tunes
which I had hitherto been unable to use. I then became aware of a real
cause for the absence of most of these tunes from the common hymnals:
_there were no words of any kind to which they could be sung_. Having
already translated some of the old Latin hymns for their proper melodies,
I was thence led on to the more difficult task of supplying the greater
need of these other tunes; the result being that over forty of these
hundred hymns have english words newly written by myself. Almost all of
these new hymns are in some sense translations, for even where an
original hymn could not be followed in its entirety, as an old Latin hymn
generally may be, there was usually a foundation to begin upon, and I
never failed to find the music conditioning, dictating, or inspiring the
remainder. I did not willingly engage in this, nor until I had searched
word-books of all kinds; a fruitless labour, unless for the hope begotten
thereof that my practice in versifying and my love for music may together
have created something of at least relative value.
The unusual method which I was constrained to follow, that is of writing
words to suit existing music, has its advantages. In some cases, as will
be seen in the notes to the hymns, the musician, out of despair or even
contempt for the doggrel offered to him, has composed a fine tune quite
independent of the words to which it was dedicated[22], and such tunes
have been silent ever since they were composed: while even when a melody
has been actually inspired by a particular hymn, the attention of the
composer to the first stanza has not infrequently set up a hirmos, or at
least a musical scheme of feeling, which, not having been in the mind of
the writer of the words, is not carried out in his other stanzas[23]:
indeed, as every one must have observed, the words of hymns have too
often been written with insufficient attention to the conditions which a
repetition of any music to every stanza must impose. To get rid of such
discrepancies between words and music is advantageous to both, and
although this treatment cannot of course be applied to english
hymns,--which it is not allowable to alter, except in cases of glaring
unfitness or absurdity, such as would if uncorrected cause the neglect of
a good hymn[24],--yet, where the hymn has to be translated from a foreign
language, some reconstruction is generally inevitable, and it can follow
no better aim than that of the mutual enforcement of words and music. And
the words owe a courtesy to the music; for if a balance be struck between
the words and music of hymns, it will be found to be heavily in favour of
the musicians, whose fine work has been unscrupulously altered and
reduced to dullness by english compilers, with the object of conforming
it in rhythm to words that are unworthy of any music whatever. The chief
offenders here are the protestant reformers, whose metrical psalms, which
the melodies were tortured to fit, exhibit greater futility than one
would look for even in men who could thus wantonly spoil fine music[25].
The form and size of the book were determined by the type, chosen because
it was the only one that I could find of any beauty; and I wished that my
book should in this respect give an example, and be worthy both of the
music and its sacred use[26]. Moreover a book from which two or three
singers can read is more convenient in the choir than a multiplicity of
small books; and the music being in full score, its intention cannot be
mistaken: for it must be understood that most of these tunes are set in
the manner proper for voices, but unsuitable for the piano or other keyed
instrument; and the book is intended to encourage unaccompanied singing.
A choir that cannot sing unaccompanied cannot sing at all; and this is
not an uncommon condition in our churches, where choirs with varying
success accompany the organ. A proper manner of sustained singing, and
the true artistic pleasure that should govern it, will never be obtained
until these conditions are reversed.
There is one novelty which I am responsible for introducing, namely the
four-part vocal settings of certain early plain-song melodies. The later
plain-song tunes, such as No. 44, are, I suppose[27], as fit for this
treatment as any other tunes of the same date; but in the case of the
earlier melodies, which were composed before the invention of any
complete system of harmony, it is generally agreed that they should be
sung in unison, in fact the more elaborate of them cannot be sung
otherwise. To give four-part settings of any of these early tunes calls
therefore for an explanation, which I will give as briefly as possible.
When these tunes are sung, they are usually accompanied, and this implies
a harmonic treatment. Now the best harmonic treatment which they can have
is the Palestrinal, because that was the earliest complete system, and
therefore the nearest to their time, and also because we may rely on the
truth of its interpretation of the modes for the reason that Palestrina
had never heard any music that was not modal. A modern musician, if he
attempts to go back beyond Palestrina, must draw on his imagination, and
while his aim must be to produce something artistically and technically
less perfect than Palestrina's system, his work, when it is done, will
carry neither authority nor conviction.
If then we take Palestrina's harmonic interpretation of the modes, it
seems to me that there can be no objection to giving vocal parts to the
simpler hymns. If it is preferred to sing them in unison, the modal
settings will be a guide to the accompanist. But it is my opinion that
such settings as I offer will really please, and they may possibly do
something to bring these tunes, which have a unique, unmatchable beauty,
into favour with choirs that dislike the effort and waste of unison
singing. These settings offer no difficulty of execution all; _that is
necessary is that the under voices should know the melody_: and though
this is not generally thought requisite in a modern hymn, it is asking
nothing extra of a choir that would sing the plain-song tunes; for even
if they are sung in unison, they must first be known by heart (otherwise
their rhythmical freedom, which defies notation, and is indispensable to
their beauty, cannot be approached), and when once a choir has got thus
far, the under parts, being phrased with the melody, will easily follow
it. An explanation of the notation of these settings is given in the note
to Hymn 29. Congregational singing of hymns is much to be desired; but,
though difficult to obtain, it is not permissible to provoke it by
undignified music. Its only sound musical basis is good melody: good
melodies should therefore be offered to the people, such as it has been
the object of this book to bring together; and they should have as much
freedom and variety of rhythm as possible. If some of the good melodies
are, owing to their wide compass or other difficulty, unfit for
congregational singing, this is an advantage; because neither are all
hymn-words equally suitable. Most of the words in this book are suitable
for congregational singing; some are not. A hymn-book which is intended
entirely for congregational use must be faulty in one of two ways; either
it will offer for congregational singing hymns whose sacred and intimate
character is profaned by such a treatment, or it will have to omit some
of the most beautiful hymns in the language: but congregations differ
much, not only with regard to the music in which they are capable of
joining, but also as to the sort of words which best express their
religious emotion.
In the following notes the left-hand side of the page is given to the
words, the right to the music of each hymn: in the latter column will be
found full information as to the text of the music, the source whence it
is derived, &c., together with a careful account of every departure that
has been made from the originals. It is hoped that this will not only be
of general interest, but that it may inspire confidence in the text of
the book, and ensure the reception which its authority demands. For the
text of the music, and all the statements in the notes, I am responsible;
excepting those portions of the notes which are therein assigned to their
proper authorities, and in these I am responsible for the correctness of
the quotations and references, in which I have done my best to secure
accuracy. I owe much to the kindness of Mr. W. Barclay Squire at the
British Museum; I have also to thank Mr. Godfrey Arkwright for the loan
of some rare books, and Dr. Chas. Wood of Cambridge for two settings and
occasional reading of music proofs; in which latter task I gratefully
record the help of Mr. J. S. Liddle and Dr. Percy Buck. To Mr. Miles
Birket Foster I owe the three trios by Jeremy Clark, and to the Revs. W.
H. Frere and G. H. Palmer the text of the plain-song melodies, and the
information concerning them which is given in the following notes: it is
due to the generosity with which they put their learning and judgement at
my disposal that I am able to offer these tunes with the same confidence
as the rest of the book. Professor Wooldridge, having co-operated with me
throughout, has allowed his name to appear on the title page.
[22]No. 28 is a good example of this. See also No. 98.
[23]No. 57 is a good example. The line _Du bist mein, und ich bin dein_,
corresponds in stanza 2 with _Wenn die Welt in Trümmer fallt_, and in
stanza 4 with _Elend, Noth, Kreuz, Schmach und Tod_. Again in No. 77
the opening phrase, _Mon Dieu, mon Dieu_, of the twenty-second psalm
needs music which conditions the other stanzas severely. Again the weak
apologetic latter half of the German hymn _Herzliebster Jesu_, No. 42,
is irreconcilably out of the key with the pathetic grief of the
beginning. Cases in which caesuras and grammatical breaks are
inconsistent are numberless.
[24]See note to Hymn 90. Other english hymns altered for practical
purposes in this book are Nos. 19, 35, 51, last verse of 52, 66, 94,
and 96.
[25]I give illustrations of these words in notes to Hymns 27, 54, 58, 63,
68, 84, and 98.
[26]The cheapness is not the direct cause of the ugliness of our common
hymn-books, nor is their ugliness the cause of their cheapness. If many
copies of a book are sold, they can be sold cheaply; if only a few,
then the initial expense, which is much the same whether the book be
beautiful or ugly, must be shared between those few buyers and the
author. But thus it comes about indirectly for cheapness to be the
cause of meanness and ugliness, because in a larger market there is
greater indifference to artistic excellence of all kinds, and from
habit a preference for what is inferior. In a large edition this book
could be sold as cheaply as another.
[27]I state here once for all that in musical matters I offer my opinion
with becoming humility.