May 2005
How do we Promote Good Standards of Hymn-singing?	Show Menu

By John Barnard

It is important that hymns illuminate some aspect of the act of worship of which they are a part. Committed, enthusiastic and sensitive singing is hardly possible if the hymns chosen are at odds with the theme and mood of the service. On the other hand, an opening hymn that points forward to a scripture reading, and a closing hymn that allows a response in faith and commitment to some aspect of the service draws the worshippers in and gives shape and a sense of purpose to the whole act of worship.

So the hymns need to be relevant, and therefore they need to be chosen with care. The Royal School of Church Music’s Sunday by Sunday series is invaluable for those of us following lectionaries, but its recommendations need to be used with intelligence. (The same hymn might well fit four consecutive Sundays, but should not for that reason be sung four times in succession!) The ideal must be for minister and musician to meet to discuss the music. Neither the typical nonconformist habit of a list of hymns being presented to the organist/choirmaster on Friday, nor the more Anglican habit of allowing the musician to choose the hymns is ideal. Two heads are better than one for identifying both opportunities and pitfalls.

A music committee? Well, perhaps; but we all know how much slower it can be to consult too widely! Wiser to create opportunities for general discussion on the selection of hymns from time to time, and for these to be taken on board by those making the final selection. Thoughtful communication of the aims and plans of those choosing the hymns is important. In the end though the choice of hymns needs to be something over which everyone feels some power of ownership. Those choosing hymns should not under-estimate the value of listening to people’s views over coffee after the service. (Incidentally, remembering that a particular hymn is someone’s favourite and letting them know that it has been chosen for next Sunday is always appreciated. Unless they are off to visit relatives, that is!)

Is the relevance of a hymn always obvious? Probably not, and there needs to be space for the occasional spoken introduction to a hymn that highlights some quality. Done too often though, this becomes merely tiresome.

Just one last thought on the theme of relevance. I once attended a service at a church where the hymns were all supremely relevant but also dreadfully dull. Occasionally it is wise to let go of relevance, and offer something that people love to sing. Hide the worthy, relevant but somewhat dull hymn in the middle of the service! Start and end, whenever possible, with something well known and well loved.

And now we’re off! The carefully selected hymn is ready to be sung. But by how many? Is it to be accompanied? How musical is the congregation? How skilled is the accompanist? What are the acoustics like? So many issues will affect what ought to happen next. If worshippers are few in number and the acoustics poor, it can become a struggle to sing even the most familiar and well-loved hymn. The pace needs to be on the swift side, and the pitch on the low side. On the other hand, a large musical congregation led by a fine choir and singing in a warm acoustic with superb organ accompaniment can survive a more stately speed and a higher pitch. Even so, there are dangers in fixing the pitch of a hymn to suit the choir, however famous. Hymns are fundamentally congregational, with any choir in a supporting role.

The choice of pitch for a tune does not simply involve looking for the highest and lowest notes. Just as important is the general tessitura (i.e. the average pitch of the tune taken as a whole.) The problem with singing Hark the herald angels sing in the traditional G major is not just that the top note is an E, but that there are lots of them, and plenty of Ds too!

Articulation on the part of the accompanist is important. An organ never needs to breathe and can produce a stodgy mass of sound. Slight breaks between the notes can help to give ‘drive’ to the accompaniment, and this is particularly effective in a resonant acoustic.

The playover needs to be at the same speed as that at which the hymn is to be sung, and so articulated as to encourage the singers to want to sing. A playover in octaves can give a bright, commanding ‘this is going to be an important item in our worship’ sound.

Other instruments as well as piano or organ can be used to accompany hymn-singing; but there can be difficulties when the instruments available do not form a compatible whole. Special sensitivity is therefore needed when making arrangements for orchestral instruments. Many church musicians will find this beyond their abilities, in which case it is an excellent opportunity to draw upon the skills of a local music teacher. Simple arrangements that allow for much doubling of parts will help cover for missing players.

An organ or piano is not de rigeur, and some churches use pre-recorded music hymn accompaniments. Unaccompanied congregational singing is an under-used resource (helped by good acoustics). The pitch for unaccompanied singing needs particularly careful attention and should be set by someone able to consider the range of the tune in question.

Congregational rehearsals can be valuable, although almost no congregation will willingly offer itself for rehearsal. The ideal is probably the occasional unannounced rehearsal that is brief and starts at the time the congregation thought the worship was going to start. It needs to be cheerful (but not jokey) and very short!

Congregations need to value and actively befriend the organist/pianist or other accompanist(s). Organists in particular tend to sit apart and can find it difficult to judge whether they are too loud or too slow from where they play. Friendship can make it easier to offer suggestions or criticisms and for these to be received.

In all this it is important to remember that the organist/pianist may well be operating at or beyond the limit of his/her abilities, and doing a job for which no-one else is able or willing to volunteer. As a rule their work is under-rewarded in a financial sense, and so it is all the more important for rewards to come in other ways. The frequent expression of gratefulness can never be out of place when directed to someone who is serving the worshipping community with faithfulness and love.

This article is reprinted with permission, from the Newsletter of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland. John Barnard is a secondary school language teacher; he has been active in church music throughout his life, and is currently director of music at John Keble Church, Mill Hill, England. He is widely known as a composer and arranger of liturgical music, most particularly of hymn tunes.

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