A Catholic Organist's Book of Hymns

By Noel Jones

Revised, 2nd Edition.More than 200 well-loved hymns found in Catholic Hymnbooks that organists often need to play. Directors of music, when asked, "Would you prefer hymns played in three parts very competently by your organist or do you insist in four parts knowing that your organist may have to struggle a bit a times?" were unanimous. Three parts is always preferred over four parts in that situation. This book may be used to replace the accompaniment book that arrived with the hymnals, but instead may be used by the organist in two ways. 1. Accompaniment books almost always include four-part arrangements of the hymn as they would appear in a Protestant hymnal or the Choir Book from the publisher. It's hard to play hymns in four parts, as hard as playing Bach chorales - which is really where four part hymns came from. Since it is rare for a Catholic hymnal for the congregation to have anything but the melody, there is no reason to struggle with playing four part hymns when you can play them in three parts which is much easier and less stressful! 2. Teaching a hymn by a singing session before Mass is an ineffective way to introduce a hymn to the congregation. No other denomination does this. Instead, you may try teaching the hymn by playing it at Mass on weeks before the first time the congregation is to sing it. When the hymn appears on the hymn board and they hear your introduction they wil recognize the melody and sing. Each hymn in this book has an organ solo arrangement of the hymn, a chorale prelude, across the page from the hymn itself. Playing the chorale prelude during the offertory or communion for at least 4 weeks and possibly having a soloist or choir sing it the last Sunday before putting its number up on the hymn board, you have made the people familiar subconsciously with the melody. Some of the chorale preludes can also be accompaniments when the melody is sung by a soloist or choir in place of the organ arrangement. The three part hymn arrangement you are going to play has a strong baseline and middle voice that fills out the harmonies very clearly. Four part hymns are all about subtle harmonic effects, created with four notes playing against each other. Effective and often beautiful, though requiring many finger substitutions and thumbing from key to key to keep all the parts playing. Three part hymn playing is easier. It is always easier to keep track of playing three notes all at one time than four notes. Often organists using these three part hymns are complimented on their hymn playing. That says a lot, doesn't it? Leafing through the book you will find many Catholic hymns that you know and love. This book includes many traditional Catholic hymns as well as others now sung in current Catholic hymnbooks.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1533414912
• ISBN13: 9781533414915
• Release Date: June 2016
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 452 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 1.1" x 8.5"