Table  of  Contents

Aberystwyth	Joseph Parry	(2  Verses)
America	(International Anthem Tune)	(2  Verses)
Antioch	George Frideric Handel	(1  Verse)
Austria	Franz Joseph Haydn	(1  Verse)
Azmon	Carl Gotthilf Glaser	(2  Verses)
Bourbon	Freeman Lewis	(2  Verses)
Brother James Air	James Lieth MacBeth Bain	(3  Verses)
Bunessan	(Gaelic Folk Melody)	(2  Verses)
Coronation	Oliver Holden	(1  Verse)
Deus Tuorum Militum	(Grenoble Antiphoner)	(2  Verses)
Diademata	George Job Elvey	(1  Verse)
Duke Street	John Hatton (attr.)	(2  Verses)
Easter Hymn	(Lyrica Davidica)	(1  Verse)
Ellacombe	(German Origin)	(1  Verse)
Ellers	Edward John Hopkins	(1  Verse)
Gelobt Sei Gott	Melchior Vulpius	(2  Verses)
Gloria Patri	Henry W. Greatorex	(1  Verse)
Hankey	William G. Fischer	(2  Verses)
Hanover	William Croft (attr.)	(1  Verse)
Hyfrydol	Rowland Hugh Prichard	(2  Verses)
In Babilone	(Dutch Folk Melody)	(2  Verses)
Italian Hymn	Felice de Giardini	(1  Verse)
Kingsfold	(English Folk Melody)	(3  Verses)
King's Weston	(English Hymn Tune)	(2  Verses)
Kremser	(Dutch Folk Melody)	(2  Verses)

Notes

            The hymn tunes assembled here come from Latin, Swiss, German, French, Dutch, English, American, and other varied folk hymn traditions spanning some five centuries  of musical and liturgical tradition.  In many instances, hymn tunes serve as a bridge between sacred and secular practices within world cultures, as evidenced by folk melodies or lilts borrowed by hymnodists and adapted to sacred use –  or the reverse, when hymn tunes become popularized by noted performers or media exposure. Over  time tunes have developed brief proper names for convenient identification, but nationality, era, and denominational preferences account for wide variances. For example, some hymnal publications occasionally coin new names for established tunes that are being paired with new texts.  Oftentimes there will be a purpose for naming a hymn tune:  a composer, location or family name will frequently surface, alongside more abstruse christenings linked to specific sacred texts, sects or denominations, faiths or creeds.  It is not unusual for the composer of a hymn tune to be unknown or anonymous, or for a tune title to be linked generically to a manuscript, hymnal or songbook publication.

            The free harmonizations offered here are intended as alternative organ accompaniments for specific verses to support and enhance congregational hymn  singing.  They appear for the most part in traditional four-voice harmonized textures and are technically accessible.  Hymn melodies are featured prominently in almost all  of the settings.

           There are four generic categories of layout and voicing: 1.)  the hymn melody appears as a solo in the soprano line, accompanied by two voices in the left hand on a secondary manual and a bass line in the pedal;  2.)  the hymn melody is a solo in the tenor register, accompanied by the right hand on a secondary manual, with bass line in the pedal; and 3.) the hymn melody sounds in the soprano register and is harmonized freely in lower voices and played on one manual (with or without pedal). In some instances where there are two or more settings for the same tune, one verse can be used as an introduction and another for a middle or final verse.  Occasionally a slower tempo will be very effective for a concluding verse.

          The settings that feature a solo melody in the soprano or tenor voice can be rendered effectively on an instrument with multiple manuals and pedal by means of terraced dynamics.  In some instances, a tune will benefit from registration on a bold solo reed (or reeds in chorus), with or without divisions coupled in support.  A solo reed can be deployed effectively for a soprano cantus firmus at 16' and 8' pitches; use of  an 8' pitched tenor cantus firmus will often be enhanced by the addition of 4' (and 16') pitch(es) if available.

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Hymn Tune Free Harmonizations
Volume 2