1. Sing the hymns from the hymnbook without
any variation whatsoever.
2. Use copies of various past editions
of the hymnbook to take advantage of different keys and the possibility of
modulating from one key to another.
3. Some hymns have several verses
printed below the music that are rarely sung.
Sing these verses, perhaps intermingled
with the more familiar verses.
4. Men, women, or both sing one or more
verses in unison.
5. The congregation joins the choir on
the final verse or chorus of a hymn. (This is a great way to help the
congregation become more familiar with lesser-known hymns.)
6. Women sing one or more verses. Women can sing most hymns in two parts
(soprano and alto) or in three parts (soprano, alto, and tenor).
7. Men sing one or more verses. Many hymns can be adapted for use by men's
choirs and quartets. One idea is to
arrange the voices in the following manner:
-Baritones (1st basses) sing melody
-1st Tenors sing alto
above the melody
-2nd Tenors sing Tenor
-Basses sing Bass
[Mens’ choir
parts are labeled from highest to lowest voices: 1st Tenor, 2nd
Tenor, 1st Bass (Baritone), and 2nd bass. This is often abbreviated TTBB]. Some high notes may need to be adapted. You may also transpose the hymn to a lower
key, adapting the bass part.
8. Men sing the hymn with the alto part
sung below the melody. When this is
done, the bass part is optional.
9. Sopranos and tenors sing a duet for
one verse.
10. Tenors and basses sing the melody
while the sopranos and altos sing the alto part.
11. One section of the choir sings the
melody while the rest of the choir hums or oohs the other parts.
12. The accompanist quietly plays a
verse on the piano or organ while someone reads the text to the verse.
13. A soloist sings the melody while
the choir hums or oohs the various parts.
14. An instrumental hymn arrangement is
played by the piano or organ while the choir or a soloist sings the melody in
unison.
15. A piano duet or piano-organ duet is
played while the choir or a soloist sings the melody in unison.
16. Men and women alternate singing
phrases, in unison or in parts, in a call and response fashion. For example:
Women:
Abide with me; 'tis eventide. The day is past and gone;
Men: The shadows of the evening fall; The night is coming on.
Women: Within my heart a welcome guest, Within my home abide.
Men: The shadows of the evening fall; The night is coming on.
Women: Within my heart a welcome guest, Within my home abide.
All
together: O Savior, stay this night with me; Behold,
'tis eventide.
Women: O Savior, stay this night with me;
Men: Behold, 'tis eventide.
Women: O Savior, stay this night with me;
Men: Behold, 'tis eventide.
17. Greatly alter the tempo. For example, sing Sweet Hour of Prayer very slowly with lots of expression, perhaps
pausing briefly at the end of phrases or sections of music.
18. Alter the tempo of one verse or
section of a hymn that is normally sung at a fast tempo. Use the text as your guide.
19. Change a section or verse of a hymn
to a minor key. Generally, you can flat
the 3rd and 6th scale degrees of a song to accomplish
this. Sometimes the 7th
degree of the scale will sound better flatted as well. For example, a hymn in the key of G Major, uses
the notes: G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G. The G Minor
scale is: G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F#-G (this is known as Harmonic Minor) or G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G
(this is known as Natural Minor). This
is a wonderful way to highlight a more somber text.
20. Change the time signature of a hymn
or a verse or section. For example, a
hymn in 3-4 time could be changed to 4-4 time by adding an extra beat to each
measure.
21. Sing the words from one hymn to the
music of another. Hymns with similar rhythmic
meters sometimes work well with interchanged texts. (See the meter index at the back of some
hymnals).
Pace Music Services
