Hardest hymns to play - does anything top Jerusalem?

[circa1949]

(put this here because I intend for it to be a more humorous, 'breezy' conversation)

Well for the past couple weeks I've been in my best cycle of consistently practicing since at least 5 years ago. We'll see if it hold up. But I've given myself a challenge: YOU MUST CONQUER JERUSALEM! As some of you probably know, there's a truly hilarious video of a French organist presumably caught unawares as to how very 'non sight readable' it is for all but a truly 'good organist'. I will never be good...I might just reach average or upper mediocre if I practice a few more years. But it's such an amazing, stirring song...I gotta learn it. It would help if there was a version out there written in 3 staves, but I haven't found that yet.

But it got me wondering are there any other hymns with so many accidentals, 4 note moving chords, and inner voices?

[myorgan]

Part of the issue with that piece is the means in which the notation is written. I can't help but think a 3-stave version would be much simpler to play.

Alternately, the pedal part on the Chorus of Wonderful Grace of Jesus (https://hymnary.org/hymn/HFS1977/359) can be difficult if your feet are out of practice.

Today, I was reminded how difficult some Christmas hymns can be for some musicians. The pianist of the church I attended couldn't play O Come, O Come Emmanuel (https://hymnary.org/text/o_come_o_co...uel_and_ransom). The moving bass line was too much for her to handle. I suspect she was reading from a lead sheet and couldn't process all the chord symbols as quickly as they came–even at the dirge-like tempo they chose.

Michael

[circa1949]

Yeah, I'm wondering if it would be a good investment of time for me to take the existing version of Jerusalem I have from Hymnary and re-notate it in 3 staves. Surely there has to be some software that can do "Musical OCR" - or would that be ONR(!) - but, probably another project I need to leave on the back burner.

[myorgan]

It's OCR, and it's easier done than said. Alternately, you can download MuseScore and write it out there. I'm currently transcribing a concert band score, and it only takes 2-3 hours for a complete score.

I could probably transcribe it in less than an hour, but currently don't have time for it (transcribing all Spring music for school).

Michael

[David in Tucson]

I play Jerusalem out of The New English Hymnal, following it exactly. When I have accompanied "O day of peace that dimly shines" from The Hymnal 1982, I've used The New English Hymnal for the organ part; I really can't stand the thinned-out accompaniment provided in The Hymnal 1982. The harmonies are the same, but the texture is just too thin. I always have to practice this hymn in advance, because of the need to keep everything sounding effortless, including registration changes. Maybe I have played enough 19th century music that it's not difficult to sort this one out.

[Larason2]

I can play Jerusalem adequately on piano, but not the organ! The problem is that the late 19th century style is totally different from most organ pieces we're accustomed to. Once you've played a bunch of those hymns though, it gets easier. Another problem is that the version that's available was written by the composer for piano. It makes sense for that, but not for organ. So you have varying other arrangers trying to adapt it for organ, with varying success. The best though, are organists thoroughly familiar with the period and style, who adapt it based on what they know. Usually they don't publish their arrangements though!

Anyway, the very best organ arrangement I've ever heard is the one by Agnus_Dei on Contrebombarde. He nails the style perfectly, even down to the registration and observing the dynamics in a period appropriate way:

https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/25957

The reason I only play it on piano is that's how I learned the style! I'm trying to learn some organ hymns along these lines such as "Go to the World," or "Tell out my Soul," and they're coming along. I'll have to transcribe the arrangement above by hand one day, I think that's the only way to get it so good.

It's really something to watch the Youtube video of this sung at the BBC proms. Virtually the whole audience sings it perfectly. As a former amateur choir director, it just blows the mind!

[circa1949]

Don't wonder why. It's simple - they teach how to sing in English schools! Whether state or 'public'! (private) I have been a tourist in the UK 3 times but only went to a church for a service once. And it wasn't actually a full service strictly speaking, it was a memorial service-concert with some congregational singing and brief prayers. This was not in London but in a parish town in rural southern England. I was blown away! Sounded like everyone attending WAS the choir! I don't know the details on this but I suspect when songs of praise films somewhere in the UK, anybody who wants to can just show up. Would never work in the US. You'd never get enough singers to produce the sound that they produce on that show. There was one exception I experienced. An American Guild of Organists event at Washington National Cathedral, a few months after 9/11. With a lot of organists and choral arts folks attending, obviously, it was amazing.
General UK population singing a very difficult song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZnBNuqqz5g
US audience singing a simple song 🙄: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Is0EN7kus

[circa1949]

I listened to that, Larason. It sounds great! Maybe a little slow for my taste though. (I mean the HW version)

[David in Tucson]

The Contrebombarde version feels too slow to me, even for a cathedral setting. The Proms performance is maybe just a hair fast for my taste, but given the tradition and the setting, is probably absolutely within the style window. Lots of propulsive energy, and the chorus and audience are right with the orchestra. And Elgar's orchestration has lots of thrilling touches. Much of what I've learned about how to play "Jerusalem" has been from listening to versions with orchestra--things like articulation, where to play legato and where to break the legato.

[Eclecticorganist]

... the pedal part on the Chorus of Wonderful Grace of Jesus (https://hymnary.org/hymn/HFS1977/359) can be difficult if your feet are out of practice.

I've always thought there are some hymns / gospel songs that, because of their style, are best left to pianists --- and Wonderful Grace of Jesus is one of them 😂

[JeffW]

Alternately, the pedal part on the Chorus of Wonderful Grace of Jesus (https://hymnary.org/hymn/HFS1977/359) can be difficult if your feet are out of practice.

As I noted early in a post here in my sight reading adventure, prescanning is critical when "pedaling ... will require playing 3 consecutive "black" keys with your toes" -- the chorus of Wonderful Grace of Jesus is one such piece that mental preparing for 3 consecutive black keys in the pedal is very, very helpful.

[m&m's]

In our hymnal (Celebration-now out of print) Wonderful Grace of Jesus is in the key of C-much easier to play.

[myorgan]

In our hymnal (Celebration-now out of print) Wonderful Grace of Jesus is in the key of C-much easier to play.

That's something! Just slide away, to your heart's content!

I hate to admit it, but I do prefer Db for accuracy on Wonderful Grade of Jesus.

Michael

[David in Tucson]

Another hymn in D-flat is "I want to walk as a child of the light" from The Hymnal 1982. It sits in a good spot for congregational singing, but calls forth just a bit more energy than C major would.

[David in Tucson]

I think a more difficult hymn, in some ways, is "Lift every voice and sing," No. 599 in The Hymnal 1982. It's in A-flat major, very pianistic, but it really needs the organ for full support of a congregation that's trying to sing well (especially with the top note being an F, unless you're a soprano who hits the A-flat at the end of each stanza).

[David in Tucson]

Oh, my. That brought back memories of my student days when I was playing for the Catholic church where I grew up. This was around 1970 or so, the church's organ was a Hammond Concert Model (with AGO pedalboard and the Solo Pedal unit), and the cantor was an alto who always sang under the pitch. If I was playing for the Saturday 5:30 p.m. Mass, then sometimes there would be this dear elderly couple; she was the singer, and he played a mandolin, if I recall. They could never get their counting right, bless them. Still, that experience paid my high school tuition for a couple of years (a Catholic high school) and helped get me through college. I think they never knew quite what to make of this organ performance major who had somehow come from their midst....

[David in Tucson]

"Not as difficult but definitely harder than the average hymn."

I think that's one of the things I've loved about playing for Episcopal churches. Their hymnody and music draw from so very many sources, but with a strong Anglican bent overall. For me, Repton is just such an Anglican treat--a strong unison tune with a grateful accompaniment.

[Eclecticorganist]

Since the original post was about 'Jerusalem,' and since circa1949 and David in Tucson have made mention of the "Jerusalem-lite' and Anglican qualities of 'Repton' ... it might be worth noting that the two tunes having something else in common: Both were composed by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.

[twnelson]

Google 'Matt Milne Jerusalem'. He put a 3-stave arrangement he apparently did with Sibelius on Free-Scores.com.

--- Tom

[Martin Robinson]

Jerusalem is written out on three staves, arranged nicely for organ in Dmaj, in the old Hymns Ancient and Modern (Revised) dating from the 1950s. That's what I play it from.

It's arranged by Thalben-Ball IIRC.

It's worth getting a copy just for that.

[Hkleb]

One hymn that twists my fingers as well as my hearing is William Albright's "Arbor Street" found on page 227 of H1982. If you like accidentals you'll love this one.

[circa1949]

I could only find a piano version, but it is, indeed, very chromatic!

[myorgan]

Are you sure the composer isn't French? They love providing a key signature, then promptly ignoring it for the remainder of the piece. I still remember the first time I saw Fauré's Requiem for Symphony. That was an experience!

Michael