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Philip

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Is anyone able to identify the composer and source of the descant sung in this video, please?

 

I know descants are very much a take or leave thing but I rather like this one and would be interested to find a copy. I'm sure given the experience of the members of this board someone will know it.

 

Many thanks in advance.

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Is anyone able to identify the composer and source of the descant sung in this video, please?

 

I know descants are very much a take or leave thing but I rather like this one and would be interested to find a copy. I'm sure given the experience of the members of this board someone will know it.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

I can't remember the writer of it, but without the harmonies being changed (wonderful!) you should be able to use the recording for a little dictation on a rainy afternoon!

N

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I can't remember the writer of it, but without the harmonies being changed (wonderful!) you should be able to use the recording for a little dictation on a rainy afternoon!

N

 

Descant : Dr Albert Tysoe, former Organist of Leeds Parish Church

 

( I recognised it as being the descant on GUILD GMCD 7102, Cornonation Anthems and Hymns, from St Paul's Cathedral. The booklet notes have the info.)

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Though, of course, Goss has already done that for each verse!

 

It is a great shame that the original fourth verse - Frail as summer's flower we flourish - is hardly, if ever, heard these days. I have a feeling that it is, or was, in the Church Hymnary, the one used by the established Church of Scotland. Goss wrote yet another accompaniment for that verse, though I don't recall it being used in the Church Hymnary.

 

The hymn always seems just a bit too short when only four verses are sung.

 

David Harrison

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Well remembered, David. It is indeed no.18 in the Church Hymnary, where it has the same harmony as verse 2.

http://www.archive.org/details/churchhymnary00staiuoft

 

I'm positive that somewhere or other I have seen the original harmony you mention. This is now going to bug me...

I'm now wondering whether I have imagined this. The commentary on the above hymnary, The Music of the Church Hymnary, gives the source of the tune as:

The Supplemental Hymn and Tune Book, compiled by the Rev. R. Brown-Borthwick. Third edition with new appendix, [1869]. / Composed for this hymn. The tune is given in the above book both as here with the varied arrangement of the several verses, and also in four-part vocal harmony, the latter setting being in key E.

No mention of a different harmony four verse 4.

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Descant : Dr Albert Tysoe, former Organist of Leeds Parish Church

 

( I recognised it as being the descant on GUILD GMCD 7102, Cornonation Anthems and Hymns, from St Paul's Cathedral. The booklet notes have the info.)

 

Yes, it's a great descant and that recording from St Paul's is outstanding. If you happen to get hold of a copy, would you mind sharing it with me? I've been wanting a copy for ages. I always think another wonderful moment on that St Paul's recording is when it gets to the last verse of the National Anthem and Christopher Dearnley uses the old Cymbale on the Dome Diapason Chorus - you can hear it sparkling away on top of everything else - magical. The Dome mixture work has been revised since then so the Cymbale has gone.

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Many thanks - I had seen Tysoe's name crop up and did wonder but I was sure someone on here would know. Does anyone know if its published anywhere?

 

Are there any other 'good' descants which are worthy of note? I quite like Christopher Gower's to 'Lasst uns erfreuen' - it seems to be a favourite down at Southwell Minster where I've heard it a couple of times.

 

I guess writing a really good descant is quite difficult in terms of creating something which is interesting but not too off-putting for the congregation. We've had this discussion about Christmas ones before I know, but perhaps we can consider the rest of the year...

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I'm now wondering whether I have imagined this. The commentary on the above hymnary, The Music of the Church Hymnary, gives the source of the tune as:

The Supplemental Hymn and Tune Book, compiled by the Rev. R. Brown-Borthwick. Third edition with new appendix, [1869]. / Composed for this hymn. The tune is given in the above book both as here with the varied arrangement of the several verses, and also in four-part vocal harmony, the latter setting being in key E.

No mention of a different harmony four verse 4.

 

 

==========================

 

 

We sang this at Mass to-day, and I have to confess that it is one of my favourites. There's something about the tune which encourages a certain creativity.

 

This morning, the last verse was as close to Reger as I dare, and the poor parishioners were wild eyed and frantic, wondering where the hell I was taking them!

 

Fortunately, we got through it without the need for smelling salts.

 

MM

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Many thanks - I had seen Tysoe's name crop up and did wonder but I was sure someone on here would know. Does anyone know if its published anywhere?....

 

Are there any other 'good' descants which are worthy of note? I guess writing a really good descant is quite difficult in terms of creating something which is interesting but not too off-putting for the congregation. We've had this discussion about Christmas ones before I know, but perhaps we can consider the rest of the year...

 

A few forum members did compile some last verses/descants some time ago, though the idea never quite took off as I personally had thought it might...perhaps we're not all brave enough to bare our souls.

 

I tried to access the files just now but the site hosting is about to be taken down permanently (31 Aug 11) and in fact the files wouldn't open or download today, so I guess they are gone already.

 

I searched online for Tysoe's Praise My Soul descant but didn't come up with anything.

 

H

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Many thanks - I had seen Tysoe's name crop up and did wonder but I was sure someone on here would know. Does anyone know if its published anywhere?

 

Are there any other 'good' descants which are worthy of note? I quite like Christopher Gower's to 'Lasst uns erfreuen' - it seems to be a favourite down at Southwell Minster where I've heard it a couple of times.

 

I guess writing a really good descant is quite difficult in terms of creating something which is interesting but not too off-putting for the congregation. We've had this discussion about Christmas ones before I know, but perhaps we can consider the rest of the year...

 

Well... Do you know Treble Uplift by Andrew Fletcher? This was originally published by Oecumuse but they are excellent, all of them - as are the Organ Uplift volumes as well. There is also the Novello Book of Descants with some excellent examples by Christopher Robinson, John Scott (try his St Clement) and others. Also... Richard Marlow (Trinity Cambridge) a volume of two part descants - a speciality of his.

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Well... Do you know Treble Uplift by Andrew Fletcher? This was originally published by Oecumuse but they are excellent, all of them - as are the Organ Uplift volumes as well. There is also the Novello Book of Descants with some excellent examples by Christopher Robinson, John Scott (try his St Clement) and others. Also... Richard Marlow (Trinity Cambridge) a volume of two part descants - a speciality of his.

 

I actually have the Andrew Fletcher volumes but have thus far not investigated the descant section - perhaps I should now.

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Many thanks - I had seen Tysoe's name crop up and did wonder but I was sure someone on here would know. Does anyone know if its published anywhere?

 

Are there any other 'good' descants which are worthy of note? I quite like Christopher Gower's to 'Lasst uns erfreuen' - it seems to be a favourite down at Southwell Minster where I've heard it a couple of times.

 

I guess writing a really good descant is quite difficult in terms of creating something which is interesting but not too off-putting for the congregation. We've had this discussion about Christmas ones before I know, but perhaps we can consider the rest of the year...

 

 

Well... Do you know Treble Uplift by Andrew Fletcher? This was originally published by Oecumuse but they are excellent, all of them - as are the Organ Uplift volumes as well. There is also the Novello Book of Descants with some excellent examples by Christopher Robinson, John Scott (try his St Clement) and others. Also... Richard Marlow (Trinity Cambridge) a volume of two part descants - a speciality of his.

 

There are several very good books of descants - Andrew Fletcher's and those, by Richard Marlow, written for and recorded by Trinity College Cambridge are excellent.

 

I am in the process of moving my office at home and so my music is all over the place. I think I remember a book of Descants called 'Hit the Roof' which contained quite a lot of useable material as well as some dozen or so descants written for Sheffield Cathedral many years ago. I have another volume somewhere, the name escapes me, and I can't locate it at the moment. Philip Duffy, late of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool always wrote very singable music - his double descant to 'Gopsal' - Rejoice the Lord is King - is very fine. In the days when I was running a choir he was always very accommodating about giving/selling/lending copies.

 

I always think that Descants and altered 'last verse harmonies' are a difficult area and that a congregation can get heartily fed up of them - especially when they get too many. I think a Descant together with good 'last verse harmony' lifts an occasion (it doesn't have to be a great occasion!). The word 'occasion' is important - another word derived from it - occasionally!!!

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I'm now wondering whether I have imagined this.

 

No, Vox, you haven't; a pdf of the verse 4 harmonisation is on its way to you.

 

I've never seen it in any hymn book; I found it in an old edition of Musical Times in the composer's fair hand.

 

David Harrison

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No, Vox, you haven't; a pdf of the verse 4 harmonisation is on its way to you.

 

I've never seen it in any hymn book; I found it in an old edition of Musical Times in the composer's fair hand.

 

David Harrison

Of course! That's where I saw it! I remember it now. Gosh, that was a few decades ago.

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Since no-one seems able to locate a publication of the descant linked in the OP, I have spent a little time transcribing it as Nigel suggested. In a day or so I should have a pdf of it ready, and if you are interested then please PM me with your e-mail address and I will happily send it to you. For a start, you can check whether you agree with my transcribing! It will contain the descant line only, because as Nigel says (apart from a couple of minor alterations in the last line) the harmonies beneath are the 'normal' ones, i.e. those we use for verse 2 in Goss's setting.

 

We are due to have the hymn as our opener next week so I'm going to try it out with our Sopranos on Friday night.

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Since no-one seems able to locate a publication of the descant linked in the OP, I have spent a little time transcribing it as Nigel suggested. In a day or so I should have a pdf of it ready, and if you are interested then please PM me with your e-mail address and I will happily send it to you. For a start, you can check whether you agree with my transcribing! It will contain the descant line only, because as Nigel says (apart from a couple of minor alterations in the last line) the harmonies beneath are the 'normal' ones, i.e. those we use for verse 2 in Goss's setting.

 

We are due to have the hymn as our opener next week so I'm going to try it out with our Sopranos on Friday night.

It's still in copyright, of course!

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