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A message from Dr. Henry Chen, Music Director of Saint James Church
The Rector of a parish is ultimately responsible for the liturgy of the church but at Father Barton's request I am responsible for choosing the hymns we will use for the 10:15 a.m. service. I am also availble to help the lay liturgists who choose the hymns for the 9:00 a.m. service. I am putting down a few thoughts about how one goes about choosing hymns in the hope that they will be helpful for anyone involved in the process of making liturgies both sound and exciting. Start by reading for general sense, and then consider some examples...
A. Some "purely liturgical" considerations (more or less in order of specificity)
1. Hymns should not be inappropriate for the season of the church year.
E.g.,
a. for Lent (a penitential season) no Glorias and Alleluias in both hymns and psalms and no "cheery" hymns.
b. for Advent (a penitential season, but "less so" than Lent), no Glorias in the liturgy. All is somewhat more subdued than for "normal" times.
Clarification:
c. Mid-lent (4th Sunday in Lent) is traditionally less penitential than the rest of Lent, as is "Mary Sunday" (the 4th Sunday of Advent) than the rest.
d. even in penitential times the Entrance hymn can be more "upbeat."
2. For a "special" day or occasion one or more of the hymns should be dedicated to this.
E.g.,
Celebration of All Saints, the Sunday after November 1.
"Christ the King" - Sunday before the start of Advent.
The Epiphany - Jan 6th, sometimes falls on a Sunday.
"The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ" - 1st Sunday of Epiphany, always Jan. 6
The Transfiguration of Christ - The Last Sunday after the Epiphany (the Sunday before Ash Wednesday)
Palm/Passion Sunday - the Sunday before Easter
"Good Shepherd" - the 4th Sunday of the Easter season (3 weeks after Easter)
Rogation - the 6th Sunday of the Easter season (5 after Easter)
Celebration of the Ascension - 7th Sunday of the Easter season (6 after Easter)
The Pentecost - 7 weeks after Easter
3. One or more of the hymns should be linked to one of more of the scripture readings appointed for that day, Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel.
Clarification:
a. not all hymns need to be directly linked to any one reading, say, the Gospel, though a person may on special occasion desire it.
b. the Entrance hymn can be a general hymn of praise, especially for non-penitential times.
c. the Sequence hymn (after the Epistle) is a good one to link to the readings.
B. Some "purely musical" considerations
1. For a processional (both entrance and exiting) the tune should be in relatively regular meter, generally 4 beats to a measure.
2. Tunes in 3/4 (3 beats in a measure) often tend to sound like a waltz or dance and are generally not good for processionals.
E.g., 336, 343, 366, 379, 588.
Exception: 128, though very "waltzy", can give the sense of camels in a procession.
Clarification: some in 3/4 are strong and regal enough to serve as processionals
E.g., 137, 370, 371, 388, 390, 537, 558 are all strong and could be used if needed.
493, O For a thousand tongues, perhaps, if it is played fast and strong enough.
3. Chants, e.g., 56 (O come, Emmanuel), 82 (Of the father's love), 324 (Let all mortal flesh) can work for a slow procession in a penitential season (Advent or Lent).
4. Devotional tunes, intended for meditation, work poorly in non-penitential processionals even if done faster and strongly. (See 5., immediately below, however.)
E.g. 172, 316, 337, 343, 488
5. Strong hymns done slower and more reserved can work well in a devotional setting.
6. Tunes in irregular meters (not including chants) or mixed meters can sometimes work well for processionals.
E.g. 429 (a mix of 4/4 and 6/4) works well
374 (quite irregular) is not so good for processional.
C. Some "miscellaneous" considerations
1. We are Episcopalians and there is a rich tradition of hymnody within the Anglican tradition.
a. Though many of us sometimes yearn for the hymns we learned as youth in another tradition (say, at the Drexel Hill Baptist Church), we need to leave ourselves ever open to the Anglican tradition.
b. Hymns or tunes we think are Episcopalian are oft times from a Reformed/ Protestant tradition:
E.g., the Doxology sung in many Episcopal churches.
2. Learning hymns new to the most recent Episcopal hymnal is one way of leaving ourselves open to God's message to us.
3. One "new" or not widely-familiar hymn per service is reasonable; more is probably unpleasant for almost all.
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