368 Regent Square

October 16, 2016

I haven't played the organ since the middle of July, and I'm feeling the ill effects. I miss playing and composing music at the organ. While I'd like to share something new, instead I'll look back to the last service I played at Grace Episcopal in Muncie, IN, with an arrangement of a hymn written by Henry T. Smart in 1867: Regent Square. This hymn is often associated with the opening line Angels from the realms of Glory, but in this case the text is Holy Father, great Creator by Al­ex­an­der V. Gris­wold. The hymn is number 368 in the Episcopal Hymnal, 1982.

About Hymn Introductions

A hymn introduction should prepare the congregation to sing, not only by introducing the melody, but also by creating a proper feeling for worship. The organist has quite a lot of freedom in this respect. The melody needs to be clear, but it doesn't need to be played all the way through, and it also doesn't need to be played verbatim. Motives from the melody can be used for imitation, sequences, and so on. As long as the thread of the tune isn't lost, the form can be relatively free.

My introduction to Regent Square

My setting of Regent Square is an example of an introduction which doesn't include the entire melody. Instead, I begin with a sequence derived from the first half of the first phrase (an angular arpeggiated figure) followed by a shortened version of the final phrase in augmented durations. The middle of the tune is omitted. While the whole tune isn't stated, the length of the introduction has the same number of measures as the tune.

Transition and Concluding Stanza

I conclude with a reharmonization of the final stanza, preceded by a brief transition that modulates through a sequence of third relations. The hymn includes a final descant, which the more adventurous sopranos usually sing. When an organist reharmonizes the final stanza of a hymn in an Episcopal service, people normally catch on and refrain from singing things that don't fit, but not always. In this case, in order to avoid potential disaster, I decided to reharmonize the tune in such a way that the written descant would still work; thus, the music is not as interesting as I would have liked it to be, but it is safer to use.

Here is the hymn played through with introduction, three stanzas as written, transition, and final reharmonization.

N.B. I recorded this shortly after writing it in July at Grace Episcopal, Muncie Indiana. I play a few things differently than written. There are also a few notation errors: in bar 4, the F in both parts should be F#, and an F# is also missing in bar 8 in the Tenor.

Holy Father, great Creator,
Source of mercy, love and peace,
Look upon the Mediator,
Clothe us with His righteousness;
Heav’nly Father, heav’nly Father,
Through the Savior hear and bless!

Holy Jesus, Lord of glory,
Whom angelic hosts proclaim,
While we hear Thy wondrous story,
Meet and worship in Thy Name,
Dear Redeemer, dear Redeemer,
In our hearts Thy peace proclaim.

Holy Spirit, Sanctifier,
Come with unction from above,
Raise our hearts to raptures higher,
Fill them with the Savior’s love.
Source of comfort, source of comfort,
Cheer us with the Savior’s love.

God the Lord, through every nation
Let Thy wondrous mercies shine,
In the song of Thy salvation
Every tongue and race combine,
Great Jehovah, great Jehovah,
Form our hearts and make them Thine.

Regards,
Aaron