The Faith We Sing As a Source of Music for the Adult Choir

by Dean McIntyre, Director of Music Resources, The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship

The first use of a church's hymnal is always as the source of music, ritual, and prayers in the worshiping congregation. Although the books may sit largely unused in the pew racks six days each week, on Sunday they give life and voice to the people's praise. Through the week, they may be consulted by the pastor and staff in planning worship or for private devotions and prayer.

Choir directors have always used the hymnal as a source for choir music for children, youth, and adults, as well as a source for music to arrange and adapt for vocal soloists, small vocal ensembles, handbells, praise bands, orchestras, brass choirs, and solo instrumentalists. The purpose of this article is to offer suggestions for simple arranging and varying of hymns and songs in The Faith We Sing for use by the adult choir and congregation in worship, either together or separately, and then to offer selections from The Faith We Sing that will serve in a variety of uses by choir and congregation. Keep in mind that the Pew Edition generally contains text and music intended for congregational singing, and that the choir's Singer's Edition contains additional words, music, and harmonization not in the Pew Edition. If you have the Pew Edition for your congregation, be careful not to call for them to sing music and words it does not contain.

You may find it useful to refer to the numerical listing of the contents of The Faith We Sing available on this web site.

Techniques for Arranging or Varying the Singing

Whether a hymn is written in unison, two or three parts, or in full four-part choir harmony, it is sometimes useful to ask the congregation to vary the pattern from everyone singing in the same manner on every stanza. Organists and pianists frequently do this by changing keys, organ registrations, tempo, and style of playing according to the emotion and expression of the text. The introduction of handbells and other instruments also gives variety. The following lists contain ways of varying the singing of stanzas and refrains by people and choir:

1. All in unison.
2. All in parts.
3. Congregation in unison, choir in parts.
4. Choir sings descant.

Hymns and Songs in Unison
(Many of these techniques will also work for other categories included below)

1. Divide stanzas among different singing groups: men and women; over 40 and under 40; January-June birthdays and July-December birthdays; those who attended Sunday School that morning and those who did not; and so on.
2. Divide the congregation spatially: left and right, front and back, balcony and nave.
3. Have the choir sing one or more stanzas alone (children's choir, youth choir, adult choir).
4. Have a soloist or ensemble sing one or more stanzas alone.
5. Have different singing groups on verses and refrains.
6. Read a stanza aloud together without instrumental accompaniment.
7. Read a stanza silently with or without accompaniment.
8. Read a stanza silently, have the accompanist play an appropriate setting or arrangement of the tune that complements a particular stanza. (This is actually a practice that goes back to the very early use of organs in the church.)
9. Have the accompanist play an altered harmonization for singing.
10. Since some hymns are in multiple languages, sing one or more stanzas in a different language.

Hymns and Songs for Unison Congregation and Choir in Harmony

In addition to the techniques mentioned above, other methods of varying the singing include the following:

1. Congregation and choir sing together in unison.
2. Choir in harmony, congregation on melody, with or without accompaniment.
3. Alternate stanzas with unison congregation and choir in parts.
4. Choir sings a different harmonization from another source: hymnal or octavo.

Examples that may be sung in this manner include:

2006	2026a	2043	2068	2101	2137	2181	2210	2224	2242
2008	2029	2049	2071	2104	2138	2182	2213	2226	2245
2016	2033	2052	2079	2112	2141	2193	2215	2229	2246
2021	2034	2055	2092	2120	2158	2197	2216	2247	2251
2024	2035	2061	2098	2128	2176	2203	2222	2238	2264
2025	2042	2065	2099	2129	2180	2207	2223	2241	2270

Hymns and Songs in Four-Part Harmony in Pew and Singer's Editions

Many people recognize this musical arrangement as the traditional hymnal harmonization contained for most hymns in The United Methodist Hymnal. These hymns and songs are in four parts in both the Pew Edition and the Singer's Edition. Methods of varying the singing include the following:

1. Use any of the methods already stated.
2. Sing one or more stanzas in unison.
3. Congregation and choir women sing the melody; choir men sing the bass line. (Because of the way hymns are often harmonized, there is a natural complementary relationship that exists between soprano and bass parts — the soprano providing the melody and the bass providing the fundamental pitch that determines the harmony — with alto and tenor often merely filling in the harmony. The singing of only soprano and bass together can be a satisfying experience in itself.)
4. The choir uses the same technique as 3 (above) for one stanza.
5. Sing a capella — without accompaniment.

Examples of four-part harmonizations include:

2001	2050	2085	2115	2126	2151	2170	2208	2235
2004	2062	2100	2116	2140	2153	2191	2212	2247
2010	2076	2103	2119	2142	2157	2192	2219	2259
2011	2081	2105	2121	2145	2160	2194	2221	2273
2012	2083	2114	2123	2146	2169	2196	2234	2282

Call-and-Response Patterns and Other Part Songs

Some songs and hymns use the familiar call-and-response pattern, in which a solo voice (or choir or small group of voices) sings one part and the people respond, either in unison melody or in parts. Many spirituals use this format (see 2082). There are other songs which, while not in a call-and-response pattern, contain different voice parts that may be sung individually or in combination, sometimes as a round or canon (2208, melody), sometimes as a melody with a descant (2258). Many from this category may be used as choral offerings or with choir and congregation.

Examples include:

2005	2033	2067	2082	2106	2124	2139	2190	2256
2017	2055	2072	2094	2107	2131	2148	2208	2258
2020	2057	2075	2096	2109	2134	2174	2250	2274

Songs and Hymns from Choral and Solo Publications

Many selections in The Faith We Sing have been taken from previously published arrangements of solo songs and choral anthems. Many church music libraries will already contain arrangements of some of these selections. With little or no alteration from what is included in the Singer's Edition, these selections can serve as a ready-made choir anthem.

2003	2032	2069	2086	2117	2155	2189	2240	2265	2272
2022	2039	2070	2087	2127	2162	2202	2252	2266	2275
2023	2040	2074	2097	2130	2164	2205	2254	2267	2276
2030	2041	2078	2108	2132	2171	2206	2260	2268	2279
2031	2058	2080	2111	2152	2173	2218	2261	2269

Copyright © 2001 The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Worship Web Site: http://www.umcworship.org. This article may be reproduced for nonprofit use without further permission provided this notice is included on each copy.

Posted 10-3-01