Page:The English hymnal (1906).djvu/17

 avoided of those false accents which inevitably occur when several verses of a hymn are sung to the same tune.

(e) Expression.—Expression marks have been altogether omitted, as it is considered that subtleties of expression are entirely unsuitable for congregational singing. The organist can use his own judgement as to the general dynamics of each verse, and convey his idea to the congregation by his registering. All sudden ‘pianos’ or small ‘crescendos’ and ‘diminuendos’ should be avoided as destroying the broad and massive effect which congregational singing should convey.

(f) Notation.—Both minims and crotchets have been employed, the former for the slower and more solemn hymns and the latter for those of a brighter nature. The point of division has been fixed at M. 85 for hymns in duple time, and 100 in triple time in the more ordinary hymns, but special rules have been framed to govern special cases.

No particular country, period, or school has been exclusively drawn upon to supply material, but an attempt has been made to include the best specimens of every style. In settling the form which each melody shall take, no rules have been made, but each case has been decided on its merits. The object has been to print the finest version of every tune, not necessarily the earliest. Thus the later forms of ‘Wachet Auf’, ‘Nun Danket’, and ‘London New’, to give a few examples, have been preferred to the originals. But the old method of mutilating tunes to suit new metres has been as far as possible avoided—only in one or two cases have a composer’s rhythms been very slightly adapted, and then for some very special purpose. In cases where such a slight adaptation from a composer’s rhythm is made the general outline is never destroyed, so that the original can at any time be restored without disturbing a congregation. But adaptations already made have been occasionally retained when the result is a fine and popular tune: thus ‘Dix’, ‘Narenza’, and ‘Ravenshaw’ have not been discarded, though the