Suffering Savior (p. 344t)

Nov 30, 2013 by

This was my response to a post by Matt Bell on the fasola-discussions list, but it deserves its own place here… The arrangement of SUFFERING SAVIOR that’s in William Hauser’s Hesperian Harp is one of my favorite songs.  It’s in the Shenandoah Harmony on p. 344t and here’s a rough recording of it: ShH 344t Suffering Savior I just love the two treble 4-sols in the middle of the piece that tie the phrases together. It’s difficult to know how to cite this tune. We referenced William Hauser’s Hesperian Harp (1848), p. 54, as the direct source, but gave Christian Lyre (1831) credit for the basic form of the tune—in this case, just the title and the Hesperian tenor is similar to the Christian Lyre.  Nikos Pappas pointed out to me that the song is related, though not...

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Committee picks, part 1: Rachel...

Jan 13, 2013 by

Committee picks, part 1: Rachel

Now that the book is at the printers, we on the music committee have decided to write a series of posts about the songs we are most excited to be singing!  I got this idea because I always liked seeing “staff picks” at a bookstore. I’ve tried to make a mix of songs that I know we all like and some that are more my individual taste.  So this isn’t the most scientific of lists, but I enjoyed making it! 22b PSALM 30.  This song, probably arranged by Amzi Chapin in the late 1790s, was recommended by our friend Gabriel Kastelle.  Gorgeous and unexpected harmonies… 239 VOICE TO THE SHEPHERDS.  ☜ Click on title to see my post on this song.  It’s rare to find a totally unknown American Christmas carol, and such a beautiful...

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184 Sinai

Jun 29, 2012 by

We first encountered ShH 184 SINAI (1801) in Hauser’s Hesperian Harp (1848). It is the best known composition of the teenaged Woodruff, who drowned at the age of nineteen. Back in the day, the alto, or counter, part was often sung by boys, and we like to think that Merit wrote this fantastic alto part to sing himself. This recording is from the Northern Shenandoah Valley All-Day Shenandoah Singing,...

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