Hymn Playing 101 and 102
Dr. Faythe Freese, Professor of Organ, The University of Alabama
Lecture Notes posted on www.faythefreese.com Copyright Faythe Freese
A. Hymn Playing 101: Playing four voice hymns.
1. The basic hymn performance: RH, Soprano/Alto; LH, Tenor; Pedals, Bassline
2. Manuals Only.
3. Solo out the melody.
4. Melody in the tenor.
5. Note to beginners: Gradually increase pedal usage.
B. Find the BIG Beat
1. 4/4 Meter, play with half note as the pulse.
a. Music: Repeated Notes-Tie alto and tenor repeated notes on beats 1 and 2 and
on beats 3 and 4; All soprano and bass repeated notes will be repeated.
b. Text: Mark all text punctuation with a vertical line; Mark all major cadences where there
is no punctuation with a horizontal line; Text overrides the repeated note
ties.
2. ¾ Meter, play with a dotted half note as the pulse.
a. Music: Repeated Notes: Tie alto and tenor repeated notes on beats 1, 2, and 3; All
soprano and bass repeated notes will be repeated.
b. Text: Mark all text punctuation with a vertical line; Mark all major cadences where there
is no punctuation with a horizontal line; Text overrides the repeated note
ties.
C. Other Considerations:
1. Hymn Introductions
2. Tempo
3. Registration
D. Hymn Playing 102: Simple Hymn Improvisations aka. Giving “The” Treatment.
1. Solo out melody in same register as written AND
Solo out melody an octave lower and LH and octave higher
2. Alto Descant
3. Passing notes/Suspensions/Non-harmonic notes
4. Points of Imitation
5. Fanfares
Communion Meditations:
1. Planing 3rds, 6ths, 4ths, 5ths
2. Pedal Points
3. Ostinato: keep it very simple, such as quarter and half notes for example
E. Selected Bibliography on Hymn Playing:
Freese, Faythe. Sunday Morning Organist: A Survivor’s Guide for the Pianist. St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 2002.
Heller, David. Manual on Hymn Playing. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 1992.
Johns, Michele. Hymn Improvisation. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1987.
From AGO Resources:
Ferguson, John. A Mini-Course in Creative Hymn Playing.
Woolard, Margot Ann. A Mini-Course in Hymn Playing.
Mitchell-Wallace, Sue. The Art and Craft of Playing Hymns.
