Click on the names to look in the books!
The Liturgical Year Book 1 has 125+ hymns with playable versions of each hymn and also a chorale prelude for each one.
The Liturgical Year Book 2 has 100 hymns, like Book1, has playable versions of each hymn and also a chorale prelude for each one.
These three books work together to make playing hymns enjoyable instead of a bore or a struggle each week. These three books solve quite a few problems. The first one teaches, the other two have playable versions of more than 200 popular hymns - meaning three parts that are easier to play and also chorale preludes that make great postludes and music during Mass. A great way to introduce a new hymn to the church.
All three books include suggested organ registrations.
One reason Catholics don’t want to sing is that many organists were never trained how to play hymns. The first book has all the training, the other two books get them playing with confidence with ideas and approaches that make it easier for them to play right out of the hymnal when they need to.
Buying the books is easy. They are $24.95 each.
Buy all three for a limited time at a discount for $50, shipping anywhere in the world included. (save $24.85 plus shipping)
Buy just A Catholic Organist’s Guide to Playing Hymns here for $24.95 plus shipping.
Or get online access to Liturgical Year Books 1 & 2 just pay $20 organist or $35 church rate Info about The Liturgical Year Books 1& 2 here.
Most organists learn to play hymns by opening the hymnbook and playing. Without any lessons. It’s very rare for an organ student to have, as part of their weekly assignment, preparation of a hymn to be played at the next lesson.
It is also rare for a church organist to have the luxury of having time, money to pay for, and access to, a fine organ teacher.
The techniques used to play hymns are the same as those used in playing Bach’s organ works. However, there are additional challenges, which become difficult as organists are not playing from organ music, but from hymnbooks that are published for singing, not for playing the organ.
Simple techniques used in this book make it possible for an organist to interpret how to play effectively from a hymnbook.
But the music in hymnbooks is not written to be played. The music is, instead, written to be sung. Why aren't hymnbooks more organist-friendly?
Johann Sebastian Bach composed 354 arrangements of hymn tunes, in four parts, for singing. These 354 hymns are still studied today by theory students. They are excellent examples of four part composition. With four parts being sung against each other, subtle harmonies are possible. Hymns in today’s hymnals are still presented in the 4-part style some say was perfected by Bach.
Most organ teaching methods approach hymn playing by putting the student to work playing 4-part hymns, with little or no introduction or training. “Four parts” means that four independent melodies are played against each other at the same time.
Hymn playing in four parts is on the same level of difficulty as playing Bach Preludes in four parts. Bach did not harmonize the 354 hymns by many composers in four parts as teaching materials for organists. They were written for singers to sing. They were not intended for basic study by an organist wanting to master the art of hymn playing at the organ.
Four part hymn playing is tricky, if not downright difficult. While pianos have a sustain pedal, there is none on the organ. Organists have to hold down all four notes (chord) being played, and develop skills to move smoothly to the next four notes to be played. Some notes are held, requiring pivoting or substituting another finger to free up a finger to reach a new note. It’s like watching a many-legged spider maneuvering around the keyboard.
We are confident that you will find this book useful. There is much to be said in favor of playing hymns in three parts. We’ve surveyed music directors, and an overwhelming number agree that they would rather hear an organist play three part hymns with confidence, than hear an organist struggle while trying to play in four parts out of the hymnal.
The key to playing hymns successfully is learning how to adapt what is on the hymnal page to the organ.
That’s what this book is all about, hymnals are for singers, not for organists and how to overcome this problem as an organist.
Got Questions?
Call me, Noel Jones at 423 887 7594 or email me at noel@frogmusic.com
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