Bagpipe Hymn a Day

[PassingW]

Hello Richard -

I've sent you a PM regarding two hymnals I have and am happy to send your way.

Best,
Joel

[AFS1970]

This is a great project. I have often wondered why at the various church services I have attended that feature pipes there is very little liturgical music being played. This included my wedding, where all the hymns were with a organ and the Scottish music on the pipes separately.

I remember a few years ago the Roman Catholic bishop in NYC banned music that was not hymns at funerals and there was a huge outcry from the pipe bands for both NYPD & FDNY. The compromise was for the bands to play outside before and after the services, which I felt was a shame.

[OC Richard]

This is a great project. I have often wondered why at the various church services I have attended that feature pipes there is very little liturgical music being played. This included my wedding, where all the hymns were with a organ and the Scottish music on the pipes separately.

Yes that's a pity, when the pipes are a perfect vehicle for Hymn-tunes, if you are careful to pick tunes that fit on the pipes!

Most Hymn-tunes don't fit. Some are really impossible to render in any satisfactory way. Other only require minor tweaking to fit on the pipes.

So far (I'm at Day 34 now) I've been able to exclusively present Hymn-tunes that, as they stand, fit perfectly. Those are the gems! To not have to fudge the tune at all.

I remember a few years ago the Roman Catholic bishop in NYC banned music that was not hymns at funerals and there was a huge outcry from the pipe bands for both NYPD & FDNY. The compromise was for the bands to play outside before and after the services, which I felt was a shame.

Yes different denominations have their differing rules.

I've piped at LDS services. Prior to the first one I did, the Bishop mentioned that only Hymns found in the LDS Hymnal can be played. No problem, I said, I have an LDS Hymnal so I can check everything.

I've piped at hundreds of Catholic services over the years and the Catholic situation is that the Mass is a self-contained entity with a fixed structure. Part of it is that only Sacred music can be played during the Mass. As long as the pipes are playing Sacred music it doesn't violate anything, however there are a few Priests who don't like bagpipes no matter what music they're playing!

Before the Mass starts and after it's finished anything goes. Or I should say it's at the discretion of the Priest that's celebrating that particular Mass, some don't like having the pipes inside the church regardless, and only allow the pipes to play outside. (Sounds like the NYC Bishop was in that category.)

The other thing a piper runs into is dealing with the "wedding coordinator" or "funeral coordinator". Many of them take it upon themselves to create various rules and speak in the name of Clergy, saying "Father doesn't allow this or that". I've found that if I actually ask the Priest they'll almost always say "whatever the family's wishes are".

So, many has been the time that the coordinator has told me that Clergy doesn't allow bagpipes, but I ended up playing the pipes anyway, with Clergy's approval.

[OC Richard]

Hello Richard -

I've sent you a PM regarding two hymnals I have and am happy to send your way.

Best,
Joel

And I got them, thank you so much!

I'm particularly fascinated with the 1933 Baptist Hymnal, because it has no tunes, giving just the Hymn-texts.

So it's pure old-school! It gives the meter for each Hymn, for example

386. Oh, it is hard to work for God. C.M.

Now what does that mean? C.M. is "common meter" 86.86

I pull out my handy United Methodist Hymnal and go to the Metrical Index and see that there are around 30 Hymn-tunes in that Hymnal in C.M.

So on a given Sunday the choir director has a large variety of tunes from which to choose, if the choir is to sing #386 or any other Hymn in common meter.

It makes me wonder how common such Hymnals were, where there's no suggested tune for each Hymn, which modern Hymnals have.

Thanks again!

[OC Richard]

Just an update, today is Day 80.

I wonder where that stands in bagpipe Hymn-tune collections?

By the time I'm done, around 200 Hymn-tunes, it might be the largest collection of Hymn-tunes arranged for the Highland pipes.

[Ninehostages]

That's a good thing to do. There is too much "Amazing Grace" ... as nice as it is.

[OC Richard]

Exactly! I put up 60 Hymn tunes that fit perfectly on the pipes, and there are plenty more.

After Day 60 I've delved into the much larger world of Hymn-tunes that almost fit, that require a note substitution here or there.

I think one of the reasons Amazing Grace was such a bit hit on the pipes in 1971 was that it does fit perfectly.

Unfortunately the Hymns people usually request (other than Amazing Grace) are the ones that fit on the pipes the least well, tunes with a big range like SLANE (Be Thou My Vision) or ones with accidentals.

[Ninehostages]

I sing a lot of Bach and most of it would not translate to the pipes. The Baroque composers wrote their choral works to imitate string parts. Sawing a fiddle in half all of the time does not work on the pipes.

You need good, old fashioned Presbyterian and Wesleyan stuff that was meant to be sung by congregations.

[grizzbass]

you've piped at LDS services were you talking about sacriment. I only ask because what the bishop said seems confusing to a life long member. Granted individual bishops allow or ban on their own particular whims (like ours who banned kilt wearing after the first time my sons wore theirs to church) but by and large everybody marches in lock step. Maybe the offical position has changed but growing up only voice, organ, piano or string instruments were allowed. Wind, reed and particularly brass were rarely allowed so it is amazing to me they allowed a bag pipe in. I'd have loved that.
He said only LDS approved hymns were allowed which also has been contrary to my experience. You couldn't sing religious music that was based on things like the Mother Mary or hymns which strayed to close to a protestants version of saved by Grace (the change from the old blue hymnal to the new green removed alot of my favorites) or other doctrines outside the LDS church canon but I rarely sang hymns even the mormon ones. I did classical pieces or religious songs from the old school (I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked, Holy City era) I even sang Invictus a few times (by Bruno Huhn) which while I still particularly like it the words seem a little outside of the humble follower's creed. (I still use it in warm-ups and vocal work and it's one of my dog grizzly's favorite pieces. He howls up a storm throughout it.)
Your prodject seems like a great idea

[OC Richard]

For sure it could have been a thing with that particular Bishop. He allowed the pipes as long as I stuck to LDS hymns. I'll take that bargain any day!

I can understand how the thing of Clergy not allowing pipes in their buildings would come about: serious competition pipers have their pipes set up to be as loud as possible. These pipers don't realise that they're doing other pipers harm by giving the public the impression that the pipes are necessarily that way.

I regularly find myself in the position of having to undo the damage those pipers do by explaining to wedding co-ordinators, funeral directors, and clergy that the pipes can be played at a much lower volume. If they want REALLY quiet pipes I can play my smallpipes. I've done that quite a few times over the years.