descant article 英語

8/10/2019 Descant Article

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On the history and use of descants in congregational hymn singing

Scott ShawFebruary, 2011

Originally published in RICM MUSIC S CR 2010 ! Journal of the Rikkyo Institute of

Sacred Music)

"he practice o# singing descants with congregational hy$ns is #airly co$$on in

churches where there are choirs% It adds color and e&cite$ent to the 'ocal line in a way

organs alone cannot% In the case o# a processional or recessional hy$n sung by #ullcongregation, the addition o# a descant gi'es the entire ser'ice a sense o# grandeur

and dra$a%

"his brie# article will describe the origins o# descant singing in (ngland during

the early twentieth century% "he author intends it to be a practical source #or those

interested in using descants with their choirs, rather than a scholarly study on the topic%

"he introduction to the origins o# conte$porary descant usage will be #ollowed by a

loo) at the inclusion o# descants in so$e deno$inational hy$nals% Finally, practical

co$$ents on using and co$posing descants and a set o# ten e&a$ples by author thatwere co$posed #or use at the Ri))yo Uni'ersity ll Saints Chapel will conclude the

article% It is hoped that this $odest study will encourage increasing use o# descants

during ser'ices and cere$onies o# the Christian church in *apan%

"hat the use o# descants is co$$on can be seen by a glance at hy$nals o#

o'erseas $ainline +rotestant deno$inations in (nglish spea)ing areas% "he -.y$nal

1/ 2 o# the +rotestant (piscopal Church o# the United States, #or e&a$ple, contains

se'en hundred twenty hy$ns thirty o# these are paired with descants% 3et, the

predecessor o# that hy$nal, the -.y$nal 1/40 has none% Is it possible that the

practice o# adding descants to hy$ns is a recent one5 Surprisingly, not $uch has been

written concerning the history o# descants% "he -6ew 7ro'e 8ictionary has the entry

-8iscant, but describes a di##erent type o# $usical elaboration co$$on until the

si&teenth century% "he -7ro'e Concise 8ictionary o# Music gi'es us a terse, but

usable, de#inition o# descants9 -%%it !descant: is also used to re#er to a high, #lorid part

added abo'e the $elody o# a hy$n% 1 O# course, not all descants are #lorid% ;ut at

1 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , s%'% -8iscant, by Rudolph Flot


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least we ha'e a wor)ing de#inition = an added part that lies abo'e the $elody o# a

hy$n%

n early publication o# descants in the #or$ pre'alent today is 7eo##rey Shaw>s-"he 8escant .y$n "une ;oo), !1/2?:% 2 Shaw !1 @/ 1/4A: was an (nglish

co$poser o# $usic #or the nglican Church, as well as a church organist% "he pre#ace

o# his collection o# descants was authored by one >.;,> rather than Shaw, but contains

$uch 'aluable in#or$ation about the use and origins o# descants at the ti$e% "he

pre#ace states9

-Recent years ha'e seen in Church $usic a widespread re'i'al o# $ethods and$aterial #ro$ the past = in so$e cases #ro$ a re$ote past%%%.appily, one o# the $ostpopular and si$plest re'i'als, -8escant, is o# a type that can be underta)ensuccess#ully in any church where a #ew capable trebles are a'ailable% A

Further along, the pre#ace describes the di##erence between descants and an

earlier, si$ilar practice called -#au& bourdon% "his type o# descant, it says, was the

natural result o# arranging hy$ns with the $elody in the tenor 'oice% +utting the hy$n

tune in the tenor part auto$atically trans#or$ed the highest 'ocal part !treble or

soprano: into a descant% "his practice had its roots in the $usic o# the Renaissance

period% .owe'er, placing a hy$n $elody in the upper $ost 'oice, and then creating anew $elody abo'e it would appear to ha'e originated in the early twentieth century,

e'en though Shaw states that it is a re'i'al o# earlier practice% One can state with so$e

con#idence that the way in which descants are sung today originates roughly a century

be#ore our own ti$e% n e&a$ple o# Shaw>s style o# descant co$position can be seen

in e&a$ple 1 !see ne&t page:% 6otice that the organ part has been written to support

the descant% "he original $elody o# the hy$n now lies in the alto part, and the har$ony

o# the original tune has been so$ewhat altered%

s well as the $usic o# the descants the$sel'es, the pre#ace o# the publicatione&plained how descants should be used% .ere are so$e o# the $ore i$portant points9

1% descants e&ist to pro'ide relie# in long hy$ns one should be care#ul not to o'eruse

the$

2% a hy$n o# #our or #i'e 'erses $ay ha'e one descant, a hy$n with si& or se'en

$ight ha'e two descants no hy$n should be gi'e $ore than three or #our descants

A% 'erses chosen #or descants should ha'e te&ts suitable #or this type o# elaboration27eo##rey Shaw, The Descant Hymn Tune !ook" !ook I# !Bondon9 6o'ello and

Co$pany, Bi$ited, nd:% AIbid%, +re#ace%

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A


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4% in hy$ns with a re#rain, a descant $ay be used e'ery 'erse on the re#rain, while

the entirety o# the descant could be used #or the last 'erse

?% occasionally, when a strong body o# choir singers and a large congregation ispresent, and the trebles o# the choir are strong, a descant 'erse should be sung a

cappella% "his wor)s particularly well in resonant buildings

% it is generally best to gi'e the descant to all the trebles o# the choir% ;ut when the

choir is 'ery large, part o# the trebles $ay sing the hy$n $elody, while the others

pro'ide the descant

@% ny new #eature in church $usic should be introduced with care, including

descants% Congregations generally welco$e the singing o# the$, but prior e&planation

and rehearsal $ay be needed%

One recent source #or in#or$ation on the history o# descants is a two part article

by Clar) Di$berling entitled -.y$n "une 8escants% 4 Di$berling>s research shows that

the use o# descants !in the $odern sense: did, indeed, #irst appear in (ngland in the

early twentieth century% thelstan Riley>s -Concerning .y$n "unes and SeEuences

!Bondon, 1/1?: contains a chapter entitled !parado&ically: -"he French (cclesiastical

Melodies% In this chapter both two and #our part #au& bourdons are $entioned% Riley

stated that the #our part type were French, and cites a -little )nown boo) as theirsource%? O# $ore interest to us, howe'er, is the #act that all but one o# the two part

descants were li)ely written by (nglish$en, suggesting that the descant in co$$on

practice today originated in (ngland, rather than France% 7eo##rey Shaw went on to

publish a second set o# hy$n descants in 1/A4, by which ti$e the practice o# adding

descants to congregational singing was -#ir$ly established both in (ngland and in

(nglish spea)ing countries o'erseas% @

hat was the catalyst #or the tre$endous boo$ in descant creation in the early

twentieth century5 It is li)ely that the publication o# -"he (nglish .y$nal in 1/0

helped create a need% ccording to its pre#ace, this hy$nal was to be G collection o#

the best hy$ns in the (nglish language%G It was a ground brea)ing publication #or two

reasons% First, it included $usic that the (nglish church had not been in the habit o#

4Di$berling, Clar)% -.y$n "une 8escants +art I9 1/1? 1/A4% Hymn $ Journal of%on&re&ational Son& ?4 !*uly, 200A: 20 2@% ? Ibid%, p% 20 Ibid%

@Ibid%, p% 2A% The 'n&lish Hymnal# Oord9 "he Oord Uni'ersity +ress, 1/AA% +re#ace p% iii %

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singing, including +lainsong hy$ns, 7er$an chorales, (nglish #ol) tunes, along with

the $ore #a$iliar nineteenth century hy$ns one could #ind in -.y$ns ncient and

Modern !1 1:% "he editor o# -"he (nglish .y$nal was co$poser Ralph Haughanillia$s !1 @2 1/? :% "his #act assured that not only was the selection o# $usic broad

and inclusi'e, but that it was o# the highest Euality% -"he (nglish .y$nal did not,

howe'er, include any descants% Di$berling belie'es that the publication o# this

e&cellent $usical resource created the need #or descants% / In any case, it is probably

not coincidental that within a #ew decades o# its release descant collections began to

appear% ;oth the abo'e $entioned Riley and Shaw co$posed descants to be sung

with the contents o# -"he (nglish .y$nal% !as well as with that o# -.y$ns ncient and

Modern : nother i$portant early descant collections #ro$ the period is lan 7ray>s -

;oo) o# 8escants !1?0 descants, 1/2 :% Conte$poraneous with the publication o#

collections o# descants was the appearance o# descants in hy$nals% "he 1/2? edition

o# -Songs o# +raise was the #irst hy$nal to include signi#icant nu$bers o# descants, 10

$any o# which had appeared early in descant collections% "he subseEuent edition

!1/A1: includes descants #ro$ 7ray>s collection, a$ong others% ;y the 1/A0>s, the

practice o# singing descants was #ir$ly established in both churches and schools in

(ngland and o'erseas% "oday $any $a or hy$nals include descants, and one caneasily #ind collections o# descants #or purchase% "he practice is generally accepted and

appreciated in $ainline churches%

hat o# the situation in *apan5 "he publications o# the largest +rotestant

deno$ination, the !United Church o# Christ in *apan:, pro'ides us with

an insight into the apparent #luctuation o# interest in the topic% "hough the 1/?4

!-Sanbi)a or .y$nal: included ?4 hy$ns, no descants were pro'ided% *ust o'er

a decade later, howe'er, a supple$ent to the hy$nal was published entitled

!-Sanbi)a +art II: !1/ @:% "his collection o# 2?/ hy$ns included 14 descants%

!hy$ns 6os% 4, 2/, 41, 42, 1A1, 21 , 241, 242, 24A, 244, 24?, 24 , 24@, 24 :% "he

pre#ace to this supple$ent describes the use o# descants as so$ething new in *apan,

and reco$$ends their use% In a paragraph entitled

!"he use o# descants:, the #ollowing co$$ents are $ade%

/Di$berling, p% 2A 10 Ibid%

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-In our country a new techniEue has appeared that o# using descants% 8escants aredecorati'e $elodies that are placed abo'e the soprano or $elodic line o# a hy$n, andwhich gi'e 'ariety and a #ullness to the sound% "hey $ay also be per#or$ed byinstru$ents%%% descants gi'e a brilliant e##ect, but $ust be used in $oderation% "heyare reco$$ended #or use in cere$onies, special ser'ices, school e'ents, Christ$asand (aster, and other special gatherings%

In 1/@ a #inal addition was $ade to the !-Sanbi)a : with the

inclusion o# X H+qH !-"o$o ni Utau :% "his collection o# ?0 hy$ns contains

a single descant !hy$n 6o% 4?:% "he successor o# the !-Sanbi)a : and its

supple$ents is r s !-Sanbi)a 21 : !1//@:, which co$prises ?@/ hy$ns%

Interestingly !un#ortunately5: not a single hy$n has a descant% It appears that at least

in the case o# the !United Church o# Christ in *apan: that the idea o#

including descants in a deno$inational hy$nal was a brie# e&peri$ent which ended in

the 1/@0>s%

Is there a $ar)et andJor need #or descants in *apan5 In this country s$all

churches without choirs are the nor$% ('en i# the addition o# descants to their

co$$unal singing were possible, it would probably pro'e $ore o# a distraction #ro$ the

basic tas) o# singing hy$ns with s$all nu$bers than it would beauti#y the ser'ice% In

larger city churches with choirs, Christian a##iliated schools and uni'ersities, howe'er,

there is certainly roo$ #or an increased use o# the practice% It is hoped that the ten

descants pro'ided here will not only be o# practical use, but will spar) interest in the

practice adding descants to congregational song%

Practical comments on the use and composition of descants %

% On the use o# descants9

1% 8escants should only be used on hy$ns #a$iliar to the congregation% It is essential

that the congregation>s singing be enhanced, not wea)ened, by the singing o# a

descant%

11t r /

"o)yo9 uvw( 1/@4% r xy( p%10%


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2% 8escants $ust be thoroughly rehearsed and sung con#idently by the trebles

!sopranos, boys: o# the choir% Unsure pitches and wea) singing are worse than

pro'iding no descant%A% "he organist and choir director should consult with each other to be sure the

har$ony played by the organist $atches that i$plied by the descant% Certain types o#

descants reEuire a speci#ic organ acco$pani$ent others wor) with the co$$only

#ound hy$nal har$oni


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e##ecti'e with a cantabile setting%

8escant collection% Readers are welco$e to reproduce the #ollowing descants #or theirown use% ll co$positions are copyrighted by Scott Shaw% "he descants $ay be

downloaded #ro$ the author>s ho$epage9 http9JJscottshaw%orgJ5pageKidL1?0

Co$$ents are welco$e by e$ail at shaw ri))yo%ne% p

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