A Hymn of Thanksgiving

 At least in the US...

 

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

As an amateur organist, I have a hobbyists interest in hymnody. It is amazing to me how many hymns have come down to us from longtime past. While many churchgoers probably do not concern themselves with hymn tune names and the metrical verse often dutifully printed in hymn books and their indexes, I have always found these aspects fascinating. Thus I think I will begin occasionally including a hymn post on the blog.

As a bit of background, my ability at the pipe organ is probably terrible; after all I only had one semester of dedicated lessons on pipe organ, which was just enough to make me dangerous at the instrument. Experienced organists ably note my piano background applied to the keyboard wind instrument, whereas I am more than willing to eviscerate my organ-playing friends vice versa when they are forced to the piano. Yet, I am happy to ply my wares for congregations, and generally they are happy to have someone use their instrument, as pipe organs usually amount to quite an investment. for churches 

I have played for the Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians, but never the Catholics. I had always sensed the Catholics never had a great hymn tradition, one which sprouted as a Protestant genre, so I never went in that direction. I am all about educating congregations in note reading and singing in parts, so when churches project only words, it hurts me deeply. The capabilities of the human soul in music is so much more vast than mere words can provide.

While I like the old-fashioned hymns best, I never thought dirge-like tempos were very fun for congregations. I have come across many an old sweet lady taking funereal speeds during Masses and services in rural hamlets. While many folks have enjoyed my sprightly approach to congregational singing, one pastor specifically asked if, in the future, I could play 'More in the Light of The Lord'. After many back and forths trying to eke out a musical description from him as to how to play to his liking, plus figure out what playing 'In the Light of The Lord' meant, he gave me many more religious metaphors, including many repeated 'In the Light of The Lord's. In the end, all he wanted was for me to simply play slower. So, if you would like to play more 'In the Light of the Lord', please slow down!

All of this is a mere prelude to a hymn which bubbles into my mind this time of year in the US. The fourth Thursday in November is US Thanksgiving, a celebration of the first Thanksgiving in the New World from the Year of Our Lord 1621. Images of pilgrims, turkeys, cornucopias, and Native Americans festoon this holiday observation on the home turf. Of course, religious fundamentalism should accompany any talk of Thanksgiving in the US as well, thus a talk of hymns seems apropos.

For me, Thanksgiving was a great chance to program the hymn We Gather Together, although it works perfectly well for Communion and other times of the church year too. The tune itself is actually a folk song from the Netherlands, apparently one which celebrated the Dutch independence from Spain in the 17th Century. In 1877, Edward Kremser harmonized the tune, thus giving this hymn the tune name KREMSER. I love tune names for hymns, as they give a very pictorial history to these songs, in this case its harmonizer.

The tune of KREMSER has some wonderful musical attributes. There is a dotted rhythmic motive of lo-o-ng - short - long (a dotted crotchet followed by a quaver and a final crotchet), a rhythm which gives this music a rocking, lilting feel. This 3/4-time rocking is usually reminiscent of Christmas, one which  creates a musical metaphor for the rocking of the baby Jesus in his crib, so perhaps this aspect in We Gather Together lends a feeling of warmth and familiarity to US Thanksgiving for me.

In the four phrases of the melody, the first phrase winds around in an undulating fashion. The second and third phrases, on the other hand make an upward move, only to settle back down at their ends in an arch-like manner. The last phrase makes a similar motion, however, it seems to me the melody and rhythms at the end of the third and fourth phrases are wrapped up rather hastily, if not unceremoniously. It almost sounds as if the dotted rhythms get in the way of these ending parts, as the additional straight quavers replacing the crotchet make the tune sound rushed and perfunctory. Just an observational feeling, especially when I deploy a dance-like tempo for the congregational singers...

As far as keys are concerned, I greatly prefer to play and sing Kremser in D Major, which seems to sit just right musically. I have come across one in B-flat Major, which is OK, I guess, if not sitting a little low vocally, but I don't truck with it when I see We Gather Together in C Major. Call it personal license.

Theodore Baker translated Kremser's realization into English around the turn of the 20th Century, although freely adapted into English is probably more likely. He uses an old-fashioned English setting that I find rather fun; sure you get old-timey words like 'Thy' and 'Thou', reminding me of the King James Bible, but I especially enjoy verbs such as 'wilt' and 'wast' which newer hymnals unfortunately eschew to meet the current world.

The metrical index of We Gather Together is sometimes marked irregular, although I usually see it as 12.11.12.11(12). The metrical index simply labels the hymn based on the number of syllables from the words per line or phrase. This way, if you like the topic of another hymn with the same metrical verse, you could substitute the words to a tune you like better. It is a rather ingenious tradition, methinks.

Aside from the typical rhyming ends of every-other line/phrase/sentence, such as 'blessing' and 'distressing' in the first and third lines offset by 'known' and 'own' in the second and fourth lines, I am more entranced by Bakers choice of inner rhymes. What fun it is to sing 'Chastens and Hastens', 'Ordaining, Maintaining', and 'Wicked Oppressing' with 'Distressing'. It makes for a singular experience for congregations, fitting the melody rather uniquely and memorably.

For Thanksgiving, I often see the last verse omitted. The third verse continues what the second verse hints at with 'The Fight We Were Winning', preparing a rather militant theme in the last verse. Ideas such as 'Leader in Battle', 'Thou Still Our Defender', and 'Escape Tribulation' are ably brought to fruition in the very last line 'Lord, Make Us Free!'. Some church leaders find this third verse simply too warlike for their preferences, especially in a song often used for giving thanks. I, on the other hand, always liked the firm stance the hymn ends upon. Better yet, I also enjoy Paul Sjolund's optional fourth verse, which ends the hymn on a more decidedly Thanksgiving-themed finale.

Where do you stand on this hymn? I am unsure of its station outside of the US, so I would be curious to hear if We Gather Together is purely a regional phenomenon. I included a video below, with a congregation utilizing an orchestra. I am also one who enjoys differing textures per verse when I am playing hymns, either through varied organ registrations, or adding a vocal descant on later verses, or with instruments if they are available. 

Regardless, I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends, and to the rest of the world when that holiday landmark comes around to your part of the world!