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Views from the Choir Loft

Five signs you might be a Hymn Geek

Veronica Brandt · July 26, 2014

346 Pope Francis Hymn Book HERE SEEMS TO BE A LACK of a definitive list available to describe the Hymn Geek. I find mentions of Chant Geeks and Liturgical Geeks, but search for Hymn Geek and you get a hundred and one Geek Hymns.

Maybe this is fair enough. Hymns have a subordinate role to play in Sacred Music, and yet, as Sir R R Terry, inaugural Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, observes:

“Of all forms of church music, the one which seems to have wielded an influence out of all proportion to its intrinsic worth is the vernacular hymn.” – Richard R Terry, 1927.

Hymns are influential, popular and full of history and trivial details, making a fertile ground for susceptible personalities to develop their geekish tendencies.

So, on to the list, signs that you might be a Hymn Geek:

1. You know the tune for Fr Faber’s O Purest Of Creatures and it’s not the Lourdes Hymn. (Speaking of the Lourdes Hymn, you are aware that the accent in the word Ave should be on the first syllable.)

2. There are hymns you have read in hymnbooks, but haven’t heard sung in a liturgical setting.

3. You can sort hymns by meter, age and country of origin.

4. You know Hyfrydol is not a cooking oil.

5. You care about verses being omitted.

I’m sure you can find many more manifestations of Hymn Geek-ness and I would love to hear them. The comment box is open.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Naturally the accompaniment of the organ is merely tolerated during the office of the dead, but in fact, in nearly every parish this toleration has become a habit.”

— Henri Potiron, 1958

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