Mit Freuden Zart, minorized and harmonized

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Robert Vaughn

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Nov 5, 2023, 8:36:57 PM11/5/23
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We have not posted here in quite some time. Perhaps the time of discussion groups has sort of passed. Nevertheless, I am submitting a song here for your perusal, comments, and criticisms. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

The attached tune is an arrangement of MIT FREUDEN ZART, a tune published in the Bohemian Brethren hymnal Kirchengesänge in 1566. The tune is so called, apparently, because it was paired with Georg Vetter’s hymn text beginning “Mit Freuden zart zu dieser Fahrt.”

I was studying the hymn “Sing praise to God who reigns above” by Johann Jakob Schütz and decided that a minor tune arrangement for it would be nice. MIT FREUDEN ZART was not part of my repertoire, so I was not bothered by changing it to suit my needs/desires. I thought it turned out Okay. I rewrote the recurring refrain at the end a couple of times, trying to decide how to best conclude. 

See attachment. Any thoughts will be appreciated. I hope all are well.

Thanks!
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.
Mit Freuden Zart.pdf

Matt Bell

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Nov 5, 2023, 9:16:29 PM11/5/23
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Robert, 

That works perfectly as a minor melody.  Crazy dissonance in the alto part at the fermata—I love it!

Matt Bell


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Will Fitzgerald

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Nov 5, 2023, 9:34:05 PM11/5/23
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Robert, Bess and I just sang this together, and liked it! It’s hard to change the mode of a song we know well!

Best,

Will


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R. C. Webber

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Nov 5, 2023, 10:06:31 PM11/5/23
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I'm glad to see what I suspect could be our first post-pandemic post.  I am home and will look at it tomorrow on my computer at work.  The tune is part of my organ repertoire, and the Anglicans here occasionally use it for congregational singing (the text you mentioned).

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Robert Vaughn

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Nov 5, 2023, 10:44:28 PM11/5/23
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I am both surprised and gladdened to see so many quick responses. Thank you all! 

Matt, I looked at this at this crazy dissonance you mentioned at the fermata. I am fairly certain that is an unintended typo -- the sol B I think I intended to be a La C. BUT, if this is a dissonance that might work and be loved, I'll consider keeping it! May some others will weigh in on it as well.

Thanks!
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

Robert Vaughn

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Nov 5, 2023, 10:54:43 PM11/5/23
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Thanks, Will. (Thank Bess as well.) I have been digging into German Reformation-era hymnody (originally to fulfill a request) and have found many great English translations of these German hymns. Very few of these are used in my personal church musical experience, and I think perhaps they have not tended much into shape note hymnody because so many do not fit the standard meters we tend to use.

I understand about changing the mode of a song one knows well. In this case, for me it was not a problem. However several years ago, I heard someone do a wonderful minor rendition of Mason's Antioch/Joy to the World on a keyboard. I had the great idea of making a minor mode shape not version of Joy to the World. It sounds pretty good -- if you can get through it without defaulting to the tune you know!

Blessings,
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

Robert Vaughn

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Nov 5, 2023, 11:02:22 PM11/5/23
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Randy,

Good to hear from you. Thanks. I will look forward to hearing your thoughts. It may be that this is our first post-pandemic post. I know nothing has been posted here in quite a while. As for myself, over the past several years my compositional outpost has slowed to almost nothing, so I really had nothing to post. 

Sincerely,
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

R. C. Webber

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Nov 6, 2023, 7:51:30 AM11/6/23
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I reviewed the score at work (where I can see it on the computer screen).  I think the tune will work well in Dorian (raising the D flat to D natural), which you could accomplish either by adding natural signs where needed or by instructing the class to raise that tone.  Regarding the dissonance, if you want to change it, you could do so by moving the B either up or down a whole tone (major 2nd) where you have it as the lower choosing note on the alto line at the fermata.

Chorale preludes are more or less standard components of the organ repertoire, and I have arranged at least a couple (Herzliebster Jesu with a text by Nathaniel Miles, Nun komm der Heiden Heiland) for the fasola community.  I also minoried David Ivey's tune from the Denson book with his permission.

Randy

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