Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Trivial Round, The Common Task...

Every now and then I guess I should take a day to follow up on some previous items, when more information comes to light. Just a housekeeping sort of thing, stuff that I stumble across that doesn't quite rise to the level of a whole new entry. Maybe not even very interesting to anyone else but me, but here it is.

Back on January 30 I wrote about Charlotte Barnard, the first entry in the More Voices Found series. I wondered whether any more tunes by her were out there, and now I seem to have found one. The tune PILGRIMAGE is used in one version of the 1916 Episcopal hymnal. I'm assuming that C.A. Barnard is Charlotte, though I suppose there's a chance that it isn't. Since there's no sound file available online, I'm reproducing the tune below.


The alternate tune indicated, INNOCENTS, is the one usually sung with that particular text, Advent tells us Christ is near. I once wrote some additional verses for that hymn, but today's not the day to bring them out.

***UPDATE (6/9/08) - Commenter Leland Bryant Ross has graciously created a sound file so that we can all hear Charlotte Barnard's PILGRIMAGE. Thanks!!***

On April 8 I was talking about William Muhlenberg and the Church of the Holy Communion in New York, where he was rector for many years. The church was deconsecrated in 1976 and became very well known as the Limelight discotheque a few years later. The Limelight has changed ownership over the years and has been closed for different periods, and I had read that the Episcopal Diocese of New York was interested in reacquiring the building, but the last two owners wanted too high a price. I walked by the former church recently during the day and there's no indication that the club is still open, but I suppose I should check it out after dark someday.

On April 20 I mentioned that I had once wanted to call our would-be hymnal Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise. It turns out that the Church Hymnary of Scotland has retitled itself with my title just this year. Guess it was a good idea. It's OK, there are lots of hymnals out there that share the same names.

5 comments:

Dorothy said...

I must have missed your original post on William Muhlenberg back on April 8th but clicked back and read it today. Quite interesting to me, especially since I am a graduate of St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing. There is a large wing of the hospital named "Muhlenberg." Or at least there was at the time I went to school there. As a student nurse, I always assumed Muhlenberg was somebody medical. Now I know.

C.W.S. said...

What a coincidence that you studied nursing at St. Luke's! You never know what you'll run across on the internet.

Leland Bryant Ross said...

I like the tune (PILGRIMAGE), and have provided a simple webhymnal-style MIDI file here (sans Amen).

Leland aka Haruo

C.W.S. said...

WOW! Thank you for digitizing that tune - I'm going to link it from the main page.

I think I like BROCKLESBURY better, but PILGRIMAGE isn't bad.

Leland Bryant Ross said...

Glad you liked it.

Leland aka Haruo