073a.RideOnRideOn

Please turn to number 073 (First Tune) and join with the clarinets in “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty”.

Number: 73 (First Tune)
First Line: Ride On, Ride On in Majesty
Name: ST. DROSTINE.
Meter: L.M.
Tempo: Broadly, with dignity
Music: John Bacchus Dykes, 1823-76
Text: Henry Hart Milman, 1791-1868 a.

Clarinet arrangement: 073a.RideOnRideOn

A short hymn, only 8 measures long in this version, this is the first of three hymns for the celebration of “Palm Sunday”.

Applying the current “Hymprovisation” method. First time through as written, second time improvisation and variation over the accompaniment, third time back to the melody.

I was feeling a bit like featuring the Bass Clarinet as soloist, so I did.

John Bacchus Dykes

John Bacchus Dykes was born March 10, 1823, at Kingston upon Hull in England. He was a “natural” musician, and became the organist at his father’s church when only ten years old. At age 12, Dykes became assistant organist at St. John’s Church in Hull, where his grandfather was vicar.

The burden of caring for his large parish without help, together with the strain of the controversy with the bishop, took its toll on him and he died at only 53, on January 22, 1876 at Ticehurst, Sussex, England. He was buried at St. Oswald’s. After his death at St. Leonard’s-on-Sea, his great popularity was seen when his admirers raised 10,000 pounds to benefit his family.

In his music, as in his ecclesiastical work, he was less dogmatic than many of his contemporaries about the theological controversies of the day — he often responded to requests for tunes for non-Anglican hymns. In addition to his gift for writing music, he played the organ, piano, violin, and horn. He is thought to be the most representative and successful composer of Victorian hymn tunes. His tunes are standard repertory for all the major hymnals in the United States, after being first introduced 100 years ago in Baker’s “Hymns Ancient Modern.”

Red Service Book and Hymnal
Red Service Book and Hymnal