Please turn to number 54 (Second Tune) and join with the clarinets in “O Thou, Who by a Star”.
Number: 54 (Second Tune)
First Line: O Thou, Who by a Star
Name: ST. LEONARD.
Meter: C.M.D.
Tempo: In moderate time
Music: Henry Hiles, 1826-1904
Text: John Mason Neale, 1818-66
In the previous tune, the arranger pretty much used a quarter note per word. In this version, the arranger uses a note for every syllable, turning what was an 8 measure tune into a 16 measure tune. I would also say the style of Henry Hiles’ composition is much more influenced by what was contemporary music (at the time) than was Thomas Clark.
Clarinet Arrangement: 054b-othouwhobyastar
Due to the delicate nature of Hile’s harmonies, I only tracked each part once. Applied the Audacity “Medium Room” Reverb effect.
There isn’t always a lot of room, or call for, dynamic variation in the tunes of the hymns. This one strikes me as being a tad romantic, so I tried to reflect that in my playing.
It’s funny, how, depending on how they are played, the same intervals can sound “wrong” or “right”. It took a fair bit of effort to get some of the more unusual intervals in this tune to sound “right”, but in the end I’m pretty pleased with how it came out.
