#423: Shall We Gather at the River
Jan. 1st, 2020 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lutheranhymnsThe answer to the titular question is an unambiguous "yes," delivered in the refrain. Points for directness.
Is the alto part pretty boring?
Based on the number of D's in the first line, I would normally answer "yes." But on a closer look I'm going to give a qualified "maybe." This is not because the alto part is super intriguing (it's not), but because at least in this one, the tenors and basses may actually have it worse. (Or "better," if you find it hard to hear your own harmony part above the sopranos, which, I can sympathize.) The tenors are almost all A's through the first two lines (the verse), and the basses at least get to alternate between A and D.
I guess in parts of the chorus the soprano/alto harmony is pretty tight (as in, not too far apart from each other, which can create dissonance), so the tenors and basses just stay an octave apart from each other there to prevent too many notes. Still, you get the sense they could have made do with just the melody--plenty of other songs are fine with it.
Is the alto part pretty boring?
Based on the number of D's in the first line, I would normally answer "yes." But on a closer look I'm going to give a qualified "maybe." This is not because the alto part is super intriguing (it's not), but because at least in this one, the tenors and basses may actually have it worse. (Or "better," if you find it hard to hear your own harmony part above the sopranos, which, I can sympathize.) The tenors are almost all A's through the first two lines (the verse), and the basses at least get to alternate between A and D.
I guess in parts of the chorus the soprano/alto harmony is pretty tight (as in, not too far apart from each other, which can create dissonance), so the tenors and basses just stay an octave apart from each other there to prevent too many notes. Still, you get the sense they could have made do with just the melody--plenty of other songs are fine with it.
