Holy, Holy, Holy

Nicea Reharmonization

The hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” is perhaps the most iconic music from the season sometimes called Trinitytide, usually observed in the weeks after Pentecost. This month, Rodgers presents a final verse reharmonization of its hymn tune (Nicea), giving organists a new way to present a favorite and familiar hymn.

This arrangement works well for many different occasions and is a great way to involve other musicians who can play or sing the melody. Created by Stacy Piontek here at Rodgers, this upbeat arrangement may become your new standard whenever called upon to play this hymn. The accompanying recording features an improvised reharmonization for the second verse.

Tips for Using This Music

1. Ensure a Confident Melody

Ensure there is a soloist or congregation that likes to sing out. People will need to be confident singing the since the final verse reharmonization doesn’t play all of the melodic lines.

2. Try Creating Your Own Harmonizations

Try creating your own harmonizations. Some simple ideas including moving to the relative minor key and creating more complex harmonies like sevenths by adding the note a third below the ones written. Pedal lines can move in scale patterns up and down giving both structure and new bass harmonies. All of these are used in the recorded second verse.

3. Find Themes or Motifs

Find themes or motifs to repeat throughout the music to create a cohesive feel, especially when improvising new harmonies. These can be a rhythmic pattern, harmonic progression, or use of a special organ stop at key moments.

Bonus Tip: This recording was made on an American 342 and features the Orchestral Trumpet paired with the American Classic organ. Create more complex orchestrations in the American series organs by assigning the orchestral voices to the Swell division, then using the melody coupler to solo them over the Great division.