Tune Add: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree from 1805

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: Artful Codger
Date: 10 Jan 13 - 10:15 PM

To leeneia: Thanks for the feedback. I'll see what I can do.

The repeat pattern you've indicated surprises me: I've always heard it with the first, third and fourth couplets repeated separately. As for the second stanza being a chorus, it's often sung with verses paired (one is then either dropped or repeated to complete some pairing). That's why I was curious whether the second stanza was explicitly labelled a chorus. Otherwise, the verse stanzas are greatly eclipsed by the chorus (sung twelve times in total, while each verse is sung only once.) The shape-note songs I'm familiar with seldom do this, but then, Ingalls was writing for a different form of congregational singing, where not everyone (except the lead singers) would necessarily have been working with the music. Thus, the pattern could well have been that a trio would sing the song throughout, with the congregation joining in on the repeats of the "choruses" (whether a fixed chorus or a repetition of every other verse). Someone who has researched the performance norms of pre-shape-note congregational composers like Ingalls, Billings and Read may be able to weigh in here.

The middle line is unquestionably the lead, and I'm sure you're correct that it's written an octave higher than it's intended to be sung, so that your pitching in the MIDIs is right. I was mainly unsure whether it had been written with a treble clef or an alto (C) clef. It's one of those details that isn't preserved in MIDI files.

As for the original pitching, we can only guess (without the Malvina score); Ingalls, writing for voices, wouldn't necessarily have kept the same key, particularly if he was working from memory.

When you say LOUD and SOFT, do you mean f and p, or the actual words (presumably written above each staff)?

If scanning with a scanner/printer isn't feasible, a fallback some people have used is just to photograph the score with a digital camera held far enough from the page that depth of field is sufficiently flattened--this has worked serviceably even with tightly bound volumes. I don't expect you to do it at this point; it may just come in handy for you in the future.

Doesn't Noteworthy support an "Export..." feature? Often, music programs offer MusicXML as an export type rather than as a save type (the idea being that every save option should be very nearly lossless, whereas MusicXML as of yet only supports a notational subset).

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Jan 13 - 11:35 AM

Hello, Artful. I've looked at your questions in the PM. I think I can answer them from home. If not, I can go to Office Depot and get a scan (I hope.) Keep in mind that we are talking about a tightly-bound book with gray print on yellow paper.

Sad to say, my Dear Husband has retired and no longer has access to sophisticated computers, so I can't just give the book to him and say, "See to it, sweetie."

Anyhow, my music program is Noteworthy Composer. It doesn't offer XML as a Save option.
=============
This shows where the repeat marks are.

The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree

[REPEAT OPEN SIGN] This beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree. [REPEAT CLOSED SIGN]

The repeat open sign is in measure 9 before its last eighth note. So the repeat starts on a pick-up.

FLASH! I see that it's not "His beauty," it's "This beauty". Everybody go back and change that.

It's true that the part about 'This beauty doth all things excel..." is not specifically marked as a chorus or refrain. But what else could it be? If you don't repeat those words, you have a lot of notes left over.
===========
Dynamics: This shows where the dynamics are written. I'll write out the repeat.


[LIVELY]The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree

[SOFT]This beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell
This beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell

{LOUD}The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.

[SOFT]This beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell
This beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell

{LOUD}The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.

Clef: The middle line, which I think is the melody, was written in the treble clef. It's awful high, going up to the A above the staff. I assumed it was an octave high, although there is nothing to show that. When I dropped it, it eventually produced many high notes on ledger lines, as you noticed. There are three things to say about that:

1. Ingalls (the editor) borrowed the tune from the stage. That part might have been for some brass instrument or a viola which does that sort of thing all the time. In other words, he copied something popular and failed to ask, "Who's going to be able to sing this?"

2. Tenors in his day might have been able to sing higher, either through habit or not getting their vitamins and staying small in size.

3. The first part may have been intended to be sung normally and the latter part (with notes well into the alto range) to be sung countertenor. The 'Introduction to Music' by Ingalls includes the ranges for Tenor or Treble, Counter, and Bass. (Notice he doesn't mention Alto.)

4. When I prepared the MIDI, I used bass clef at the beginning of the second line and changed to treble clef at measure 14. I wanted the MIDI to play in the right octave while avoiding ledger lines.

For the benefit of those not used to church music, I will explain that for centuries, it was common for the melody to be sung by the tenors. The highest part was sung by boy sopranos who contributed a decorative descant. Ingalls must have assumed everybody knew that.

Also, I have seen totally modern music, newly composed and printed, where the tenor line is written up an octave. I suppose it makes it easier to read.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Jan 13 - 10:27 AM

Hello, Gargoyle. You asked about the book 'Christian Harmony '. I ran across it while browsing the music section of the Kansas City (MO) Public Library.

The reprint of it is Number 22 in a series called 'Earlier American Music'. The series was sponsored by the Music Library Association. I mention that because sometimes a library doesn't bother to give every book in a series its own number. The library takes a shortcut and lumps all the books in the series together.

'Christian Harmony' was written/collected by Jeremiah Ingalls in 1805. The reprint was published by the Da Capo Press of New York in 1981. And Da Capo is or was a subsidiary of Plenum Publishing Corporation, 233 Spring Street, New York NY, 10013.

You might find it in your library or get it on Interlibrary Loan.

The suggested Dewey Decimal number is 783.9'52
Library of Congress: M2116.I5C5
ISBN 0-306-79617-1

Artful Codger: I'll get back to you.

Wysiwig, thanks for your compliment. It's good to hear from you. ment.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: Artful Codger
Date: 10 Jan 13 - 12:20 AM

To Gargoyle: See the old thread for at least two three published sources (two old, one new) and several available recordings (with samples available). Here's an audio clip from a convention: (click). There may be a fuller clip somewhere at BostonSing.org.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: Artful Codger
Date: 10 Jan 13 - 12:05 AM

Actually, the Ingalls setting was previously discussed quite a bit in the old thread, including posted MIDIs of two of the three parts by Masato and leeneia:
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=87750
Sadly, those MIDI links are now broken, though Masato's ABC is still usable.

Tom Malone offered to send a full PDF, but twice never came through. And although leeneia has access to the original book, for some reason she can't send me a scan, and she doesn't ABC. I've been able to reconstitute dots from her MIDIs, but need a few more informational tidbits (repeat markers, dynamics) to make a proper reconstruction. It'd really be nice if someone would just email me a scan of the original score, and let me work it up in ABC so everyone at last will have easy access to the whole thing.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Jan 13 - 09:49 PM

We threaded about this song before but AFAIK this is the first time for the tune. It is unbelievably gorgeous and a challenging sing!

~S~

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 09 Jan 13 - 08:43 PM

Thank you...for the lyrics and tune.

They are most lovely.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Is there a publisher...and how did you run across/connect to this hymn?

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: Artful Codger
Date: 09 Jan 13 - 06:11 PM

leeneia, I've left you a PM, but you'll have to log in to get it.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Jan 13 - 05:47 PM

You're very welcome. I hope you enjoy playing it.

Since I have the book (Christian Harmony)at home, I've been noting other tunes from it. Some are good, some I pass by because they don't seem like anything special.

The book gives me a real sense of the past, because it is an exact facsimile of the original. It has grayish printing on yellowed paper, and some s's look like f's.

"The Lord of hofts commands,
Th' eternal Father fpoke!"

Fortunately, not much has changed in the world of music notation in the last 207 years.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: Artful Codger
Date: 09 Jan 13 - 02:43 PM

Many thanks, leeneia!

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Jan 13 - 12:02 PM

Thanks, Joe.

The dynamics (changes from loud to soft) are from the original. It's in 2/4 time and the key is C.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 13 - 07:37 PM

...and here are the MIDIs:

Tenor: Click to play (joeweb)

Descant: Click to play (joeweb)

Bass: Click to play (joeweb)

Tutti: Click to play (joeweb)

Subject: Tune Add: JC the Appletree from 1805
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Jan 13 - 11:29 AM

A few months ago, Artful Codger asked me to post the music for the song 'Jesus Christ the Appletree,' which was published by choir director Jeremiah Ingalls of Connecticut in the book called 'Christian Harmony.' The date of the book is 1805.

Ingalls' book never sold well, but it is important because he wrote harmonies to the songs. Some of the songs were religious works already in circulation, some he wrote himself, and some were popular tunes of other types.

'The Appletree' was originally the 'Quick March in the Pantomime of Oscar and Malvina.' It's a jolly tune, nothing like the slow version of it I heard on YouTube recently. I can picture a band of folkies having a great time with it.

I'm going to send the MIDI to Joe for posting. Meanwhile, to keep ya'll checking back, here are the lyrics:


Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree

Chorus:
His beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne'er can tell (2x)
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.

For happiness I long have sought
And pleasure dearly I have bought
I missed of all but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the apple tree.

repeat chorus

I'm weary with my former toil
Here I will sit and rest a while
Under the shadow I will be
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.

repeat chorus

With great delight I'll make my stay,
There's none shall fright my soul away.
Among the sons I see,
there's none like Christ the Appletree

repeat chorus

I'll sit and eat this fruit divine
It cheers my heart like spir'tual wine;
And now this fruit is sweet to me,
That grows on Christ the Appletree

repeat chorus

This fruit does make my soul to thrive
It keeps my dying faith alive
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree

repeat chorus.