Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson ...grandlodge-nc.org/storage/wysiwyg/Bahnson...
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Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 1 Why do Masons sing Odes? The goal of our ceremonies is to make a lasting impression upon every Mason. For this purpose we may use several means that could otherwise be dispensed with, if the object of making a Mason was solely to recite a number of phrases. Music is eminently calculated as a means to this end. It is also a component of our ritual, an enhancement to the lodge experience. Unfortunately, our Masonic rituals are somewhat deficient in not giving more precise information about where our music comes from or when it is to be employed. The singing of Odes by the Brethren during Masonic ritual is a part of our tradition, not just in North Carolina but throughout Freemasonry. By including several odes along with the names of specific tunes to which they could be sung in the North Carolina Lodge (“Bahnson”) Manual of 1892, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina intended, then and now, that music be performed during our ritual. The six Masonic Odes in the Bahnson Manual appear as lyrics without printed music. They are, however, to be sung to specific well-known hymns or folk tunes. This have been indicated either by the first line of the song usually sung to that tune, such as “Nearer, My God, to Thee”, or by the hymn tunes' own names, such as ‘Old Hundred’ and ‘Arlington’. A seventh item, “Hark from the Tomb” (p. 57) appears with a tune in the Grand Lodge’s 1892 manuscript of the Bahnson Manual, but no tune was included in the printed version, a matter that is undergoing further investigation. The reliance on familiar tunes to which Masonic odes were sung is a matter of convenience, so that a myriad of Masonic lyrics could be sung instantaneously without having to learn new songs. In 1892, and even today, church-going Masons would know most of the tunes mentioned in the Bahnson Manual, and could therefore sing Masonic lyrics to them without having to learn new tunes. This is certainly true for at least one of the Scottish tunes, Auld Lang Syne, though it is difficult for us to know how popular Bonny Doon was among North Carolina Masons in 1892. Right Worshipful Brother Dwight M. “Mack” Sigmon’s research on North Carolina’s Masonic history tells us that “the majority of the Bahnson Manual was obtained and assembled by Bahnson from a book assembled and written by Thomas Smith Webb in 1797 which in turn was taken from writings from William Preston of England years earlier.“ This applies to the Odes as well. They were selected, generally with lyrics and the recommended tunes intact, from several collections of Masonic songs. This document represents a portion of ongoing research into North Carolina’s rich Masonic musical heritage. We invite scholarly participation, and will be happy to answer any questions. The Grand Lodge of North Carolina’s Ad-Hoc Masonic Music Committee September 2016
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Transcript of Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson ...grandlodge-nc.org/storage/wysiwyg/Bahnson...
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 1
WhydoMasonssingOdes?ThegoalofourceremoniesistomakealastingimpressionuponeveryMason.Forthispurposewemayuseseveralmeansthatcouldotherwisebedispensedwith,iftheobjectofmakingaMasonwassolelytoreciteanumberofphrases.Musiciseminentlycalculatedasameanstothisend.Itisalsoacomponentofourritual,anenhancementtothelodgeexperience.Unfortunately,ourMasonicritualsaresomewhatdeficientinnotgivingmorepreciseinformationaboutwhereourmusiccomesfromorwhenitistobeemployed.ThesingingofOdesbytheBrethrenduringMasonicritualisapartofourtradition,notjustinNorthCarolinabutthroughoutFreemasonry.ByincludingseveralodesalongwiththenamesofspecifictunestowhichtheycouldbesungintheNorthCarolinaLodge(“Bahnson”)Manualof1892,theGrandLodgeofNorthCarolinaintended,thenandnow,thatmusicbeperformedduringourritual.ThesixMasonicOdesintheBahnsonManualappearaslyricswithoutprintedmusic.Theyare,however,tobesungtospecificwell-knownhymnsorfolktunes.Thishavebeenindicatedeitherbythefirstlineofthesongusuallysungtothattune,suchas“Nearer,MyGod,toThee”,orbythehymntunes'ownnames,suchas‘OldHundred’and‘Arlington’.Aseventhitem,“HarkfromtheTomb”(p.57)appearswithatuneintheGrandLodge’s1892manuscriptoftheBahnsonManual,butnotunewasincludedintheprintedversion,amatterthatisundergoingfurtherinvestigation.TherelianceonfamiliartunestowhichMasonicodesweresungisamatterofconvenience,sothatamyriadofMasoniclyricscouldbesunginstantaneouslywithouthavingtolearnnewsongs.In1892,andeventoday,church-goingMasonswouldknowmostofthetunesmentionedintheBahnsonManual,andcouldthereforesingMasoniclyricstothemwithouthavingtolearnnewtunes.ThisiscertainlytrueforatleastoneoftheScottishtunes,AuldLangSyne,thoughitisdifficultforustoknowhowpopularBonnyDoonwasamongNorthCarolinaMasonsin1892.RightWorshipfulBrotherDwightM.“Mack”Sigmon’sresearchonNorthCarolina’sMasonichistorytellsusthat“themajorityoftheBahnsonManualwasobtainedandassembledbyBahnsonfromabookassembledandwrittenbyThomasSmithWebbin1797whichinturnwastakenfromwritingsfromWilliamPrestonofEnglandyearsearlier.“ThisappliestotheOdesaswell.Theywereselected,generallywithlyricsandtherecommendedtunesintact,fromseveralcollectionsofMasonicsongs.ThisdocumentrepresentsaportionofongoingresearchintoNorthCarolina’srichMasonicmusicalheritage.Weinvitescholarlyparticipation,andwillbehappytoansweranyquestions.TheGrandLodgeofNorthCarolina’sAd-HocMasonicMusicCommitteeSeptember2016
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 2
OPENING(p.7):“GreatGod,BeholdBeforeThyThrone”[Tune-OldHundred.LM]Lyrics:ThefirstOdeintheBahnsonManual,“GreatGod,beholdbeforethythrone,abandofbrotherslowlybend”,isaMasonicadaptationoftheChristianhymn“GreatGod,BeholdBeforeThyThrone,aBandofChildrenLowlyBend”,firstpublished[Fig.1]asHymn#83inAmericanSundaySchoolPsalmody;Or,HymnsAndMusic,ForTheUseOfSunday-SchoolsAndTeacher'sMeetings;WithAManualOfInstruction(Philadelphia,1832).TheMasonicadaptationoftheselyrics[Fig.2]wastheworkofGeorgeWingateChase,inTheMasonicHarp:ACollectionofMasonicOdes,Hymns,Songs,&c.(Boston,1858).Adaptationandaugmentationofnon-MasoniclyricsforMasonicpurposesisacommonpractice,asshownbyacomparisonoftheoriginalandMasonically-adaptedversionsbelow.
Fig.1.#83,AmericanSundaySchoolPsalmody(1832) Fig2.#110,Chase’sMasonicHarp(1858)Tune:‘OldHundred’isthemostfamoushymntuneinProtestantism,andthetunetowhich“TheDoxology”istraditionallysung.ItsnamereferstoitsoriginasthemusicalsettingforPsalm100intheGenevaPsalterof1551.Psaltersaresettingsofthe150PsalmsofDavidreworkedasrhymingpoemsinverse,allowingthemtobesunginsteadofread,theprecursorstohymnals.“L.M.”referstothemeterofeachverseofthispoem,anabbreviationfor‘LongMeter’.Longmeterconsistsoffourlines,eachofwhichcontainseightbeats(syllables.)Beginningaround1700,themeterforeverytuneaswellaseverysetoflyricswasindicatedinhymnalsandMasonicSongbooks,usinganumericalorletterabbreviation(L.M.isalsorepresentedby8.8.8.8.),tohelpsingersmixandmatchlyricswithotherappropriatetunes.AswithmostMasonicsongbooks,someofthetunesintheBahnsonManualhavemetersindicated,usefulinformationforfindingandusingothertunesthatfittheselyrics.
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 3
CLOSING(p.8):“Brethren,WeMeetAgain”[Tune–NearerMyGodtoThee]Lyrics:ThepropertitlegiventothisMasonicpoemis“Brothers,GoodNight.”Itsoriginsareuncertain,thoughtheearliestidentifiableappearanceatpresentisinthe1888ProceedingsoftheGrandLodgeofNovaScotia,tobesungaftertheclosingchargeattheInstallationofOfficers.
Fig.3.Four-partarrangementin6/4(!)of“Brothers,GoodNight”formen’svoices.TheMysticChord.(1908)
Tune:“Brothers,GoodNight”isubiquitouslysungintheUnitedStatestoDr.LowellMason’stune,Bethany,thetunetowhichthehymn“Nearer,MyGod,toThee”issung.LowellMason(1792-1872)isregardedastheFatherofAmericanChurchMusic.HealsointroducemusicintotheBostonPublicSchoolSystem,thefirsttimethatmusicwasformallytaughtintheUnitedStates,publishedthefirstcollectionofSundaySchoolmusic,andcomposedmorethan1,600tunesforhymnsinging.Despitehissurname,hewasnotaFreemason.NordidheresideinLowell,Massachusetts,atownwhoseMasonicLodgetodayconsistsalmostexclusivelyofLowellMasons.
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 4
ENTEREDAPPRENTICE’SDEGREE(p.13):“Behold,HowPleasant”[Tunes:AuldLangSyneorArlington]Lyrics:ThisOdeisaparaphraseofthe133rdPsalm,inaversesettingthatpermitsittobesunginthemannerofahymn.AlthoughtheoriginaltextisfromHolyScripture,thissetting’sauthorhascleverlyextendedtheconceptof‘brethren’intheScriptureinto“theAcceptedBrotherhood,”makingthisadistinctlyMasonicOde.ItwasfirstpublishedinTheMasonicTrestle-Board,AdaptedToTheNationalSystemOfWorkAndLecturesAsRevised...ByTheUnitedStatesMasonicConvention...Baltimore,5843.Notetheremarkablecommentonthe‘moregeneralintroductionofMusicintotheLodges’[Fig.4]whichsuggeststhatsingingscriptureinsteadofrecitingitwasarecentinnovation.
Fig.4.“Behold!HowPleasant”asappearedinTheMasonicTrestle-Board(2ed,1846:p.29.)Tune#1-AuldLangSyne:ThisisthefirstoftwoOdesintheBahnsonManualforwhichachoicebetweenatraditionalfolktuneandahymnisgiven,ostensiblyincasetheBrethrendidnotknowtheScottishfolktuneAuldLangSyne.ThatAuldLangSynewasprobablyBahnson’spreferredtunefortheselyricsmaybeinferredfromtheFebruary1892autographmanuscript,wherethealternativehymntune“or‘Arlington’”wasaddedasanafterthoughttotherightoftheneatly-centered“AuldLangSyne.”
Fig.5:Separatesheet(insertedintotheworkingautographmanuscript)showingthelateradditionof“or‘Arlington”’asanalternativetunefortheOde,“Behold!HowPleasant.”
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 5
AuldLangSyneidentifiesthistraditionalScottishfolktunebythetitleofthepoem,byBrotherRobertBurns,usuallysungtoit.In1788,BrotherBurnswrotethatitwastobesungto“anoldsong,oftheoldentimes,andwhichhasneverbeeninprint,noreveninmanuscriptuntilItookitdownfromanoldman.”AuldLangSyneusesamusicalscaleconsistingofonlyfivepitchesperoctave,equivalenttoplayingonlytheraisedblackkeysonakeyboard.ThisscaleischaracteristicofmanyEnglish,ScottishandAmericanfolkmelodies,(Oh,Susannah!)andiscalledthe“pentatonic”(meaning‘fivetone’)scale.Tune#2–Arlington:ThistunearosefromadanceinEnglishcomposerThomasArne’s1762operaArtaxerxes.Arne’smostfamouscompositionisRuleBritannia.Thetunewassimplifiedandturnedintoahymnin1786,whereitappearedinSacredHarmony–ACollectionofPsalmtunes,AncientandMo-dern.(Boston,1788.[Fig.6]By1878,thetunehadbeencalledintoMasonicserviceinRobertMcCoy’sMasonicVocalManual(NewYork,1878)forthelyrics,“Nowwemustcloseourlaborshere”.
Fig.6:Thefirstappearanceofthetune“Arlington”,named“Artaxerxes”,asahymn.SacredHarmony(1788).
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 6
FELLOWCRAFT’SDEGREE(p.41):“Come,Craftsmen,Assembled”[Tune:PortugueseHymn.11s]Lyrics:ThisOdewasinwidespreadusesometimebefore1850,andappearedinThomasPowers’MasonicMelodies:AdaptedToTheCeremoniesAndFestivalsOfTheFraternity(Boston:1844)inauniquearrangementinwhichapairofsingers(the‘Duet’)wouldsingtwolines,theneveryoneelse(the“Cho(rus))repeatedthoselines.Soonthereafter,numerousMasonicSongbooksincludedit.[Fig7.]
Fig.7:“Come,Craftsmen”inanearlyandunusualvocalarrangement.Powers.MasonicMelodies(1844).
Tune:IntheearliestMasonicpublicationsofthisOde,itwassungtothetuneofapopularEnglishsongcalled“WhatFairy-LikeMusic.”ComposedinLondonandfrequentlyperformedinthe1830sonstageandinthehomeasavocalduet,thefulltitleis:“Whatfairylikemusic!:agondalasongorduetassungbyMissLoveandMr.Braham:withthemostenthusiasticapplauseattheTheatreRoyalDruryLane/thepoetrybyMrs.CornwallBaronWilson;themusicbyJosephdePinna.”Publicenthusiasmforthissongeventuallywaned,andalongwithit,thefamiliarityneededtousethetuneinMasonicsongbooks.Bythe1870sMasonicmusiclookedtoothertunestoaccompanythispowerfulMasonicOde.Giventheunusualmeter,fourlinesofelevensyllableseach(indicatedintheBahnsonManualas“11s”),notfewfamiliartunesexistedtowhichthisOdecouldbesung.TheBahnsonManualselectedthetunethatMalmene’sFreemason’sHymnalused,“ThePortugueseHymn.”Thisextremelypopulartuneappearedinmany19thc.AmericanShape-Notehymnalsas“Plenary”,butitismostcommonlyknowntodayas“AdesteFideles”,thetunetowhichwesingtheChristmashymn“OCome,AllYeFaithful.”Theoriginofthetune“AdesteFideles”iscomplicatedandhasnobearingonitsusebyFreemasonry.Itwascalled“PortugueseHymn”,thenamebywhichitappearsintheBahnsonManual,becausetheDukeofLeeds,attendingaconcertatthePortugueseembassychapelinLondonin1795,wassoimpressedbythetunethathecommissionedafullermusicalarrangementofitbemade.Thiswasperformedtwoyearslater,inthefamous"ConcertofAncientMusic"series,whereitwascalled"ThePortugueseHymn"simplybecausetheDukemistakenlyassumedthatthetunewasoriginallyPortuguese.
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 7
MASTERMASON’SDEGREE,1stSection:(p.54-55):“LetUsRememberinOurYouth”Lyrics:ThisOdeisaparaphraseofHolyScripture,Ecclesiastes12:1-7.Byimposingregularmeteronthesewords,theyweretransformedintoversesthatcouldbesung,aswiththeEnteredApprentice’sOde,“Behold,HowPleasant.”RabbinicaltraditionholdsthatEcclesiastes,whoseauthoridentifieshimselfonlybythepseudonym“theGatherer”and“sonofDavid,KingofJerusalem”waswrittenbyKingSolomon,inhisoldage,asasummaryofthemeaningoflifeandthebestwaytolive.ThisOdemadeanearlyappearanceinCharlesW.Moore’sMasonicTrestle-Board(Boston,1846),andwassoonadoptedbymostAmericanMasonicsongbooksandintegratedintotheritualofmanyGrandJurisdictions.TheBahnsonManualusesonlytwoofthethreeversesshowninFig.8,butseparatesthemvisuallysotheyappeartobefourverses.Thiswasostensiblydoneforclarity,incasetheyweresungtothealternatehymntune,Hamburg,whichisonlyhalfthelengthoftheScottishtune,BonnyDoon.Thatthefirsttwoversesbothbeginwith“LetUs”suggeststhatthetwo-verserenditionmayfeelpoeticallysuperior.Moreover,whensungtoHamburg(oranyotherLongMetertune)thesecondverseinthefour-verserenditionbeginsinmid-phrase,with“or”.ThesetwoaspectsfavorperformanceofthisOdetothetuneBonnyDoon.
Fig.9:Firstappearanceof“LetUsRemember”fromp.53ofMasonicTrestle-Board(1846)
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 8
Tune#1:BonnyDoon:Correctlyspelledas“BonnieDoon’,thisisnotactuallyanancientScottishfolktune,butan18thc.compositionmeanttosoundlikeone,bylimitingthemelodytothepentatonicscaleasdescribedinthenarrative(above)overAuldLangSyne.In1791,BrotherRobertBurnswroteapoementitled,“YeBanksandBraeso'BonnieDoon”andsetouttofindasuitabletunesothatitcouldbesung.Thebeautifultunehechose,perhapshismostpopularsongtoday,wascomposedbyanamateursingerinEdinburgh,BrotherJamesMiller,withafewhelpingtouchesfromaprofessionalorganist.Fromthattimesince,thetuneitselfhasbeennamedafterhispoem,BonnieDoon.ThisisaveryusefultuneforMasonstoknow,becauseitisthesamesettingtowhichMasonssingBrotherRobertBurns’muchbeloved“FarewelltotheBrethren”attheclosingofMasonicsocialgatherings.Tune#2–Hamburg:Thissimplehymntune,composedbyLowellMason(composerfor“Bethany/Nearer,MyGod,toThee)in1824,makescleveruseofaverylimitedrangeofonlyfivenotes.Itfirstappearedinthe3rdeditionoftheHandelandHaydnMusicSocietyHymnal(Boston,1825),whereitissaidtohavebeeninspiredbyanancientGregorianchant.Ofthefourlines(orstaffs)ofmusicinFig10(below),themelodyisnotwhereonemightexpectittobe,ontheuppermostline,butisfoundonthethirdlinedown.Thiswasdonesoorganistscouldmoreeasilyaccompanythehymnbyreadingthemelodyandthebasslinedirectlybelowit.Thosewhoreadmusicwillobservethattheoriginaltunehassincebeenslightlyaltered.
Fig10.Firsteditionofthehymntune“Hamburg”fromtheHandel&HaydnSocietyHymnalof1825.
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 9
MASTERMASON’SDEGREE:(p.56):“SolemnStrikestheFuneralChime”[Tune:Pleyel’sHymn.7s]Lyrics:ThisOdeisusedinmanyAmericanGrandJurisdictionsandisgenerallyreferredtoas“thedirge.”“Dirge”isaMiddleEnglish(1175-1250AD)termmeaning“afuneralsongortune,oroneexpressingmourningincommemorationofthedead,aswellasanycompositionresemblingsuchasongortuneincharacter,asapoemoflamentforthedeadorsolemn,mournfulmusic.”Thisaptlyexplainsitsplacementandpurposeinour3rddegreeaswellasMasonicfuneralsinmanyGrandJurisdictions.ItsauthorisBrotherDavidVinton,bestknownforpublishingaselectionentitled“Masonic,SentimentalandHumorousSongs,Duets,Glees,Canons,RoundsandCanzonets”underthetitleTheMasonicMinstrel(Dedham,MA;1816),animmenselypopularMasonichymnalthatsold12,000copies.BrotherDavidVintonhadstrongtiestotheCarolinas.ThoughbornandraisedinRhodeIsland,hewasanitinerantMasoniclecturer,particularoftheYorkRite,intheSouthernUnitedStates.In1821,hewasbroughtuponMasonicchargesbytheGrandLodgeofNorthCarolinaformakingmanuscriptnotesofMasonry.In1833,hediedatRussellville,KY,andwasinterredwithoutbenefitofaMasonicburialandprocessionthatmighthaveincludedhisownOde,wereitnotforhis“lapseofsobriety.”
Fig11.PublicdenouncementofDavidVintonbytheGLofNC.RaleighRegister(Raleigh,NC)18May1821,p.4.
Narrative for the North Carolina Lodge “Bahnson” Manual Odes 10
Tune:Pleyel’sHymn:Thistuneisverypopulartodayasasettingforthechildren’shymn,“ChildrenoftheHeavenlyKing”andseveralotherhymns.Themusicisfromthe4thStringQuartet,op.7(1791)byBrotherIgnazJosephPleyel.Whereverthe“Masonicdirge”issung,itisalwaysweddedtothistune,whichexistsinavarietyofvocalarrangementsinmanyMasonicsongbooksandAhimanRezons(BooksofConstitutions)frommanyGrandJurisdictionsacrosstheUnitedStates.
Fig.12.Earlyprintingof“SacredStrikes”settoPleyels’Hymn.Bro.LukeEastman’s,MasonicMelodies(1825)
BothPleyelandhisbrilliantlysuccessfulcompositionteacher,FranzJosephHaydn,wereFreemasons.Pleyel’scareerascomposerandperformer,thoughlessstellar,wascomplimentedbybuildingexquisitepianosofhisdesignandmanufacture,whichChopinwassaidtohavepreferredoveranyother.AdHocMasonicEducationCommittee,2016.Version1.0
