Descants - The Voices of Angels 

Have you thrilled to the angelic sound and looked up to the ceiling during the singing of hymns at the Morning Worship Services at Trinity lately?  You can't be blamed, for, as a 19th century Anglican church and church music historian said, ". . . those who hear it for the first time often turn and look up at the roof!"

Jim Taylor, our new Minister of Music Ministries, has introduced the descant into our singing of some of the most stirring hymns that have been selected for our 10:30 a.m. Worship Service.  As he described it when I asked him what on earth (or in heaven) was that musical device, "The descant is a vocal line above the melody of the hymn and serves to decorate it in an inspiring way.  I sometimes refer to it as a 'goose bump' ministry."

"Discants" date way back in history and were used in medieval music, including Gregorian chants.  A cantor sang the primary melody and other singers improvised.  This was known as "Discantus supra libris," or "Descant by the book."  Descant came to mean many things, usually high up in the treble clef--high sopranos, highest treble clef instruments and the counterpoint in Renaissance melodies. 

Hymn tune descants refer to the high, florid melody sung by a few sopranos as a decoration for a hymn.  They've been around since 1915 when Ralph Vaughan Williams, Alan Gray, Geoffrey Shaw and others began writing these for hymnals.

So, that's what you are hearing on Sunday morning, usually during the last verse of one of the more grandiose Methodist hymns.  We're blessed to have the talented sopranos who can handle this angelic musical sound.  As Jim says, ". . . it heightens the sense of glory in a great hymn."

Thanks for the "goose bumps," Jim.  It helps us sense a bit of the awe felt by the shepherds long, long ago.