Hymn 311 (Gezang 311)

Yesterday I uploaded one of my compositions I rediscovered when cleaning out my music room, a fugue in g minor (https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/39328). Another one that I think is good enough to share is this choral prelude, to the Dutch Hymn "Hoe komt het dat het bos" (How come the bush). As you can hear it is in a totally different style than the fugue I uploaded yesterday. Even though I really like baroque music, it's not the musical style I like to write music in.

The melody of this choral is more like music I'd like to create. The tonality is a sort of not really d minor. The minor seventh (the note c) features prominently in the melody. In accompanying during a service a melody like this on the organ, I would almost automatically use seventh and nineth chords more than classical triads. And that is a sound that instinctively appeals to me. In this choral prelude I write music that is based on seventh and even none chords. To my ears that creates a sort of mellow, warm sound that is very pleasing.

The musical form is basically again the same tripartite form of the fugue. The first section is in the tonal realm of d (notice the repeat notes d in the pedal). The second section follows the choral melody to the tonal realm of g and the main musical idea of the introduction is repeated 4 notes higher. The final section returns to the tonal realm of d, and as conclusion to the piece the introduction is repeated. Simple, yet effective.

Even though this hymn is used only in the Netherlands, I hope the music is nice enough to use it outside the Netherlands as well.

Score available here: http://partitura.org/index.php/auke-jongbloed-hymn-311-of-the-dutch-protestant-hymn-book-1973/