Re: Why the part-combining in American hymnals? (WAS: Beaming, partcombine and pickups)

[Kieren MacMillan]

Hi Karlin,

> what exactly causes the attraction to combined voices and
> the disaffection for separated voices? I'm not sure, but I'll try to answer.

I think that answer is pretty good, and probably partly true. Related would be 
the argument that combined voices allow each part to more quickly grasp the 
relationship (both similarities and dissimilarities) between their own part and 
the adjacent one on the same staff.

However, I’m guessing that the most critical reason was far more practical, and 
driven by space limitations.

TL;DR summary: Less vertical space is required per page of music with combined 
voices than with split voicing.

Details: Combined voices (as you pointed out) have stems that go up from notes 
near the bottom of the staff, and down from notes near the top of the staff. 
Hence — and this is the important point — the range of the inner voices (i.e., 
alto in the upper staff, and tenor in the lower staff) does not force the stems 
to intrude into the inter-staff space (as they would in split voicing). AND THE 
INNER-STAFF SPACE IS WHERE THE LYRICS ARE.

That seems the most likely reason to my mind — though I have no proof that the 
reasoning is thus (though the truth of the spacing claim is easy enough to 
demonstrate).

Best,
Kieren.
________________________________

Kieren MacMillan, composer
‣ website: www.kierenmacmillan.info
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