Descants

William Walsham How's text 'For all the saints' predates the tune with which it is today iconically paired, Ralph Vaughan William's Sine nomine. There were originally eleven stanzas, but three of them - For the apostles, the evangelists, and martyrs - do not appear in most hymnals. Sine nomine was written to this text and published in the 1906 English Hymnal, of which the prolific Vaughan Williams was an editor and contributor. The tune wraps six unison verses around two SATB-harmonized verses, bridged with refrain-like Alleluias. Sine nomine is Latin for 'without a name,' reminiscent of the lectionary for the Feast of All Saints, "And there are some who have no memorial, who have perished as though they had not lived; they have become as though they had not been born, and so have their children after them." (Ecclesiasticus 44)

Major update, 2011. Choir and organ part are CC noncommercial free license. Brass version is a paid license. Both versions use the same organ harmonization. Use contact form at the bottom of this page to obtain the brass parts and expanded organ score.

Audio demo in right column (click the arrow)

score

Organ score - v8.14.8.4

(for choir and organ, score with tune and descant)

audio demo

descant verse

1/ choir & organ
CC License (free score)

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2/ brass ensemble, choir
& organ - (expanded score
and parts $15)

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