Stones Unthrown
New Hymns of Alfred V. Fedak

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Includes hymns by
Mary Louise Bringle
John Core
Carl P. Daw., Jr.
Sylvia Dunstan
Rusty Edwards
Fred Kaan
Norman Kansfield
Richard Leach
Adrian Low
Shirley Erena Murray
Larry A. Peters
Adam Tice
Thomas H. Troeger
Brian Wren
and more!

Introduction from the author You hold in your hands the fourth, and newest, collection of my hymn tunes. It is titled Stones Unthrown because with one exception, the tunes in this little book have not, until now, been launched out into the wider world, despite the fact that a couple of them were actually composed over thirty years ago.  Some of these tunes are the result of specific commissions, others were composed as entries in hymn tune competitions or as submissions to denominational hymnal projects. The rest were written especially for this volume.  I wish to express my gratitude to all the poets, past and present, whose words appear in this book. Their good work continues to inspire and nurture the faith of worshipping Christians everywhere, and to spark the creative energies of many composers who, like me, delight in setting their words to music.  I also extend my thanks to David and Virginia Schaap of Selah Publishing Company for their tireless support and promotion of my work, and to my wife Susan, who lovingly listens and patiently endures my periodic fits of creative productivity. Finally I must thank my friend Carl Daw, one of whose exquisite hymn texts has once again unintentionally provided me with a title for my book. Alfred V. Fedak Albany, New York July, 2014

Review
“Stones Unthrown provides a set of well-constructed singable melodies for texts both old and new. This fourth collection by Alfred V. Fedak includes one arrangement of SIMPLE GIFTS and twenty-six new melodies for texts by an assortment of writers.

Fedak understands how to craft singable and interesting melodies. Stepwise melodies make many of the tunes in this collection easily accessible. For example, the tunes FRUITFUL LIVES, LOVE’S ENCOUNTERS, and NEW HOPE all use predominantly scalar motion. Any melodic skips are well supported by the harmony. Motifs are repeated, making the form clear and providing unified tunes. Rhythms are clear and straight forward with only one tune in a shifting musical meter.

Harmony and voice leading are also strong points in Fedak’s compositions. The part writing is smooth and fits well under the fingers. The harmonic language is very classical but with just enough borrowings and nonchord tones to keep it fresh and interesting. One of the amazing successes from the collection is the title tune: STONES UNTHROWN. The melody begins in G major, moves to Bb major, and then ends in D major. The shift to Bb proceeds smoothly because of motivic repetition and highlights a shift made by the text at this point.

The texts set here come from a variety of authors. Carl P. Daw Jr., FHS; Sylvia Dunstan, FHS; and Rusty Edwards each have three or more texts included. Many of the lyrics are in commonly used meters. Fedak matches the mood of the music to the given words so well that while it might be possible to use these tunes with other lyrics, care would need to be taken in substituting texts. These tunes have character.

Stones Unthrown adds another collection to the solid singable output of Al Fedak. With texts from multiple authors for different occasions, many people should find something useful here.” -The Hymn, Autumn 2020