Hello! And welcome to this introduction and overview of GIA’s most recent addition to the Gather family of hymnals, Gather—Fourth Edition.
Gather—Fourth Edition offers all the features you have come to expect from the Gather family of hymnals, then takes them to the next level. This new edition is our most innovative GIA hymnal to date.
In this article we will examine the features that make this hymnal unique, preview the contents, and outline the comprehensive offering of editions available that support this hymnal and will help you in utilizing your Gather—Fourth Edition to its fullest potential.
Content
Your hymnal begins with a preface that gives helpful background information on the development of Gather—Fourth Edition. It is followed by a Table of Contents that reveals the basic structure of your hymnal. The first section holds music for the Liturgy of the Hours followed by Psalms and Canticles, music for the Rites of the Church, Mass Settings, Hymns and Songs, the Lectionary, and GIA’s signature Indexes.
Gather—Fourth Edition contains over 644 hymns and songs. Seventy percent are piano- and/or guitar-based contemporary songs and thirty percent are traditional, organ-based hymnody. There are 10 complete mass settings along with other ritual music for various worship needs.
The content in this new edition of the Gather series is more diverse, inclusive, representative, and balanced than any other GIA hymnal. Every piece in this edition met strict theological, pastoral, liturgical, and musical criteria for publication. Gather—Fourth Edition contains 84% established repertoire found in a variety of GIA hymnals and 16% newly composed repertoire appearing in GIA hymnals for the first time.
Lectionary Psalms as found in Gather—Fourth Edition is a comprehensive psalter representing a wide range of composers, styles, and cultures. It includes psalms from the psalters of Michel Guimont and Joseph Gelineau as well as The Lyric Psalter, Cry Out with Joy, and Lead Me, Guide Me psalters. To use these psalms located in the back of your hymnal, you will need to purchase at least two copies of Lectionary Psalms as found in Gather—Fourth Edition (G-10600). The complete settings and accompaniments for these psalms are only available in this edition. The choir book contains the refrains as does the pew edition without readings. The pew edition with readings includes the refrain with melody and the texts of the verses.
A new feature of Gather—Fourth Edition is the Lectionary Psalm Video Demonstrations found on the GIA website. It is the perfect practice tool for cantors and choirs. GIA offers these demonstration recordings and score videos of every psalm setting in the Gather 4 psalter free-of-charge to aid cantors and choirs as they rehearse the psalms for each Sunday and Solemnity. Visit giamusic.com/g4psalms to check out this helpful new feature.
Editions
Gather—Fourth Edition offers all the same support materials available with our other fine hymnals but includes some unique editions.
The descant edition includes both new and established descants for 270 of the hymns found in Gather 4. While the numbering of these descants corresponds to the titles found in the hymnal, they can be used with other hymnals and resources, provided the harmonizations are compatible. It comes in both a spiral- and perfect-bound softcover edition.
The lead sheet edition is spiral-bound and comes in 3 volumes. It contains melody and chords only. The songs are, for the most part, contained on two facing pages, making this edition ideal for guitarists, bass players, percussionists, and pianists who want to cut down on page turns.
The Melody/Keyboard Edition has exactly what the name implies, keyboard accompaniment and melody only (no choral parts or vocal harmonies). This edition is intended for musicians who sing from the keyboard.
Gather—Fourth Edition also has a complete index book that contains all of GIA’s signature indexes. It is a perfect desk reference tool to aid you in your planning.
Below is a complete list of all available editions for Gather 4.
Pew Editions
G-10000 Without readings $23.00
G-10000R With readings $25.00
G-1000C Choir Edition $34.00
Descant Editions
G-10000D Descant Edition $24.00
G-10000DS Spiral Descant Edition $25.00
Keyboard Editions
G-10000KM Keyboard/Melody $150.00
G-10000K Keyboard Landscape $155.00
G-10000KS Keyboard Spiral $160.00
G-10000KL Loose-leaf $170.00 (Service Binder included)
G-10000LS Lead Sheet Edition $135.00
Guitar Editions
G-10000GS Guitar Spiral $135.00
G-10000GL Guitar Loose-leaf $145.00 (Service Binder included)
Instrument Editions
G-10000IC C Instrument $145.00
G-10000IB B-flat Instrument $145.00
G-10000IE E-flat Instrument $145.00
Complete Index Edition
G-10000IND G4 Indexes $5.00 (Softbound 80 pages convenient desk reference of all signature GIA indexes found in Gather—Fourth Edition)
G-10600 Lectionary Psalms as found in Gather—Fourth Edition $36.95
Ceremonial Binders
GIA has created a set of ceremonial binder designed to complement your Gather 4 hymnal. They are perfect for the liturgical seasons. These binders are an attractive and durable solution for choirs to keep and display their music, for church musicians to assemble each week’s accompaniments, and for clergy and church leaders to use for intercessions, special rites, seasonal service programs, and general announcements. They also make magnificent gifts!
10000BSET G4 Ceremonial Binder – Complete Set $135.00
10000BB G4 Ceremonial Binder – Black $25.00
10000BGRN G4 Ceremonial Binder – Green $25.00
10000BR G4 Ceremonial Binder – Red $25.00
10000BI G4 Ceremonial Binder – Ivory $25.00
10000BGRY G4 Ceremonial Binder – Grey $25.00
10000BP G4 Ceremonial Binder – Purple $25.00
Prices are current as of this posting (July 2023). Prices are subject to change without notice.
In Conclusion
We hope you have found this information on GIA’s Gather—Fourth Edition hymnal enlightening. If you are interested in finding out more about Gather—Fourth Edition, you can visit our website at https://www.giamusic.com/store/hymnals-gather-4.
To request a preview copy of Gather—Fourth Edition you can email us at [email protected]. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us. To speak with Suzanne Orland call 1.708.552.9815 or call Raquel Velazquez at 1.708.552.9850.
You can find out more about the support materials for your Gather—Fourth Edition hymnal from our earlier blog series entitled, “Hymnal, Missal, and Accompaniment Formats & Supplemental Resources” Parts 1 & 2. In these articles you will find information regarding the formats, sizes, and other features of each available accompaniment edition.
Coming next time…
Planning Resources: Using Your Hymnal or Missal to Plan Liturgies!