The Best Hymns of All Time
Arranged for Strings by Colin Kirkpatrick

Book 1

We?re really excited to present our collection of sixty of the best-loved hymns ever composed. The hymns are scored in four parts but could be used with virtually any combination of stringed instruments from string quartet upwards. Book 1 includes full four-part instrumental scores plus parts for 1st violin, 2nd violin, viola and cello/double bass reading from the same part. There?s also an optional but useful simplified keyboard part intended for less experienced keyboard players. The left hand plays only the bass part most of the time, with the right hand part as simple as possible. It could be used as the basis of an accompaniment and means that you can use the arrangements as solos, duets or trios. To make the music accessible to less experienced string players, the range of the notes has been kept fairly low so that many of the arrangements can be played in first position. However, to produce a brighter and richer sound, a few of the more experienced violinists could play an octave higher. You can hear this effect in the audio sample.

These arrangements are intended either as stand-alone pieces that could be used as interludes in a service, or they could be used to accompany solo, choral or congregational singing. This is essential music for schools and many churches and contains probably all the hymns you?ll ever need. The score and all the parts are contained in a single 60-page PDF file.

Book 1 contains the following twenty popular hymns: Abide with Me (Eventide); All Glory, Laud and Honor (St. Theodulph); All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (Coronation); All Through the Night (Ar Hyd y Nos); City of God, How Broad and Far (Richmond - Haweis); Fairest Lord Jesus (Crusader?s Hymn); Fight the Good Fight (Duke Street); Forth in Thy Name (Angel's Song, Song 34); Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer (Cwm Rhondda); He who Would Valiant Be (Monk?s Gate); Holy, Holy, Holy! (Nicea); I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (Kingsfold); Jesu, Lover of my Soul (Aberystwyth); Nearer my God to Thee (Bethany); Now Thank We All Our God (Nun Danket); O Worship the King (Hanover); Rejoice, the Lord is King (Darwall?s 148th); Soldiers of Christ, Arise (Diademata); The Lord?s my Shepherd (Crimmond); What a Friend we Have in Jesus (Converse).

The audio samples include Abide with me (Eventide); All Through the Night (Ar Hyd y Nos); Nearer my God to Thee (Bethany), Soldiers of Christ, Arise (Diademata) and What a Friend we Have in Jesus (Converse). The music has been set in string-friendly keys so they are not compatible with the brass or wind publications of the same name.

Thisnew collection of Thanksgiving and Harvest hymns contains all your favorites,or at least, most of them. It?s probably all you?ll ever need for thanksgivingand harvest festivals and the arrangements can be used for virtually anycombination of stringed instruments. This is an essential title for any stringlibrary or for any string ensembles that are called upon to provide music forschools, Thanksgiving events or churches.

Thearrangements can be used with string quartet, string quintet or string ensembleor performed as solo pieces. There?s also an optional but useful simplifiedkeyboard part intended for less experienced keyboard players. The piano parttoo means that you can use the arrangements as solos, duets or trios. Thesearrangements are intended either as stand-alone pieces that could be used asinterludes in a service, or they could be used to accompany solo, choral orcongregational singing. To make the music accessible to less experienced stringplayers, the range of the notes has been kept fairly low so that many of thearrangements can be played in first position. However, to produce a brighterand richer sound, a few of the more experienced violinists could play an octavehigher. You could also use the arrangements as flute or oboe solo pieces, with thewind instrument playing the 1st violin part. Each hymn has a four-staff scoreand parts are provided for Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello and optional Doublebass. The scores and all the parts are contained in a single PDF file. Becausestring-friendly keys are used, these arrangements are NOT compatible with thosein the wind collection of the same name.

Thefollowing 25 hymns are included: AllCreatures of our God and King (Lasst uns Erfreuen); As the Sun doth Daily Rise(Innocents); All Things Bright and Beautiful (Bright and Beautiful); Bringingin the Sheaves (Sowing in the Morning); Come Ye Thankful People Come (StGeorge?s Windsor); Fair Waved the Golden Corn (Holyrood); Fill your Hearts withJoy and Gladness (Ode to Joy); For the Beauty of the Earth (Dix); For theFruits of His Creation (Ar Hyd y Nos); Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken(Austrian Hymn); Immortal, Invisible (St Denio); Let all Things now Living (AshGrove); Let us with a Gladsome Mind (Monkland); Now Thank we all Our God (Nundanket); Praise and Thanksgiving (Bunessan); Praise God for the Harvest(Stowey); Praise my Soul the King of Heaven (Lauda anima); Praise to the Lordthe Almighty (Lob den herren); Rejoice the Lord is King (Darwall?s 148th);Sing to the Lord of Harvest (Wie lieblich ist der maien); This is my Father?s World(Terra Beata); To thee, O Lord, our Hearts we Raise (Golden Sheaves); We GatherTogether (Kremser); We Plough the Fields and Scatter (Wir pfl�gen) and PraiseGod from whom all Blessings Flow (Old Hundredth)

Originally recorded by The Bee Gees and released on their album Bee Gees 1st in 1967. This song has been recorded by many other artists including Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Roberta Flack, Bonnie Tyler, Jimmy Somerville, Michael Bolton, Hank Williams Jnr, Billy Corgan, Rod Stewart and Michael Bubl�. It was performed by Keith Urban at the Bee Gees Grammy Salute in 2017. It features in the soundtrack of several movies including I Love You Phillip Morris, Y Tu Mam� Tambi�n, Melody, The Wrong Man, My Entire Life and 50/50.


This arrangement for String Quartet follows the styling of the original version as a soul ballad, with a tempo of 84 bpm, and key of A major.
Score is 6 pages, each part is 2 pages (total 14 pages)
Duration approximately 3 minutes and 8 seconds