'The Crown' is an award winning Netflix series that has won the hearts of many people around the world. Hans Zimmer wrote the theme for the main title with Rupert Gregson-Williams, from Wiltshire, composing music for the first series, joined by Lorne Balfe, a Scottish composer for series two.


I have made an arrangement for String Quartet and hope to make more for different combinations of instruments and piano in the future.

As usual my arrangement can be played by professionals for concerts, weddings and events but also tackled by young people. The key is the original one, D minor, which is easy for strings, and younger players can make use of open strings and take as many bows as they need. I have included some bowing as a guide. Most of the double stopping includes one open string but less experienced players can leave out one of the notes where necessary, especially of it is doubled by one of the other players. I have included some 'commas' in this arrangement and recommend recovering the bow and watching the leader like a hawk!

The long ?piano? sections will need lots of crescendo and decrescendo markings to sound effective. I put down some ideas, but feel free to experiment. The main thing is that they grow and decay again, to keep up the tension. Without that movement, those soft passages might sound boring, albeit the chords are gorgeous.

I have included a crescendo in the penultimate bar before each new dynamic, but ideally a long crescendo is needed between each new dynamic marking. The texture becomes gradually thicker, which will help, but I am looking forward to Capriccio Quartet recording this one as they are so good at building up excitement.

There must be a great deal of drama at letters D and O. After a massive increase in dynamic I am hoping for a ?breath? at the comma, and a very sudden softness for the chords that follow. I also like harmonics for the viola at bars 21-22, giving way to a natural note on the fourth beat of 22. I would like the harmonic in viola to be almost imperceptible as the piece closes out. I haven?t marked it as such, and I couldn?t write a ?simile? on the page without clashes of staves or an extra page. I intended it to be a harmonic to the end though.

Please send me any recordings you make because I love to hear people playing my arrangements, even if it is a phone recording, and especially younger players! I am on facebook and I have a Youtube Channel too. Helen Marple-Horvat Songwriter, Arranger, Composer.

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

Book 2

We?re really excited to present our collection of sixty of the best-loved hymns ever composed. The hymns are scored in four parts and could be used with virtually any combination of stringed instruments: string quartet or quintet or any size string ensemble. They are presented in a set of three books and include full four-part instrumental scores plus four separate parts for 1st violin, 2nd violin, viola and cello (and double bass). The double bass part is optional because it doubles the cello part an octave lower. 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 kept as simple as possible. The piano part too means that you can use the arrangements as solos, duets or trios. To make the music accessible to less experienced 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 samples.

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 scores and all the parts of Book 2 are contained in a single 59-page PDF file.

Book 2 contains the following twenty popular hymns: A Mighty Fortress is our God (Ein Feste Burg); Awake my Soul (Morning Hymn); All Creatures of our God and King (Lasst uns Erfreuen); All People that on Earth do Dwell (Old Hundredth); Angels we have Heard on High (Gloria); Be thou my Vision (Slane); Come Thou Font of Every Blessing (Nettleton); Eternal Father, Strong to Save (Melita); God moves in a Mysterious Way (London New); Glory to Thee, My God, This Night (Tallis Canon); How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (St. Peter); Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (St. Denio); Onward, Christian Soldiers (St. Gertrude); Let us with a Gladsome Mind (Monkland)
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (Beecher); Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven (Lauda Anima); The Day Thou Gavest (St. Clement); The King of Love my Shepherd is (St. Columba); We Plough the Fields and Scatter (Wir pflügen); Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us (Mannheim).

The audio samples include Angels we have Heard on High (Gloria); Be Thou my Vision (Slane) and Onward, Christian Soldiers (St. Gertrude). The music has been set in string-friendly keys so most of them are not compatible with the brass collection of the same name.

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

Book 3

We?re really excited to present the third and last book of our collection of sixty of the best-loved hymns ever composed. The hymns are scored in four parts and could be used with virtually any combination of stringed instruments: string quartet or quintet or any size string ensemble. They are presented in a set of three books and include full four-part instrumental scores plus four separate parts for 1st violin, 2nd violin, viola and cello (and double bass). The bass part is also optional because it doubles the cello part an octave lower. 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 kept as simple as possible. The piano part too means that you can use the arrangements as solos, duets or trios. To make the music accessible to less experienced 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 samples.

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 scores and all the parts of Book 2 are contained in a single 65-page PDF file.

Book 3 contains the following twenty popular hymns: All Hail the Power of Jesus? Name (Miles Lane); All things Bright and Beautiful (Bright and Beautiful); Alleluia, Sing to Jesus (Hyfrydol); Blessed Assurance (Assurance); Come, Ye Thankful People, Come (St George?s Windsor); Father, Hear the Prayer we Offer (Sussex & Gott Will's Machen); For the Beauty of the Earth (Dix); Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken (Austrian hymn); How Firm a Foundation (Foundation); Jesu, Lover of my Soul (Hollingside); Jesus Loves Me, This I Know (Jesus Loves Me); Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Hymn to Joy); Kum Ba Yah (Afro-American folksong); Mine Eyes have Seen the Glory (Battle Hymn of the Republic); O God, Our Help In Ages Past (St. Anne); Morning has Broken (Bunessan); Praise to the Lord the Almighty (Lob den Herren); Shall We Gather at the River? (Hanson Place); The God of Abraham Praise (Leoni); When Peace Like a River (Ville du Havre).

The audio samples include (1) All things Bright and Beautiful, (2) How Firm a Foundation, (3) Kum Ba Yah and (4) Morning has Broken. The music has been set in string-friendly keys so they are not compatible with the brass collection of the same name.

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.