As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded to count our blessings, and there are many! Incredible blessings from our Heavenly Father surround us each day. If we take the time to recognize them and "name them one by one," it will indeed surprise us to see what the Lord has done.
This setting of Count Your Blessings uses the traditional Welsh tune FFIGYSBREN (good luck pronouncing that).
The music for this hymn can be downloaded for FREE here.
New Hymn Arrangement: Rejoice, the Lord is King! (for choir and piano)
Here is a powerful hymn of praise and rejoicing. "Lift up your heart, lift up your voice, rejoice, again I say, rejoice!" This arrangement is a challenging one, best suited for larger choirs. It has a verse for (optional) four-part men's chorus and a triumphant final verse that sort of evokes the style of a Handel oratorio. Enjoy!
New Hymn Arrangement: Peace Like a River (for choir and organ)
The words of this hymn have comforted me and given me strength in many difficult and trying times: "I've got peace like a river in my soul." In subsequent verses, this peace leads to love, and finally to great joy. This familiar African American tune is here arranged for SATB chorus and organ. There is also a version for unison chorus that could be done as a solo.
New Hymn Arrangement: Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer (for choir, piano, and solo clarinet)
The hymn "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer" is a humble plea for guidance and protection: "keep thy loving arms around us, keep us in the narrow way ... let us never from thee stray." It is also a prayer for forgiveness of our human weaknesses: "we are weak, but thou art strong ... stay the tide of sin and wrong." Lastly, it is a prayer for peace: "curb the winds and calm the billows, bid the angry tempest cease. Precious Savior, dear Redeemer, grant us everlasting peace."
This setting of Precious Savior uses a new tune called AUTUMN and features an expressive solo part for Bb clarinet. There is also an optional solo for soprano in the first verse.
The hymn "The Spirit of God" has long been associated with the dedication of temples in the LDS church, ever since it was sung at the Kirtland Temple dedication in 1836. Early hymnbooks included only hymn texts, allowing congregations to choose from a variety of tunes. There were at least four tunes associated with "The Spirit of God," including a patriotic tune called AMERICAN STAR and the tune we use today, HOSANNA. Here is another tune for "The Spirit of God," derived from a Scottish traditional tune, called CANDLER. This setting puts the hymn in 6/8 meter and brings out the dedicatory shout "Hosanna! Hosanna!"
The music for this hymn can be downloaded for FREE here. There is also an arrangement for SATB choir and piano here.
Hymn of the Week #11: "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel"
As this hymn reminds us, "the world has need of helping hands and hearts that know and feel." There is plenty of good work we can do. There are plenty of people that we can help and bless each day. "Come help the good work move along. Put your shoulder to the wheel!" In honor of our pioneer predecessors, let's get behind our modern-day metaphorical wagon wheels and give a hearty push!
The music for this hearty hymn can be downloaded for FREE here.
This week's hymn is a fervent prayer. In "More Holiness Give Me," we plead with the Lord for more patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin, more faith in the Savior, more joy in service, more gratitude, more hope in his word, and more meekness in trial. We will always need more of these godlike qualities, and it is only through sincere prayer (accompanied by faith and obedience) that we can attain them.
There are two contrasting settings of this hymn at singanewsong.org. The first tune comes from The Sacred Harp, a well-known collection of American folk hymns. The tune name is MORNING TRUMPET. It expresses struggle and striving through fervent prayer.
The second tune is emotionally less turbulent and is much more cheerful in tone.This tune is a traditional English melody called JACOB'S LADDER.
For me, these two tunes typify the different types of experiences that I have had in prayer. Sometimes it is a struggle and sometimes it is a great comfort. Which of these tunes resonates best with you?
Hymn of the Week #9 at singanewsong.org: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"
The words of this hymn are a powerful testimony of the Savior: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." The tune that is used here comes from Haydn's oratorio The Creation. When put together, the words and music confidently express a knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.
If you would like to sing this with your choir or family, the music is available here.
New Hymn Setting: Ye Elders of Israel (for TTBB men's chorus)
This new setting of Ye Elders of Israel was written for a stake priesthood meeting, arranged for four-part men's chorus. It uses a new tune called ST DENIO, which has a bit more variety in it than the regular tune. I'd love to see it catch on!
Hymn of the Week #8 at singanewsong.org: "We Ever Pray for Thee"
"We ever pray for thee, our prophet dear, with all our heart, that strength be given thee to do thy part. To guide and counsel us from day to day; to shed a holy light around our way." A prophet's words can shed light on our paths and guide our way through life. We should heed their words and pray for their continued strength. This hymn combines a prayerful text with a equally prayerful hymn tune composed by Samuel Wesley.
If you would like to sing this with your choir or family, the music is available here.
Hymn of the Week #7 at SingANewSong.org: "How Can I Keep from Singing?"
"No storm can break my inmost calm while to that rock I'm clinging. Since God is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?" I have reflected many times on this phrase. It is true that calmness and peace come from "clinging to the Rock"--keeping the commandments and living the gospel. And when we feel this peace, how can we keep from singing?
If you would like to sing this as a solo, the music is available here.
New hymn arrangement at SingANewSong.org: "True to the Faith"
I wrote this arrangement for a stake youth choir and piano. It starts out with a fanfare and a march rhythm, then the choir enters in unison with a new tune called GEIBEL. The chorus uses the original tune (ANN), but it is more grandiose than the original setting, with additional moving parts. Here the choir splits into four (and optionally five) parts. The parts were designed to be easy to learn. I had my youth choir singing them quite well after one practice session. And I had them marching!
Hymn of the Week #6 at SingANewSong.org: How Gentle God's Commands
"How gentle God's commands. How kind His precepts are. Come cast your burdens on the Lord, and trust His constant care." This hymn reminds us that the Lord is kind and loves to bless and care for us. He can lighten our burdens so that we can bear them. In the third verse of the hymn it asks "Why should this anxious load press down your weary mind? Haste to your Heavenly Father's throne and sweet refreshment find." I know that when we ask the Lord for his help, we will find this sweet, refreshing feeling of peace and comfort, which will help us to be able to bear those "anxious loads" which we are required to take on in life.
If you would like to sing this hymn with your choir, the music is FREE here. There is also an arrangement for choir and piano here.
Hymn of the Week #5 at SingANewSong.org: America the Beautiful
It is that time of the year again when we celebrate our nation's independence. This week's "hymn of the week" is actually a hymn arrangement of America The Beautiful, using the original tune. Our church choir has been singing this each summer with great success. It is not hard to learn and it has a piano part that always reminds me of "The Little Drummer Boy."
When we sing this piece, I like to read the follow scriptures as an introduction: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ" (Ether 2:12) "... And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity...but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." (2 Nephi 1:7)
Hymn of the Week at SingANewSong.org (#4): Dearest Children, God is Near You
As Father's Day approaches, I think of the many ways fathers bless us and work hard for us. Our Heavenly Father also blesses us tremendously--we should remember him on this day as well. The hymn for this week, "Dearest Children, God is Near You" reminds us that our Father in Heaven "watches over us day and night" and "delights to own and bless us." He truly does love to bless us, and we can show our gratitude by striving to do what's right.
If you would like to sing this hymn arrangement with your choir, the music is available here. The hymn that this arrangement is based on (using the tune RIFTED ROCK) can be downloaded for FREE here.
Hymn of the week at SingANewSong.org (#3): "Have I Done Any Good?"
This is a question that we should ask ourselves every day: "Have I done any good in the world today?" Have we helped someone in need or lightened some else's burden? Were we there when someone needed us? If not, perhaps we have "failed, indeed," as this hymn reminds us. This new setting of the hymn uses a robust gospel tune called SAINTS BOUND FOR HEAVEN. That should remind us that service to others is the true pathway to heaven, as Christ demonstrated during his life on Earth.
If you would like to sing this hymn with your choir, the music is FREE here.
Hymn of the Week at SingANewSong.org (#2): "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go"
This popular hymn is a staple of missionary farewells everywhere because of the humble willingness to serve expressed in the text. When the Lord calls us to go somewhere, do something, or say something, we always want to be able to respond with the words of this hymn: "I'll go where you want me to go!" This new setting uses the tune from a Shaker hymn entitled GOSPEL LIBERTY. The chorus of this memorable melody is particularly moving.
The sheet music for this hymn is available for download free here.
Hymn of the Week at SingANewSong.org: "In Hymns of Praise"
This is a hymn text that is not sung nearly enough, set here to the Jupiter Hymn by Gustav Holst (from his orchestral work The Planets). The words speak of the importance of hymns in praising him who created the universe. It also describes how the same God that causes the shining planets to move in the heavens also cares for the "little flow'r that lasts an hour."
The sheet music is available for FREE download here.
At last the site is ready to launch! I've uploaded all of the non-copyrighted hymn settings (141 of them) and a number of my arrangements (there are still plenty more of these). The store is fully developed and tested and the YouTube recordings are all in place. After many months of development, I believe the time has come to share, like, tweet, and announce the site. Thanks, everyone, for your help!
I had a great time making hymn recordings with my family over Christmas break! Special thanks to Andy for bringing the high-tech recording equipment and to my mother for being our wonderful accompanist. Here are the participants in the recordings, which are now available on the SingANewSong YouTube Channel:
Sopranos: Patti Haines, Shiree Martin, and Lynette Yorgason
Altos: Lisa Yorgason and Michelle Sonognini
Tenors: Andy Yorgason and Stuart Yorgason
Basses: Alan Yorgason, Curtis Yorgason, and Brent Yorgason
Piano: Betty Yorgason
