This beautiful hymn was written by Charles Wesley. The text was first published with the subtitle “A Child’s Prayer,” in “Hymns and Sacred Poems,” in 1742. The melody was composed by Martin Shaw in 1876.
My arrangement begins with the melody on alto recorder, then a viola and recorder duet, a solo on lyre, and ends with a recorder duet. This lovely melody would be appropriate for a lullaby, as well as this hymn. I hope you enjoy it!
This song began as a poem I wrote, probably in 2002. Originally it had only 2 stanzas.
In 2003 I composed the music on a small harp. In my original accompaniment, the voice and harp were in unison, both carrying the melody. Last year I added verses 3 and 4, and wrote the descant accompaniment you hear while I sing.
Creative works, like people, can and do evolve!
I hope you enjoy “Knowledge and Love” with lyre accompaniment!
1. Knowledge is what helps us grow through the years.
It tells us some things can’t be true.
Love is what keeps us strong.
Hold it all the day long,
Showing your life as the proof.
2. Knowledge may disappear time and again,
But of this we all can be sure.
Love makes no other claim,
Simply that it remains,
Infinite Life evermore.
3. “Knowledge is power,” they say. And it is.
But not all the mind can conceive.
Love is the Pow’r of Life,
Making the Spirit bright.
Ask, and you shall receive!
4. Love is within you, and knowledge is, too!
They come from the Life of the One.
Present within your mind,
God is the One you find.
Love is his Will ever done.
Repeat 1.
This piece by Johann Sebastian Bach needs no introduction. There are other sections that are not as well known, but this segment is the most popular. It was one of the first of many simplified Bach pieces I learned as an early piano student. I still enjoy playing it, more than 26 years later.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement played first as a duet on alto recorder, then on lyre, next on zither, and ending with the recorder duet!
You probably don’t recognize the name, Judson W. Van de Venter. I know I didn’t. However, you might recognize the hymn, “I Surrender All.” Written in 1896, it is one of his most famous hymns, still widely sung today. According to
Discipleship Ministries | History of Hymns,
this hymn was influential in the ministry of Rev. Billy Graham.
I hope you enjoy this contemplative arrangement played on lyre!
This English folk song is often known as “The Riddle Song.” However, it is just one of many such riddle songs, often sung as lullabies or ballads. It has become popular throughout the English-speaking world, since its possible 16th-century origin. According to
Song Facts,
some sources claim there are hidden messages in the lyrics, but there is no such mystery. At the end of the day, it’s a simple folk song, though it can indeed be a hypnotic melody.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement with a verse on ukulele and viola, one on ukulele and alto recorder, and 2 lyre verses in the middle!
Happy birthday, Schubert!
Franz Schubert was born on January 31, 1797. In honor of his birthday, I posted
“Die Forelle” (The Trout)
on zither last year.
Today I’m sharing a simple arrangement of Schubert’s “Impromptu, Opus 90, Number 3”. To me this piece contains elements of his “Ave Maria,” which I love.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement on alto recorder, viola, and lyre!
The lyrics to “Going Home” were written by William Arms Fisher (1861-1948). The melody, however, is not the African-American spiritual many people believe it to be. In reality, the melody is taken from Bohemian composer Antonin Dvorak’s “Largo” theme, from his Symphony No. 9 (From the New World), Op. 95. In the symphony this theme is played on English horn. Dvorak was not involved in writing the lyrics or arrangement that later became “Going Home.”
I hope you enjoy hearing Dvorak’s “Largo” theme played on lyre!
Original Lyre Music
This is not a lyre.
It looks like one, if you know what a lyre looks like.
It has a rounded soundbox from which two arms reach to the sky.
One arm is shorter than the other,
but it has no disadvantage.
The top of the lyre comes to a point
that, on this one that is not,
faces away from the player.
From the point, the long arm slopes sharply toward the player,
almost like a sliding board.
Along this arm are tuning pins.
You guessed it–
the strings are attached to these
and tied to a bridge on the lower part of the soundbox.
Yes, it looks like a lyre.
Yet this is not a lyre.
It is a music box to say the least,
a magic box,
a mystical box,
the bottle containing
the alchemist’s elixir of immortality.
It won’t make you immortal.
But think about it.
Would you really want to be
immortal, ever remaining in your current form?
I didn’t think so!
But the music
of the mystical,
magical,
musical box
can lead you
to your immortal soul.
This is not a lyre,
but you might misconstrue its unassuming form,
if you didn’t know better.
But you, dear reader,
know better!
This
is not
a lyre…
—
An object poem for
dVerse.
Also known as “Bonnie Charlie,” this is a traditional Scottish folk tune, author unknown. The lyrics, however, are not traditional, in the sense that they were written in one time period, about another time period which their author did not witness, and they imitate a particular style of song. The author of the poem is known; you can read more about the poem and its place in history
here.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement played on lyre, viola, Oriole (soprano) and Yamaha alto recorder!
On this 7th day of Christmas and the last day of an extremely difficult year, I offer you a lovely Elizabethan carol. This obscure gem, when it is known, has several titles, including “All Hail to the Days,” “In Praise of Christmas,” and “Drive the Cold Winter Away.” The 12 days of Christmas begin on December 25th and last until January 5th, with January 6th being Three Kings Day in many countries. The lyrics of this English ballad mention these 12 days specifically and include seasonal festivities common around 1625, when this carol first appeared. There’s wassailing, theatre performances, and, of course, feasting. I hope you enjoy hearing me sing this carol with lyre accompaniment!
Mystical Strings 
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