You’ve probably heard this well-known hymn in praise of the vast world of nature that God created. Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a minister, wrote the lyrics as a 16-stanza poem. It was first published in 1901, after his death.
In 1915, Franklin L. Sheppard chose 3 verses for the hymn and set them to the tune “Terra Beata,” meaning “Blessed Earth” in Latin.
Please enjoy my lyre arrangement, and feel free to download and share the mp3!
Sing praises to the Christ within!
The Life and Consciousness you are,
Eternal Love in which you live.
Sing praises to the Christ within!
No matter what and where you’ve been,
Your Spirit is the One and All.
Sing praises to the Christ within!
The Life and Consciousness you are!
A Metaphysical Triolet for Palm Sunday and NaPoWriMo day 5.
Here’s a fun song on ukulele. It’s fitting for today, even though I wrote it during Advent in 2016. Enjoy!
Here are 4 original songs I posted when I wrote them. Two are definitely Palm Sunday offerings, while the other two are a little more obscure. “Love Is a Coconut” is a fun song about the one thing that opens and lifts hearts or anything else–love. “So It Goes” is a song about time . Good times, bad times, in between times, time is a constant, and it constantly passes! Something we’d do well to remember right now. Please enjoy these tunes, and have a blessed and peaceful Palm Sunday!
Music can find you wherever you are
And carry you places, some near and some far
To histories, cultures, to planets and stars!
For Music can find you wherever you are!
Music can touch you however you feel
And lead you to know you are valued and real.
Without judgment or labels, the comfort can heal!
For Music can touch you however you feel!
Music can see you whatever is wrong,
Encouraging you through a message in song
And taking your hand because you do belong!
O Music can see you whatever is wrong!
Music is Spirit, of All and of One,
Creating and sharing our gifts from Above:
The depths of compassion, of peace, hope and love!
For Music is Spirit, of All and of One!
So let it transport you from Was to Will Be,
And let the I Am be your nature so free.
Your soul is a song, and your Music is key!
So let it transport you from Was to Will Be!
Acrostic on C Major Scale
Creative living is the key to life
Delighting in the special path you take
Emotions, effort, energy, or strife
Fulfillment of your goals despite mistakes
Go on, in grace and gratitude to strive
Amazing, awesome gifts are all your own
Bring balance with the best you have inside
Creating body, mind, and soul a home!
I wrote “Spirit Bright” for a songwriting challenge in 2014 and posted a ukulele version with lyrics and chords
here.
I feel this song is just as important as it was when I wrote it. Perhaps it’s even more timely now.
This lyre arrangement is in C, instead of A. And with a nod to this month’s Irish theme, it has some Celtic musical elements.
May this be an encouragement as you remember to “Follow your spirit bright!”
Eternal Love
Wedding Prayer
My husband (I call him Freddy but you may call him Frederick 🙂 ) and I got married a year ago today. There’s so much I could say about what lead up to it, what happened when we moved, preparing for the wedding with no sight and no outside help, and what it’s been like since then! But it’s just after breakfast, so I’ll leave you with this.
We walked down the aisle together, to a flute and piano playing “Over the Rainbow.” Here is a different version, equally beautiful, played on a double strung harp.
During our wedding ceremony, I played two original songs. I’ve posted them here before, but “Wedding Prayer” was missing a verse. In the audio player above, you’ll here the live recordings from our wedding ceremony.
Please enjoy! And whatever your relationship status, my wish for you is that you are happy and fulfilled!
“Be Thou My Vision” is a popular traditional hymn, especially in the United Kingdom. The melody is an Irish folk tune called “Slane,” which dates back to the 6th or 8th century. Here is my arrangement of this beautiful hymn played on lyre.
Feel free to click the following link, download, and share the mp3:
“Be Thou My Vision” Mp3
In this tutorial I teach the melody and several harmony options by ear. I tell you all the notes and chords, and demonstrate the melody and each harmony part separately. Though I’m playing a lyre, you can use this arrangement for other instruments, including zither, small harp, piano, or keyboard. You can also use the melody tutorial for any C tuned melody instrument.
Click the following link to download a .zip file of the entire tutorial. When you unzip the file, you will find 13 mp3 files.
“Be Thou My Vision” Tutorial
If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to
contact me.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement and tutorial, and the lovely sound of this lyre!
Several melodies have been written setting the poem,
“In the Bleak Midwinter” by Christina Rossetti
to music. Hear I play the music by Gustav Holst on zither. Reading the poem, you’ll notice it has a Christmas/Nativity theme. But the other stanzas are a great reminder of God’s power at any time of year, and of the truest gift we can give Him – our heart.
Where I live Winter is still in full swing, so I thought I would share this beautiful piece.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement. If you like, feel free to download and share the mp3:
“In the Bleak Midwinter” Mp3
Mystical Strings 
You must be logged in to post a comment.