“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” with Gavotte by J.S. Bach
Henry Van Dyke penned these words of joyful adoration and suggested they be sung to the theme from Ludwig van Beethoven’s great Choral Symphony (No. 9). To this joyful blend of poetry and music we have added J.S. Bach’s Gavotte, a dance overflowing with joy.
“He Leadeth Me” with Arabesque by Claude Debussy
Joseph Gilmore, the author of the hymn intended to write an exposition of Psalm 23, but it seems he got no further than the thought, “He leadeth me.” “Those words took hold of me as they had never done before…[and] led me to realize that God’s leadership is the one significant fact in human experience….” In this arrangement tension created by Claude Debussy’s use of two against three can have a calming effect when played smoothly. With God’s leading and continuing presence, the tensions of life can, likewise, be handled with confidence.
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts
Central to God’s life-giving message is the cross of Jesus Christ. Through the cross God shows us His love – a love that is truly amazing. The closing lines of this familiar hymn speak of a full response to God’s love:
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all! (Isaac Watts)
Piano and Organ Arrangements by Ron and Linda Sprunger from Lillenas Publishing Co.
- Holy, Holy, Holy: Hymn Duos (MB-786)
- Seasonal Duets MB-813
- Rejoice: Powerful Expressions of Faith (MB-894)
- To God Be the Glory: Hymns and Worship Favorites (MB-959)
- * Glory, Honor and Praise (ISBN 978-0-8341-7691-1))
- What Child Is This? (ISBN 978-0-8341-7914-1)
To see a listing of the arrangements included in each of the above collections, go to www.lillenas.com.
Organ Arrangments by Ron Sprunger, also published by Lillenas Pub. Co.
- Organ Praise and Worship (MB-717)
My goal in preparing these arrangements was to combine some of thefiner contemporary songs with classic themes. For example, “As the Deer” by Martin Nystrom is combined with “Largo” from Dvorak’s New World Symphony. “This is the Day” and “I Will Enter His Gates” are combined with “Toccata” by Charles Marie Widor.
- Foundation (Lillenas 2014) is also available from The Lorenz Pub. Co.
ISBN 978-1-4291-3725-6
In this collection, themes by Boellmann, Liszt, and Mozart are combined with classic hymns and a contemporary chorus. Traditional hymns on the theme of the cross are combined with “The Power of the Cross” by Getty and Townend.
The first two selections listed below and included as audio files are from the publication To God Be the Glory:
- Gavotte with “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”
- Arabesque with “He Leadeth Me”
- “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
The third selection is from Seasonal Duets. The different collections are listed at the top of the page.