After arranging every hymn in Great Hymns of the Faith
for piano solo, I've moved on to Soul-Stirring Songs &
Hymns (1972 edition). The last one in that one is the
Hallelujah Chorus, probably one of the most famous
songs in praise of God, but also not one you typically
hear sung in church by a congregation. I'm guessing it
was mainly intended for choirs, as this hymnal also has
some other hymns that seem more intended for the
professional musicians than just the typical
congregant. However, I've...(+)
After arranging every hymn in Great Hymns of the Faith
for piano solo, I've moved on to Soul-Stirring Songs &
Hymns (1972 edition). The last one in that one is the
Hallelujah Chorus, probably one of the most famous
songs in praise of God, but also not one you typically
hear sung in church by a congregation. I'm guessing it
was mainly intended for choirs, as this hymnal also has
some other hymns that seem more intended for the
professional musicians than just the typical
congregant. However, I've been reading a book about
John R. Rice, the editor of the hymnal, and apparently,
he and his family used to enjoy singing this with each
other at family gatherings. I guess if you and a few
others practice it enough, you don't need an actual
choir to sing it!
In arranging this for piano, I thought long and hard
about Liszt and the way he used to arrange pieces not
normally written for the instrument. Some of his
arrangements, like the Tannhauser Overture, are
transcriptions - in other words, they try to reproduce
on piano exactly what the other instruments played -
cover every note, or at least as many as you can,
without changes. However, other of his arrangements
add creativity - they change the accompaniment, add
pianistic flourishes - that sort of thing. Reminisces
de Norma is a better example of this sort of
arrangement.
Well, this one probably falls somewhere in the middle
of the two. It's exactly the same length as the
original, keeping all the melodic highlights - with the
exception of an ending that I added, as long, sustained
notes don't sound as good on piano as they do with a
choir. However, while the chords are the same, and the
melody's kept, I didn't try to put every part in the
arrangement, and I added some pianistic flourishes. The
result, I hope, is something that has the same effect
as the original but also sounds full, rich, and
complete, in spite of the fact that it is now being
played by one person on a piano instead of with a choir
and orchestra. I hope you enjoy it!
SHEET MUSIC