Paradigm Swap

Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,

still all my song shall be,

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

I tried to give this version of Nearer My God to Thee a style that might lend to the ponderous nature of the lyrics. Have you ever read them through, and thought about what’s being said? When I first read them through, it seemed a story of praise, even through suffering, but when I read it again, I see I laying down in death, and rising in eternal glory. Whichever way you read it, read it again. The words are amazing!

Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

still all my song shall be,

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

yet in my dreams I’d be

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;

all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;

angels to beckon me

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,

out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;

so by my woes to be

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,

still all my song shall be,

nearer, my God, to thee;

nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

 

Since I had so much fun writing this one, the transcription took a little longer than I expected. 

You can purchase the sheet music on my website, as well as download the MP3. I’ve always loved this piece, and I hope my arrangement captures some of my feelings about this beautiful land!

You may notice when you listen to this arrangement that it’s not your typical America the Beautiful style. Not only is it in a weird key, but it has some bizarre chord changes, and only a couple times in the piece does it carry the typical, traditional melody.

There’s a reason for that.

America is anything but typical. We tend to point to it’s roots as being from Europe. But that’s only a part of the story. There are also Native American roots (which go back much further than the European story), and even those roots can be traced back to the Middle East. There is also the massive, painful, and deeply spiritual African story. And it would be ridiculous to overlook the remarkable and ongoing Mexican story.

It doesn’t take much study to find that Asians, South Americans, and even Australians all have major parts of the creation of America. And yes, it’s true that in any one area, you’re going to find pockets of solid culture, but isn’t that part of what makes us unique? The bringing of our modern and ancient traditions into one massive area to share them with everyone? The story of America is the story of the world coming together to create something incredible.

So, yeah, this isn’t the typical style, because America is anything but typical. It’s beautiful.

I just learned something about this hymn that I think is pretty cool. The original lyrics weren’t in English, but the earliest translation reads as follows:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation

O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear,

Now to his temple draw near,

Join me in glad adoration!

I love that.

Anyway, the piano solo sheet music is available on my website, as well as the MP3 download (available in either piano solo, or with all the extra background stuff). You’ve got to try this one, though. It’s super fun to play. It’s in the key of C, so the only trick is in the rhythm. I love all the syncopation. I wrote it that way to convey the power and pure joy the song intends. I can’t stop playing it, it’s just so fun!

Pass the word, I’m really excited about this one!

 

After writing the piano solo of this piece, I thought it might be fun to spice it up with some Djembe drum, tenor flute, and sistrum (a sort of Egyptian tambourine) to match the style of Hieway to Kolob. And just for good measure, I even included a line or two of didgeridoo. See if you can find it…

Oh, and let me know if you’d be interested in the sheet music. I’ll start working on it if anyone wants it.

 

This is an arrangement I actually wrote a couple years ago, but realized only recently that it hadn’t been put on sheet music. How did I miss that?

But never fear! I’ve saved the day by putting the sheet music together and making it available on my website.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

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