Please enjoy “Amazing Grace,” played on a lyre with nylon strings. This is why it sounds so much like a harp and is perfect for this beautiful melody, which is the traditional tune entitled “New Britain.” The words were written in 1772 by John Newton, an English poet and clergyman of the Anglican Church, from his personal conversion experience. This melody is often used in harp therapy, on its own and also with improvisations. I hope you find this lyre arrangement peaceful, relaxing, and comforting!
Category Archives: Inspirational Music
Silver Reflection #Writephoto #Song #Poem
Enjoy the silvery sound of the zither (plucked psaltery or lap harp).
Lyrics
1. Water reflecting the twilight,
Silvery blessings unfold.
Nature is Life,
Day into night,
Look for the Light they hold.
2. You are a silver reflection,
Shining your state of mind.
The Spirit in you
Knows every Truth.
Seek It and you will find.
3. You’re the Creator’s reflection,
Prism of peace and love.
Already here,
Nothing to fear,
For as below, so above.
4. Water reflecting the twilight,
Silvery blessings unfold.
Nature is Life,
Day into night,
You are the Light they hold.
Nature is Life,
Day into night,
You are the Light they hold.
You are the Light they hold.
Poem
Silver reflection
As below mirrors above
Truth of your being.
—
Written for
Sue Vincent’s #Writephoto Prompt, Silver.
Remember (The LOA Song)
On Ukulele, from the album
And so it Is! Vol. 1
Great Is Thy Faithfulness #Music
Today we celebrate Father’s Day in the United States. The hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” reminds us that no matter what kind of relationship we experience with our father on earth, our Father in Heaven is ultimately our provider, our protector, and our strength throughout this lifetime and all others.
This is usually a hymn for the harvest and Thanksgiving season, but the more we give our Father-God thanks, the more we find to be thankful for!
This hymn was first published in 1923, with lyrics by Thomas Chisholm and music by William M. Runyan. It entered the public domain in the United States just last year, which means we may freely produce things like this zither arrangement. I hope you enjoy it!
Wishing all of you a blessed, happy, and peaceful Father’s Day! And dads, remember to look to the Great Provider for your own needs as well as your children’s!
More Father’s Day Blessings
Soar/Songbird Sing #Writephoto
They soar above clouds
Like birds, my heart, mind and soul
Are freed from chaos!
Songbird Sing
Instrument: Acoustic Guitar
For Sue Vincent’s
#Writephoto Prompt, Soar.
Rock of Ages #Music
Here is another traditional hymn played on zither (also called a lap harp or plucked psaltery). “Rock of Ages” was written by Rev. Augustus Toplady in 1763. The lyrics are based on Psalm 94:22, which reads, “But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.”
Though the account is unverified, it is said that Toplady was caught in a storm in the gorge of Burrington Combe, located in England’s Mendip Hills. It is believed he found shelter in the cleft of a rock and wrote the lyrics in gratitude for the Rock (the Almighty) that saved him.
I hope you enjoy this arrangement, which has rolled chords most often heard on harp.
Lullaby of the Ages #Song
An original lullaby for people of all ages, with lyre accompaniment.
Lyrics
1. I sing you, bring you
Safety and peace,
Believe and weave
Your sweetest dreams.
You sleep, I keep
You till you awaken
And see you be your
Wonderful things!
2. Your Spirit, hear It
Deep inside you,
And listen, glisten
In the Light.
You know It, show It
When you awaken
And see It, be It
Day and night!
Other Lullabies I’ve Written
Through the Secret Door #Writephoto #Meditation
Download Meditation Mp3
Length: About 16 minutes
A guided meditation with lyre accompaniment, “Through the Secret Door,” for
Sue Vincent’s #Writephoto Prompt, Secret.
I recommend downloading the meditation to listen at your convenience. It’s about 16 minutes long, a journey well worth the time. And thank you to everyone who takes the time, not just to listen but to benefit from your own journey through the secret door!
In the Garden #Music
“In the Garden” is a much loved hymn, as I know from personal experience. It seems like one of those songs, hymns and Christmas carols in particular, that I was born knowing. I must have been so young when I first heard it, that the song is woven into the fiber of my childhood memory.
Although it’s a mystery when I learned the words, I vividly remember learning to play “In the Garden” on piano. It was a request from my uncle, Al, near the end of his battle with cancer. I not only learned the hymn, but recorded a cassette tape of myself playing it, along with other hymns. On our last trip to Connecticut from Pennsylvania, I was able to sing and play the song for uncle Al. It was a precious gift to him and is still a precious memory to me.
I hope you enjoy my zither arrangement of “In the Garden.” It was written by American songwriter C. Austin Miles in 1912 and is still very popular today.
Divine Sunrise #Writephoto #Song
1. The sunrise brings another day,
But mists of mind, they veil my way.
I look within and meditate
Upon the Great Eternal Flame.
2. The rising sun is in my mind,
And all the mists, I leave behind.
I seek within, that’s where I find
The rising sun, my Light Divine.
3. You rise the sun with each new day,
And all the mists You clear away.
And when I meditate and pray,
I know the Light is mine to stay.
O when I meditate and pray,
I know my Great Eternal Flame.
—
My response to Sue Vincent’s
#Writephoto Prompt, Veiled.
I composed this music on my lyre named Sunny 🙂 after reading the prompt word, veiled, and Sue’s photo description. But the lyrics were spontaneous, and I transcribed them from the recording. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, to write a song in the moment. It is improvisation in a way, but different, because I wanted the lyrics to rhyme. Please let me know what you think of the piece and the process!
Thank you to each and every one who takes the time to listen and comment! I truly appreciate it and hope you are calmed and uplifted!
All Creatures/Doxology #Music #Mp3
Here is a medley of two hymns, “All Creatures of Our God and King” and “Doxology” played on zither.
The melody of “All Creatures of Our God and King” was written by William Henry Draper and first published in 1919. It’s typically an Easter hymn, but any time is good to appreciate the wonders of nature and the thought that they, too, might praise their Creator.
Thomas Ken wrote “Doxology” in 1674. It was actually the final verse of two hymns, “Awake, my soul, and with the sun,” for worship in the morning; and “Glory to thee, my God, this night,” for evening worship. I have never heard these hymns, as far as I know. But I learned “Doxology” as a child, then played it on piano and recorder long before I played harp or zither.
I hope you enjoy my alternating arrangement of these two beautiful hymns!
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