Sacred Music for Flute, Trumpet in Bb, and Piano or Organ

Description

Sacred Music

for Flute, Trumpet (Bb), and accompaniment (organ or piano)

Four settings of favorite tunes arranged by Nola Reed Knouse, 1999

Be Thou My Vision; Fairest Lord Jesus; Panis Angelicus; Join We All With One Accord

The selections in this small collection were all arranged at the request of N. Denny Fordham, Jr., Director of the Moravian Bands in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, director of music at Olivet Moravian Church, trumpet player, and lover of the Moravian musical heritage. I offer them here in respect for the longtime friendship Denny and I have shared, and in hopes that they will bring to other players some of the enjoyment they have brought to us.

These pieces were designed to be played not by “professional” performers, but by capable amateurs — people within our churches who want to play beloved favorites for worship and for joy. They are “made public” here with the expectation that musicians will make whatever adjustments are necessary to make them useful. Other instruments may be substituted at will — clarinet in Bb for the trumpet; violin, recorder, or oboe for the flute — whatever it takes to make the piece “work” in each individual situation. Changing the octave may be helpful with instrument substitutions, or simply to make the range more accessible.

In the Book of Psalms, we are called upon both to “sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 96 and 98) and to “remember the wonderful works he has done.” (Psalm 105:5). In these settings of well-known tunes, we have the opportunity to do both — to give thanks for the composers who first gave us these melodies and harmonies, and to take a fresh look at them through different settings. Let all our music be made to the praise and glory of the Lamb once slain!

Nola Reed Knouse
December 3, 1999