Customer Reviews

Classical Hymns

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cindy Berry's arrangements are always lovely. Intermediate level, moderate difficulty.
Table of contents:
Break Thou the Bread of Life (in the setting of Bach's Prelude in C)
Christ The Lord is Risen Today (in the setting of Grieg's Concerto in A Minor)
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (in the setting of Clementi's Sonatina, op.36, no. 4)
He Leadeth Me (in the setting of Schumann's Molto Lento)
I Will Sing of My Redeemer (in the setting of Bach's Praeludium VII)
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (in the setting of Bach's Minuet in G)
Jesus Paid It All (in the setting of Lizst's Consolation III)
My Faith Has Found a Resting Place (in the setting of Brahms' Third Symphony)
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go (in the setting of Chopin's Etude, op. 10, no. 3)
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (in the setting of Chopin's Prelude in C Minor)
On Jordan's Stormy Banks (in the setting of Mozart's Ronda Alla Turka)
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (in the setting of Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze)
We're Marching to Zion (in the setting of Haydn's Sonata in G Major)
Wonderful Words of Life (in the setting of Schumann's Reaper's Song)

The contents of this book are amazing! The songs are intermediate difficulty, but sound beautiful! They are great for almost every occasions. Cindy Berry brings out both the classical piece, and the hymn, cleverly weaving the hymn in with the themes of classics, and transcribing the hymn into the style of the classical piece. Amazing book! Her other two similar books are just as impressive!

I really love some of the arrangements in this book. "He Leadeth Me" with Schumann's Molto Lento and "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place" coupled with Brahms' Third Symphony are absolutely beautiful, and "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go" with a Chopin's Etude is so pretty that I think its two pages are way too short (I usually repeat the hymn part of it when I play it, just to draw it out longer before I play the amazing rest of the etude!) BUT, I only gave it 4 stars because I thought that somehow, pairing "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" with Bach's Minuet in G seems too irreverent, somehow, and "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" blended with a Clementi Sonatina just seems too frivolous for a Worship service's special music, but even these may be fun for a younger player who wants something lively and "classical" blended with an expression of their Faith to play for a recital. All in all, though, it was worth what I spent, and I am working hard to master Greig's awesome Concerto in A Minor with "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" to play for Ressurection Sunday, if I get asked.

I have only given four stars because I find a couple of the arrangements dull. On a whole, Cindy Berry's combining classic hymns with classical music is very enjoyable. There is enough difficulty to keep you interest. Overall, I am having a great time playing these arrangements.