Arrangement of "I Thank You Lord"

Hello Dulcimer World,
              This week I arranged a hymn that have been written by a contemporary lyricist; Joel A. Erickson. I believe I have some more of his hymns (dulcimer sheet music, that is…) on my site. The tune is an old American melody and I for one have a soft spot for any old nineteenth century Appalachian melodies. I had to arrange it for the dulcimer immediately!!!

              I want to say a quick blub about the tune and the lyrics. First the melody; the hymn has a six measure verse and a four measure refrain. While I was playing it for the first time, I thought something was missing (melody-wise). The reason for this is that most melodies are built in 2, 4, or 8 measure phrases. For example; “song form” is organized in an “A, A, B, A” fashion. The A and B sections are the same about of measures and they are usually 2, 4, or 8 measures. Many songs we hear are in this form and we don’t even know it; Like “In Christ Alone” or “Psalm 31” (on my free sheet music page). Play through the arrangement and tell me what you think.

             Second, the words; it’s a great hymn to sing around Thanksgiving. The main topic is gratitude for what God has done, is doing and will continue to do in our lives. The only “beef” or potentially problematic part of the hymn lyrics is the Refrain; “Each day my debt I’ll pay by gratitude eternal.” In salvation terms, the ONLY way our debt is/has been paid is through the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross and not by our works. We should to be grateful, of course! But that will never pay any debt, as it’s written in Leviticus; blood needs to be spilt to pay for sin, not gratitude. BUT! If you read this text in a non salvation context, oh it’s great! I liken this hymn to “I have decided to follow Jesus”. We don’t choose, but at the same time our actions give proof of the work that Christ is doing in our lives.

             I hope you all enjoy the arrangement and I’ll see you next Monday!

God bless,

-Ben