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What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Charles Crozat Converse, music & Joseph M. Scriven, lyrics
This hymn was written as a poem by Scriven in 1855 to comfort his mother at home in Ireland while he was living in Canada. My favorite lines are “oh what grief we often suffer; oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”. Converse added the simple, yet memorable melody in 1868. In my arrangement, I gave the left hand a 5 note rhythmic motif equivalent to each half note and some dissonant harmonizations. I believe this creates gentle, conflicting rhythms while still allowing the memorable melody to be readily accessible to those familiar with this hymn. Enjoy, David