Sacred Hymns for Unaccompanied Viola Vol. 2

This is the second volume of Sacred Hymns arranged for Unaccompanied Viola. The first volume contained 24 songs with one-page arrangements. This volume contains 16 hymns with extended variations (two pages each). The reason for these books is twofold: 1) to provide interesting and challenging arrangements of popular hymns for violists to enjoy themselves and 2) provide violists with arrangements to perform at various religious or concert venues. The arrangements are somewhat demanding...
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This is the second volume of Sacred Hymns arranged for Unaccompanied Viola. The first volume contained 24 songs with one-page arrangements. This volume contains 16 hymns with extended variations (two pages each). The reason for these books is twofold: 1) to provide interesting and challenging arrangements of popular hymns for violists to enjoy themselves and 2) provide violists with arrangements to perform at various religious or concert venues. The arrangements are somewhat demanding but provide variations that should keep audiences involved as the melodies evolve. Since having a piano or guitar accompaniment to perform with it is not always feasible, these arrangements are designed to provide their own harmony throughout the song. The accompaniments I have arranged for these songs are all in keeping with standard viola practice handed down since the 17th century. Each song is arranged as a theme and variations, beginning with the melody harmonized with double-stops or left hand pizzicato, and progressing into more developed adaptations of the theme. The arrangements stay primarily in the first three positions with occasional harmonics and higher position work.Violists are often asked to fill in between sections of a service or a program and these arrangements provide the musician with many choices that would fit the time constraints and the sentiment of the moment.