Lean on my Ample Arm

The first four notes of the melody serve as the germ around which the eight-measure introduction is constructed, and that same music brings the piece to a close. The hymn tune itself is quite chromatic (to say nothing of Evan Stephens’ harmonization), and this arrangement takes t…

There is plenty of room for expression here, in variations of both tempo and dynamics. Try to imitate a fine string quartet. To begin, play the highest and longest note in each of the first three measures a little more passionately each time. As a general rule, allow extra time a…