Product Overview
https://my.salvos.org.au/scribe/sites/my.salvos.org.au/files/Score_Preview_NJS2103_Flow_Gently.pdf
Composer: Jonathan E. Spliman arr. Brian Hogg
Composition Style: Hymn Arrangement
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: The Salvation Army has a long history of utilising musical tunes for its own purposes; this is one of those tunes which has been commandeered as a suitable melody for well-known and well-loved lyrics by William Ralph Featherstone (1846-1873)… My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine. Originally written as a poem at the young age of 12-16 these words have found their way into many Hymnals and given Featherstone’s Methodist background it is perhaps not surprising that they have found their way into The Salvation Army Song Book. The tune, originally written for Robert Burns poem… Flow Gently Sweet Afton, was composed by Jonathan Edwards Spilman (15 April 1812 – 23 May 1896), a Kentucky lawyer, minister, and composer. This setting is a simple reflection of the words we so readily now associate with the tune; particularly verses 1 & 3, with verse 2 used as a chorus. The changes of time signature allow for the emphasis on certain words and syllables; so it is crucial that conductor and players know, understand and interpret the words appropriately. Gently is the most important word, not only in the title of the work but in its interpretation.
