Be Still, My Soul
Words: Katharina von Schlegel (translated by Jane Borthwick)
Music: Jean Sibelius, from “Finlandia”
Arranged by Sally DeFord
There are four versions of this hymn arrangement listed in the sheet music section below:
- This solo version with viola is a high-voice setting (F major). The recording by Rebecca Lord uses this score.
- This solo version with violin is two semitones lower (Eb major). The string part has been modified to fit the higher instrument, and it would also work for flute.
- This SATB with violin is lower still (D major). The parts are very simple and should be easy to learn.
- This is the original vocal solo (F major) with flute and some harmonies. The harmony score is marked “backup vocals” because they really are just that, not choral parts. The recording by James Loynes uses this score, as does the recording by Mara Riley.
Any of these versions may be used to accompany a solo voice. The F major revision happened because some of the piano passages in the original fight with a voice in the soprano range, so keep that in mind.
Sheet Music Downloads
Spotify, Soundcloud (inc. free downloads)
Spotify:
Be Still, My Soul (feat. Rebecca Lord)
Be Still, My Soul (Accompaniment track with viola)
Be Still, My Soul (feat. James Loynes)
Be Still, My Soul (Accompaniment Track)
Soundcloud:
Click the 
to download the free track for personal use.
Recording featuring vocals by Rebecca Lord:
Accompaniment track with viola:
Recording featuring vocals by Mara Riley:
Accompaniment track:
Recording featuring vocals by James Loynes:
Accompaniment track:
Violin solo by Sara Noel Bauman:
Apple Music, Amazon
These files may be copied/shared in any quantity in any physical format unless otherwise noted. They may not be re-sold or offered for download.
Amazon: Be Still, My Soul (feat. Rebecca Lord)
Amazon: Be Still, My Soul (Accompaniment Track with Viola)
Apple Music: Be Still, My Soul (feat. James Loynes)
Apple Music: Be Still, My Soul (Accompaniment Track)
Amazon: Be Still, My Soul (feat. James Loynes)
Amazon: Be Still, My Soul (Accompaniment Track)
YouTube
(Video provided to YouTube by outside parties may contain ads that may be skipped after a few seconds.)
Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still my soul: The hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
If you have questions, please check the FAQ.
If you don't find your answer there, feel free to post your question here. 🙂
35 Comments
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I really love to hear your excellent arrangement, Appreciate all your effort and all the team. –
Do you have a recording of the different vocal parts to practice with?
Which version has the piano accompaniment?
Good day
Im looking for the tonic solfa notes for BE STILL MY SOUL please
Do you have an accompaniment track for Be Still My Soul 4a solo original that is just the piano?
Sally – do you have a piano accompaniment for Be Still my Soul when it is being sung with the Voice Parts by a choir? I cannot find it on the web site and I am wondering if there is one or if I have to use the solo version accompaniment and just have the choir sing to that? Please let me know.
Thank you for creating a choral version of this hymn. Our ward choir sang it recently and it was well received with kuddos to your piano accompaniment.
My ward is enjoying your talent.
Thanks again,
Thanks a lot for your dedication
This is a beautiful arrangement! One of my favorite hymns of all time! Lovely. Thank you so very much for sharing your talents Sally!
I was also wondering if there would be a way to get the violin arrangement by Christian Paul? I have looked everywhere for a good arrangement of this piece and I really have been blessed by this one.
Do you have the violin solo music by Christian Paul for
“Be Still My Soul?”
Beautiful! I have always loved your arrangements, but some outshine the rest, and this is one. I love the number, and this arrangement enhances the simple statement of the text. Thank you.
Thank you so very much for sharing your talents. I love your music!
May the Good Lord bless you eternally! The songs you have on your website have blessed me so much. Thank you for ministering in such a way.
HI your music is very spiritually beautiful! do you sell the accompaniment music? I would gladly purchase it. Thank you so much for your wonderful arrangements.
Really love this instrumental piece. Do you create accompaniment music for LDS songs? If so, would you have information on cost and how long it takes to create as our Choir is in need of some accompaniment music for our upcoming Sacrament Easter Presentation. Thanks for your assistance and we look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Sally,
Thanks so much for sharing your time and talents to help so many enjoy beautiful and uplifting music.
Any chance you have a SATB arrangement of “Be Still My Soul”? Can I just have the stake choir sing the Hymnbook version to the solo accompaniment? This solo arrangement is beautiful, but I don’t see an option to print the piano accompaniment. How do I do that?
I really thank you for your music….May God Bless You…Amen…
Sally, your music has kept the struggling l’il choir of St. Francis in Virginia Beach afloat for quite some time, and we very deeply appreciate it. We’re going to do “Be Still, My Soul” next week, and I think this is really one of the most exquisite arrangements you’ve done. Wow!
I am amongst your biggest fans, and have used a great number of your arrangements and original songs. By far, I believe this arrangement of Be Still, My Soul is the most beautiful arrangement I’ve ever used to accompany a soloist! Angels truly guided you in creating it. Because it was a tad high for my baritone soloist, I finally tried using the transpose function in the Personal Composer. Your step-by-step instructions were perfect and viola! I had it low enough for him, and was so surprised at how easy it was. I know everyone who uses your compositions thank you, but somehow I feel that seems so inadequate. It’s impossible to sincerely express my heartfelt gratitude to you as one the recipients of all you give. It’s obvious you do so because of your great love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. However, please know how deeply grateful I am! God bless you and your family!
Dear Sister DeFord, thank you very much for your beautiful arrangements and the transposer!!! I just sang your arrangement of Be Still My Soul in E flat, with piano accompaniment, and violin for the flute part, for my daughter’s mission farewell talk, since this is her absolute, all-time favorite hymn. It was gorgeous!!! Your arrangement is uplifting, inspiring, and comforting – your music truly magnifies the hope and love of the Savior, as portrayed in the hymn’s text. Thanks to your online instructions and helpful hints, I used the transposer to lower the song to E flat, D, and C, and felt E flat was low enough. AGAIN, thank you so much!!! May you be blessed in all your endeavors!!!
HI Sally, I just wanted to say thank you as well. We are using your songs in our sacrament meetings from time to time, even I put German lyrics in there. Thank you so much for the effort you put in there.
I can’t find the accompaniment. But thanks for all your beautiful music, Sally!!
Do you have this available in a lower key? Trying to transpose it, but it’s complicated! I need it transposed down a whole step.
I searched the internet for an arrangement of this hymn to play with violin and harp and found yours! Thank you for sharing your beautiful arrangement. We shall be playing it as the offertory next Sabbath with the words up on screen for meditation. Thank you so much.
Thank you Sally for making your arrangements available for us to use. It is so hard to find hymns that are solos and sound just enough different from the hymn book to keep the attention of those in sacrament meeting. I am looking forward to presenting this at the end of this month.
Sheet music for this piece arranged for violin, cello (optional) and piano are available on saranoelbauman.com. Thanks Sister DeFord for the beautiful music you have blessed us all with!
This arrangement of Be Still My Soul is so perfect for a funeral some friends and I have been asked to sing at this coming Saturday. However, the only versions of the sheet music I can see listed are the solo, the voice parts, and the flute? I’m not sure where the violin music is or how these all fit together. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you so very much!
Ashton
I can’t seem to find the accompaniment for the song either. Please help!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this (mp3, sheet music for instrument and solo, etc.). It’s great to have all of this in one place!!! Looking forward to playing this at church next Sabbath. I know that I will be the first to be blessed.
This is such a beautiful arrangement. I sang it in sacrament meeting one week, and really loved it. I also did a cover of it on you tube using this mp3. My friend has been in the hospital a long time, and she would often sing this song in her mind to help her through. She loved having this to listen to with me singing it on you tube the last few days of her life. I wish I would have thought to share it with her sooner. She loved the flute and had played it until her lungs wouldn’t let her do it anymore.
Me and some other sisters in our ward will be singing this arrangement at her funeral. Another friend will be playing the flute and a brother from the ward, the piano. Thank you so much for making these available for people to use. It is a wonderful thing you do to share your arrangements like you do. May God bless you in your service and giving to others.
I originally did this cover for my Dad for his birthday, but I was so grateful to have it to share with my friend while she was in the hospital. She loved hearing the flute. Here is the link if you would like to hear it. I am not the best singer in the world, but it is fun for those who love me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fo9nRKIyQg&index=13&list=PLVwGTEfCnAof5F0DP7c6YUETuTqrLDEd1
Thank you so much for your music pdfs. I have played a couple of the Christmas selections at our church, but this is by far my favorite. It makes a very lovely song to use at funeral services, either with a singer or simply as an instrumental piece.
Sister Deford, thank you so much for the free downloadable pdf and mp3 accompaniments of the different choral music you have published. The SATB arrangements helps a lot in our church choir. Hope you will add more songs in different occasions. God Bless!!
My DIL Sarah,and her friend Stacy sang this for a funeral a couple of weeks ago on very short notice(got the music Monday and sang on Thursday!). I got to accompany them!It went beautifully! Today they sang “A Believer’s Prayer at their church ,and it went even better!When we go on vacation to Iowa I am taking copies of this to my SIL who also sings .. Thank you so very much!
Dear Sally,
I jus wanted to write a quick thank you to you for all you do! Allowing musicians free access to your work is a beautiful sacrifice, and I thank you for it. I’m a flutist, and I’ve been asked on several occasions to play the descant on various pieces of yours. I’ve lost count of how many, hehe.
I was asked to play again recently for my dear Grandmother’s funeral. I really wanted to play ‘Be Still My Soul’, as it is a favorite hymn of mine and I knew Grandma Bette would have loved it. I looked everywhere for a suitable arrangement, but I couldn’t get anything in time. I was getting desperate, and had a sudden thought to look here. I’m very glad I did! I used your beautiful arrangement, with some tweaks to make it flute solo instead of a vocal solo. It was a very lovely, fitting tribute to the person my Grandma was. Your arrangement so perfectly expresses the feelings of loss we felt, but also the joy at a life lived to the fullest and the hope of a happy reunion someday.
Thanks one more time for so openly sharing your music. It is so appreciated. 🙂
Ps- This FAQ page made me chuckle a few times. Your references to Hitchhikers Guide and Anne Shirley, plus the fact that you love The Weed make me sure we would get along, lol.