He is Risen!
About the Song
Text by Cecil Frances Alexander
Music by Joachim Neander
Arranged by Sally DeFord
This arrangement wins the award for easiest choral selection on the site. You could probably prepare it in half a practice. However, lest your pianist get bored, the accompaniment is rather(!) challenging. Watch the tempo. It’s marked at 88bpm, and that’s really about right. Those of you who like to take it at the high end of the 92-104 that the LDS Hymn book specifies are going to have to adjust your internal metronomes (or brave the wrath of your accompanist) if you use this arrangement.
Sheet Music Downloads
Lyrics
He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice
He has burst His three-days’ prison
Let the whole wide earth rejoice
Death is conquered, man is free
Christ has won the victory
Come with high and holy hymning
Chant our Lord’s triumphant lay
Not one darksome cloud is dimming
Yonder glorious morning ray
Breaking o’er the purple east
Symbol of our Easter feast
He is risen! He is risen!
He hath opened heaven’s gate
We are free from sin’s dark prison
Risen to a holier state
And a brighter Easter beam
On our longing eyes shall stream
If you have questions, please check the FAQ.
If you don't find your answer there, feel free to post your question here. 🙂
20 Comments
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Thank you for sharing this arrangement! I appreciated the lengthened long notes at the ends of the phrases in the first two verses.
This arrangement felt a little short for my purposes (I realize there are only three verses of the original hymn). My choir chose to do the first verse of the hymn again at the end along with the congregation (in C, so they could reach those melody notes better), then wrapped the whole thing up with a little recap of the last line or so of the first verse.
A simple organ descant with chimes would be so cool. Do you have such a thing?
Hi Sally,
I have used so many of your arrangements but do you happen to have a violin obligato for He is Risen?
Thanks,
Delia Cabrera
I transposed it down to start in B-flat, with the modulation to C so the soprano is more accessible for the general congregation. Also added an organ duet part.
Our small choir would like to sing this beautiful song with this arrangement for Easter 2022.
I have a small group of young to proficient amateur string players (violin, viola, cello and bass) and teen to adult singers. Looking for an Easter piece I could do in church, initially, and perhaps expand into something much bigger as time goes on. Can you help me? (we have excellent pianists)
We have sung this arrangement several times over the past years. It has become a favorite Easter Anthem! Thank you so much for your talents.
Why can we no longer hear a sample of the music?
Diane
Good morning Sally – do you have a simplified piano version for this song? Have a wonderful Easter, Thank you!
Hi Sally, Could you tell me if this song works with the parts out of the hymnal? We want to do something similar to your arrangement of Joy to the World”, where you had the organ play the hymn along with the piano part. Do you think it would work? Thanks!
I don’t know if the harmonies would work or not — the only way to really tell would be to sing each of the parts with the accompaniment. What I can tell you is that the some of the measures have added beats, which would throw your congregation off. 🙁
Someone has the lyrics in German?
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/music/library/hymns/he-is-risen?lang=deu&_r=1
You can find the German lyrics at this web site:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/music/library/hymns/he-is-risen?lang=deu&_r=1
Hello! I am transposing this for my choir (the soprano part is just a little too high). If I were to start in G Major, what key would you transition to at the top of page 3? I love this arrangement and am trying to make it work for my choir! Thanks!
Sally’s arrangement starts in the key of C and transitions up one full step to the key of D. If you start in the key of G, you’ll transition up one full step to the key of A.
If it’s just a little too high for your sopranos, you might try starting in the key of B flat. You would make the transition on page 3 up to the key of C. Good luck.
Hi Sally! Is there a simplified piano accompanist’s version of this?
Sally, Please let me know if there is a simplified piano accompanist’s version of this. Our ward choir is very small and our accompanist is the bishop’s wife and very, very busy each and every week. (She even asks for emails, not phone calls to save her time). Thank you for your reply,
You mentioned in FAQ that we could alter the music to fit the singers; I’d like to perform this number in sacrament meeting (I’m a ward choir director) and invite the congregation to join on the third verse. To make it work, I’d like to change ONLY measure 35 to have the words sung on two quarter notes (2/4 time signature for that measure) rather than the two half notes as written. I’d have the accompanist play the chords shown on beats 1 and 3 of that measure as quarter notes and leave out the rest of the eighth notes. Would this be permitted? I have looked at many choral arrangements of this hymn, and none but this one has the triumphant, rejoicing feel that I want. I want our whole congregation to enjoy the worship of this hymn with us. Thanks. 🙂
Sounds great! 🙂