1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Song List
  4.  » He is Risen!

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

PDF:


Personal Composer:

Transpose/resize .pc files using the Personal Composer Demo. (Help)

 

 

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

  1. Tori Bowers

    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.

    Reply
  2. Belinda Ashcroft

    A simple organ descant with chimes would be so cool. Do you have such a thing?

    Reply
  3. Delia Cabrera

    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

    Reply
  4. Doreen McGowan

    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.

    Reply
  5. Laurine Cihak

    Our small choir would like to sing this beautiful song with this arrangement for Easter 2022.

    Reply
  6. S Nick King

    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)

    Reply
  7. Kenneth Ott

    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.

    Reply
  8. Diane Bolman

    Why can we no longer hear a sample of the music?

    Diane

    Reply
  9. Rosanne Deem

    Good morning Sally – do you have a simplified piano version for this song? Have a wonderful Easter, Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Denise

    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!

    Reply
    • sallydeford

      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. 🙁

      Reply
  11. Crisol Gonzalez

    Someone has the lyrics in German?

    Reply
    • Karin

      https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/music/library/hymns/he-is-risen?lang=deu&_r=1

      Reply
    • Karin Tarbet

      You can find the German lyrics at this web site:

      https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/music/library/hymns/he-is-risen?lang=deu&_r=1

      Reply
  12. Abby Clay

    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!

    Reply
    • Ginny Lund

      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.

      Reply
  13. Seth Jenson

    Hi Sally! Is there a simplified piano accompanist’s version of this?

    Reply
  14. Koleta Wells

    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,

    Reply
  15. Emily Biesinger

    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. 🙂

    Reply
    • sallydeford

      Sounds great! 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Karin Tarbet Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Don't see what you want here? Try one of these great sites:

  • Sheet Music Plus

    They have just about everything, secular and sacred–usually at a discount.

  • Free Sacred Sheet Music

    Free, downloadable religious music. 4500+ selections. Publish your own music there as well!

(Affiliate links. Use them if you’d like to help fund this site.)