This hymn tune by Arthur Mann with lyric by John Bode has been characterized by some as a funeral hymn, when it is in fact a hymn of consecration, a plea for close fellowship through the trials of life and a commitment to constantly seek God's guidance. This is intended to be sung by a baritone, and the solo part is written in bass clef. Treble singers may do well with this piece, as well as some instrumentalists. In the accompaniment, substituting oboe or flute for the high part or bassoon for the low part might be good alternate possibilities, though the flautist may find the lack of good breathing places daunting. Either or both accompaniment parts could also be played on a high-quality synthesizer in a pinch. The tune and harmony are interesting and beautiful, but the best feature is the prayer that is the lyric: +++ O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end; Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend. I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side, Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide. O let me feel Thee near me, the world is ever near; I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear; My foes are ever near me, around me and within, But Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin. O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee That where Thou art in glory, there shall Thy servant be; And Jesus I have promised to serve Thee to the end; O give me grace to follow my Master and my Friend. Lord, give me grace to follow my Master and my Friend. +++ O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED, by Bode and Mann, arranged for baritone soloist with violin and cello by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 486K, with a four page score, two-page violin part, two-page cello part, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:00. MIDI sound sample: Entire Piece TRK10096AUS$3.95 BLANKET RECORDING POLICY FOR SHEET MUSIC Many of our sheet music licenses state that the purchaser does not have the right to record the work. We have modified our policy on this, and unless the license page states that you must obtain permission from a party other than www.tributek.com to record the work, we will allow a small number (less than 50) of copies of an audio or video recording of a live performance to be made and distributed and/or posted to a free web site for viewing/listening, so long as www.tributek.com, the composer, arranger, and lyricist are credited. IN THE DOWNLOADABLES BUSINESS OVER TEN YEARS! Visit our hard goods division at A customer commented: "This was a first for me: downloading a book instead of buying it in paper form. The cost of the book in this format was less than many firms charge for shipping an item. I had not a single glitch and I would buy another book in this format with no reservations. Tributek did a good job." Another customer commented: "I would like to compliment you on the ease of purchasing music on-line. I require the music for a wedding in a couple of weeks, and didn't want to wait for music to be sent in the mail. It was great to be able to hear the music and to know the length of the PDF file and performance time." Another customer writes: "I bought some choral music off your site. It's great. I hope we can do all of it in our church. I don't know how you can sell it so cheap. It's a great service you offer." NOTE: All www.tributek.com customers are given the opportunity to rate our service, value, and quality, and 98% of www.tributek.com customers who have ever returned satisfaction surveys rate their overall experience doing business with us as "excellent" (71%) or "good" (27%). You can't please all of the people all of the time, but we do try very hard. www.tributek.com - PO Box 8025 - Elburn IL 60119 USA Visit our hard goods division at www.tributek.biz Copyright (c)1999-2012 www.tributek.com All rights to all text, sounds, and graphics are reserved. Last update: 21 May 2012