This year, the calendar worked out such that both St. Patrick's Day and Easter fall in March.  So this month's free tab offering is a 2-part arrangement of an Irish Easter hymn, "He Is Risen".  The words are from a poem by Irish hymn writer Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895).  She wrote over 400 hymns in her lifetime, many of which were included in the Church of Ireland hymnbook.  She also published a separate volume entitled "Hymns for Little Children".  Some of her most well known hymns include "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "There is a Green Hill Far Away", and the Christmas carol "Once in Royal David's City".

The melody that that this hymn is commonly paired with was written by the 17th century German theologian and composer Joachim Neander, and goes by the tune name "Unser Herrscher", or "Our Ruler".  The same tune has been used for many other hymns from various denominations, including "God of Love and God of Power", "Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty", and another Easter hymn entitled "In the Bonds of Death He Lay".

This arrangement is presented in 2 parts - melody and backup.  In this arrangement, the last  2 lines of each verse is repeated as the "refrain", and it's a good place to use some dynamics to distinguish them.  This can be done by playing it louder the first time and softer the second (or the reverse), or by varying the place on your instrument where you strum (over the sound holes the first time, back by the bridge the second time).   This gives those lines a "call and response" effect.

Wishing you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day, as well as a joyous and blessed Easter!

In music and friendship,

--Tull

Here are the complete set of lyrics:

Said the angel, “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, we are free,
Christ has won the victory.

Come, ye sad and fearful hearted,
With glad smile and radiant brow!
Death’s long shadows have departed;
All our woes are over now,
Due to passion that He bore—
Sin and pain can vex no more.

Come, with high and holy hymning,
Chant our Lord’s triumphant day;
Not one darksome cloud is dimming
Yonder glorious morning ray,
Breaking over the purple east:
Brighter far our Easter feast.

He is risen, He is risen!
He has 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.