The Old Rugged Cross

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On Easter Sunday, I attended services at the Round Rock Baptist Church. It is a beautiful little church that reminds me very much of the church that was an important part of my early childhood. 
 

Round Rock Baptist Church

When I was just a tad, Wednesday night was reserved for Choir Practice and Prayer Meeting. It was an unbreakable ritual. Grandmother would hold my hand as we walked the few blocks past the rail depot to the little Baptist church in the center of the village. If I could go back and visit that village today, I'm sure that I would see that the walk was only a few blocks, but to someone who was not even old enough for kindergarten, it seemed to be an epic journey. I was grateful to have my Grandmother's hand to hold!
 
One of the songs that I remember from those church meetings was George Bennard's wonderful old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross. Even though that hymn was not in the program on Easter Sunday, the melody and words kept coming back to me. Finally, I decided that I needed to sit down and arrange a version of The Old Rugged Cross. 

I wanted to keep it simple, as I remember it from my childhood. So it starts with a unison/octave verse and does not introduce harmony until the chorus. Even then there are only two parts - nothing complicated to distract from the meaning of Bennard's words.




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