The CuthbertPraise Project

The CuthbertPraise hymn series began as a collection of hymns for the worship team at my own home church,
St. Cuthbert's Episcopal, in Houston, Texas.  St. Cuthbert's is a medium size (but growing!) church in the
suburbs with a diverse and enthusiastic congregation of believers.  Musical tastes range from classical
anthems and traditional hymns to the very latest in Contemporary Christian Music, and while personal
preferences and worship styles may differ vastly, everyone is in agreement that our rich heritage of Episcopal
hymns needs to not only be preserved but continually offered up to the LORD and enjoyed by all His people to
the very fullest.  The CuthbertPraise! Hymn series is a collection of instrumental hymn arrangements designed
to integrate seamlessly with the Episcopal Hymnal.  Each hymn in the collection contains parts for a number of
different combinations  of instruments depending on musical taste and availability of players at your church,
and each arrangement  remains faithful to the original Episcopal Hymnal setting.  
Included in each set are parts for:














Each hymn in the series contains an original descant (some have two) and all the arrangements will work with
all or any combination of instruments. The Voice/Guitar part may be used to accompany singing both with and
without piano/organ. The duet arrangements will also work with one, two or three instruments. The Brass
Ensemble score includes substitution parts that are clearly labeled (for example, Horn and First Trombone may
substitute or sound together, and voicings are optimized for instruments rather than the standard SATB
settings in the hymnal which work well for voices but often sound hollow or uncharacteristic when played on
brass or wind instruments.

Over the years the St. Cuthbert Music Ministry has gradually incorporated more contemporary sounds into
the worship service, employing the use of guitar, bass guitar, drums and keyboard in addition to the standard
choir and piano.

The synthesizer keyboard has proven itself a versatile and easily accessible addition to the ensemble.

A keyboard player with merely modest skills can be employed to play sustained chords or obligatos over the
hymns using a string or soft padding patch (patch is the word used for any particular sound setting).

Most synthesizer keyboards also have a number of percussion patches including drum set and timpani. Since
St. Cuthbert doesn't have an organ, we occasionally use a pipe organ patch on the keyboard to accompany the
hymns along with piano, bass and guitar.
The synthesizer may also be used to add descant or obbligato lines using, for example, a flute or trumpet patch.








Randy Adams has degrees in music from Northwestern University and University of Houston. Randy is
Asscociate Professor of Trumpet and former Director of the Jazz Lab Band at Sam Houston State University.
Randy has also taught at Houston Baptist University and San Jacinto College. He is a former member of the
Houston Symphony Orchestra (2001-2002) Theatre Under the Stars Orchestra (10 yrs) and is currently a
member of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. Randy plays guitar, bass, trumpet and keyboard at St.
Cuthbert Episcopal Church, Houston Texas, where his wife Barbara has been Minister of Music since 1988.
Randy and Barbara have four beautiful and talented daughters - Bethany, Laura, Hope and Grace, a fish
named Moe and a maple tree named Jeff. Come worship with us sometime at St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church
in Houston! RandyAdams@CuthbertPraise.com
CuthbertPraise!
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2 Flutes
2 Bb Trumpets (or Clarinet/Tenor Sax)
2 C Trumpets (or Oboe or Violin)
2 Eb Alto Saxophones
2 Horns in F                                               
2Trombones (or Euphonium, Bassoon or Cello)
Tuba (or Bass Violin)
Full Brass Ensemble (three, four, five, six or more)
Guitar (with fretboard illustrations, capo transpositions where applicable)
Bass Guitar
Timpani (keyboard with a MIDI timp patch works if you don't have drums)