Encouraging saints around the world since 1991 !!

The background MIDI for this page is "Splendor and Majesty"
written by Ralph Merrifield and Lenny Smith,
beautifully arranged for orchestra by Fred Scorza

"Splendor And Majesty" has been published in Hal Leonard's 
"Praise & Worship Fake Book"

More exciting news !  Fred Bock Music has published a Tom Fettke SATB arrangement of "Splendor And Majesty" !!

Fred Bock Music
http://fredbock.com

Their description: Lenny Smith's "Our God Reigns" has been a praise chorus favorite for many years and "Splendor and Majesty" is not far behind. We are so please Tom Fettke wanted to make a choral arrangement of this wonderful song. A powerful anthem on its own, and what a great way to teach a congregation a new praise song. Part of the Seasons of Praise library. An optional Praise Band Accompaniment pack (BG2492B), Choral Reheasal Track (BGRD2492) and Choral Rehearsal Track 10 Pack (BGRD2492CP) are available.

Sound sample of this arrangement

NEW!!!   Translated into Português (Brasil) by 
Daniel Borges, from Sao Paulo, Brazil
Português (Brasil) translation

This song is now included in the Cyber Hymnal !

Richard Garber's arrangement of this song made it to the 
Top 30 on the jazz charts
at soundclick.com  (#27 on 5/29/02) !!

Two choirs from Bishop Lavis, Cape Town ( South Africa) sent me
a recording of them singing 7 New Hope Music songs!  Thank you !!!

Click below to listen to their recordings of this song (MP3 format)
"Splendor And Majesty"  Adult Choir

"I was listening to 'Splendor and Majesty',
and it has awakened something deep and spiritual inside of me.
I am definitely going to get my junior choir to do it...
I'm excited to get started with a masterpiece such as (this)."
(Liz, in South Africa)

Hear this sung by "Willing Hands", 
a beautiful choir from South Africa

See pictures of Liz and her choirs!!!

SPLENDOR AND MAJESTY
By Ralph Merrifield and Lenny Smith,
Copyright 1996,  New Jerusalem Music
P.O. Box 225, Clarksboro NJ 08020 USA

Bm7    E7sus4  E7  Am7  D7  G

Gmaj7                  Bm7              
Splendor and majesty are before You!
Cmaj7            Am7                   Em         D
Strength and joy are in Your dwelling place!
Gmaj7                         Bm7
Mercy and kindness, full of forgiveness!
C                       Am7
Great are You, Lord,
C                    Am7           D7
Honored and worthy of praise!

Gmaj7             Bm7  Em7  Am7            C  D7
Splendor and majesty!     Honor and glory!
Bm7        E7sus4    E7      Am7       D7
Holy are You, O   Lord, Lamb of God!
          Gmaj7                 Bm7     Em
Your love exceeds our fondest dreams.
         Am7                    C      D
Your power conquers everything.
Bm7                            E7sus4       E7
Grace and truth flow from Your throne
Am7 D     Bm7   E7  Am7 D7    G
Awesome God!       Awesome God!

HISTORY:

I originally wrote "Splendor and Majesty" January 9, 1993
(based on I Chronicles 16:24-27), and modified it
while navigating bumper-to-bumper commuter traffic
on Route 128 (just south of Boston Massachusetts) !

Several New Hope musicians recorded the instrumental background
on 4-track DAT cassette in the dark, unfinished basement of a friend in Westboro MA.
See more pictures on our "We Declare Your Glory" page.
A few months later (in the back room of another friend's mobile home ! ),
Julie Joyner  added the vocals.

Left click title below
to hear this original 1993 version ( MP3 format).
Right click and "Save Target As"
to download to your computer
Splendor And Majesty   (original recording)

Brentwood Music in Nashville showed an early interest in that version of the song,
but they didn't have any projects in the works that matched the style.
I wrote verses 2 & 3 at their request.   Original Lyrics (3 verses)

Lenny Smith

Featured Christian Songwriter:
Lenny Smith

In the Spring of 1996,
Lenny Smith called to see if I'd like to do some co-writing with him
(New Hope and New Jerusalem Music happened to be next to each other
alphabetically in the CCLI Publishers List !)

After listening to all my recordings, he asked permission to
reshape the lyrics and melody of "Splendor and Majesty",
and that is how it came to have its current form.

Lenny has shared the music with many since then.
Tom Fettke and Lillenas Publishing expressed an early interest
to do an arrangement for choir.    Fred Bock Music Company
also desired to write a choir arrangement and include it in a songbook,
but we decided not to accept these initial offers.  

In March 2004, Hal Leonard was the first to published it in their "Praise And Worship Fake Book".  
In 2006, Fred Bock Music Company published a Tom Fettke arrangement.

Music producers have shared it with Christian recording artists/songwriters
(Kim Hill, Ron Kenoly, Phil Driscoll, Ken Copeland, Henry Smith,
Don Moen) and more arrangements are in the works.
Lenny Smith is singing it in his concerts and
will be including this song on his next CD.

"I love the song Splendor & Majesty very much.
Could you send the SATB of this song written by John Roseti..."
(Ben in Surabaya, Indonesia)

WEB SITES:

As a result of Lenny Smith's efforts,
several MIDI and MP3 arrangements have been written
and they are now included or used as background
on more than three dozen web sites - 
from America to Scotland to Australia to Japan,
including...

Front Porch Inspirations
The Bread Site
Free Praise and Worship
Lassen Technologies
The Music Room
Douglas Sand's Christian Music Collection
United Marriage Encounter
Aggelia Internet Publishing
Abana Praise and Worship MIDI
IMC Christian MIDI Songs Archive
Inspirational Writings
Living Waters Jazz
Christian Promotions
Matt's Catholic Site
New Life Evangelical Free Church
Digital Hymnal
The Dove's MIDI Collection
Faith Fellowship Church (Florida)

Thank you !!

This morning was the 4th week of our new fellowship.  We had 21 in the service 
and a multi-cultural environment once again.  The VIBF Jr. ensemble 
sang "He Shall Be Called" and did a marvelous job with the music...  

The congregation sang, "Splendor and Majesty" at the beginning of the service 
with yours truly singing the verse as a solo...  I played the original recording 
throughout the 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the service so the congregation 
would be familiar, then on cue we began singing the song with prayerful worship 
and even I was shocked as to the reception of this song.  (Jean-Claude, from Florida)

MIDI CENTRAL:

Right click on any "MIDI man of God" below
and "Save Target As..."
to download his arrangement of
"Splendor and Majesty"

Elton Smith
Elton Smith #2  *
Fred Scorza #1 (orchestral)
Fred Scorza #2
Larrie Dee
Victor Stockman (version 1)
Victor Stockman (version 2)
Louis Webb
Roy Ford (version 1)
Roy Ford (version 2)
John Tolson
Adrian V. Miller (version 1)
Adrian V. Miller (version 2)
Mystery Arranger **

* Elton wrote..."After this song was out here for several months, Ralph contacted me and 
asked if there could be a softer, more worshipful version of this midi created.
This was easy to do, since the chords and melody were already stored in my computer."
- Elton, November 15, 1997"

**  If you happen to be this mystery arranger,
please let me know so I can give you proper credit!

ARRANGERS:

In December 2000,  Larrie Dee (California), music arranger, wrote:
"Splendor and Majesty: This song was originally penned by Ralph P. Merrifield in 1993. 
Lenny Smith of "Our God Reigns" fame collaborated with Ralph in 1996 to produce 
one of the most majestic praise songs
I have ever been privileged to arrange and perform. 

Not as well known yet as "Our God Reigns" but equally as compelling a song to hear 
and the lyrics are superb!   I arranged, orchestrated and composed this MIDI file 
especially for Lenny Smith at his request. The Timpani section introduces 
the song's regal characteristics. The brass section carries on until the flute 
takes over the lead and the strings weave in and out as a lost zephyr
while the French horns provide the counter melody. 

I could just envision someone like Sandi Patti, Larnell Harris
or Sylvester Blue with a large orchestra behind them recording this beautiful song! 
Unfortunately, my meager presentation of only a MIDI file here does not do the song justice." 
Larrie Dee Entertainment

Brief biography of Larrie Dee

A nice "light jazz" MIDI arrangement of "Splendor and Majesty"
was written by Victor Stockman (Georgia).  Victor is
also arranged  "Bless The Lord (Calypso)"
and several other MIDIs  for New Hope Music.
Victrolla Music

Thanks to Elton Smith (Texas) for making his
MIDI version of "Splendor and Majesty"
(our first arrangement!) available on his
marvelous web sites, and on one of his CD recordings.
He's also done an arrangement of "He Shall Be Called",
"Mighty One" (in English and Spanish)
and created our New Hope Music banner !!
Songs Of Praise

Fred Scorza (Pennsylvania) has arranged several New Hope MIDIs,
including "Heavens and Earth",   "Hosanna (It's Jesus!)",
"Search Me, O God" , "Hallelujah, Jesus Is Lord"
and the background MIDI on this page.
In addition, Fred created some PDF sheet music for us,
including "He Shall Be Called" for SATB choir.

Right click file below and "Save Target As"
 to download Adrian V. Miller's
PDF Sheet Music (all 3 verses!!) of
Splendor And Majesty
(Acrobat Reader 5.0 version)

Right click title below and "Save Target As"
 to download Adrian V. Miller's
PDF Sheet Music (first verse only) of
Splendor And Majesty
(Acrobat Reader 5.0 version)

Right click file below and "Save Target As"
 to download Fred Scorza's
PDF Sheet Music (first verse) of
Splendor And Majesty
(Acrobat Reader 3.02 version)

A four-part choir arrangement (SATB)
has been written by John Roseti !
For a free typeset promotional copy (8 pages) *, 
please e-mail  New Jerusalem Music
with your regular mailing address 
(the one the post office uses)

* If New Jerusalem Music mails you additional copies, they are 
$2/each plus postage.  If you want to make your own copies 
please send them $1.25 for each you make.
(it's an honor system, please treat the publisher fairly)

This arrangement has been requested by church choirs from
Nashville to Indonesia to South Africa!

Another early version of this song, created by Mark R. Weston,
is included with seven other Lenny Smith songs
in Mark's MIDI collection, called "Splendor and Majesty".
In 1998, Mark wrote "Lenny has honored me to be the 
MIDI orchestrator  of this, his first MIDI album he is offering.  
The song "Splendor and Majesty" is bound to be another Christian Classic, 
well suited for church congregational singing, or solo expression."

Richard Garber (North Carolina),
calling it "one of the best worship choruses on the Internet",
created a "big band" version of this song! 
Of this arrangement, he wrote.
"It's very important to me that my arrangements are unique to each other. For instance,
in "Splendor And Majesty", I wound up doing that particular arrangement the way
I did because I had just finished "Sing To The Lord"; a hefty energetic
dirty-jazz sounding piece. I need to offset that sound with something more
subtle in "Splendor And Majesty".  My arrangement, wound up being cha cha
rhythmic, with subtleties. My preference for "Splendor" would have been
something more grandiose and orchestral but being it was planned to be part
of a CD, I needed variety, so "Splendor" wound up arranged the way it was. So
in a sense, I'm the nonconformist here because I look at arranging songs as
part of a sequence of a whole set of tunes, not just a one by one situation."

Richard's arrangement of this song made it to
#27 on the jazz charts at soundclick.com  !!

You can download a MP3 copy from his site

Richard also arranged several other MIDIs  for us,
including "The God Of Jerusalem",  "How Awesome Is This Place",
"As The Trees"  and  "I Will Walk".

This song is included with "How Precious Is Your Love"
in the latest "Living Waters Jazz" Composer's Choice CD Collections

He has created a wonderful accompaniment track for
"The Baby Of Bethlehem"

Roy Ford (Western Australia) has done an arrangement
(his web site is "Christian Music Resources")

Another MIDI was written by John Tolson (Scotland)






We have piano/voice/guitar sheet music for "Splendor and Majesty",
arranged by Louis Webb.  His lively MIDI and sheet music
are featured on the Cyber Hymnal web site.

Or click just on these to view Louis Webb's arrangement ...
GIF format, page 1
GIF format, page 2
GIF format, page 3

Split Infinity Music also includes a guitar lead sheet, MIDI and a
BMP file of the Louis Webb piano/voice/guitar arrangement)

HOW GOD IS USING THE SONG

One person who heard it (Elton Smith's MIDI)
sent a copy to her sister, who was
"physically tired and spiritually low." She writes

"the song (and the words) ministered to her - and she
felt refreshed and edified... she played the song over and over...
there is something very special about that song."
See our guestbook for the sister's comments.

Lenny Smith shared the following story with me.

"We just don't know all the ways the Lord uses our songs.
Recently I showed our song, "Splendor and Majesty"
to a trained organist and his soloist wife.
Both these people have had their ministry somewhat
"side-tracked" for the past several years.
They, in fact, have just about "given up" and are not even practicing.

Well, "Splendor and Majesty" seems to have acted like a hook in the mouth
drawing them both back to their calling!
They are playing and singing it daily and the glow is returning to their faces!
They are even getting the piano tuned and have recently
cleared it off and polished it!
The thing that delights me most is that they are doing again
all the old songs they also do so well.
Ralph, thank you for allowing me to take your song
and re-work it and be a part of creating this classic!
I love this song!"

Click below to visit the web site of Lenny Smith (New Jersey)
and to hear him sing the song (Real Audio)  


Click here to see the lead sheet,
handwritten by Lenny Smith himself!

We want to perform "Splendor And Majesty", "Center Of My Soul" and 
possibly "If We Walk In The Light" at our annual Aboriginal Regional...  
my little group is wanting to liven and modernize our music and improve the 
quality of our service... We feel it is so important for our young people.   
(Robyn & Rongo, from Australia)

Only God knows His plan for "Splendor And Majesty".
He will open the doors He wants opened,
and close the doors He wants closed.
God is in control !    Hallelujah !!

Thank you for the part you have
in sharing this song with others...

- Ralph Merrifield

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Last updated 9/21/07

visits since 7/20/04