Introduction to SDA Hymnal transposed
for C, Bb, Eb, F & Bass Instruments.
14 August 2022  - Update
 Since first uploading the transposed hymns for different instruments in 2020, there has been some major editing on each hymn to comply with copyright matters that were raised.  Some hymns had to be removed.  Some others have been added.
 In General:
1. You will find the instrument hymn parts in their particular folders for: C, Bb, Eb, F & Bass instruments (C, Bb & Eb instruments preferring to read the Bass clef)
2. In the C, Bb, Eb & F folders, the treble clef is used & are in 3 parts for instrumental groups harmony playing:
  • 1st part – Soprano/melody line
  • 2nd part – Alto
  • 3rd part – Tenor.
3. The Eb instrument 1st part I split into octaves, the upper octave for instruments like Alto Saxophone preferring higher register and the lower octave for instruments like Tenor horn.  This I also did for the F instrument 1st part.
4. The Bass clef folder is written in the Bass clef.  The top 2 parts are soprano & alto (as in the treble clef folders) while the 3rd part includes both Tenor & Bass parts as written in the hymn book to enable 4 part harmony playing.  For bass instruments preferring to read the Treble clef, you will find the tenor & bass parts written in the treble clef.
5. There are 3 hymns put into 4 parts to include an interesting base line: #214, #440 & #552 (Descant part).
6. Music arranged/composed by my step sister Gwenallen Devries, myself & my husband Colin have been added to Bonus Music for your enjoyment & church use. 
Copyright Matters
1. Copyright laws are different from one country to another.  In the United States, works fall into the Public Domain (PD) based largely of publication date (but the exact rules vary depending on a number of factors).  In Australia, works are PD if the last surviving author/composer died before 1955 (this rule applies until 2025) or the last surviving author/composer died more than 70 years ago (this rule applies from 2026 onwards).  In New Zealand and South Pacific Island nations, works are PD if the last surviving author/composer died more than 50 years ago.
2. Most of the world is in between.  This creates anomalies where what is public domain (PD) in one country may not be in another.      NOTE: CCLI licence is only valid for a church with that licence.  It DOES NOT apply to our putting hymns on this site.  So all hymns that required CCLI reporting have been removed, UNLESS we found an alternative arrangement that was PD.  (This has been rectified from the earlier version.)
3. Public Domain hymns – may be copied freely without permission.  Most hymns I included are in this category because all composers and arrangers died before 1955.  Some are PD in Australia/New Zealand but not in the USA.  This has been noted on such hymns.  There are many PD in USA, but not in Australia/NZ so beware of sites such as Hymnary.org or CyberHymnal – they apply USA rules.
4. Some hymn tunes are PD but the words are copyright.  PLEASE NOTE that this includes some hymns on the SPD list as “Not to be copied”.  The reason is that photocopying the hymnal includes the words which are copyright.  Since this site is not reproducing words, the music is PD and can be copied.  This is noted on the hymns concerned. 
5. Covered by SPD (South Pacific Division): Some hymns (e.g. some of Wayne Hooper’s arrangements) can be copied freely by churches in SPD.  These hymns are labelled – “SPD music licence, permitted for use in SPD only.”  These CANNOT be copied outside the territory of the South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
6. A number of hymns in the SDA Hymnal are listed by the SPD as not to be copied/reproduced, because the arrangement used is recent & copyrighted (e.g. many are arranged by Melvin West & so copyrighted.)   In many cases, the original hymn is PD.  In some cases, I managed to find earlier arrangements from older sources which ARE in PD.  This is noted on the music.
7. In the case of hymns 44, 121 & 397 I have made my own arrangement which can be freely copied as needed for church use.  For these  hymns along with hymns 93 & 532, sourced from other PD arrangements, please use the piano music files, as the harmony would not be compatible with the hymnal version. 
8. Recently 4 hymns have now become Public Domain: 371, 401, 409 & 617 thanks to research and submissions to CCLI.  This is because we obtained evidence that the composer/arranger died earlier than 1955.  (A number of hymns are excluded from PD only because the information on the composer/arranger was unknown.)  These may not yet have appeared on the SPD list.  If in doubt, contact CCLI (Australia) or the South Pacific Division “Music Copyright” team at the contact/feedback details given on the SPD website at:  corporate.adventistchurch.com/music-copyright.
9. If there are hymns you would like added that I didn’t include due to being less well known and if they are Public Domain, let me know and I will be happy to add them to the files.  If you have any further questions, contact me at my email address: [email protected]
10. Download and use of these arrangements are permitted free of charge provided it is not for commercial purposes. 
11. Happy playing in your church musical groups!
Merian Richardson.