Eternal Father, strong to save

The English poet William Whiting wrote the hymn “Eternal Father, strong to save”, after surviving a storm at sea in 1860 at the age of 35. When clergyman and composer John Bacchus Dykes (1823 - 1876) noticed the hymn in an important new hymnal about a year later, he was inspired to compose the accompanying melody, calling it "Melita". This hymn became famous among navy people and in the merchant navy, and became known by many other names, such as the "Navy Hymn".

Peter Habraken wrote this adaptation on behalf of the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Instructions for performance:

This adaptation by Peter Habraken comes in two versions. Both versions are included. Bars 1 to 23 are identical in both versions. From measure 24, some brass parts in the original (high) version are very high for many players, and therefore heavy to play. To make this arrangement playable for orchestras of different levels, the lower version is included.

There is a coda in both versions. In the view of the arranger, a performance without a coda is better suited to ceremonies, and a performance with a coda is better suited to a concert situation. Of course everyone is free to make his/her own decision.

Note: the attached recording (including the coda) differs slightly from the arrangement published here, but still gives a good impression of this arrangement.