This month's free tab is a 2-part arrangement of the Easter hymn "Low in the Grave He Lay", written in 1874 by Robert Lowry.  Lowry was a professor of literature, who later studied theology and became an ordained Baptist minister.  He also served as the editor for a number of well-known Sunday School hymn books, including "Pure Gold", "Fountain of Song", "Welcome Tidings", and "Brightest and Best".  He saw hymn writing as secondary to his calling as a preacher, but he wrote over 500 hymns during his lifetime.  He also collaborated with other hymn writers such as Howard Doane, Ira Sankey, and Fanny Crosby to provide lyrics for a melody, or music for a set of lyrics.  Among his best known hymns are "Nothing But the Blood", "All the Way My Savior Leads Me", "How Can I Keep From Singing", and "Shall We Gather At The River".

"Low In The Grave He Lay" (also known as "Up From the Grave" or "Christ Arose") was written as an Easter anthem while he was serving as a pastor in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and was first performed by the children's choir at that church for an Easter sunrise service.  Since then, it has become an "Easter standard" at churches of many different denominations.

Wishing you all a blessed Easter season!