Amazing Grace
A hymn from 1779, sung to the tune "New Britain." It moves almost entirely by step and by skips within the chord, and it never rushes — which makes it the perfect tune for reading a line of expression marks: a slow melody where every hairpin has room to breathe.
In G major, first position. Andante, ♩ = 95, 3/4. Start mp.
Phrase 1 — "Amazing grace, how sweet the"
How to play it
Marked mp — soft, but full-toned, near the middle of the bow. The pickup is the open D. Then the long–short lean: a dotted quarter on G, a quick B, a quarter G. Count '1 2 3-&' for the dotted bars. Even, unhurried — this tune is patient.
Phrase 2 — "sound, that saved a wretch" (growing)
How to play it
'cresc.' across these two bars — a little more bow speed on every note, edging toward the bridge. The line sinks to the low D and then climbs back to G. Don't lurch the crescendo; spread it evenly toward the next phrase.
Phrase 3 — "like me, I once was lost" (the peak)
How to play it
mf now, and this is the high point of the tune — the reach up to the 3rd-finger D at the top of 'once was lost'. Give that D the fullest, most singing sound in the piece. Then let it fall back to G.
Phrase 4 — "but now am found" (settling)
How to play it
'dim.' back down over the descent, 'rit.' broadening the last bar, and a fermata on the final G: hold it well past its three beats, bow slowing, tone thinning to almost nothing, then lift. The hymn comes to rest — it doesn't stop.
The whole tune, shaped
The one thing this tune is for
Reading a line of expression marks on a slow melody — mp, cresc., mf, dim.,
rit., a fermata — and playing each one as part of a single arc, not as separate events. The
tune barely moves; the shaping is the whole performance.
The usual mistake
Playing it all at one dynamic and one speed because the notes are easy — the marks are the music here. And clipping the final fermata: it should outlast its written length by a good margin, fading rather than ending.