Choral Music
Love Is
You may notice that the thoughts expressed in this piece of music are ordered differently than they are in the passage of Scripture. Verses four through seven are the most familiar, so I chose to begin there and return to the opening thoughts afterward. There are many ideas packed into these thirteen verses, and I wanted each thought to stand on its own, so I chose to provide each one with its own motifs and textures then return to the familiar verses four through seven as a kind of chorus. In welding these varied ideas, tonal centers, meters, and textures together I created a rhapsodic tapestry which I hope provides the listener with a new appreciation for Paul’s familiar words.
Amazing Grace
With a recognizable folk melody and words by John Newton, this hymn is familiar, not only in Christian circles, but throughout the world. It has been set countless times for a wide variety of instrumentation and voices. My dear friend Rachel Schaarschmidt asked me to set this hymn for SATB and piano for her senior recital in Spring of 2020. The song was her grandfather's favorite, and she wanted to honor his legacy. She specified that she wanted the setting to have dissonances, emphasizing the hardships of life through which we discover greater aspects of God's grace. I approached this challenge by adding a recurring piano figure that expresses hope through difficulty and allows the voices to float on top of that theme. This setting was timely at the onset of quarantine and its preparation and premiere performance coincided with the closing of Houghton College's campus. If fact, it was the last song sung at an official on-campus recital in the Spring 2020 semester. God allowed this song, a testament to His endless grace even in the midst of loss, to ring out truth to an anxious audience before we said goodbye.
Christmas Joy
Jesus’ birth presents a dynamic contrast. On one hand, there are the extremely humble circumstances. A young, unmarried woman arrives in Bethlehem with her fiancé on a donkey and finds that there is no room for them except in a stable. Then, the unthinkable happens. This is the place where she will give birth. To top off the night, shepherds arrive, without warning, to greet the newborn King. Yet, on the other hand, here lies the King of creation, God made flesh! Angels are declaring en masse the good news! A star appears proclaiming his birthplace and leading the magi to his side.
In this piece, I wanted to musically encapsulate the complex humility and glory seen on that Christmas night. The piece begins sparsely and simply. We learn of Mary’s news that she will conceive the Savior. We walk with Joseph as he cares for Mary as they trek to the City of David, finding there no room for them or their child. Next, we meet the kings and shepherds, and in a joyful moment, the tempo increases, and the room explodes with the sound of the angels elevating this meek evening to a heavenly celebration. The Savior is born!
Are Not Thy Mercies Large and Free?
This text from Isaac Watts immediately grabbed my attention. He helps us grasp the free gift that is salvation. I hope to have captured the soaring, free feeling Watts describes in his text in this four-part arrangement.
In the Bleak Midwinter
Here is my choral setting of Christina Rossetti’s famous Christmas poem with music by Gustav Holst. This is one of my favorite carols, and I hope you enjoy this version of it.
Cradle Hymn
This song is a setting of Watt’s Cradle Hymn, a lullaby sung to a child reminding them of the hardships that Jesus had to bear as He was born into the world. The first line of the poem serves as a repeated chorus throughout the piece. In this arrangement I have also taken lines from the first verse and used them for the accompanying voices. Through tight harmonies and occasional dissonances, I hope to communicate both the beauty humble setting of the incarnation of Christ.
The Word of Christmas
The first chapter of the Gospel of John presents a unique approach to the account of Jesus’ incarnation. Rather than describing the physical, practical details of this narrative, John instead focuses on the cosmological and theological implications of the Word become flesh. In this choral cantata, passages from John’s discussion of the “Christmas account” come alongside those provided in Luke to create a rich fabric of theological implications built on the events that occurred on that miraculous evening.
This idea, of the Word made flesh, is at the heart of this musical program. Interspersed with readings from John 1 and Luke 2 are passages from Genesis, the prophets, and Philippians. These Scriptures combine to remind us of the attitude of longing that the season of Advent brings. We remember the anticipation Israel felt for their Messiah and we prepare for the next coming of Christ. This program spends considerable time in the attitudes and thoughts of waiting. As this anticipatory season culminates in the birth of Christ, so too is that divine moment the climax of this program.
Often reflections of Christmas become overly sentimental. The nature of Christ’s birth is certainly heavy with endearing meaning, but sometimes in the midst of sentimentality, the importance of salvific truth is missed. In order to balance the precious news of Christ’s birth and the joyful theological implications of the incarnation, this program combines songs that set portions of scripture, songs that reflect anticipating a Savior, and songs that celebrate the birth of Christ. It also contains a mix of familiar carols, completely brand-new songs, and beloved texts set to original tunes.
I hope that as you listen to these songs and Scripture readings, you clearly see Christ: as both fully God and fully man come to save sinners and set this broken world right. If the story of Christmas of familiar to you, I hope that you will see treasured truths in a fresh way. The story of Christ coming to dwell among us is rich with truth, and every time we approach this familiar narrative there is new application and insight to be gleaned. If you approach this time of year unfamiliar with its Biblical origins, please listen intentionally and see the beautiful truth that lies at the heart of its celebration—though this world has been broken by sin, God in Jesus sacrificed the glories of heaven to dwell with His people both 2000 years ago and today within the hearts of those who believe.