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This I Know   Impressions in Black and White       Pure Piano Panoramas      Pure Piano Portraits

THIS I KNOW: AGELESS HYMNS OF FAITH 

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

When I began to plan a CD featuring hymns, I e-mailed my friend, Dr. Richard J. Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary. He and I share a love of hymns, so I asked him if he might tell me some of his favorites. He kindly obliged with a short list, including this piece. Fortunately, it was also one of my favorites! Moreover, I have always loved Christian artist Ashley Cleveland's version, which I have often heard her perform live and which is featured on her 2005 CD release Men and Angels Say. One thing uniting Dr. Mouw, Ms. Cleveland, and myself is an appreciation of reformed theology and its emphasis on God's firm grasp on his children. Indeed, how encouraging it is to "raise my Ebenezer" and give thanks that "Thus far, the Lord has helped us" (I Samuel 7:12). Ironically, this hymn also describes our being "prone to wander" away from God, in spite of His love. This phrase from the lyrics inspires me to seek an ever closer walk with God, and so I begin and end my arrangement with the portion of the traditional melody that accompanies these poignant words.

 'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus

As this hymn's refrain states, I have indeed "proved Him o'er and o'er," often most clearly during tragic times. My own faith began very early (sometime before the age of 4), and I quickly found occasions to trust Jesus (like when I was frightened to learn that my parents could not stay with me when I began school)! Throughout my life, I have found God to be the only One who has never let me down, whereas I have been the one to "let me down" the most. This trust is not merely a simplistic ability to predict God's behavior, for often I cannot understand His actions. I have learned, however, that I can trust God's character, and I can rest in the confidence of who God is. Indeed, how good to know that I can "take Him at His word!"

Day By Day

My life remains grounded in God's amazing grace. I love this hymn's lyrics (Lina Sandell-Berg, 1865), which speak of God's caring presence and provision in the daily life of His children. The old Swedish melody (Oskar Ahnfelt, 1872) was a favorite of both my parents. It transports me to childhood, where I relished warm limpa (Swedish rye bread) in my grandparents' kitchen. They did not speak much Swedish, but I can still hear them saying "Tack sjalv mycket" (thank you very much) as though it were today. This hymn debuted on Impressions In Black And White.

Fairest Lord Jesus

This was one of the first hymns I ever learned, as a five-year old Sunday School student at Grace Church in Ridgewood, NJ. The teacher presented the lyrics on a large flipchart with colorful pictures, which helped me memorize the words even though I could not yet read them! I have always loved the beauty of creation, as evidenced by the titles of many of my compositions. As I grew older, this song helped me to conceptualize God as being far more beautiful than anything or anyone I could imagine. At the same time, it helped inform my growing experience of God as being completely approachable. In a sense, this hymn helped convey Jesus' words to me, "Let the little children come unto me" (Matthew 19:14).

Holy, Holy, Holy

November 10, 1990 will always be one of the most important dates in my life. As a morning rain fell outside the old white church in Lawrenceville, NJ, just south of Princeton, my best friend Sharon and I sealed our mutual commitment with marriage vows. For our wedding processional, we chose this classic hymn of praise to God. Sharon and I believe that marriage is a three-person relationship, with the third Person being God, to whom we commit our lives both jointly and individually. Whereas we walked down the aisle to a traditional version of this hymn, my arrangement is intended to be meditative and emotive, transporting the listener out of the midst of the hectic here-and-now to a place of quiet peace. This hymn debuted on Pure Piano Panoramas.

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross

In my life, the image on the Shroud of Turin has served as a powerful visual reminder of Christ's sufferings. In a similar sense, I view this hymn as an equally powerful lyrical and musical reminder. I am deeply moved by Isaac Watts' (1707) words: "See from His head, His hands, His feet; sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?" My own Protestant tradition depicts an empty cross because Jesus is risen. I have often felt, however, that empty crosses (which are often fashioned of shining brass bearing no resemblance to the actual cross) tend to encourage Christians to minimize the great cost to God in the death of His Son. Indeed, "love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."

It Is Well With My Soul

I always enjoyed this hymn growing up, but it seemed a bit melancholy even as it encouraged focus on trusting God in all circumstances. Then, in the early 1990s, I was asked to accompany the singing of this hymn as part of a baby girl's dedication at our church. Her mother, I learned, was related to Philip Bliss who composed the melody (1876). Intrigued, I read about this hymn and discovered that the author, Horatio Spafford (1873) had written the lyrics after losing his four daughters in a shipwreck. Thereafter, this piece became a favorite, and my own faith has been encouraged by Spafford, whose faith was severely tested yet remained in tact.

Jerusalem

This classic old English hymn is a favorite of mine for several reasons. First, I love the melody. Second, it was used as the theme for the movie Chariots of Fire (1981) which takes its title from lyrics of this hymn. This film tells the story of Eric Lidell, the Scottish Olympian who refused to run on the Sabbath in 1924 (see Be Still My Soul below). The link to this movie is also powerful for me because both my father and his father were runners. In fact, my grandfather was about the same age as Lidell. I have circa 1918 track team photos of my grandfather, and he looks like he stepped right out of the film. This hymn debuted on Pure Piano Portraits.

O, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

This hymn touches me both musically and lyrically. Its description of God's love matches my own personal experience: "vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me." As such, my arrangement of this piece attempts to depict the steady, constant motion of ocean waves. Whereas actual waves of physical ocean water could no doubt promote an overwhelming sense of fear to a hapless "man overboard," my hope is that the listener can experience an overwhelming sense of warmth and love from the ocean's Creator. This hymn debuted on Pure Piano Panoramas.

Give To The Wind Thy Fears

Many listeners will recognize this melody (George J. Elvey's Diademata, 1868) as Crown Him With Many Crowns. The tune is also used with this hymn, however. The lyrics exhort the listener, "Give to the winds thy fears. Hope and be undismayed. God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears. God shall lift up thy head." This hymn--with Diademata as the tune--was perhaps my father's favorite as he grew older and dealt with more serious anxieties regarding health and life. He knew that it is often challenging to give our fears to the wind. Thus, in my arrangement, a repeating bridge and the coda were created to remind the listener of the wind. We sang this hymn at Dad's memorial service in 1991. Even as we grieved his death only days before his 66th birthday, we also rejoiced knowing that he was now in Heaven with God, where "perfect love casts out fear" (I John 4:18).

Be Still My Soul

Classical music lovers know this melody as the penultimate section from Finlandia (Sibelius, 1899). This hymn (Katharina von Schlegel, 1752) is particularly dear to me because it was Eric Liddell's favorite hymn. If I were to name personal heroes, Liddell would be one. In addition to his integrity demonstrated during the 1924 Olympics, Liddell also followed in his parents' footsteps and became a missionary to China, where he had spent his boyhood. When the Japanese invaded China during WWII, Liddell was imprisoned in an internment camp. There, he continued to be an encouragement to others, emphasizing that surrender to God was the secret to his peace. In 1945, still imprisoned, a brain tumor took his life. This hymn debuted on Impressions In Black And White.

All Creatures Of Our God And King

I have always admired St. Francis of Assisi. My wife and I share his love of animals, and we were also led to a deeper respect for this humble man through the life of one of his modern-day brothers, the late Rich Mullins.  Most recently, as I read G. K. Chesterton's splendid biography of St. Francis, my appreciation grew even more. Thus, whereas this hymn is typically sung as a majestic song of praise, my arrangement attempts to convey the gentility with which I envision Francis enjoining his fellow creatures, "Lift up your heads and with us sing." No doubt, he would have sung softly so as not to frighten the smaller woodland inhabitants!

Be Thou My Vision

This is perhaps my favorite hymn. Jesus Christ is my personal "vision" and I seek to live a life that honors Him. Without him, I am nothing. Words like these are cheap, however. To this end, I appreciate St. Francis' charge: "Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words." Not only are the lyrics of this hymn inspiring, but the ancient Gaelic melody seems timeless. Due to the simple beauty of the melody, this arrangement attempts only minimal improvisation. My hope is that the music can encourage the listener deeply. This hymn debuted on Pure Piano Portraits.

Softly And Tenderly Jesus Is Calling

The short list of favorite hymns given to me by Dr. Richard Mouw also contained this jewel. I share his love for this hymn, which so wonderfully portrays the caring heart of God, who "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Its lyrics are reminiscent of the prodigal son's father, who seemed to be "waiting and watching" for his erring child to "come home."  Many hymns  beautifully  express  the  awesome majesty of God, but this one seems to personify His "still, small, voice" (I Kings 19:12). It is this still, small, yet powerfully loving voice that I hope to convey with my arrangement.

This song provides the title to this CD, expressing the profound yet simple truth that "Jesus loves me, this I know." The arrangement was actually part of a medley I created in the late 1970s. It consisted of my arrangement of Albert Hay Malotte's The Lord's Prayer, bookended by Jesus Loves Me's verse and refrain, respectively. Whereas my rendition of The Lord's Prayer was energetic, I quietly encapsulated it with this Sunday school song's gentle strains to more fully express my experience of God. Indeed, the mighty God of the universe is also my "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15), the One who comforts "as a mother comforts her child" (Isaiah 66:13).

 IMPRESSIONS IN BLACK AND WHITE

Day by Day

As on my previous CDs, I have again surrounded my compositions with my own arrangements of two classic hymns. My life remains grounded in God's amazing grace and love. Jesus Christ is the best Friend I have ever known. I love this hymn's lyrics (Lina Sandell-Berg, 1865), which speak of God's caring presence and provision in the daily life of His children. This old Swedish melody (Oskar Ahnfelt, 1872) was a favorite for both my parents. It transports me to childhood, where I relished warm limpa (Swedish rye bread) in my grandparents? kitchen. They did not speak much Swedish, but I can still hear them saying "Tack sjalv mycket" (thank you very much).

This piece came to me while wandering around the keys, my primary mode of composition. Its gentle drifting melody suggested the lilting path of a down feather on the breeze. The base line reflects the constant gentle breeze, while the melody traces the halting yet graceful flight of the feather. As with many of my compositions, I felt like a third party listening as it developed.

I am a gentile, but my identity is informed by the Jewish culture of Brooklyn, NY, where my father's parents grew up as the 20th century dawned. Doubtless because of this, the movie Fiddler On The Roof (1971) left an indelible mark. My family saw the film debut, and many scenes still play in my memory. I particularly appreciated Tevye's ongoing conversation with God about the hard issues of life. This composition paints my impression of what it might be like to join this milkman on his delivery route. I assume that such a walk would involve much dialogue and little silence!

This piece is a variation on the theme presented in Catskill Mountain Meadow, featured on my debut CD PURE PIANO PORTRAITS. I have grown to love Southern California, but a special space remains in my heart for the New York State Catskills. In particular, this piece reminds me of a literal meadow nestled in the middle of a cedar forest, halfway up the mountain where my uncle Mitch Cubberley lived in Andes, NY. Returning there always seems like an inspired idea.

For me, this piece elicits images of former soldiers socially gathering around a peacetime campfire, with the flames prompting their own bittersweet memories of wartime fires and fallen comrades. It was inspired by the only melody that ever moved my grandfather to tears. I was perhaps 11 at the time. His eyes brimmed over as he listened to The Vacant Chair (1861, melody by George F. Root), which memorializing an 18-year-old soldier killed during the Civil War. While developing my "new" composition over 20 years later, I was startled to hear traces of Root's tune seeping through my own melody. I acquiesced, inserting the first phrase of The Vacant Chair two minutes in and then including its entire opening line as a coda.

I have yet to experience a sun shower during my 14 years in Southern California, and I miss them. This piece also reflects memories from my childhood in northern NJ. I imagine large, fat raindrops dropping from a mostly blue sky onto hot, humid pavement, often accompanied both by rainbows and rising steam. The drops never came in torrents, and such showers brought temporary reprieve from squelching heat. As a child, I enjoyed remaining outside for their brief duration.

In 1977, to my delight, a girl from Scotland came to spend the summer next door. I did my 16-year-old best to befriend her but found myself filing all my feelings under "unrequited." Then one evening at summer's end, she dropped her defenses and seemed to relax. My hopes revived as we talked and laughed together in my neighbors? living room. The next day, however, she resumed her distance and left for home soon thereafter. Shortly after her departure, I sat alone in the neighbor's living room, closed my eyes, and imagined our one hopeful evening. As I did so, this melody emerged together with lyrics. The concluding line sadly stated, "I look across for the last time, and I pray that you'll be there. I open up my eyes, and all I see is air."

This is perhaps the most energetic piece on this album, and it is indeed inspired by recollections of my first carnival. As a small boy of 6 or 7, I went with my family to the county fair and discovered my first ferris wheel, which seemed to orbit up to the sky. The many rides, exhibits, and music bombarded me with sights and sounds that were a veritable feast for my senses. I was hyperactive as a child (a predisposition I have yet to outgrow), and this piece elicits for me the autobiographical image of a small boy running breathlessly from one exhibit to the next, finally collapsing in a happy state of exhaustion at day's end as our family headed for home.

Throughout my years in Southern California, my fondness of Mexican art, architecture, and cuisine has steadily grown. One of my favorite retreats is a small Mexican restaurant which treats Friday night customers to the talents of two guitarists, who sing their songs in delightful harmony. Whereas La Sonrisa Del Sol is my own original melody, I can easily imagine this duo singing it with great passion! For me this composition evokes images of a stucco ranch with a clay tile roof surrounded by live oaks against a clear blue midmorning sky, all brightly splashed by the smile of the sun.

Birds are perhaps my favorite form of wildlife, and swans have always fascinated and inspired me. They are actually incredibly strong, but I believe no other creature surpasses their graceful beauty. I have always loved watching their silent glide, which transforms any lake into a sheet of elegant crystal. In this composition, I attempt to create a musical picture of this delicate dance. I envision two swans alternately circling one another and gliding in tandem as the last rays of a summer sun play on the resulting ripples that expand into peace.

This hymn was also one of my father's favorites and remains one for my mother. Classical music lovers will recognize the melody as the penultimate section from Finlandia (Sibelius, 1899). This German hymn's words predate the tune (Katharina von Schlegel, 1752). It is particularly dear to me because it was Eric Liddell's favorite hymn. If I were to name personal heroes, Liddell would be one. He was the 1924 Scottish Olympian whose refusal to run on the Sabbath was depicted in the movie Chariots of Fire (1981). Later, Liddell followed in his parents' footsteps and became a missionary to China, where he had spent his boyhood. When the Japanese invaded China during WWII, Liddell was imprisoned in an internment camp. There, he continued to be an encouragement to others, emphasizing that surrender to God was the secret to his peace. In 1945, still imprisoned, a brain tumor took his life. My respect for Liddell is great, and it is also one reason for my decision to close my debut CD, PURE PIANO PORTRAITS with the hymn Jerusalem. The phrase "chariots of fire" comes from the lyrics of Jerusalem, and thus my arrangements of both hymns serve in part as tributes to this man.

I am inspired by the stark beauty of these desert residents, which defy the cloudless sky with branches that thrive and reach to the sun. This composition portrays for me one entire day in the Mohave dessert, where the Joshua Trees stand guard from sunrise to sunset, and on into the night. The musical variations in this piece reflect the multitude of ways in which the desert can appear, simply depending upon where the sun stands in its daily trek across the sky. If one detects any sadness in the music, perhaps it is a response to the bittersweet emotions that can accompany quiet solitude, which is nowhere better experienced than in a retreat to the desert.

Bordering the desert, massive red cliffs rise steeply upward toward the mesa's edge. Here, the steady flow of hot parched air provides ample lift for soaring hawks, or in my case, a hang glider pilot. I am an avid flyer, but to date, I have only flown above mountains and hills. I have soared mesa cliffs only in my imagination. This composition thus lifts me along with the listener into a flight of the mind, circling towards the sun, as the horizon stretches out and curves into the distance. My hope is that this piece provides you with the experience of free flight, a profoundly freeing adventure that brings me great peace.

This music was inspired by lyrics that I co-wrote with my wife Sharon. The original idea was Sharon's, who wrote of clouds as one of God's artistic creations. Growing up in the northeastern United States, she and I both loved the beauty of clouds. Now we live in Southern California where the sky is typically blue but also blank, and we often miss clouds. This music is intended to reflect our awe of God's creative artistry when making clouds. In each white billow, there is such beauty, and the Artist transforms them over and over and over, showing great patience, just as He shows me love and patience by forgiving me over and over and over. Thus, I see clouds as a reflection of God's grace.

This piece was composed in 1977, the year during which my only uncle lost his fight with cancer and slowly slipped away. This composition is not directly linked to his death, but rather to all of my experiences that year involving sorrow. Certainly, his death was the most profound, but there were other somber events that year. In the midst of sorrow, the piano gave my 16-year-old soul a means of expressing quiet grief. Through this expression, the piano also came to be an even closer "friend."

This piece transports you to the desert, surrounded by stifling, almost suffocating afternoon heat. Slowly, tiny cloud wisps in the blank sky overhead grow into towering thunderheads. Fat raindrops begin to strike the desert floor one at a time, bursting into steam. The single drops quickly crescendo into torrent sheets of rain, drenching the terrain. Then, just as quickly as it began, the cloudburst stops, leaving only the quiet dripping of remnant raindrops in its wake as the desert heat erases all traces of moisture. 

Henrietta MacFarlane Bjorck was born in 1900 and went to Heaven in her 99th year. This piece actually reflects my sadness in missing her and my appreciation of the era from which she came more than it reflects her own persona. She was feisty, always had a twinkle in her eye, and loved to laugh out loud. She had a silly sense of humor, and would even cross her eyes if you asked her to! Still, while this music is less rambunctious than my Gramma, it serves as a bridge to memories when I am reminiscing. My hope is that this piece will elicit a rush of old fashioned images for you, of a simpler day gone by. (Click here for a tribute written as her memorial.)

After creating this piece, I was tempted to record it with crickets chirping in the background. Given that I used no sound samples anywhere else on this CD, however, I chose to keep this piece "pure" piano as well. The music paints a picture for me of a warm August night spent relaxing alone on an old fashioned glider (porch swing), set on the wrap-around porch of an old country house with a screen door. And yes, as I look out at a starry sky, reminisce about days gone by, and thank God for simple pleasures, I do hear crickets. If you listen in your heart, maybe you will hear them too.

I wrote this song shortly after Sharon and I made a joint commitment to pursue an exclusive relationship moving towards the potential of marriage. The music and words expressed my deep sense of joy that grew out of this relationship. Because flying like an eagle has always been an image of utmost personally fulfilling experience for me, it was the perfect metaphor to describe my feelings for Sharon. The third Person I refer to in the lyrics is God, and both Sharon and I believe that any relationship involves three parties in this way. Of course, real love is hard work on a daily basis, but it is work worth doing!

Picture a sturdy and welcoming old house from the turn of the century. I envision a large but graceful, two-story dwelling with three or four steps leading up to a wrap-around open porch. The home resides at the top of a small hill, surrounded by ancient oaks that stand like loyal sentinels, with a gently stretching gravel driveway that winds its way down to a mailbox and split-rail fence. The deep green of the grounds and surrounding countryside make this vision the one for me that most clearly departs from the desert theme of this CD. The music takes me on a tour of the grounds of this modest but expansive homestead, as the sound of laughter and conversation lilts out over the lawn, a testimony to the riches of family and friends and supper before sundown.

November 10, 1990 will always be one of the most important dates in my life. As a morning rain fell outside the old white church in Lawrenceville, NJ, just south of Princeton, my best friend Sharon and I sealed our mutual commitment with marriage vows. For our wedding processional, we chose this classic hymn of praise to God. Sharon and I believe that our marriage was is three-person relationship together with God, to whom we commit our lives both jointly and individually. Whereas we processed to a traditional arrangement of this hymn, my arrangement for this CD falls somewhere between jazz and new age styles. The music is intended to be meditative and emotive, transporting the listener out of the midst of the hectic here and now to a place of quiet peace. For me, there is no peace like the peace of God.

This is one of my favorite hymns. Jesus Christ is my personal "vision" and I seek to live a life that honors Him. Words such as these are cheap, however. To this end, I appreciate St. Francis of Assisi's charge: "Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words." Not only are the lyrics of this hymn inspiring, but the ancient Gaelic melody seems timeless. Due to the simple beauty of the melody, this arrangement attempts only minimal improvisation. My hope is that the music can encourage the listener deeply.

This piece is the first that I ever recorded professionally, in 1993, although it was composed primarily in 1987 during my final year of graduate school. It portrays images of water for me, set in the deep woods of the Appalachians in northern NJ and NY state near the home where I grew up. In the liner notes of my first CD, I include a poem that accompanies this piece. I am hoping to invoke images of water in motion, whether it be in a mountain spring ("liquid crystal") or a rolling river among forest trees. As with many of my pieces focused on nature, this composition is also intended to focus on the Creator, the one who offers "living water" freely to all those who seek it.

This classic old English hymn is a favorite of mine for several reasons. First, I love the melody. Second, it was used as the theme for the movie "Chariots of Fire" which takes its title from lyrics (by William Blake) of this hymn. The link to this movie is powerful for me because both my father and his father were runners. In fact, old photos of my grandfather in his running days are from the same time period as the true story depicted in "Chariots of Fire." He looks like he stepped out of the movie. This film tells the story of the 1924 Olympics, when British track stars Eric Lidell and Harold Abrahams both demonstrated that winning is important, but other things are even more crucial.

More to come.....