Panoramas Stories

O, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus ~ I begin Pure Piano Panoramas with this hymn, which is one of my favorites 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 be experience an overwhelming sense of warmth and love from the ocean's Creator.

Joshua Trees ~ 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.

Soaring Mesa Cliffs ~ 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.

Sculptor of the Sky (Click here for lyrics) ~ 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.

Day Without A Sun ~ 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."

Desert Cloudburst ~ 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.

Remembering Gramma ~ 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.)

Porch Swing Summer Night ~ 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.

Your Love Has Made Me Fly (Click here for lyrics) ~ 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!

The Homestead ~ 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.

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 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.