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I Know That My Redeemer Lives
This has always been one of my favorite hymns. One of my favorite things to do in the evening is turn out the lights and let my hands do what they want. This song is a result of one of those sessions. I turned on the recorder and enjoyed writing it. I’ve played it at several funerals lately. It is very comforting.
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Restoration Medley
I know this is long and probably of interest to nobody but myself. I was given the opportunity to help with a video. The request was for restoration hymns to be the background. I said it would come quickly or not at all. For about two weeks I felt like I was being hit with a fire hose of ideas. I LOVED this project! We don’t know where it will lead, but I had a great time creating it. Each hymn can be extracted to be played alone, or any three in succession with little adaptation.
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Our Savior’s Love
The music for this arrangement was rearranged from a number I wrote for the Alpine Stake play, “Children of The Dream”, which was inspired by Marvin Payne. After twenty plus years, I revisited the song and discovered it would work with the lyrics to the hymn, “Our Savior’s Love”. With some modification, this arrangement of a favorite hymn was born. Our ward choir sang it in October 2017, and it was so beautiful. COVID has brought new inspiration and it now has a C-instrument duet. I’ve recorded it with flute and oboe, although strings work beautifully as well. You use what you have access to.
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Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd – SATB
I’ll never turn down an opportunity to play with a hymn. Our new choir director gave me an assignment. Since I already had been playing with this hymn as an instrumental (piano solo), it seemed a natural thing to turn it into a choral number. I now know why it is written in the Hymnal the way it is.
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I Stand All Amazed
I was given the blessing of accompanying the son of a dear friend’s funeral. They requested organ accompany for this song, and I was unable to find an arrangement that fit our needs. This was the end result of my search. Matt Gifford is the voice you’re hearing. He was out of his comfort zone, but he did a beautiful job.
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Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done
Another piece of inspiration while I was the choir director. When I discovered how much fun it was to use the lyrics from one hymn to another, I was constantly on the lookout for matching possibilities. This was one of them.
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Behold the Great Redeemer Die – SATB
I enjoyed a run of close to five years as Ward Choir Director. It was a great opportunity for me to grow. Sometimes I wanted a song the choir could perform that wasn’t written. This one was a result of one of those times. It was used in an Easter program. Our ward choir is filled with talented people. It was a thrill to work with them during that time. Won’t we all be glad when Covid will let us sing praises again?
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Where Can I Turn for Peace?
Leave me alone with a Hymnal for very long and I’ll find a way to play with a hymn. Our choir enjoyed singing this after they adapted to the synchronization. When this hymn first hit the streets, I always heard the close harmony and syncopation in my mind. It was a delight to have our choir sing this.
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Prayer of Thanksgiving
Being the director of our ward choir was so fun for me. This arrangement almost started out jokingly. We were nearing November, and I was thinking hard about the outcome of our presidential election. Either way, it was going to be a tough pill to swallow for me. (This is not a political statement.) At any rate, I was playing around with this piece and this is what resulted. The choir got the “tongue-in-cheek” connection when I handed it to them. It turned out to be a really nice change to a traditional Thanksgiving hymn.
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How Great the Wisdom and the Love
Another SATB for our wonderful ward choir. Sadly to say, there is not a performance recording. This is a Finale electronic recording.
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Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee
This arrangement was for an Easter program in 2016. It’s preservation is miraculous. Thank goodness for backup discs. Ugh! As I got it ready for this Website, I realized again that I was working with a spectacular group of people as we performed. They just did it. It’s simple enough, but I see things that might have been different. Suffice it to say, it’s safe now. I can’t guarantee I didn’t get inspiration on the narration from someone else’s effort. I apologize I don’t have the name of that person or even where it came from. I don’t have that original narration either, but my experience has been that what…
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Come, Ye Thankful People
Another opportunity for playing in the hymnal. This was my favorite guilty pleasure for about five years as I served as choir director in our ward.
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Secret Prayer
I’ve said it enough times, but I believe my biggest high was writing music for our ward choir for the better part of five years. This one was a quick learn and fun for us to perform. The accompanist has the most fun on this one.
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I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Song background: One of the more exciting pieces I wrote for our choir. I had heard the voice of one of our Young Men in a stake program and was blown away. I wanted him to sing with our choir, but he wasn’t all that interested. I wrote this arrangement with him in mind. He did amazing. What is the back story on the arrangement? I’ve always liked the message of this song, but feel the original arrangement is too long. As I was drying my hair one morning, the melody came to me and it fit! Of course, piano accompaniment is just as nice as organ.
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Abide With Me, ‘Tis Eventide
Give me a quiet night at my piano in the dark, and this is what happens. I love “playing with the hymns”!
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Abide With Me ‘Tis Eventide – SATB
Another favorite hymn of mine. If I haven’t said it before, the Hymnal is my “playground”. This SATB arrangement came from the piano solo that I wrote in 2010. Our ward choir performed this several years later and it was beautiful. Finale generates the sound, and unfortunately blows through my fermatas. It’s still better than nothing.
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Prayer Medley
A medley of hymns from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hymnal: Did You Think to Pray? I Need Thee Every Hour Prayer is the Soul’s Sincere Desire
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Love at Home Medley
This is the first arrangement I created and was so fun for me. I was able to play it at my sister-in-law’s funeral as well as my mother-in-law’s funeral a few months later. It has continued to be one of my favorite pieces.
Music by Connie Stauffer