New-fashioned Hymn Series! Piece #1

This is My Father's World - a unique piano arrangement from the new-fashioned hymn series by Wendy Stevens | ComposeCreate.com #pianoteaching #music #piano #worship #sacred #sacredmusic #earth #earthday #day

I’m so excited about this new-fashioned hymn series which we are launching today! I’m excited because it represents a collaboration between two artists, a composer and a visual artist.

But First – Big Copyright News!

How Sweet the Sound - advanced hymn arrangements by Wendy Stevens
The old book so many of you wanted! The cover was not quite what I envisioned the first time around…

First let me tell you why this is even possible and why you may be excited about it! Many of you have asked about where you could get this book (shown on the right) or the pieces in it, but they have been sold out and out of print. So we asked and were given the copyright back from Augsburg Fortress for all my sacred piano arrangements in the “How Sweet the Sound” collection. Now that I own the copyright again, we are releasing these in a fresh way, the way I wanted to release them years ago!

You might be able to guess that I was horribly disappointed in the artwork that Augsburg Fortress used for the original book (we usually don’t get any input as composers). It certainly went well with their series of sacred music (which is what they wanted and their right to do), but certainly did not communicate the spirit of the pieces that I intended.

Announcing the New-Fashioned Hymn Series Artistic Collection

So when we got back the copyright, I wanted to do the right thing with the art. I wanted to work with an artist to not only provide beautiful music, but covers that could in themselves make you say, “Wow! Isn’t God amazing?”

So I began to work with a real artist that has spent hours getting to know all of these pieces in this collection and coming up with separate artwork for every piece that truly communicates the spirit of the piece.

Today’s release of “This is My Father’s World” is the first example of this collaboration!

So what is happening in the new art on My Father’s World?

New-fashioned hymn series from ComposeCreate.comThe covers in this new series are visual perceptual events. This means that they are designed so that your experience of the event differs from the physical stimulus in a meaningful way. This mirrors the intention of the music: to provide a new experience with the familiar words and melody.

The sensory perception of brightness that you experience when looking at the center of the image is as real as if the center were lit. We can sit and analyze whether the inside of the shape is really the same color as the outside or whether it is really brighter or not. But the experience of brightness that you experience when you look at it cannot be dismissed. It is my hope that it brings you joy and delight knowing that there is more to this world than just the physical. 

If you are interested in the artistic effect, you can learn about the Erhenstein illusion here.

The problem of disengaged church goers

So assuming you are a church musician, I know you know the problem. It’s easy to play a lovely piece during church only to have thoughts of pot roast or the local restaurants filling the thoughts of your audience members. It’s really hard to keep pew-sitters engaged in every second of your piece. Plus, it’s even harder to play music that actually causes the listener to think of God’s attributes or giving glory to God. Of course, the experience of music (without words) in itself can give praise to God, but often church music begins to sound the same, making it easy to tune out.

Three typical responses to church music

When I was a teenager, I began paying attention to how church-goers interacted with piano music that was played as offertories, preludes or “specials.” I noticed that most music performed had one of three effects on people:

  • It excited them, often by the volume or virtuosity of the performer
  • It soothed them, many times to the point where they became disengaged
  • It engaged them, causing them to listen intently

My goal became to write music that accomplished the latter of these effects: to engage them throughout the piece and cause them to experience the music and the words in a unique way.

I knew that one of the secrets to doing this was to write music that was different. Not crazy different. I didn’t want to try to lose the listener in a series of oddities that were distracting, but enough different that people would listen, cock their head slightly and stay engaged with the music all the way through it. 

Of course, my music doesn’t always accomplish this goal, but if you’ve experienced enough of the All is Calm, All is Bright collection, I think you know what I mean. That 6/8 piece that’s set in a syncopated 4/4 (see It Came Upon a Midnight Clear). That 4/4 piece that’s set for a few measures in 7/8 (see God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen).

And now I present “This Is My Father’s World” with just a tad bit of 5/4!

This is My Father’s World – In Time for Earth Day!

This late intermediate to advancing arrangement contains beautiful juxtapositions of old and new harmonies and meters and the subtle shifts in these can bring a new spiritual experience to the listener and performer. Your interest is piqued in the first three measures of 5/4 meter, but shifts quickly to something soothing and calm. Throughout the piece, there is just enough of something new to cause those old words to come to your mind in a fresh way.

The cover of This is My Father’s World was created by an artist who spent hours understanding the spirit of this piece before using a unique visual effect to create a sunny cover. Does the cover appear to glow to you? Is the center of the sun a different color than the outside of the shape? These subtle effects are the kind of thing that make you stop and look just one more time in the same way the music makes you stop and think of the words just one more time.

11 thoughts on “New-fashioned Hymn Series! Piece #1”

  1. Wendy, beautiful Hymn arrangement.
    I was wondering what program you use to do your composing – note plotting.
    We used to use a program for arranging and then got away from the activity, that was over 10 years ago.
    I know a lot has changed in composing software..
    We are wanting to make simple Hand Bell arrangements for our choir.

    Do yo have any suggestions. My husband is also a musician and understands the computer world more than I.

    Wendy, thank you for your thoughts and time. Ethelyn

  2. Hi Ethelyn,

    Thanks so much. I’m glad you like the arrangement! I use finale for my notation. It can do just about anything, but the other option is Sibelius. Both are high powered software that publishing companies use. How fun that you can make hand bell arrangements for your choir!

  3. How do you purchase a license and how much is it? How is it good for? What can you purchase with the license? I am sorry……not clear for me. Thank you. Maybe I did say this before …as I have Leo send emails and have never received an answer.

  4. Hi Jo,

    Awaiting moderation just means that you’ve never commented before, so your comment had to be approved to make sure it’s not spam before it gets posted.

    Okay, The studio license is a special license that is issued for certain pieces and books that allows you the legal license to print and use that particular piece or book for as many students as you directly teach. It’s like getting an unlimited supply of that particular resource for a very low price!

    Not all of our music comes with a studio license. For example, anything that is in print that you order never has a studio license. It does not have the ability to reproduced for any reason.

    So, if you are a teacher, then always choosing the studio license when you purchase (if it’s available) is always the best deal and the way to use the music legally.

    Here are the terms and conditions that apply to the studio use license: https://composecreate.com/terms-and-conditions/ You can search for “studio use” and you’ll be able to see where it is on the page.

    Let me know if you have any questions at all, Jo!

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