“I have a better microphone.”
Nate, my sound engineer was grinning like a cartoon character. It was First Friday last November and he had stopped by the open house where I was performing. On the table was the Christmas CD we had made together, The Sounding Joy. I stretched my shoulders and listened to him rave about the new equipment and software that I barely understood. “I could really capture even more of your harp now,” he enthused. “It’s great quality for you next recording!”
I laughed—I was two and done in the CD department.
But once he said it. . .
Within a week, my mind was churning with song possibilities, all the hymns I didn’t include on the first CD. By December, I was selecting a track list. With the New Year, I called Nate to schedule recording dates and plunged into arranging original versions of these hymns for the harp.
While continuing my 20 a month performance schedule, wedding shows and a solo performance at the Lerner Theatre, I pieced together favorites like it Is Well With My Soul, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and All Creatures of Our God and King.
But Nate, working as both sound engineer and producer, wanted more—not more songs but more reasons. Why these hymns? What was the mood of this recording? Why did I want to make this CD?
In our production meetings, I explained I was fifteen when I began playing hymns in Alzheimer’s units with amazing results. I made my first hymn CD with those senior friends in mind. The Joy We Share were the songs they enjo
yed. It was a joy.
But in the years since I made that CD, many of those friends, the storied older ladies and song filled older gentleman, have passed away. I played at their funerals. I walk past their rooms now filled with new faces. I still play in senior centers with an ever changing population.
At the same time my own family has the beginnings of a new generation, new nieces and a nephew, my grandma’s great grandchildren.
I needed to make this CD for these two audience extremes, for elegies and lullabies. I wanted to make a CD For All the Saints. These are hymns of peace and solace, songs of Jesus’ love, the first songs I want my nieces to lea
rn and the last songs I want my grandma to hear. And I think they are pretty good for all of us in between!
And now you can hear those songs for yourself! We are launching the CD at Better World Books in Goshen the evening of Friday, August 4th! In the meantime, Hymns and Variations is available here, on iTunes or you can call 574-875-0795. And if you enjoy the CD, let me know where it fits in your life!