Dan's Blog
Hymn Arrangement for Orchestra: Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou My Vision was commissioned by Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, and premiered at their fifth annual Desiring God National Conference back in September. As with all of my hymn arrangements for orchestra, I try to stay true to the tone of the text when...
Christmas SATB Choral Anthem: Gloria in Excelsis Deo
Although I like all of The Word Became Flesh, I think Gloria in Excelsis Deo is undoubtedly one of the most exciting moments in the whole work. If you listen carefully throughout the underscores of The Word Became Flesh,, you'll notice a distinctively exotic sound...
Christmas SATB Choral Anthem: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
I think this is one of the most beautiful hymn tunes. And Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is one of my favorite hymn settings. I have attempted to make the musical arrangement portray the sense of longing that the Hebrew people felt as they awaited the arrival of their...
Christmas SATB Choral Anthem: Unto Us a Child Is Born
Unto Us a Child Will Be Born takes the longing of Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus and infuses it with a sort of sort of celebratory expression of expectation. If you listen closely, you will see that the melody in the Savior Foretold Underscore is really just an...
Orchestral Hymn Arrangement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Masterpiece
I just completed work on my new orchestral setting of the classic hymn Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. As I contemplated how to best arrange this piece for church orchestra, I could think of nothing more joyous than Beethoven’s original musical setting of Schiller’s...
SATB Choral Anthem: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee with Asifiwe Bwana
Recently, I had a director ask me how my and Heidi's unique setting of Joyful, Joyful with Asifiwe Bwana came to be. So here is the story behind this unique arrangement. Randy Edwards, the director of YouthCUE, asked me to compose some new choral pieces in...