Abide With Me - Great Hymns in New Settings for Horns, Voice and Piano
Product Description HYMNS FOR MY FATHER. I have loved hymns for as long as I can remember; they played an integral role in my family heritage. My father was a song-leader and pianist in church and his sister was a church organist for more than 50 years. My mother's large family gatherings always ended around the piano, with everyone singing hymns. My husband sang in an outstanding men's gospel quartet throughout his college years and our daughters still play hymns on our piano at home. Now that many churches have moved to contemporary music, I miss the old hymns and the deep imprint they made on my soul. On occasion, when an old hymn is sung at church, my 92-year-old father standing next to me beautifully sings every single word of the tenor part, which is especially remarkable because he suffers from dementia. Although my father lives in a totally disoriented state, he still remembers our beloved hymns every note and every word. In recent years, as I have watched both my parents fade with age, hymns have become a great source of comfort to me. They have become nothing less than an inspiration, which led to my strong desire to 'sing' them through my instrument, the horn. Thus began my search for fresh, musically sophisticated sounds for familiar and meaningful hymns. I had already known some gifted composers and arrangers, and was fortunate to have been introduced to more through the project s two-year evolution. In the end, I am thrilled with the variety and stunningly beautiful arrangements presented here, ten of which were created for this very project. Thank you, Paul Basler, Marc Guy, Brooke Hopkins, Paul Jones, James Naigus and Jeremy Strong! I invited my longtime friend, pianist and Penn State faculty colleague, Dr. Timothy Shafer, to join me in this decades-long dream. Timothy and his family share my family's love for hymns. As the beautiful arrangements for solo horn and piano began to arrive, however, I realized that I missed the hymns' meaningful texts. To my delight, I discovered Marc Guy's two-horn arrangement of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing / Jesus Loves Me, and subsequently invited other composers to write for a combination of horns and piano, but also with soprano. I am absolutely thrilled with the collaborations and variety of music that ensued! Tim's gifted daughters soprano Sarah Shafer and horn player Grace Salyards were clearly meant to join us. In addition to their amazing musicianship, I am deeply thankful for the added element of their friendship. And so, here are hymns for my father... my heavenly Father and my own father. My hope is that this music will be both inspiring, and comforting. To God be the glory! [Lisa Bontrager, December 2018] Review Lisa Bontrager has given us all a gift with her newest recording... From start to finish, this recording is filled with music that is lovely, peaceful and joyful. There is not anything better than listening to someone play music they love, and all four musicians speak with their heart on this recording. Brava, Lisa! --The Horn CallThe vocal arrangements are] Well-paced, well-played, and sung with apt emotional involvement by Sarah Shafer... The richness of Bontrager's horn sounds, and those of Grace Salyards in the two-horn arrangements, help provide the CD with an overall feeling of warmth, and Timothy Shafer's pianism nicely complements the horns. --InfoDad
Lisa Bontrager (solo horn)  (Artist),     Timothy Shafer (piano)  (Artist),     Sarah Shafer (soprano)  (Artist),     Grace Salyards (horn)  (Artist),     Marc Guy  (Composer),     Jeremy Strong  (Composer),     Brooke Hopkins  (Composer),     James Naigus  (Composer),     Paul Jones  (Composer),     Paul Basler  (Composer),     none  (Conductor)    &                   8                  more   Format: Audio CD
{"Package Dimensions": "5.55 x 4.92 x 0.43 inches; 3.53 Ounces", "Manufacturer": "MSR Classics", "Item model number": "B07KZC4JST", "Date First Available": "December 14, 2018", "Label": "MSR Classics", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}