The Everlasting Song
My mom and I have a new collection of arrangements for violin and piano that was just released this summer, The Everlasting Song. I’m not sure I can describe it any better than what we wrote in the foreword for the book.
We are thrilled to share another collection of violin solos with you. We have been collaborating on musical adventures together for the last thirty years as a mother-daughter team. Beginning with those early days of playing all the Twinkle Variations and then creating arrangements of “Jesus Loves Me” and other children’s songs, we have played together in church , at nursing homes, for family concerts, for recitals, and for weddings and funerals. We have developed a kind of telepathy in playing that comes from sharing the same DNA as well as logging hours and hours of practicing. Thirty years of collaboration seems like a long time, but in light of eternity, it’s just a drop in the bucket. We will be able to use music for all of eternity to praise our great God. “And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”” (Revelation 5:9) An everlasting song, for an everlasting God, who alone is worthy of our worship.
look inside | The Everlasting Song Composed by Ruth Coleman and Kristin Campbell. Lorenz Publishing Company #30/3402L. Published by Lorenz Publishing Company (LO.30-3402L). |
Inspiration for The Everlasting Song
When I Survey
I’m very influenced in my arranging by the music I am working on at the time. After playing Korngold’s Much Ado About Nothing Sweet, I included some fingered harmonics in When I Survey. You can find lots of beautiful fingered harmonics in this work by Korngold. I enjoyed experimenting and creating with them.
O Holy Night
One of my favorite concertos the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. I love those has those big rolling arpeggios in the piece. So, I created some rolling arpeggios to include for the last chorus in O Holy Night allowing the violin to finish with a long G major arpeggio before the last phrase. They aren’t nearly as masterful as Mendelssohn’s chords. But I think of concerto when I play them.
Does Jesus Care?
One of the special arrangements in The Everlasting Song is Does Jesus Care. Shortly after moving to Colorado we heard that some friends in Virginia lost their 7 year old son in an accident. This family has several kids that play strings and they played in my student orchestra at church. As I hurt and grieved for them and prayed for them in their deep loss, I would often sit down at the piano and play through this gospel song, Does Jesus Care? And then that
confident chorus, Oh yes he cares! I know he cares! His heart it touched with my grief.” I wrote this arrangement of the hymn for their oldest daughter, who also plays the violin beautifully. So often it seems that words felt so inadequate. So I thought I could give them a gift with music. Later she shared with me that she and her mom played the arrangement almost every day. They used this song to remind them of the truth on those dark dark days.
I hope that these arrangements help and encourage many more people in whatever circumstances they find themselves. You can see more worship arrangements for violin here.
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