Although not original to Josh Groban, he made You Raise Me Up famous in 2003. The melody was written by Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham wrote the lyrics. Secret Garden first sang the song in 2001. I discovered an estimate stating that over 125 different artists have covered this song, but Josh’s is the one … [Read more…]
We’ve all had broken dreams. Maybe you didn’t get the bicycle you wanted for Christmas. Did your cruise to the Bahamas get cancelled? Perhaps you were told, like I was, that you couldn’t be an astronaut when you grow up because you are a girl. Was there a broken dream of having a “till death … [Read more…]
The anniversary of Katriel’s death was only a few days ago. It is a bittersweet time every year. She has been gone for 32 years but sometimes it still feels like yesterday that I held her in my arms. Some years are harder than others, and this one seemed to be one of the harder … [Read more…]
Once again I’ve chosen lyrics by John Birch for this choral arrangement. This prayer contains such vivid imagery celebrating God’s wisdom and power in the creation of the world. I was particularly captivated by the image of God’s laughter creating a wild goose to fly across the universe. Although I’ve chosen to use repeating phrases … [Read more…]
When I first started playing the harp about a year ago Caledonia was one of the pieces that was on my wish list. This folk ballad was written by Dougie Maclean in 1977. He reported that he wrote it in about 10 minutes while on a beach in France when he was feeling homesick for … [Read more…]
It doesn’t seem like an emotion as wonderful as love should hurt, but sometimes it really does. Today I’m thinking about it in the context of loving a pet. For me its dogs, but for other people I know it can be cats, birds, bunnies, turtles, snakes, rats, or lizards. I may not understand some … [Read more…]
Hail storms are nothing new here on the mountain. Last night it went to a whole new level. Around lunchtime it started raining and I heard a little bit of hail. It melted right away and I didn’t think much more about it. Last evening the storm had escalated to lots of rain, thunder, lightening, … [Read more…]
I know there isn’t a “right answer” to the question of what key signature I should choose when I begin a composition. However, it is one of the questions that I find really difficult to answer. There are many articles and chapters in textbooks that suggest that different key signatures represent different emotions. Some key … [Read more…]
I’ve got big news! I have launched a virtual psychotherapy practice. I was able to find a practice management company that takes care of all of the things involved in running a therapy practice that I don’t enjoy, such as credentialing, scheduling, and billing. That allows me to focus on the parts of providing psychotherapy … [Read more…]
I love the prayers and poetry of John Birch. I’ve set several of them to music for choir and piano in the past couple of years. One of my favorite arrangements so far is God of Rising Sun. God of rising sun, embrace us. God of mist and rain, refresh us. God of flowing stream, … [Read more…]