Augsburg Fortress

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to compose "I Look to Thee in Every Need" for the 75th anniversary of Grosse Pointe Woods Presbyterian Church and its brilliant music director, Noah Horn. I began by writing a hymn tune to a beautiful text by Samuel Longfellow; then, I fleshed it out with harmonies and a piano part that reflects the subject of each verse. For example, an incessant, repeating figure accompanies the beginning of second verse, which starts with the words “Discouraged in the work of life” and continues until the author finds “new heart” in God. I used rich harmonies in the deep register of the piano for the opening of the third verse (my favorite)—“Thy calmness bends serene above”—but wrote quick, swirling figures for “Around me flows Thy quickening life.” I often “paint” text this way so there is a direct connection between words and music that I think is easily perceptible—and, hopefully, enjoyed—by singers, instrumentalists, and listeners alike.