Commissioned by Stonybrook UMC on the occasion of collaboration with The Ohio State University Symphonic Band.
One Foundation is a medley of four hymns— “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” “I Am Thine, O Lord,” “Blessed Assurance” and “The Church’s One Foundation.” The title of the arrangement refers to Jesus, who is the One Foundation of the church and the Christian faith as stated at the beginning of the fourth hymn. Each hymn references Jesus’ coming from heaven, sacrificial death and resurrection for you and for me, so as to unify us with God and with each other. This unity, with God and with each other built on Jesus as the One Foundation, is depicted musically throughout the work. To help unify the arrangement, small melodic fragments from some of the hymns appear as accompaniment and transition material within other sections of the piece. During “Blessed Assurance,” the band quotes Holst’s First Suite in E-flat fusing the concert band world and the church choir world in a ‘mash-up’ of sorts. In the final moments of the piece, the large homophonic texture gradually fades, and the line, “renew us with your Spirit; Lord, free us, make us one,” is repeated until all instruments and voices finally come to rest together on a single pitch.
One Foundation is a medley of four hymns— “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” “I Am Thine, O Lord,” “Blessed Assurance” and “The Church’s One Foundation.” The title of the arrangement refers to Jesus, who is the One Foundation of the church and the Christian faith as stated at the beginning of the fourth hymn. Each hymn references Jesus’ coming from heaven, sacrificial death and resurrection for you and for me, so as to unify us with God and with each other. This unity, with God and with each other built on Jesus as the One Foundation, is depicted musically throughout the work. To help unify the arrangement, small melodic fragments from some of the hymns appear as accompaniment and transition material within other sections of the piece. During “Blessed Assurance,” the band quotes Holst’s First Suite in E-flat fusing the concert band world and the church choir world in a ‘mash-up’ of sorts. In the final moments of the piece, the large homophonic texture gradually fades, and the line, “renew us with your Spirit; Lord, free us, make us one,” is repeated until all instruments and voices finally come to rest together on a single pitch.