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Composer's Notes on the Narnia Ballet

by: Mark Hierholzer - performed: Nov 12th and 13th, 2011

Music can express the deepest and most profound emotions of humanity. When it does this, we deem it great art. This story [The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis] provides insight into the struggles and temptations common to all humanity. Hurt and fear can transform into desire for evil things which ultimately destroy us. This story poignantly reminds us of this and also shows us that love is stronger than fear and universally conquers death in that it enables us to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of another.

The music that can attempt to express these ideas attains to evince the emotions that lie at the very heart of our universe. To quote Dante, "Love remains, for it is what moves the sun and the other planets." Furthermore, the gestures of music are here wedded with the very gestures of body movement, which, from ancient times have told the richest stories of humanity. We are reminded that when we aspire to the highest values of our humanity we incarnate the divine spark within.

Composer's Notes from Does Not Wisdom Call

by: Mark Hierholzer - Proverbs 8

Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? - Proverbs 8

There is a voice, and it is not heard (Psalm 19). And yet it resounds throughout the universe. It is a call for us to sing and to create with all our energy, all of our might. It is the Divine spark, God's image within us, that cannot keep silent once we become aware of the earthly and heavenly song that becomes the harkening voice for us all to respond.

by: Elizabeth Walton - Isaiah 12

Our rapidly dying culture desperately needs to be awakened, awakened by the voice of truth, goodness, and beauty. It is the task of every individual to speak forth words of life into the world and to express the glories of the Divinely created order to the best of his or her ability. This may be done in and through the written word, the spoken word, the musical word, or the testimony of personal behavior. The setting of Isaiah 12 is my attempt, albeit a far from perfect or even an adequate one, to bear witness to God’s truth by means of the musical word.

The central portion of this text reads, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3). Eternal, abundant life is proffered in and through these words, for herein men are summoned to partake of the water of life. Moreover, they are summoned to do so with great joy and gladness. This joyous partaking of the life-giving Fountain of Living Water, Jesus Christ, can elicit only one response on the part of the partaker. This response is exuded at the conclusion of the chapter, "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee" (Isaiah 12:6).

The words of this entire text powerfully and forcefully emit the glory of God’s nature and character, and it was for this very reason that I selected this portion of Scripture as my starting point in seeking to attest to truth, goodness, and beauty by means of the tool of song.

"And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." Isaiah 12

by: Lance Young - A new Song

I believe music to be the one of the best ways to praise and glorify God. Song and music are mentioned many times in the Bible, but fourteen times the Bible mentions singing to the Lord a "new song." Eight of the fourteen times the Bible encourages us to sing a "new song" to the Lord. God delights when we compose or participate in singing new, wholesome, God-glorifying music. It gives me great joy to create and sing "new song" to the Lord. "Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy." Psalm 33:3