Conveying meaning through sound is one of the most satisfying parts of writing music. In my arrangement of “I Wonder as I Wander,” I try to portray the song’s inquisitive nature by an ever-moving and searching accompaniment.
This is the second verse of my rendition of “Divinum Mysterium” (aka "Of the Father's Love Begotten"), and in it you can hear the cathedral’s ‘echo,’ with the tune’s melody appearing in the right hand just one beat after it’s played by the left hand.
Following along for more!
Combining influences is one of my favorite strategies in writing music. For example, with this arrangement, I try to evoke the feeling of a medieval gothic cathedral … using an instrument that wasn’t even invented until around the year 1700!
With my rendition’s simplicity, open sonorities, and allowance of the strings to resonate, it should make you feel like you’ve traveled in placed and time to medieval gothic cathedral. This is the first of three verses from my arrangement. More to come!
Composed likely in the second half of the 4th century, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” is one of the oldest Christmas carols. It’s most often set to the melody “Divinum Mysterium,” which I’ve remixed on piano here.