Album Notes

"...I had to write to you to tell you how very wonderful "Be Thou My Vision" is. I cried when I listened to it the first time, and I now listen to it all the time... You have captured the soft, yet steadfast resolve of this ancient saint to bring the light of Christ to those dwelling in darkness of pagan Ireland. I salute you and the emotions that you put into your music."

"...I used to think that the old hymns weren't as nice to listen to as the newer contemporary songs or the praise choruses. I have gained a new appreciation for them by listening to Joel's arrangements and beautiful playing."

The hymns presented here predate our earliest memories. Many of these melodies were penned by a member of a generation that has passed, and the complete story of each hymn is unknowable. God alone remembers that unnamed soldier of the Revolution, Civil War, the World Wars, or any of the wars in recent memory, stirred on by a hymn from his youth. The same is true of the bereaved son or daughter, comforted in his or her time of loss; or of that man who had given up all hope, only to be drawn to salvation by the song drifting from the revival tent.

What you will find are twenty hymn melodies, some ancient, peformed from the heart of pianist Joel Rosenberger. Joel interprets each hymn in his contemplative, imaginative, improvisational style, creating a unique work of art that respects the origin and power of each melody. He intertwines familiar musical themes with his colorful harmonies and delicate, expressive action upon the keys, resulting in piano arrangements suitable for quiet times of contemplation and meditation.

Joel Rosenberger performs sensitive, intimate solo piano arrangements suitable for worship, contemplation, or sheer enjoyment.

As a child, Joel taught himself to play the family upright, eventually creating his own arrangements of hymns and popular songs, by ear. In 2005, with no real formal training (he took piano lessons for two semesters in college), and armed with a small, 72-key electronic keyboard, he began releasing his music in 2005 as a series of podcasts. Hymns, of course. He had been improvising and arranging these old melodies for years. Then the e-mail started arriving... from around the world... kind words, requests for sheet music and CDs, permission to use his work.

Several years and several projects later, Joel continues to compose, arrange, produce, and transcribe his own unique style of piano music. His curious nature drives him to refine and improve. And he still loves to get mail.