It is my pleasure to present the hymn settings commissioned by Johannus. From my perspective, hymn playing is without question the most important skill for organists to master.
Because I have been asked so many times to reconstruct my live hymn improvisations—and because that process would require an enormous amount of time, I composed twelve hymn settings of moderate difficulty. Obviously, some organists will be able to read these “at sight”, while others may find that they must spend a bit of time learning the arrangements.
These hymns are mostly familiar to organists in the United States, but many will also be recognized by others throughout the globe. I have no pretense that these are anything but helpful resources for organists and church musicians. In addition to that, choosing one or two for a recital program can display the tonal palette of the instrument itself, and I have personally found them to be very “audience friendly”!
J David Hart
Fellow, American Guild of Organists