Planted On The Crystal Sea

Planted on the Crystal Sea was commissioned by a consortium of eleven ensembles and led by the Colorado Christian University Symphonic Band under the direction of Mark Dorn. The work receives its official world premiere January 24, 2019 at the Colorado Music Educators Association Clinic/Conference in Colorado Springs.

The work draws its inspiration from four hymns penned by 18th–Century British evangelist, John Cennick (1718-1755). The collection of four hymns, loosely centered on the biblical scripture, Joshua 1:9, is comprised of Lamb of God My Savior, Children of the Heavenly King, Am I Called/Saviour, Happy Should I Be, and Christians Dismiss Your Fear. These Cennick hymns are set to melodies that were composed prior to Cennick’s birth and between 1770-1868 after Cennick’s death. They serve as the primary pitch materials for Planted on the Crystal Sea while additional chord structures are gained through the transformation of Cennick’s name into musical pitches using a simple ciphering process.

The title of the work – Planted on the Crystal Sea – comes from the final stanza of Am I Called/Saviour, Happy Should I Be and is a biblical reference to Heaven.