Psalm Offering 2, Opus 6 was originally conceived as an organ fanfare back in 1978. As a transplanted piano player, I always thought playing on the pipe organ was similar to wrestling a huge octopus. The unnatural way of playing pedals (hips were not designed to be turned that way), I have often thought led to the premature deterioration of both of my hip joints, not, as my Aunt Mary Jernstrom has postulated, me inheriting the family’s “Swedish hips.” All that aside, what I needed was a “fanfarish” piece of music to be used as a wedding recessional/postlude for liturgical celebrations. I composed this simple little tune that addressed specifically my needs as an transplanted piano/organist. In its original incarnation I entitled this, “A Fanfare for Brother Francis”. I have taken this simple music setting and have recomposed it to be played on my “King of Instruments”, the pianoforte.
I have dedicated this to the Order of Franciscan Secular. When St. Francis of Assisi was living, he established three Orders, namely, the Order of Friars Minor, the Poor Clares, and the Third Order. The First Order, Order of Friars Minor was created specifically for single men. The Second Order. the Poor Clares, was created for single women. And the Third Order, now known as the Order of Franciscan Secular, was created for lay men and women, married or unmarried, and secular clergy (diocesan priests and deacons). I feel that I was imbued with the Franciscan spirituality from birth. In May of 1980, I became a professed member of the Order of Franciscan Secular. The rule, or way of life, of this Order has profoundly impacted my life. That rule stated simply is “from Gospel to Life”.
Musically, this music is in Rondo form. Rondo form has a primary melody that, like a refrain, recurs following a number of different melodies. In this piano music the form is A, A, B, A, C, D, E, A, A. Recomposing this for piano gave me the freedom to fully express and explore the potential of the music. By the time I finished recomposing this music, it was an entirely new composition. While the bones of the original organ composition were retained, it has become something much finer and festive now.
