To preview and/or order your copy of the Vocal version, click on Store Access.
Note. The majority of detailed information regarding creation of this album is provided in descriptions of this version. Web pages for other versions of this album will contain explanations of changes made from the vocal version to create each companion version.
For those curious about the backstory of how this album came about, substantially more backstory information is provided at Backstory about Hymns and Songs of My Mother.
This album is available in several audio formats, including:
In Spring 1998, David's mother requested he make this recording. Phase I began immediately. His audio engineer on other ongoing project, Ms. Gerber-Salins, became producer, vocal arranger for several hymns, audio engineer, and a significant duet partner on many numbers. Her creativity as producer significantly shaped what became the final product. (Ms. Gerber-Salins sings lead and harmony parts on her original arrangement of "Were You There.") Vocals on this album are a mix of solo, duet, multi-part harmonies, and some a cappella.
After his mother's death in August of that year, work on this recording slowed. Then in about 2004, because of other competing events in the lives of both David and Ms. Gerber-Salins, TortoiseClimbing Audio™ put this project on hold for a number of years.
Fortunately, during the long hiatus between Phases I and II, David and Ms. Gerber-Salins shared a number of brainstorming sessions analyzing existing recordings, and identifying needed future work, which David documented in extensive notes. Those notes assisted when David took on the Producer's rule in Phase II, directing implemention both their notes, and other improvements.
Beginning in 2019, additional time became available and David devoted that to completing this project. That was the beginning of Phase II. Ms. Gerber-Salins' life was wrapped into other life endevors, so, we needed an audio engineer and Associate Producer. Mr. Bill McElroy filled those roles and contributed production ideas as the work progressed.
Note. This is the same Mr. Bill McElroy, who engineered David's 1st Private recording, Solo Collection. In 1993 Bill left Bias Recording Studio and the recording industry, and went to work in railroading. However, several years later he returned to the recording business. First, running a mastering studio in Richmond,VA, and then in 2000 running his new recording studio in Ashland, VA. That made him available to replace Ms. Gerber-Salins. It was sort of a homecoming to be able to return to working with Bill to complete this project at his new recording studio, SlippedDisc™, with him as Associate Producer and audio recording engineer.
Phase II added various augmentations to the overall project, including:
In addition, other subsidiaries of TortoiseClimbing™ took on related efforts:
In 2022 & 24, Ms. Gerber-Salins again became available for limited advice in completing Phase II. That included:
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The album opens with a couple of robust, multi-part, theologically oriented hymns about the birth and resurection of Christ, including both solo and harmony verses. Much of the rest of the album roughly alternates between multi-part harmony numbers like the opening numbers, and quieter solo or duet numbers. Lyrics for the song "Be Thou with Them" were explicitly written for weddings, and set to a tune of a contemporary of J.S.Bach. Later selections deal with needing to sustain faith. Selections late in the album represent leaving this life, the most explicit being "Abide with Me" and the Contemporary Christiian, Soft Adult Alternative, folk style song, "Welcome Home." It was written for the funeral of the author and composer's grandmother (my mother's sister); followed by two benedictions.
Playlists of the Hymns and Songs on this album are available as:
Note: All hymns and songs are publically available on the online Marketplace, accessed via Store Access for:
A detailed cross reference of artists and instruments is provided with links to the page for each artist involved in creation of both the Hymns and Songs of My Mother recording and the History Through 27 Hymns and Songs eBook. The cross-reference is provided to assist easily finding the credit webpage for each artist and their instrument(s),. See Artists' Cross-reference.
(Note. There remain 2 vocalists who participated in recording Hymns and Songs of My Mother who have not provided bio materials. Additionally, the draft bio for the trumpeter is drawn from materials found on the internet, but are not yet commented on by the artist.)
While these are congregational hymns and songs, this album deliberately presents them with multiple variations, including vocal harmony combinations, accompaniment instrumentation and arrangements:
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There are 21 traditional hymns from hymnals with copyright dates between 1934 and 1975. The hymnals were collected by my parents over their married lives. (For the list of hymns see either version of the Playlists.) The following 2 hymns are performed a cappella:
As of release of this album in 2024, all but one of these traditional hymns are now out of copyright (i.e., are public domain). The exception is lyrics to "Morning Has Broken." Most of these hymns are also largely no longer sung in many church litergies. That makes this recording even more important if you want to hear quality performances of old favorites.
The congregational feel of these hymns is preserved by singing them as published in the hymnals. However for listening pleasure, the hymns and songs embrace a wide variety of artistic, creative vocal and instrumental arrangements.
There are 6 religious songs included -
(For more backstory about why and the making of this album see Background.)
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To order, go to Hymns and Songs of My Mother at Store Access.
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