Note. The majority of information regarding creation of this album is provided in the detailed descriptions contained in this vocal version. Web pages for the other 3 versions of this album contain explanations of changes made from the vocal version to create each companion version.
If interested, more background information on the creation process for this recording is provided at Background about Hymns and Songs of My Mother.
This magnificant album was created because of a request from my mother. After my father's death, mother, knowing I had sung in choirs since elementary school, studied voice in college and after, and was recording at a professional studio, requested I record an album of some of their favorite hymns and songs. Together we selected the hymns to include from my parents' favorites. (See selected list at Simple Playlist.)
A critical influence on TortoiseClimbing™ occurred when I asked mother whether it should be a nice recording for friends and family, vs 1) a high-quality product, 2) made available to the public. She requested it be a high quality recording, and be publicly distributed.
That precipitated a substantial evolution in TortoiseClimbing™'s mission to upgrade it from the original hobby orientation of creating nice recordings for friends and family, to the professional orientation of producing:
That change in mission, which substantially moved TortoiseClimbing™ from being a hobby endevor to becoming a professional undertaking, then had the cascading impacts of:
The subsidiaries created are:
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This is a professional quality album of nostalgic, old, traditional congregational hymns and songs, recorded with professional audio engineers, singers and musicians, in professional sound studios, and mixed by a seasoned audio engineer.
It is a hi-definition, next to maximum length (for a CD - 78 minutes) recording of 27 traditional hymns and songs. Via the 27 selections of traditional hymns and songs, this recording provides a fabulously nostalgic trip back to when they were popular, forming an intimate collage of gloriously listenable, different textures.
Digital version released 6-20-2024. CD released 9-20-2024.
It is available in several formats, including:
To order, go to Hymns and Songs of My Mother at Store Access.
(For more background about making of this album see Background.)
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-- Other versions in process --
3 additional versions are coming for use at home and church:
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Playlist of the Hymns and Songs on this album are available as:
A detailed cross-reference of artists and instruments is provided to assist easily finding the webpage providing detailed information about any artist and their instrument(s), Artists Cross-reference.
There are 21 traditional hymns included from hymnals with hymnal publication 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:
Except for lyrics to "Morning Has Broken," all these traditional hymns are now out of copyright (i.e., are public domain), no longer sung in many church litergies, thus largely only available on albums of old favorites, like this.
The feeling of a Congregational hymn is preserved by singing them as published in the hymnals. However for listening pleasure, these congregational hymns and songs embrace a wide variety of artistic, creative vocal and instrumental arrangements.
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There are 6 religious songs included -
The album opens with a couple of robust, 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 bigger harmony numbers like the opening numbers, and quieter solo or duet numbers. The song "Be Thou with Them" has lyrics explicitly written for weddings, 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 Christian song "Welcome Home," written for the funeral of the author and composer's grandmother (my mother's sister), followed by two benedictions.
The digital version of this album was released 6/20/2024 for purchase and download from our online audio marketplace.
The CD version became available in the online marketplace 9-20-2024 to be mailed to you.
(Easy access to the online marketplace for limited streaming and ordering of Hymns and Songs of My Mother is provided via the Store Access page.)
As noted above, additional versions of this album are forthcoming:
Note. Later in 2025, the companion eBook History Through 27 Hymns and Songs is targeted to also become available. The eBook will be offered as a discounted package with the album.
Shortly after eBook completed, advance podcasts of chapters from the companion eBook History Through 27 Hymns and Songs will begin being offered as subscripton podcasts, culminating with the complete audiobook targeted for late in 2025.
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To order, go to Hymns and Songs of My Mother at Store Access.
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