Throughout my musical life, I have loved the wonderful old hymn tune "Lo, How A Rose Ere Blooming." A tune that I consider almost perfect in its noble simplicity. On hearing of the reDrement of my old friend David Gregory as conductor of the Georgia Wind Symphony, I chose to use this melody as the basis for a work to honor him. The piece opens with a lively splash of melodic fragments leading to a quiet exposition of the hymn utilizing the clarinet section. Gradually the other woodwind instruments are added until, with a key change, we hear the hymn again in the glorious sonorities of the full winds. As the hymn fades a rhythmic fantasia begins, again utilizing fragments in different melodic and harmonic treatments. Finally, the piece returns to the full hymn tune in a festive and energetic closing flourish.
