Hinds’ Feet on High Places

Description

NOTE: Sorry, but available in digital format only.

A “Soundtrack to the Book.” Inspired by and based on the best-selling Christian allegory, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, a modern Pilgrim’s Progress where the protagonist is a girl named Much-Afraid. Original music reflects the story’s action and many moods.

Total playing time: 45:06

Read on below for the story behind the recording, reviews, detailed credits, and the story behind the 2004 CD release.

Basics

A Michael Glenn production, by special arrangement with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All selections composed and arranged by Doug Howell. Lyrics by Hannah Hurnard (based on the Song of Solomon). Featuring Doug Howell as the Shepherd and Carol Larsen as Much-Afraid, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Recorded Christmas, 1982, Abbey Road Studios, London, England and 1983, Solid Sound, Ann Arbor MI. EDN 105, Released 1983.

Note: Only the major tracks are included in the playlist below, but album purchase includes the entire album, including all musical interludes.

All songs ℗ © 1983 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. and Eden Records, assigned to Creative Measures. The title Hinds’ Feet On High Places, the American edition of the book, and jacket front cover logo © 1977 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Album cover art courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Playlist

See each song for audio links, lyrics and notes.

• The Song of Songs (with Carol Larsen)
• Fearing Invasion
• The Voice of My Beloved (with Doug Howell)
• Rescue
• By Night on My Bed (with Carol Larsen)
• I Am the Rose of Sharon (with Carol Larsen & Doug Howell)
• The Journey Begins
• The Closed Garden (with Doug Howell)
• The Desert
• I’ll Turn My Hands Upon Thy Heart (with Doug Howell)
• Acceptance of Joy
• Sea of Loneliness
• My Beloved (with Carol Larsen)
• Thou Art All Fair (with Doug Howell)
• Forest of Danger
• How Lovely, How Nimble (with N. Cary, T. Maurer, C. Larsen & D. Howell)
• Valley of Loss
• O Where Is Thy Beloved Gone? (with N. Cary, T. Maurer, C. Larsen & D. Howell)
• I Am My Love’s (with N. Cary, T. Maurer & C. Larsen)
• Grave on the Mountains
• The High Places
• Set Me As a Seal (with Carol Larsen)

Making of…

It was winter, and time to head North again. Most were going South, fleeing the icy blasts that had taken over their world—but not me. I aimed my hood ornament toward the coldest spot—Minnesota—and slowly, painfully clicked off section after section of Interstate. Each ribbon of tar thumped out a dull, rhythmic mockery of my predicament. The physical points of Departure and Destination were plain, yet somewhere in between, I had no clear idea where I was headed. Of course, as I look back on it now, it is clear enough. I didn’t know where I was headed because I had not yet departed. I was holding on, claiming squatters’ rights on the homefront of dreams and desires. And so, though the strips of concrete marked out my path for miles ahead, inside I wandered, aimless. The pitch of this wandering, whirling frustration had increased steadily ever since I’d left home.

Somewhere in Iowa I came over a hill and the road stretched out to the horizon under gray slabs of cloud. Slowly and surely, the marble ceiling pressed down, until it nearly scraped the top of my car. Behind and on both sides closed in a swirl of discontented memories:

A man lying on a bed under an August moon. Very close, very close to his dream. He reaches out, leans toward it over the edge of a bottomless chasm, and just as he touches it: life, love, fire—he falls. Tumbles as his stomach contracts and his heart breaks. “Lord, it’s not right that anyone should have this much power over another human being.” The shaking gradually subsides, tears run dry, and he spends the entire night on the floor, rocking with knees in arms, staring into the blackness.

There’s a man driving toward a Missouri bridge, and as he approaches, he suddenly realizes that he has left his heart behind him in some Wyatt Earp town, and that he must return for it, though it cost more than he can pay.

There’s a man looking into a stream, and he sees himself reflected in loving arms, kissing sweet phantoms with seaweed hair and flashing eyes. The longed-for faces of a thousand passers-by wash past and he feels the current pulling him down, down with warm, inexorable, waving fingers…

I shook under the tremendous weight of stone and impossibilities and longed for oblivion. Knowing I was very near some kind of limit, I screamed out at God: if He did not come to my rescue in this very moment I would make my own end to this neverending road of mine—so help me, I would drive into that cement piling just ahead.

As I looked helplessly, nervously, around my shrinking car, I noticed the book that lay on the front seat, Hinds’ Feet on High Places. My hand flew out to the book automatically and opened it. I began reading voraciously, throwing words into my eyes like bits of flesh to a starving animal. I read again of Much-Afraid in the Valley of Humiliation, and of her longing for deliverance—love. I listened with her in amazement as the Lord promised a life free of disfigurement on the High Places—a place where she—we—would finally be loved in return.

I felt the pain of the seed of love implanted—the pain that could not be distinguished from delight—and the humiliation of being entrusted to Sorrow and Suffering. Then came the terrible encounter with Pride (an encounter with which I could all too readily relate), and the turning of the path down toward the desert, directly away from the High Places. Much-Afraid protested pitifully that this was an absolute contradiction of His promises. And then the Shepherd’s reply: “It is not contradiction, only postponement for the best to become possible… Do you love me enough to accept the postponement and the apparent contradiction of the promises and to go down with me into the desert?”

It was in that bleak moment that Much-Afraid built the first of many altars on her journey. On it she laid down her trembling, rebelling will.

Tears dropped down on my chest as I closed the book. The highway blurred. It had begun to rain. Lord, can this horrible moment—when it seems that You’ve forgotten all about your promises to me—can it be part of your plan, part of a “postponement, so the best may become possible”? A few moments ago I could not even think of such a thing, much less believe it. But now—now You have spoken, and I, too, lay down my will—my trembling, rebelling will. Lord, You may do with me as You please.

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The next two afternoons, as I practiced in a church near my Minneapolis home base, the Lord gave me music to the songs which Much-Afraid and the Shepherd sang to each other (all taken from the Song of Solomon). The story unfolded in my mind like a movie, and as I imagined scene after scene, music echoed throughout the hills with laughter and accompanied every sorrow.

When I returned home after my trip, I contacted Tyndale House and received permission to use the lyrics in the songs. I sent a tape to Mike, then my producer (with Eden Records). He was very excited, but unfortunately, since we had just completed another recording (The Singer album), there was neither time nor money for yet another album at the moment.

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Over four years later, in the spring of 1982, Mike and I were brainstorming in my apartment. The Lord had blessed him in his business, he said, and he was ready to embark on another recording project (if one can ever be ready!). We had talked of several possibilities, but Hinds’ Feet quickly came to the forefront of the discussion. “If you could use anybody in the world to record the music, who would you choose?” he asked.

In my mind, the strains of Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony began. The version I heard was my well-worn favorite, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. That recording seemed to move me as no other has done—before or since. “The Royal Philharmonic,” I answered. I expected a laugh—the kind of chuckle Mike had used before in answer to my harebrained schemes.

“Well, let’s call them,” he said, matter-of-factly.

My mind raced. Call them? What do you mean, call them? The idea seemed preposterous, but a few days later, I phoned London…and we arranged to record with them at Abbey Road Studios.

Much of the music for the orchestral interludes was derived from the songs themselves, especially the opening melody of “The Song of Songs.” This melody appears again and again throughout the work in various guises: major, minor, compressed, elongated, inverted, in retrograde, in simple restatement. That melody came to signify to me the promise.

Throughout that summer we sought advice from friends and revamped a couple of the songs. Now and then, I walked alone under the stars and prayed to the Good Shepherd. I asked that He would so bless this music, that no one would ever be able to hear it without realizing how much we are loved by God.

Remaking of…

Many HF listeners over the years since the original recording was released have asked when a compact disc would become available. After all, nowadays, it’s simple to create CDs, right? Well, as with most things in life, simple is not quite the right word. However, we’re glad to announce that a digital audio version is now available (as of 2007)! If you don’t want to know any more than that, then scroll to the top of this page and order away! If you want to know more, stick with me for a few more paragraphs…

Unfortunately, it has so far been impossible to digitize the Hinds’ Feet master tapes. Long story. Let’s just say that I’m still hopeful that one day they will surface from wherever they’re hiding. We were content for a long time to wait and hope for someday, but we finally decided we could at least do something.

One day, we had a sudden craving to listen to a “fresh copy” of each of the Eden albums—we hadn’t done that in a long, long time! So we took out a new audiocassette of each one and hit Play. What we heard was very disconcerting. Turns out the tapes were in pretty bad shape. Most of them stuck together and warbled quite alarmingly, especially the first and last tracks on each side. For a few moments, we were quite dismayed to realize that everyone that recently ordered the tapes must be having these same problems (even though only a couple of people had ever reported any). In the next few moments, Plan B was born.

We decided that the least we could do was use the tools at our disposal to create a better version than we currently have. We could play a vinyl LP, digitize the sound (record it onto the computer hard drive) and create a digital version from that LP performance. So, in a nutshell, that’s what we did. Many hours of editing later—we decided to clean up the LP performance as much as possible, taking out the most annoying of the clicks and pops, and adding a few other enhancements—we finally had a decent digital version of Hinds’ Feet!

Should a better version (from the master tapes) ever become available, we will let everyone know.

As of the CD release in 2007, we no longer offered cassettes, and later stopped offering the LPs. To all who’ve suffered through the slowly degrading tapes so patiently, please accept our thanks, and our hopes that this new version will be as much a blessing to you as your original version. Maybe even more so, since we think you’ll find the sound quality—not to mention convenience—a significant improvement.

Credits

Michael Glenn Productions, by special arrangement with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., joyfully presents Songs From Hannah Hurnard’s Classic Hinds’ Feet on High Places.

with Nicki Cary as Sorrow, Terri Shonk Maurer as Suffering, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Lyrics by Hannah Hurnard (based upon the Song of Solomon)
Music composed and conducted by Doug Howell
Produced by Mike Kuzma

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Session Leader, David Towse
First Violins: David Towse, J. Cummings, K. Duffy, C. Nolan, K. Lawrence, G. Pyatt, C. Dobbins, A. Klee, R. Issell, C. Beldom, M. Dolan • Second Violins: P.Cosham, I. Rhodes, C. Newton, P. Yeeles, P. Nutting, S. Wicebloom, G. Hein, E. Danks, A. Pievsky • Violas: M. Cookson, D. Newland, M. Samuel, R. Del Mar, P. Sermon, D. Thompson, H. Jones • Cellos: E. Fox, A. Stark, C. Irby, N. Pinkett, G. Roth • Basses: J. McCormack, J. Bass, P. Hetherington • Flutes: Jonathan Snowden, G. Markham (Picc) • Oboes: G. Hunt, G. Wareham • Clarinets: P. Whittaker, K. Pearson • Bassoons: M. Chapman, A. Hammond • Horns: J. Bimson, R. McIntosh, J. Warburton, N. Black • Trumpets:R. Simmons, G. Ruddock • Trombones: D. James, J. Sibley • Tuba: P. Harrild • Timpani: N. Taylor • Percussion: D. Arnold • Harp: R. Owen • Managing Director: Ian Maclay

Piano and other keyboards by Doug Howell • Recorder consort by Kathleen Janka McClatchey Whiteman • Electric guitar by Daniel Leonhardt • Windchimes by Mike Kuzma

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London, England • Chief Engineer: Peter Mew •* All other performances recorded at Solid Sound, Ann Arbor, MI • Engineers: Rob Martens & J. Willard Spencer • Remixing: Mike and Doug at Solid Sound, with technical assistance by Rob Martens and J. Willard Spencer • Album conept by Mike and Doug • Synopsis by Doug Howell • Front cover art courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers • “Moon” and “Precipice” photos © 1983 by Chris Alice • All other photos and back cover photograph © 1983 by Dennis Collins • Inside artwork and layout by Debra Renee Jeter of Directions In Art • Type by Toni Swanger (Garamond) • Film preparation by Jack Wolak, International Album • Mastered at the Mastering Lab, Los Angeles • Plated at Sheffield Labs • Jacket fabrication at Ross Ellis Ltd, Montreal

All songs © 1983 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. and Creative Measures LLC. The title Hinds’ Feet on High Places, the American edition of the book, and jacket front cover logo © 1977 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. • Synopsis provided through slpecial arrangement with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

All selections published by Creative Measures LLC (ASCAP).

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The composer wishes to extend special thanks “to Hannah Hurnard for sharing her pilgrimage with the world—and me; all the wonderful Londoners who helped make our trip to England a successful and pleasant one (especially Dorothy and Nodge); Margaret and David of Deal, England, for their gracious hospitality; family and friends for their support and prayers during our enforced hermit-hood; Debbie for marrying Mike; the Lord, of course, first and foremost in everything. All glory to God in the highest places!”

… and wishes to dedicate this work “to Nance (“Nadejda”), who prayed, cried and watched form the control room.”

The producer wishes to extend special appreciation and thanks “to the excellent musicians of the RPO and to Peter Mew for helping us record fine performances in the time allotted; to a myriad of master craftsmen, including Rob and Will at Solid Sound, Doug, Mike and Ron at the Mastering Lab, Jack at International Album, and Deb at Directions In Art, for their artistry and technical expertise; to friends on both continents who have generously remembered this special project in their devotions; to my fellow workers at “the shop” who have kept the ship afloat in my absence, allowing me to pursue this dream, and to the Lord god Almighty, the Good Shepherd, for graciously providing his inspiration, guidance, boldness, encouragement, patience and the necessary funding. May this work be pleasing in his sight.”

…and wishes to dedicate this recording “to Debbie, the woman with whom I share a special love, which took root and bloomed during the course of this project; to my beloved mother, whose comfortinghand has steadied me over many troubled waters; and to “Big Mike,” my beloved father, who entered the Kingdom of Love in 1976.”

Reviews

“…astonishingly beautiful!” —Nancy Honeytree, composer and recording artist

“The record certainly is impressive and we played it for some of
our staff.” —Bill Brown, President, World-Wide Pictures

“Anyone who has delighted in Hannah Hurnard’s book [title] will cherish this album. The songs printed in the book come alive with the help of strong, yet gentle-voiced soloists and the majestic accompaniment of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra…” —review in Christian Bookseller and Christianity Today

“Mr. Howell has done a good job of interpreting both the song-poems and the connecting storyline. The music is very beautiful and it helps to paint a clear picture of the characters and their actions….This recording is worth a good listen.” —review in Christian Herald

“It’s easy to understand why Michael Glenn and Tyndale House ‘joyfully present’ this musical rendering of songs taken from Hannah Hurnard’s allegory of Much-Afraid’s ascent to the High Places. Based on excerpts from the Song of Solomon, the album brings new life to the Old Testament canticles. While some melodies are simple, they are not predictable. They range from full-bodied and majestic to haunting airs in minor keys. Energy builds and subsides; orchestration ranges from simple to complex….Throughout, the sound of the music supports the plot in its variety of moods and changes. Those who know Hurnard’s book will undoubtedly appreciate the striking way the composer/conductor Doug Howell captures the mood and message of the allegory…” —review in MusicLine

“I have passed the records to the individuals you mention, all of whom asked me to thank you on their behalf. Having played the record, I must say that the standard of production is extremely high and I hope you agree reflects credit on everyone involved. I hope that it achieves the success it deserves and that you feel a sequel is warranted.” —Ian Maclay, managing director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, England

“The project is a lovely one, one that I can quickly see was a labor of love on your part. It is beautifully done, especially the orchestrations and the full rich sound of the orchestra.” —Fred Bock, President, Fred Bock Music Company

“Right now we’re carrying [title] which is a soundtrack to the book…and it’s a really nice piece. I really felt like I was going out on a limb ordering 1000 pieces from that, and we sold out in three days. What was so amazing on that is they ran out of their own pressing in a week.” —Gerald Blalock, record buyer, Spring Arbor Distributors in MusicLine

“Our Heavenly Father is most gracious in the way He blesses people through ‘Hinds’ Feet’ and we are happy your life has also been enriched by your involvement with this work. I am ever so grateful that you have taken the time to produce it. We hope for your success with this endeavor and that it will reach those who are inspired by music who otherwise would not have read the book. May our loving Heavenly Father continue to bless you richly and may your recordings of the songs in ‘Hinds’ Feet’ be a blessing to many. With warmest greetings and thanks. Yours in our Lord’s lovely service…” —Hannah Hurnard, author of the classic Christian allegory, Hinds’ Feet on High Places