Well

"Well" was commissioned to honor the commissioner's grandparents. We knew we wanted to use a hymn tune in the composition and quickly settled on the Philip P. Bliss hymn "It Is Well With My Soul." We chose that hymn because the words of the hymn were written from a place of tragedy and loss yet remain hopeful for what may come. Lyricist Horatio Spafford lost his children and business in a series of traumatic events. "It Is Well With My Soul" is a hymn that speaks into the ups and downs of the human experience. It has comforted many during times of loss, anxiety, and the unknown. It connects in a deep and meaningful way. "Well" is a fantasia on the hymn tune. It came to life while improvising on the motives and melodic structures of the hymn tune. Near the end of the piece, just after the final climatic moment, another hymn tune, "The Old 100th", is presented before a brief and unadorned statement of the "It Is Well With My Soul" refrain. Verse 1 and Refrain of "It Is Well With My Soul": When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul), It is well, it is well, with my soul.