Story Behind the Song
"This song is something you connect with the title of this track. Wonderful harmonies put together in ways that are nothing but perfect." Fredrik Cole: Trax In Space
TSince Roman times the town of Bath, on the banks of the Avon River in England, has been considered one of the most beautiful spots in the British Isles. It is enclosed by an amphitheater of hills and blessed with warm springs that has made it both a pleasure resort and a health spa for the sick.
Though Folliot Pierpoint was born in Bath, he went away to attend Cambridge University where he eventually became a classical scholar and taught. It was when he was twenty-nine that he returned home where he was overwhelmed by the beauty of the countryside. It was this experience that inspired this favorite praise hymn.
This energetic and percussive piano instrumental by Don Wigton brings the hymn that came out of this experience to life with an array of sweeping strings and horns underscored by a solid rhythm section.
According to Romans 1 there are two choices that one can make after he has laid his eyes on the beauty of the earth. He can worship the Creator or he can worship the creation. God has made Himself so evident in His creation that those who reject Him are left with no excuses. The creation speaks of God to such a degree that the Middle Age Christian philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas, declared that it proves Gods existence. Nothing but God the great Designer could have created a universe that is so filled with design. Where there is design, there is a Designer.
The world is not chaotic but, in contrast, well ordered. Yet those who choose to walk away from the truth proclaim that everything came about by mere chance. They have developed the theory of evolution as their excuse to reject God. They have chosen to worship the creation and have given themselves over to every imaginable sin just as the Apostle Paul predicted in the book of Romans nearly 2000 years ago.
On the contrary, Christians have chosen to worship the Creator who is to forever be praised. They see the wonder of His works and fall down to their knees to humbly acknowledge God who made the and chose them from the foundation of the world. This is the great truth that For the Beauty of the Earth proclaims. That is why I love the song!
Since I have pursued a study of worship, I have become more-and-more enamored with God as He displays Himself in the things He has made. In my younger days I use to go to my favorite spot in the Sierra Nevada to worship the mountains. Now I go to enjoy God. You will notice that there are pictures next to the available mp3 songs offered at the Wigtune site at www.mp3.com. Many of these are pictures that we have taken in that favorite area of mine. They are now offered to declare the glories of God.
I have learned to recognize God even in the hustle and bustle of city life. On the way home from work, even though in the midst of heavy traffic, I will become suddenly aware of the great spectacle that God has placed in the sky in yet another glorious sunset. Time-and-time again I will be distracted from the guy cutting me off to find myself worshipping God who made everything.
This manifestation of Gods glory has become so important to me that I was overcome with desire to create an arrangement of this great hymn that calls on believers to worship their Creator. I had played it for years in church, and so I had an idea how it was going to be arranged. Yet I was amazed how quickly the parts went down. In fact, the entire cut went from idea to mp3 in just a couple of days.
As it turned out, it turned out to be one of my favorite hymn arrangements. It begins with a kicking piano part with a French horn playing the melody line over it. A cool theme after the first stanza leads to the second verse where the strings sneak in. Eventually the rhythm section (drums and bass) kicks in to create a nice grove underneath. Play the piece as you are enveloped in one of the wonders that God puts before your eyes. We are convinced that you will be moved to rapturous praise!
Lyrics
For the Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise:
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the Beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise:
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and minds delight,
For the mystic harmony
Lining sense to sound and sight:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise:
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above;
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise:
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For Thy church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above;
offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise:
This our hymn of grateful praise.
For Thyself, best Gift Divine!
For our race so freely given;
For that great, great love of Thine,
Peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise:
This our hymn of grateful praise.
Arrangement Copyright © 1999 Don Wigton
A chord chart for this song is available for free at the Wigtune Company Home Page @ http://userzweb.lightspeed.net/wigton/wigtune.htm
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