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P ROGRAM NO TES

The Music of Living Dan Forrest (1978 – )
Dan Forrest is a young and already accomplished American composer born in Elmira,
New York. His compositions include choral, instrumental, orchestral, and wind band
works, and his works are performed regularly in leading venues around the world
including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Forrest is equally at home in concert music
and church music, with extensive background in both domains, and he composes for
ensembles across the spectrum of choral music. He is known for his skill in writing
melodic lines for all voices and instruments, and the musical lines of his choral works are
especially noteworthy for their sensitivity to the nuances, speech rhythms, and deeper
meanings of their texts.

“The Music of Living” is an exuberant and inspirational piece with a dynamic piano
accompaniment and was composed for a performance at the 2011 Texas Music Educators
Association Convention.
Giver of life, Giver of life,
Creator of all that is lovely, Creator of all that is lovely,
Teach me to sing the words to Your song. Teach me to dance to the sounds of Your
I want to feel the music of living; world.
And not fear the sad songs I want to move in rhythm with Your plan.
But from them make new songs Help me to follow Your leading,
Composed of both laughter and tears. To risk even falling,
To rise and keep trying,
For you are leading the dance.
- Anonymous

An die Sonne, D. 439 Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras.
Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast catalog, including more than
600 secular vocal works (mainly lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music,
operas, incidental music, and a large body of piano and chamber music. Appreciation of
Schubert’s music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in
Vienna, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death.
Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of the 19th century, and his
music continues to be popular.

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