Monday, May 23, 2011

Background on Decatur Place Hymn Tune











View of Decatur Place, Washington, DC looking westward from a location a few hundred feet west of Florida Avenue NW

According to the web site of St John Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Connecticut:

"The [hymn tune] was written specifically for the text for inclusion in The Hymnal 1982 by Richard Wayne Dirksen, former Organist and Choirmaster and Precentor of Washington National Cathedral. The tune name Decatur Place honors the Washington home of Paul Callaway, the composer's longtime friend and predecessor as Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral. Hymn note by Raymond Glover and Russell Schulz-Widmar.