CREEDAL SONG

Composer: Frank De Vries

Frank DeVries was born in 1929 in Langsa, Indonesia. He grew up in Holland, emigrated to Canada in 1952, and in 1953 married Celia, his childhood sweetheart. He and his wife are the parents of six children, two of which are deceased. After obtaining Royal Conservatory degrees in theory and harmony, Frank and his wife moved to Grand Rapids where Frank graduated from Calvin College in 1962. Upon their return to Canada Frank taught at Pacific Christian School in Victoria, BC, and was principal at the John Knox Christian School in Wyoming, Ontario and the Houston and Vancouver Christian Schools both in BC. The author of two short novels (God. Noun or Verb? in 2006 and Frans in 2008) he has contributed articles to many Christian magazines… Go to person page >

Harmonizer: Bertus Frederick Polman

Bert Frederick Polman (b. Rozenburg, Zuid Holland, the Netherlands, 1945; d. Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 1, 2013) was chair of the Music Department at Calvin College and senior research fellow for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Dr. Bert studied at Dordt College (BA 1968), the University of Minnesota (MA 1969, PhD in musicology 1981), and the Institute for Christian Studies. Dr. Bert was a longtime is professor of music at Redeemer College in Ancaster, Ontario, and organist at Bethel Christian Reformed Church, Waterdown, Ontario. His teaching covered a wide range of courses in music theory, music history, music literature, and worship, and Canadian Native studies. His research specialty was Christian hymnody. He was also an orga… Go to person page >

Bert Polman (PHH 37) wrote the three-part harmonization for De Vries's CREEDAL SONG in Toronto, Canada, in 1975 (also published in the 1976 Psalter Hymnal Supplement). The tune gets its well-proportioned outline mainly from variations on the opening motive. Sing in unison throughout. Organists may want to play on two manuals with a sixteen-foot stop for the left hand.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook