WYATT (Grotenhuis)

Composer: Dale Grotenhuis

Dale Grotenhuis (b. Cedar Grove, WI, 1931; d. Jenison, Mi, August 17, 2012) was a member of the 1987 Psalter Hymnal 1987 Revision Committee, and was professor of music and director of choral music at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, from 1960 until he retired in 1994 to concentrate on composition. Educated at Calvin College; Michigan State University, Lansing; and Ohio State University, Columbus; he combined teaching with composition throughout his career and was a widely published composer of choral music. He also directed the Dordt choir in a large number of recordings, including many psalm arrangements found in the 1959 edition of the Psalter Hymnal. Before coming to Dordt, Grotenhuis taught music at Christian high schools in Washin… Go to person page >

WYATT is a tune that Dale Grotenhuis (PHH 4) originally composed for an Easter cantata. When Marie J. Post asked him to provide music for her baptism hymn, Grotenhuis used this tune. At Post's request, he named it WYATT in honor of her grandson.

WYATT has an effective melodic contour that rises to its highest point in the tune's final phrase. Sing this tune in unison or in harmony at a good pace. Try singing stanza 5 in a slightly more stately manner and with extra reeds and mixtures in the organ accompaniment.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook