Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

Before You Were Born

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The new album Before You Were Born just released, streaming now on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all music services worldwide. You can also click below to listen to the title track as you read the story behind this new collection.

 

Before You Were Born has been in my heart since last summer, when I read a book about the life of Jeremiah and was reminded how God knows us and sets us a part before we are born (Jeremiah 1:5). The idea evolved into my 16th album with the new composition Before You Were Born (Prelude) becoming the opening track, followed by a carefully ordered collection of twelve tracks. The subtitle Symphonic Meditations for Life’s Seasons describes the prelude followed by four sets of three songs to represent spring, summer, fall, and winter.

My long time friend Dr. Ken Boa has been one of the most significant influences in my life, faith, and music journey since I began attending one of his Bible studies over twenty-five years ago. He is an amazing Bible teacher and scholar, has authored over thirty books, and he is very gifted painter, which is one of his many hobbies. Four of his paintings formed the album artwork and symbolize the seasons, inviting you to listen, reflect, and let this album inspire you with God’s peace, hope, and beauty in the season of life you are currently walking through. Please visit Ken Boa – Reflections Ministries and also his website for the Museum of Created Beauty which was recently published to draw us all closer to Christ through the beauty of God’s Creation.

As an additional resource, use the links below to read or re-read the blog posts I wrote for each of the symphonic tracks representing life’s seasons. All of these songs and verses fill my heart with God’s peace and hope as I embrace His grace, truth, mystery, and wonder.

SPRING (Tracks 2, 3, and 4): Come and Talk with Me , Sky Whisper , and Harmonies of Light

SUMMER (Tracks 5, 6, and 7): Prayers for a Lifetime , Seeing Everything Beautiful , and All You Have in Mind

FALL (Tracks 8, 9, and 10): Quiet Revelation , My Spirit Refreshed , and Waiting, Walking, Running

WINTER (Tracks 11, 12, and 13): Wiping Away Every Tear , Circle of Quiet , and I Lie Down and Sleep

I hope this special music project inspires you, and encourages you in your life and faith journey.

Wishing you God’s grace and peace, Stanton

The Call of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-5, NIV)

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

O Come Let Us Adore Him

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The new release O Come Let Us Adore Him is my 29th Christmas instrumental, joining I Saw Three Ships and albums December Peace and December Peace II.  You can stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all music services worldwide. You can also click below to listen O Come Let Us Adore Him as you read why and how I composed it.

 

Throughout 2023 I knew I wanted to finish the year with a new Christmas recording. There are so many wonderful hymns and melodies composed over centuries of time. O Come Let Us Adore Him happened in 1743. I have fond memories of singing the first line at Christmas time since childhood, which is also the chorus for the Christmas hymn O Come All Ye Faithful. Both were written by John Francis Wade.

I wanted the arrangement to be big, symbolizing the enormous amount of adoration, awe, and wonder in heaven when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. As Creator of the universe and Savior of the world He is worthy of my adoration and worship on earth as well. I also wanted to interweave some favorite traditional Christmas hymns into the composition. You will hear portions of Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and Joy to the World, each presented in a unique way, overlaying or complimenting the O Come Let Us Adore Him main theme.

As I worked on this project there was a sense of how breathtaking and awe inspiring the scene in heaven would have been if we could have witnessed it. Following Christ’s humble birth in a manger, we get a glimpse of heaven’s glory in the Luke 2:8-15 Scripture passage, where verses 13 and 14 read, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”

To emphasize how big God is and how full His presence was when Jesus came to earth as a new born baby, the music has multiple bass lines with low strings, combined with layers of bass, tenor, alto, and soprano choirs, and shining moments of high strings throughout the piece. The melodies of the main theme and three other Christmas hymns are shared between cello, English horn, French horn, alto and soprano choirs, flute, and oboe. The piano is way in the back and ties everything together as it plays throughout the song. The phrase “O come” is repeated in the beginning, between sections along the way, and at the end, to express the adoration in heaven and on earth for our Savior. Silent Night overlays beautifully with the main theme, Away in a Manger takes turns, and the notes from Joy to the World sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” I wanted “is come” and “O Come” to be played several times to finish the piece, followed by all of the musical elements slowly fading into eternity. Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy!

How does O Come Let Us Adore Him speak to you this Christmas?

O Come Let Us Adore Him (1743, by John Francis Wade who also wrote O Come All Ye Faithful, using the first line as the chorus)

O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

For he alone is worthy, For he alone is worthy, For he alone is worthy, Christ the Lord.

Let’s praise his name together, Let’s praise his name together, Let’s praise his name together, Christ the Lord.

We’ll give him all the glory, We’ll give him all the glory, We’ll give him all the glory, Christ the Lord.

 

Solo Piano Dawn

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My 15th album Solo Piano Dawn just released. You can stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all music services worldwide. You can also click below to listen to the title track as you read the story behind this new collection.

 

This project fills my heart with joy and worship in gratitude to God for inspiring twelve new solo piano compositions in 2023. I am most grateful for who He is, and what He has done in my life. Jesus being both the Creator of the universe and my personal Savior and Lord is a miracle and mystery, which I have found to be true as I have investigated and experienced His grace, truth, and faithfulness.

Solo Piano Dawn is a Scripture Inspired Worship Collection of these twelve tracks, one hour of instrumental music inviting you and all who listen to receive God’s peace, rest, hope, and beauty. All of the tracks were released as singles in 2023, except for two brand new pieces: the opening track Solo Piano Prelude and the closing title track Solo Piano Dawn, which were composed to complete the album (Solo Piano Dawn features new music combined with the chorus melody from my piece Awaken the Dawn). The ten singles each have their own blog post which you scroll down or search to read the inspiration behind each one.

The twelve track titles are not in the order I composed and released the singles. Instead, they have been curated to create a unique flow and journey expressing the realness and variety of life circumstances, the mountain tops and valleys, the pains and struggles, the hopes and joys, the fear and faith, the uncertainty and the adventure. As you listen through the sequence of Solo Piano Prelude, Solo Piano Wonder, Solo Piano Psalm, Solo Piano Refuge, Solo Piano Blessings, Solo Piano Angels, Solo Piano Grace, Solo Piano Unheard, Solo Piano Beyond, Solo Piano Yearning, Solo Piano Sleep, and Solo Piano Dawn, I hope you will be blessed and encouraged that God sees you, loves you, knows you, and is there for you.

You can reflect on the verses behind the title track below, which speak to worship, and how as humans were all created to worship. The opening track Solo Piano Prelude is gentle preparation for the journey, and also symbolizes the peaceful assurance that God is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, from Genesis to Revelation.

How does the album Solo Piano Dawn speak to you?

Psalm 108:1-2. My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. (NIV)

Psalm 34:9. Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness. (MSG)

Psalm 95:6. So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God, who made us! (MSG)

Psalm 96:1. Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God—worship God! (MSG)

Psalm 96:8-9. Bring gifts and celebrate, Bow before the beauty of God, Then to your knees—everyone worship! (MSG)

Psalm 100:4. Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. (MSG)

Revelation 8:1. Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets. When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (NKJV)