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Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

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Imagine Immeasurable

October 19, 2021 By Stanton Lanier 12 Comments

Today is worldwide release day for Imagine Immeasurable. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, all music platforms, or click below. As you listen, scroll down and read the inspiration behind this beautiful and welcoming orchestral track offering peace and hope to our lives and stories.

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Imagine-Immeasurable-Stanton-Lanier-c2021-MTLTW.mp3

 

When I started composing the music I envisioned a bigger, powerful “immeasurable” theme to represent God and His infinite strength, and a smaller, delicate “imagine” theme to represent me and my dependence on Him. We are responsible for the imagining and He is responsible for the immeasurable. An introduction happened with soft organ, solo English horn, and gentle choir, followed by a beautiful solo oboe melody. My music ideas shifted to an “immeasurable” main theme expressing God’s beauty and majesty, and an “imagine” secondary theme conveying my well intended energy and effort.

This moved my heart to see that God’s immeasurable nature did not require a strong and powerful effort by Him. Instead, I began to consider how His creation of the stars, the universe, the earth, the oceans, the mountains, the flowers, the animals, and human beings, everything, happened with ease, majesty, and beauty. His immeasurable does not require striving or stress for anything. Rather, there is a sense of ease, confidence, assurance, beauty, grace, and love in everything He does. This perspective was a new revelation for me, as I reflected on the inspiration from Ephesians 3:20, which has become more and more special in my life and faith. It moves me to focus on God’s abundance instead of my scarcity, to imagine great possibilities as I delight in Him and seek His desires for me, and to know His power is working in and through me by the Holy Spirit.

The primary “immeasurable” theme which is first heard as an oboe solo is repeated throughout the song, with more instruments joining to increase its breadth and depth. The secondary “imagine” theme answers, bringing some energy with French horn and rhythmic strings to symbolize how we tend to bring our own strength and effort to a situation. The choir harmonies represent heaven in all its grandeur. The “imagine” theme becomes slower the second time it appears, and a majestic cathedral organ leads the melody to represent God’s immeasurable protecting and enveloping our strength, our life, and our story. As the song progresses the “imagine” becomes more like the “immeasurable” to symbolize our gradual growth in becoming more like Jesus by surrendering to God, trusting Him completely, and having more grace and love for all people. The immeasurable theme repeats to the end, slowly working its way from full orchestra to the solo oboe we heard in the beginning, with soft strings and choir harmony underneath, and a final chord by the full orchestra.

How does “Imagine Immeasurable” speak into your life and story today? 

EPHESIANS 3:20 (NIV, NKJV, and MSG versions)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: cinematic, classical crossover, daniel, daniel 2, daniel 2:47, dramatic, film score, movie score, mystery, orchestra, power, Revealer of Mysteries, Wonder

Revealer of Mysteries

September 14, 2021 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Today is worldwide release day for Revealer of Mysteries. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, all music platforms, or click below. As you listen, scroll down and read the inspiration behind this cinematic, orchestral track filled with drama, power, and mystery, and offering hope and possibility to our lives and stories.

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Revealer-of-Mysteries-Stanton-Lanier-c2021-MTLTW.mp3

 

Wonder, Joy, Beauty, and Mystery are themes and inspiration for four songs I composed during summer 2021. If you haven’t heard the first three yet, you can read the story behind them as you listen to each melody, or you can stream them on your favorite music service — Breathing Wonder, Joy Singing Joy, and Gaze Upon the Beauty.

Revealer of Mysteries is a cinematic, orchestral track filled with drama, power, and mystery, and offering hope and possibility to our lives and stories. I composed it as though it were a film score for the life of Daniel. His story included him interpreting Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (chapter 2), three friends being thrown in the blazing furnace (chapter 3), and him being thrown in the lion’s den (chapter 6). I hope both the music and the inspiration behind Revealer of Mysteries will encourage you with a sense of hope and possibility in your life and story, whatever your circumstances may be.

Music Overview

The song opens with rhythmic strings, and a hint of the “power” theme. The first “mystery” theme section follows, which has a slower tempo and begins some dramatic tension. The power theme answers, but is much bigger this time, with horns, and more of the orchestra playing the melody. A bigger version of the mystery theme arrives next, adding a counter melody on strings, and some rhythmic choir harmony. The biggest combination of the power theme follows, with rhythmic strings, full symphony on melody, and timpani drum. Then there is a final, smaller mystery section highlighted by piano and bells. The gradual ending revisits the power theme with small instrumentation, piano and rhythmic choir, revealing a dramatic ending.

Inspiration Overview

God has been inspiring me for many years with His extraordinary power and mystery (see Isaiah 55:8-9 and Jeremiah 33:3). Throughout the Bible, and to this day, He uses ordinary men and women to do amazing and extraordinary things when they surrender to Him, want to hear His voice, and seek to obey Him. I have found God faithful in my life as I watch to see what He reveals to me, and then what He invites me to do. He is truly a Revealer of Mysteries.

“In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed” (Daniel 2:1-2). None of the king’s wise men could interpret his dream, and he was so angry he decided to have every one of them put to death. Daniel heard about this, and knew he and his friends would be executed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. That night God gave him a vision. “During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: ‘Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king'” (Daniel 2:19-23).

“The king asked Daniel, ‘Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?’ Daniel replied, ‘No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries'” (Daniel 2:26-28). After Daniel interprets the dream in every detail, King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor (Daniel 2:46). Then the song title verse appears in Daniel 2:47 — The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

I hope both this dramatic, powerful, and mysterious story from Daniel’s life, and the music, offer you hope and possibility in your life and story. May this new song Revealer of Mysteries play a small part in encouraging you with God’s peace and presence. He sees you. He knows you. He loves you. He is with you. His hand is upon you. I have found Him trustworthy beyond belief, and so want you to know and experience His goodness and faithfulness in your life as well.

How does Revealer of Mysteries speak to you? Musically? Spiritually?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: cinematic, classical crossover, daniel, daniel 2, daniel 2:47, dramatic, film score, movie score, mystery, orchestra, power, Revealer of Mysteries, Wonder

Chasing Splendor New Song Story

March 24, 2020 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Today is the worldwide release of the new song CHASING SPLENDOR, an epic, cinematic instrumental. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, and more. This song has over forty tracks and is filled with adventure and awe. I am passionate about including these two experiences in my life, and hope you can feel adventure and awe in the music. Below is some of the story behind the composition. To see more about the song’s inspiration read my earlier post Chasing Splendor.

I composed this like a film score because our life stories are like an epic movie on the big screen. The world is watching and every life we touch matters. CHASING SPLENDOR opens with a big movie chase “scene” featuring rhythms, strings and brass (“God’s beauty and love chase after me every day of my life” – Psalm 23:6 MSG). Then the first splendor movement is revealed with pianos, keyboards, choirs, strings, electric guitar and soundscapes. The chase returns with more intensity as a symbol of how passionately God pursues us with His beauty and love, and the grace and forgiveness He so wants us to know. This brings us to a second splendor movement that evokes an even deeper sense of awe as we soak in the beauty (“Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders” – Psalm 145:5 MSG).

Musically, as the splendor continues, elements of the chase return (rhythms, string, and brass parts), but in a new way. The chase is now in sync with the splendor. The chase has become more gentle, joining the splendor together as one. The song finishes with a climactic, powerful drum boom. As God chases us, if we open our hearts to trust Him and surrender, the splendor He sees in us begins to shine. Jesus wants to display His splendor uniquely through us as we trust and obey Him. This process takes time and is lifelong, but we have the opportunity to see His splendor grow and flourish in our lives. The irony is that greater splendor comes from deeper surrender. We must rely on God’s all powerful strength through us, instead of our own limited strength.

How does CHASING SPLENDOR speak into your life and story today? 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Beauty, Chasing Splendor, cinematic, God chases us, God's Splendor, grace, Hope, instrumental, Love, movie music, Psalm 145:5, Psalm 23:6

Chasing Splendor

February 25, 2020 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

Chasing Splendor is the title of a new cinematic instrumental releasing in a few weeks. The musical idea has been taking shape in my mind for a good while. There is powerful meaning and symbolism behind Chasing Splendor which encourages me, and I hope will encourage you (the composition and recording features forty tracks). I plan to share more inspiration once this new single releases on all the music streaming services (Spotify, etc.). Below are two life applications for now…

1. God is Chasing Me and You. Psalm 23:6 says, “Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life…” (MSG). These words from David to God are heartfelt. They flow from his experience of God as a trustworthy Shepherd and Guide in his life. Do you sense God and Jesus pursuing you sometimes? I do, but not as frequently as He actually is chasing after me (every day of my life). This chase is much more epic than it seems in our day to day routines. Life is like a great film and the author and director is God our Father. He loves us and forgives us so much. He has such amazing plans in store for us. He wants us to trust and obey Him, to “ask boldly” for His direction and favor (as I shared in January’s post How are You Dreaming Big for 2020 ?). Contrary to our human way of thinking, we must yield to the chase. We must surrender our striving to God, and seek to wait, walk, and run in stride with His plan and His timing. Are you yielding to His pursuit?

2. God Sees Splendor in Me and You. Psalm 145:5 says, “Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders” (MSG). People exclaiming over God’s splendor, and the lavish splendor of His kingdom are written in verses 11 and 12 of this same Psalm. I cannot produce splendor myself. My sin and imperfections produce a broken view that my life is not worthy of God’s splendor. Yet God sees splendor in me, even when I don’t feel it. If we have trusted Jesus to bring us from death to life, and believe in Him by faith, the same power that raised Him from the dead lives in me and you. His splendor lives in me and you. God wants to display His splendor to a watching world through our lives. He is chasing us down, chasing this splendor out of us, so to speak. When we yield to the chase, we begin to notice His splendor more in us and around us. Does His beauty and splendor have you talking?

Which one of these speaks most to you today? God chasing you, or God’s splendor being on display in your life?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Beauty, Chase, Chasing, Chasing Splendor, cinematic, God chasing me, God's Splendor, instrumental, Psalm 145, Psalm 145:5, Psalm 23, Psalm 23:6, Splendor

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