Origin: This is a chorale prelude using this beautiful hymn. I improvised the original directly into my Ensoniq EPS for various sampled sounds. Years later I arranged it for Harp, boy or girl soprano, 3 adult sopranos, and string quartet. The version playing here is the chamber ensemble arrangement.

Story: My daughter was born prematurely and had to be in neo-natal intensive care for 10 days. The nurse agreed to play a tape recording of "Jesus Loves Me" for her as often as possible. When we took our daughter home, the nurse requested the tape so she could play it for the other babies, which she continued to do.

Text: Jesus loves me - this I know, For the Bible tells me so, Little ones to Him belong, They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.

1860 poem by Anna Bartlett Warner, set to music in 1862 with added chorus by William Batchelder Bradbury.

Analysis: Various musical devices are present: basso ostinato, augmentation, diminution, hocket, and canon. Since "Jesus Loves Me" is pentatonic it easily lends itself to being in tight canon. So, there is a section in which 6 voices perform the Chorale tune at a number of different tempi. ⓪ 0:03 The piece begins with an ostinato in the bass (Do, Ti, La, Sol, Fa, Mi, Re, Sol) accompanied by a free-form line in the soprano. ① 1:44 The 1st entrance of the Chorale tune is at measure 33 at 1/8 of the tempo just at the moment when, in the pictures, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus. Here the ostinato is at twice the tempo. This first entrance of the tune lasts until 3:23 on m. 64. The tune sounds like part of the background so it may be unnoticeable. It is similar to what Bach did in his C minor Passacaglia (m. 113) where the ostinato comes in as the first note in each phrase. ② 3:28 The 2nd entrance, at m. 69, is at 1/4 the tempo. ③ 4:38 The 3rd entrance, at m. 88, plays only the 2nd motif, at tempo, followed at m. 89, at 4:41, by the completion of the 1st half of the tune at 1/4 the tempo. ④ 5:28 The 4th entrance (m. 103) is at a little under 1/2 tempo, ad lib, accompanied only by chords. This is the section meant to be sung by a child in the alternate arrangement. At this point, there are many pictures of Jesus with children -- a reference to the fact that this is basically a children's hymn. ⑤ 6:38 The 5th entrance (m. 122) is at tempo, still accompanied by chords during its 1st half. ⑥ 6:51 During its second half the chords drop out and a canon secretly enters, voice by voice (m. 126, 127, 130, 132, and 138) until there are 6 voices. The original voice is at tempo, the second voice is 1/8 of the tempo, 3 more voices are at 1/4 of the tempo entering after 7 measures then after 2 more measures respectively in 3 different octaves, and finally, the last voice is at 1/2 of the tempo. Each voice drops out as it completes the tune. As the 3 quarter-tempo voices conclude, one speeds up to 1/2 tempo, one slows down to 1/16 tempo, and the final one slows down to 1/8 of the tempo. The original 1/8 tempo canonic voice finishes the canon. Its last note becomes the first note of the ostinato (m. 162) -- an exact repeat of the first 32 measures. Then measures 25 through 32 repeat and the piece is concluded.

The recapitulation begins with the picture of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. It gradually fades out and when Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, it slows down and ends.

I put pictures to the music to display the life of Christ. I wanted to show how much Jesus truly loves us. I believe these pictures, with the music, help to do this.