WVU Press to release first classical CD in its sound archive series Tuesday

February 3rd, 2005

Wondrous Love: Appalachian Chamber Music by composer John Beall will be officially released for sale by the West Virginia University Press at a performance Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at WVU s Creative Arts Center.

Some of Bealls original compositions will be included in the concert program, and the WVU Press will be on hand to sell his newest release, a two disc CD set combining classical elements with an extensive use of folk and traditional hymn tunes.

Beall is currently the composer-in-residence and a professor of music at WVU . He studied composition at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where he was a student of Samuel Adler. While at the Eastman School of Music, he received the 1972 Louis Lane and Howard Hanson Prizes for his compositions. In 1990, he was named Benedum Distinguished Scholar for the Arts and Humanities, and has been an annual winner of Serious Music Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

This is Dr. Bealls fourth professional CD.During his career in composition, he has drawn increasingly from the folk tunes, hymn tunes, fiddle melodies,and even visual settings of Appalachia. Inspiration for his compositions ranges from the harmonies of gospel music to majestic heights of Spruce Knob, which are referenced in Bealls second symphony. The works, performed by ensembles ranging from two to six in number, all draw upon Appalachian folk songs or southern hymn tunes as melodic material, including the belovedAmazing Grace.Selections from the 1815 hymnbook Kentucky Harmony, and the Southern Harmony hymnbook from 1835 are employed as well.

Several of the pieces in this CD were recorded live, including two that were recorded at the WVU CAC . The instrumentalists include Carol and Stephen Beall, The West Virginia Piano Quartet and The Laureate Wind Quintet, among others. This CD set is a wonderful example of West Virginias best serious music. To order the CD or to hear a sample of the pieces that are on the CD, visitwww.wvupress.com.