You could say that two gentleman, perhaps two generations
apart in age, wrote this song. Forty-year-old John Peterson probably did not
suspect as he guided singing one day that another older man would in fact guide
him to a song. But, “Heaven Came Down” through that on-the-spot coincidence of
these two fellows in northeast Pennsylvania (see picture of Montrose here) in
1961, producing this musical story just a week later. You don’t know when two
paths may intersect to germinate something special, but do you suppose composers
are more attuned to unpredictable circumstances and the possibilities they
bring?
It came about during a summer in Montrose, near the Pennsylvania-New
York border in 1961, but it’s fair to say the pump had already been primed for
many years in more ways than one for a musical fountain to flow. A white-haired
man known only as ‘old Jim’ had evidently been converted to the Christian faith
some years previously, although that experience must have still been fresh in
his mind as he stood to tell his story. It was a bible conference that brought
the old man to that place where the comparative youngster John Peterson was directing
the forum’s singing. Peterson had been engaged in musical enterprises ever
since his teenage years, including in Montrose for the Singspiration Musical
Company for the previous seven years. He was a music pro. So, when he asked for
folks in the crowd to share their stories, did he in fact suspect someone might
recite something unique? Was he searching for that next hit? Did the music that
day motivate ‘old Jim’ (we can guess from the description of him with white
hair that he might have been around 80 years old or more) to pour something from
his heart in a new way? Some things evidently coalesced, for when Jim uttered
the words of the chorus’ first line, they captured John’s attention, who says
he knew immediately this one would be a first-rate effort. The seed of the song—its
embryo—is what Peterson says is most important, and he heard it that day, and
saw it on the face of Jim. The old man’s face may have been wrinkled, but he radiated
something potent. He’d been in contact with His Spirit, kinda like Moses, and
his insides just couldn’t keep it hid.
So “Heaven Came Down” off John Peterson’s pen about a week
later, perhaps as he recalled not just ‘old Jim’s’ words, but his face too. John,
over the decades, wrote some 1,000 tunes, prompting one to imagine that he must
have seen and heard similar faces and words as he lived and carried out his
musical ministry. Montrose…it could be like any other little town in America,
population about 1,500 people. But, He’s not too particular about the size and
location of a place. Nazareth -- what good
could come from there? Are you in a Nazareth today? Look at the faces, hear the
voices…
The following sources provided background for this story:
Stories Behind
Popular Songs and Hymns, by Lindsay Terry, Baker Book House 1990 and 1992;
and The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and
Praise Songs, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006, Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.
Also see this site: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/p/e/t/peterson_jw.htm
Background on the song’s birthplace: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montrose,_Pennsylvania
No comments:
Post a Comment