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I invite you to browse my catalog and listen to posted recordings. There are a variety of levels and styles represented. A School Music List for educators is available here. I am available to compose a new work for your ensemble, sit in on a rehearsal, or conduct a performance. Please contact me if you are interested in further information, if you wish to peruse a score, or would like to perform one of my works. I look forward to hearing from you!

Blessings and Peace, Paul

BLESSED(S)

The Beatitudes from Matthew are read on the Fourth Sunday of Epiphany 2026. My published version from MorningStar Music has been well-received across the church and may be performed in unison or SATB with accompaniment. I also have prior unpublished versions of Blessed set for SATBdiv. and SSAA a cappella, SS accompanied with keyboard or strings, and SATBdiv. with organ and four trombones (à la Bruckner). For a choir tour to Poland I adapted the music of Blessed to the biblical text of Ave Maria with splendid effect. You may contact me for a perusal score of any or all the unpublished versions.

A FUTURE WAKING

Last May 18 I was privileged to preach at the Bach Cantata Vespers of Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, IL. During the service three of my works were performed including the premiere of A Future Waking (with text by John Donne) in memory of my mentor, friend, colleague, and advocate, Mark Bangert. Scored for tenor solo, SATB, oboe and organ, this version from May 18 includes the Bach orchestra. Ace Gangoso is the tenor soloist with the Grace Parish Choir under the direction of Cantor Michael Costello. Donne’s text includes two prayers from his 1628 sermon on the martyrdom of Stephen. The text may be found in the attached program.

HOLY EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US EVER

MorningStar Music recently published my song setting, Holy Emmanuel, God With Us Ever. You may preview the score and hear a recording by The Singers of Minneapolis. This original song is appropriate for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, evening services, and especially on occasions of parting, transition, and loss. It is a reminder that God is always with us no matter the circumstances. The violin part is optional. 

The text and tune were composed on Pentecost Day 2014, as I was driving home from Pittsburgh to North Carolina.  I had just attended the final service of the first congregation I had served as pastor from 1979-86.  Pentecost Day is the birthday of the church, but on June 8, 2014, it marked the closing of a congregation and the sending forth of its members to other churches.  At the end of the liturgy, I was invited to recess with the baptismal bowl from which I had baptized two of our children.  It was an uplifting day with inspiring worship and a banquet during which memories were shared, but on the way home the tears began to flow.  I pulled off of Interstate 79 and recorded this text and tune on my iPhone.  The Holy Spirit was active in the lives of the saints of Holy Emmanuel, Svaty Emanuel in the original Slovak of that parish’s heritage.  The hymn is included in my collection, So Great a Cloud of Witnesses, published by Augsburg Fortress.

FOUNDED ON FAITH

Valparaiso University held a Lutheran Centennial Hymn Festival using my hymn, “Founded on Faith,” as its theme. The university’s concert band, orchestra, and choirs performed my concerted setting of this hymn, alongside other anthems and hymns, to celebrate the founding of the university. Listen to Founded on Faith performed in The Chapel of the Resurrection at 36:00.

Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, IL, and the Center for Church Music, sponsored a festival of my hymns at Grace Lutheran Church. I provided commentary throughout the program which featured The Kapelle of Concordia University, Charles Brown, conductor, and the Parish Choir of Grace Lutheran Church, Michael Costello, cantor. My wife Florence Jowers performed my variations on WITTENBERG NEW as the organ prelude, and Michael Costello and Tom Schmidt served as organists for expanded settings of the hymns, all of which appear in my Hymnary, So Great a Cloud of Witnesses, published by Augsburg Fortress. Here is my hymn, “Sing for Joy,” dedicated to my late mentor Ralph C. Schultz, with a jazzy improvisation by Michael Costello.

RAABE PRIZE Interview on “Arise, Shine!”

In 2003 I was awarded the Raabe Prize by the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians for my a cappella anthem, “Arise, Shine!” based on Isaiah 60 and the final stanza of Philipp Nicolai’s chorale, “How Lovely Shines the Morning Star.” I encourage you to watch the interview on YouTube and listen to the recording of “Arise, Shine!” by the A Cappella Choir of Lenoir-Rhyne University, as well as its liturgical rendering entitled, “Canticle for Epiphany.”  I have recently combined elements of both versions into an SATB anthem accompanied by organ or piano, oboe, and a few handbells. Please contact me if you wish a perusal copy of this version.

You may order my hymn collection at Augsburg Fortress, download individual hymn texts at onelicense.net and graphic files at sundaysandseasons.com, or contact me directly. Enjoy this new resource for faith and life! Here is the publisher description: “As a pastor and musician, Paul Weber’s hymn writing is patterned after Luther’s conviction for spiritual songs that reflect a strong theological foundation, an esteem for the historic liturgy, and an understanding of the importance of congregational song for faith and worship. The tunes in this collection of 91 hymns were composed by Weber, who also wrote several of the texts. Other text writers include: Madelaine L’Engle, Gracia Grindal, Jaroslav Vajda, and Rusty Edwards. Also included are a topical index, background notes on the hymns, and a brief essay entitled “A Biblical Basis for the Church’s Song.” Skillfully written in traditional hymn style, this collection adds a wealth of new and creative music to the church’s song.”

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Florence and I collaborate with the Heifetz International Institute to sponsor twelve hours of performances devoted to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.  Staunton’s Bach Around the Clock takes place each year on the Saturday closest to Bach’s birthday (March 21). On March 21, 2026 we will perform Cantatas 196 and 79 as the Grand Finale. Go to bacharoundtheclock.org to see the schedule and program from last year and return in March 2026 to see this year’s lineup.