Dan Schutte: "Here I Am, Lord"

The Strathroy United Church choir performs Dan Schutte's popular anthem "Here I Am, Lord" during the Trinity Sunday service on May 18, 2008 accompanied by music director Edith Hanselman on the Boston grand piano.

Daniel L. Schutte (b. 1947, Neenah, Wisconsin) is an American composer of Catholic liturgical music and a contemporary Christian songwriter best known for composing the hymn Here I Am, Lord (1981).

Grew up in Elm Grove, Wisconsin and graduated from Marquette University High School before entering the Jesuits.

Was one of the founding members of the St. Louis Jesuits who popularized a contemporary style of church music set to biblical and other religious texts sung in English as a result of the liturgical reforms initiated by Vatican II.

He released nine CDs with the St. Louis Jesuits and a 30 year anniversary collection in 2005. Other members of the St. Louis Jesuits were Bob Dufford, Roc O'Connor, John Foley and Tim Manion. He left the Jesuit order in 1986.

His compositions are primarily written for liturgical use, particularly in Catholic worship. Some of the more notable include "City of God" (1981), "Only This I Want" (1981), "Blest Be the Lord" (1976), "You Are Near" (1971), "Though the Mountains May Fall" (1975), "Sing a New Song" (1972), "Glory and Praise to Our God" (1976) and "Table of Plenty" (1992).

Many Christian artists such as John Michael Talbot and Amy Grant have recorded his compositions.

He has also released five solo CDs through his publisher OCP.

In 2006, he wrote the component of a major catechetical program for teachers on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola and the use of music in prayer. He continues to compose new music, write about spirituality and travels extensively giving concerts and workshops on music and spirituality.

In addition to his Jesuit formation, he hold two masters degrees from The Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He later studied music with the other members of the St. Louis Jesuits under the direction of Kevin Waters at Seattle University.

Schutte presently is Composer-in-Residence at the University of San Francisco.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Strathroy
• United
• Church
• Dan
• Schutte
• Here
• Am
• Lord

[ultimatehineswardfan]

a beautiful song. well done. 5 stars.

[gtcu17]

this is my FAVORITE hymn. Best verse: I the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people's pain I have wept for love of them They turn away I will break their hearts of stone, Give them hearts for love alone. I will speak my word to them Whom shall I send? God has given us so much. He gave his son to us, and he tries his best to give us everything, but for the most part we act like its nothing and take it for granted. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Have you used even one to thank God?

[jona457]

My favorite Church Hymn. Thank you for sharing the video and writing the info under the video. Amazing information about the composer, just what I was looking for.

[gramps2matt]

Kudos to the conductor for obtaining sensational balance and blend with resources available to her.....a typical unbalanced women majority men minority church choir. Not an easy task. They performed wonderfully.

[Kaitipoo]

I heard Dan Shutte perform his song and it was interesting to learn from him that this is supposed to be sung as if God is talking to us ie: one person sings the verses and then everyone sings the chorus in response to God.

[alex471996]

I love this hymn

[willgsp]

As a music minister and working with others, I've learned that 90% of the time disagreement over music is personal taste not theological correctness. My question is: does bickering over musical style really further the plan of God? While I try to plan music people like, my first priority is music that furthers God's message. If that is "Amazing Grace," so be it. If that is 1960s "folk Christian," so be it.

[LadyIslay]

Though I dislike this particular piece due to massive overuse, the song speaks to people. I don't think it would be a great leap to suggest that God speaks to people through this song.

Anyway, what I'm writing to ask is: who arranged this particular edition that the choir is singing? It is not the original SATB arrangement by Dan Shutte that is published by the Oregon Catholic Press. Is it the Jack Schrader arrangement from Hope?

[s2p3c]

i listen to ancient classical music as well as modern liturgical music. both can speak to me. there is variety in how God appeals to people, such as different rites, different languages, etc. that all point from their divergences to the one undifferentiated center

[jesusthroughmary]

The last sentence in this comment is utter nonsense. First of all, folk music is dead. It's a relic of the 60's and 70's. Second of all, making the Mass more "understandable" has done nothing to make it better understood in the last 40 years.  People now "understand" that the Mass is just like everyday life, so they don't bother to get out of bed on Sunday morning. They "understand" that the priest is the unfortunate one that gets forced to not have sex, so nobody goes to seminary.

[jesusthroughmary]

Spot on. It goes against everything hymnody should be and has always been.