Tom Fettke has spent five decades creating music that works in real worship and educational settings. A former public school vocal director and church musician with over 30 years of experience leading choirs of all sizes, he understands what singers need and what congregations respond to. His compositional output spans hundreds of published works and recordings, grounded in the practical demands of school and church programs.
Fettke's editorial vision shaped two major hymnals that have profoundly influenced American worship music. The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, which he created and edited starting in 1986, has placed more than three million copies in churches nationwide. His collaborations on The Celebration Hymnal cemented his reputation as a thoughtful architect of congregational song. He holds degrees from Oakland City College and California State University at Hayward, along with a California Lifetime Music Credential. He and his wife Jan live in Nashville.
Why we love this
Fettke writes with an intuitive sense of what voices can sustain and what messages stick. This piece carries the hallmark efficiency of a composer who knows the difference between earnest and overwrought, and who trusts his text to do half the work. Programming a Fettke choral work signals to your singers that you value singability without sacrificing musical substance.
What to expect
The piece carries a reflective, grounded quality rooted in its scriptural foundation. Fettke's harmonic language is direct without being simplistic, offering moments of lift and contemplation that sit naturally within the voices' ranges.
Who it's for
Church choirs preparing sacred concert repertoire will find this accessible and theologically grounded. School choirs seeking concert literature with spiritual depth and manageable ranges will connect with the writing. This works equally well for volunteer church ensembles and trained high school programs.
How to get the most out of it
Balance the harmonic progression by bringing out inner voices in the accompaniment; the text deserves clarity at every turn.
Shape the phrasing around the scriptural language rather than the bar lines to help the message land with congregational singers and listeners.
Keep the tempo steady enough for the text to register, but resist dragging; Fettke's melodies benefit from forward motion.
How to use it
Place this in a sacred concert program as a moment of focused devotion, or use it to open a set of spiritually themed repertoire. The five-page length makes it approachable for groups building their sacred catalog for the first time.
Skills your students will build
Singing with intention when setting sacred text
Balancing four-part harmony with focused listening
Sustaining phrase length appropriate to congregational song
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