PureVolume

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"Dohnavur" is an unusual Christian album, based on the poetry of an early 20th century Irish missionary to India, "Amy Carmichael" who worked tirelessly to save hundreds of young Indian girls from a very unkind fate. The community she founded still continues (see the Dohnavur Fellowship link to the right).

Amy Carmichael wrote in a beautiful, semi-archaic language, very much like the King James version of the Bible. She was a prolific poet and is very well known and loved around the world. The music I present here is a mixture of various world-folk, jazz, and popular styles "inspired" by Amy's poetry. It is not conventional, traditional or "contemporary" Christian Music. I think you'll agree, it is unusual. I hope you like it.

"Dohnavur" is a music album two years into the making. It is still a work in progress. I hope to finish it soon. I am not a professional musician. I am a truck driver and I'm doing this because, after reading a book of Amy Carmichael's poems given to me as a Christmas present, I wrote these songs in a two week-long passion in which I felt I was not "writing" this music but rather "being taught" it. Very peculiar you might say, but true. It took me two years to write the orchestrations and to record it as it is in my own home studio. The next three years were spent listening to these songs, enjoying the parts I got right and "hearing" others the way they "should" be. The next phase will be to make the changes, mostly in the vocals, and to add drums and percussion and an electric guitar.

Please let me know which ones you like the best so I will know which ones to put the most work into. Also, feel free to offer any suggestions or comments that may be helpful.

Thanks for listening. Dave

Note: There are two professional American musicians who have produced music albums using Amy Carmichaels' poetry; Lina Barnes and Jim Spencer. Links to their websites are to the right as well.