The Music of Daniel Carter: Come unto Him

On a very hot summer July Friday night in 1978, I wrote a song called, Come unto Him. I was living with my long time friend and former high school Spanish teacher, Eric Bjarnson and his family. I was in college, and Eric was a doctoral candidate working out of Indiana University. Eric and I were both employed at a factory, while trying to stay in school.

On this hot night, exhausted from work and school, I read the words from Matthew 11:28–30:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

A few weeks previously, Eric and his wife, Dianne bought a new piano. It was a beautiful five foot upright with an ebony finish. They sacrificed to buy it. The piano was moved to the room I stayed in, not in the living room. I protested, but Dianne was firm about it remaining in my room, so that I would focus on my studies and composing.

Despite the hour being late, and all of us completely worn out, I needed to write this piece. I played as quietly as I could so I wouldn’t wake the others. After working on the piece well into the night, Eric came in the next morning and asked, “Is it finished?” I blurted out apologies for making noise and he stopped me and asked again, “But is it finished?” I said “Yes.” He asked if I would play it for him. Eric has a beautiful tenor voice. Some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard has been sung by Eric and his sister, Anna, a coloratura soprano. I played as Eric sang. There in a little yellow shack where the paint was peeling off, next to a rural road surrounded by green pastures, cattle, flies, and the bleating of goats came the sound of a tired, overworked tenor singing, “Come unto him, all ye who labor...” and we were both rejuvenated.

The following year I met my publisher, Jerry Jackman. I arranged a choral version of the piece and showed it to Jerry. Though this piece didn't seem to catch on immediately, it gained steady recognition and enjoys a continued life of its own, and is performed frequently throughout the English speaking world. On the 12th of December 1991 (a day after my birthday), I received a call from Donald Ripplinger who was then Associate Conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He told me that the Choir would perform Come unto Him during the Choir's weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word in February of 1992.

Since then, Come unto Him has been performed by numerous choirs and choral groups around the world. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed it several times through the years.

In 2011, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir recorded it, and it was included as the 4th track on their "This Is the Christ" CD. Within two weeks of its release, the CD climbed to #1 position in Billboard's Top 100, Classical list.

Sheet music for this arrangement can be ordered at www.jackmanmusic.com

Some of the paintings used for the videos were created by Dan Freed. For more information about his art and works, click here.