Stained Glass - St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 40 Spring Street, Lodi, NJ
Transforming the concepts of faith, hope, and love into an experience of the heart.
HELLO, AND WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE! Beginning October 17, 2024 , it will be undergoing changes. My music no longer will be available for purchase on this website. I am beginning to transfer my music to this JWPepper for purchase. To access, please click here:
JWPEPPER: MY SCORE / WAYNE DIETTERICK
This portion of my website is dedicated to Cyril Stretansky, the choral director under whom I studied in my last two years at Susquehanna University, ’72-’73, ’73-’74. Cyril Stretansky died on June 13, 2021. Those two years were his first two at SU. He always said, usually with a slight grin, “Suffer for your art!” And at times we did suffer under his direction. But he opened doors for me that continued to open other doors for me throughout my entire life, and still they open. From my formative, professional years, my intense love for and devotion to the choral art, and my life as a composer and arranger, I owe primarily to him.
The morning that I heard of his death, I needed to compose, as I needed to do something that became part of my healing for this loss. I found a hymn text based on Hebrews 13:14, “For we have here no abiding city, but we seek one that is yet to come.” I found the hymn text by the Irish writer Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), and with a few alterations, set it to music with the hymn tune named STRETANSKY. The pdf and audio files are accessible in the boxes to the right.
Praying for his wife Leona (we all knew/know her as “Lee”) and his and her families. An era for me that has closed with his departure, yet in whatever ways I can continue on with his vision and mission, most definitely ones of God, I do and will, until I join Cy and all my departed loved ones and see God face to face. “Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.”
Today is Monday, October 28, 2024! Soon to be posted on my JWPepper MyScore site:
Tanz: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott – for Organ
and
Though the Fig Tree Does Not Blossom (SSAATTBBB a cappella choir)
Adoramus te, Christe (SSATB)
Hodie Christus Natus Est (SATB/SATB Double Choir)
Three About Christmas
1. And have you come with us to dwell (SSAATB)
2. The ancient law departs (SSAATBB)
3. All this night shrill chanticleer (SSAATTBB)
And the Word Became Flesh (SSAATBB, Piano)
The Altar (Tenor, Piano, and Violincello)
Dance on LOBE DEN HERREN (Organ)
Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley (SATB, Piano)
Amazing Grace (Baritone, Piano)
Simple Gifts (SSAATB)
Toccata on WIE SCHÖN LEUCHTET (Organ)
Meet Wayne
Thank you for visiting my website of my musical compositions, arrangements and blog. My educational background in music began around the age of 10 with clarinet lessons in elementary school and with private piano lessons with Edna Peters of Nescopeck, PA. My mother was a church organist at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Mifflinville, PA, our hometown and church home, and I often accompanied her to an empty church while she practiced. The organ was a five-rank Mudler-Hunter pipe organ, built in Philadelphia, PA. According to https://pipeorgandatabase.org, “Albert G. and John P. Hunter formed a company named A.G. & J.P. Hunter which traded in Philadelphia in the 1860’s and 1870’s. By 1880 this had morphed into J.P. Hunter & Sons. Bernard Mudler was also active as an organ builder in Philadelphia from about 1870 onwards. The Mudler-Hunter firm was incorporated in 1921 and seems to have resulted from a merger of these two previous firms.” The irony of this is that my mother was born in 1921! Though only a small, five-rank organ, it could make the rafters ring! So, I had been bitten by the pipe organ bug.
Choral, Vocal Solos Etc., Hymns, Liturgy
What is it that draws me into a text? It’s what I sense that comes not only from the words themselves, but also what comes from between the lines and the words. It’s the foundation from which a writer originates her or his ideas that becomes a trigger for me to set a writer’s text to music; that process for me becomes devotional, where I delve into the mystery of God.
Instruments,
Handbells
“Praise God with trumpet, psaltery, harp, timbrel, dance, stringed instruments, cymbals…” – Psalm 150
While this area of arranging and composing remains the smallest in output for me, it does continue to inspire me, as do the performers who have dedicated their lives to learning and perfecting performance.
Organ,
Organ
+, Piano
Premieres,
Commissions
Texts inspire me. To have the opportunity to set a text to music is both a challenge and an excitement for me. It is an honor and a privilege to receive a request for interpreting a specific text using my own creative abilities and gifts.
Places I've Played
Testimonials
