Kurt Frederic Kaiser (December 17, 1934November 12, 2018) was an American contemporary

church music Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. History Early Christian music The on ...

composer and arranger.

Biography

Kurt Kaiser was born on December 17, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the third child born to Elizabeth (née Seumper) and Otto Kaiser who were committed Plymouth Brethren. His father was born in Rheinland,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, and his mother was born in Westfalen, Germany. Kaiser studied at the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservato ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

while earning two degrees from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

. Kurt grew up performing throughout the city of Chicago. As early as 12 years of age, he was playing

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

and organ for live radio on WMBI. At 15, Kurt spent more than a year in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metr ...

, doing live radio on KGHL. While there he accompanied musicians, played for revivals and church events throughout the Northwest. Kurt met his future bride, Patricia Anderson, during this period and married her in 1956. After his time in Billings, Kaiser spent a year and a half traveling with basso Bill Carle before entering the

at age eighteen. Kaiser joined Word, Inc. in 1959 as Director of Artists and Repertoire, and later became Vice President and Director of Music. With more than 300 copyrighted songs, he arranged and produced albums for many national and international artists, among them

George Beverly Shea George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer"Michael Ireland, "America's 'Beloved Gospel Singer,' George Bev ...

, Jerome Hines,

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

Tennessee Ernie Ford Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Noted for ...

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...

Ken Medema Kenneth Peter Medema (born December 7, 1943) is an American musician and singer-songwriter who has been performing in the United States, Canada, and Europe for more than forty years. Some of his best known songs began as live improvisations. M ...

Joni Eareckson Tada Joni Eareckson Tada (born October 15, 1949) is an evangelical Christian author, radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community". Early life Joni Eareckson was b ...

, Anne Martindale Williams, Christopher Adkins & Stephen Nielson,

Christopher Parkening Christopher William Parkening (born December 14, 1947) is an American classical guitarist. He holds the Chair of Classical Guitar at Pepperdine University under the title Distinguished Professor of Music. Biography Parkening was born in Los Angel ...

, and

Kathleen Battle Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...

. Kaiser led innumerable choral workshops, performed concerts, and recorded eighteen solo albums at the piano. He received a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Award ...

for his piano album, ''Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs'' on the

Sparrow Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hedg ...

label. For over 50 years, Kaiser influenced modern day church music and helped usher in a new era in American Christian music. Crossing denominational boundaries, his compositions have found their way into many church

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...

s. Kaiser and composer

Ralph Carmichael Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. Early Life and Career ...

co-wrote the first broadly popular youth musical, ''Tell It Like It Is'', sparking an explosion of popularity in this new genre of contemporary Christian music. Several other Carmichael–Kaiser musicals followed as churches, colleges, and universities recognized their value in conveying the Christian faith to a new generation. Kaiser continued to achieve subtle trend changes by maintaining sensitivity to music already widely accepted by the church, while managing to move into new and unexplored areas that have broadened the realm of worshipful, sacred music. Best known for the songs "Pass It On" and "Oh How He Loves You and Me," Kaiser continued to compose traditional church music. His timeless compositions helped insure that music in its purest form will continue to be embraced in the church worship experience. "The Lost Art of Listening" project has been hailed as one of the finest recorded works available today. During the past five decades, Kaiser copyrighted more than 300 songs, one of the latest being a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

piece, "One Quiet Night," that was premiered by the Waco Symphony. In 1999, Kaiser traveled to Sweden at the request of the U.S. Ambassador to perform with a string quartet and soloist at a gala Christmas gathering of guests and dignitaries at the Museum of History in Stockholm. In 1992, Kaiser was awarded a special Lifetime Achievement Award from the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP) for his contributions to the Christian music industry. In November 2001, he was inducted into the

Gospel Music Hall of Fame The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music. Inductees This is an incom ...

and received the Faithfulness in Service award in 2003. He received an Honorary Doctorate in Sacred Music degree from Trinity College in Illinois and an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters degree from

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

. Baylor also presented him with the Pro Ecclesia award in 2017. Through the years, Kaiser enjoyed his associations with the Baylor University music programs and the five years he conducted the Baylor Religious Hour Choir. Kaiser served as president of the Waco Symphony Association and was a board member for the Christian Music Publishers Association as well as the Gospel Music Association. From 1959 until his death, Kurt and his wife Pat resided in Waco, Texas. They had four children, ten grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

Death

Kaiser died on November 12, 2018 in Waco after struggling with ongoing health problems.

Discography

*1959: ''Kurt Kaiser Piano'' (Word W 3093-LP/WST 8035-LP) *1962: ''Preludes to Faith'' (Word W-3157-LP/WST-8095-LP) *1963: ''Hymntime Sing-Along'' (Word W-3176-LP/ WST 8110-LP) *1965: ''From London...Kurt Kaiser's Sweeping Strings'' (Word W-3301-LP/WST-8301-LP) *1965: ''Master Designer'' (Word W 3322-LP/ WST 8322-LP) *1966: ''Hymns of Prayer'' (Word W-3227/ WST-8327-LP) *1972: ''Kurt Kaiser: Pass it On'' (Word WST-8562-LP) *1975: ''An Offering'' (Word WST-8679-LP) *1979: ''Just For You: Loving Adventure with God'' (Word WSB-8728 LP) *1987: ''Alone with the Music'' (Word 701-90460196 CD) *1990: "Come Away" with Jenni Till (Kurt Kaiser Music) *1991: ''The Lost Art of Listening'' (Word 701-9329-609-CD) *1993: ''Christmas Favorites'' (Sparrow) *1994: ''Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs'' (Sparrow) *2005: ''Kaiser: Emmanuel, Fantasie for Violin and Orchestra'' (Kurt Kaiser Music) *2013 ''Legacy (Kurt Kaiser Music)

References

Callaham, Mike : David Ewards: Patrice Eyries "Word Album Discographies"

Kurt Kaiser website

Word Label Group

Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music

Alliance Music

FredBock.com

Carianne

Bill Pearce interview

Kurt Kaiser interview

GMA Hall of Fame

Kurt Kaiser Dove Award Source

Scholarship set up in the name of Kurt & Pat Kaiser
* Credit to Bach Cantatas and Baylor University for much of this writing

External links

Kurt Kaiser Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2014)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Kurt 2018 deaths 1934 births American gospel singers American people of German descent Singers from Chicago American male singer-songwriters 20th-century American singers Northwestern University alumni American Conservatory of Music alumni 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Illinois