In music and ministry, Kaiser wants to pass it on
___By John Hall
___Staff Writer
___WACO--A small sparrow awakens and begins to hop along a thick branch of an oak tree as the sunrise slowly illuminates the ground. A man sits calmly, attempting to take in the pure beauty of the scene as it is unveiled by the sunlight. There, in silence, the onlooker draws inspiration from the design of the creation before him and begins his work.
___From such a vantage point in his own backyard, Texas Baptist songwriter Kurt Kaiser draws inspiration that flows into music.
___"Music has its very beginnings in silence," he wrote on the back cover of one of his compact discs. And listeners can hear what he means in his music, which often depicts strong emotions, inspiration from texts or soothing nature scenes.
___The scene illustrates not only how Kaiser draws musical inspiration from God's creation but also how Kaiser's own godly nature comes through in h
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KURT KAISER performs at the recent ceremony where he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
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is music.
___"I believe the quality of his person comes out in his music, and it touches me deeply," said Dave Leeman, who became acquainted with Kaiser's work as a music minister. "Most music touches you briefly perhaps on an emotional level, but Kurt's music goes deep to the heart. There's a quality there that is almost undefinable."
___For this ability, and for his influence in the field of gospel music over a 40-year period, Kaiser recently was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame.
___In the minds of many people, Kaiser and his friend Ralph Carmichael revolutionized the gospel music industry. In the mid-1960s, the duo collaborated to write a series of musicals that incorporated the new sound of rock and roll to reach out to the youth who were feeling increasingly neglected by social institutions, including the church.
___"That was a period of time where the kids felt disenfranchised," Carmichael explained. "They were hearing a new genre of music on the radio that was so different from what they heard in church, so they just rolled their eyes at it. So Kurt and I began experimenting. Soon it began to catch on with youth ministers across the nation."
___Their first youth-oriented product was the musical "Tell it Like it Is," which became a nationwide hit and ushered in the age of the youth musical.
___Kaiser and Carmichael were amazed as the book sold out its first run of 2,500 copies. Carmichael then ordered a second run of 100,000 copies, which filled an entire warehouse as well as part of the house of his boss, only to see that run sell out. In total, they sold about 500,000 copies of the musical and saw people around the globe singing Kaiser's song "Pass it On," which remains his signature song.
___Carmichael said he and Kaiser called the tunes "folk rock" because "a lot of folks listened to them." He especially noted the appeal the songs, which he called precursors of the modern chorus, had for the younger generation as churches started youth choirs.
___"It was the beginning of youth finding a place in church again," Carmichael said.
___Carmichael and Kaiser continued to write together on two other musicals, "Natural High," which was aimed at keeping youth away from drug use, and "I'm Here, God's Here, Now We Can Start."
___Kaiser, who earned a master's degree in music from Northwestern University, joined Word Music 1959 as director of artists and repertoire and later became vice president and director of music. And he continued writing a variety of music.
___He has arranged and produced albums for Kathleen Battle, Ernie Ford, Hale & Wilder, Larnelle Harris, Burl Ives, Ken Medema, George Beverly Shea, Joni Eareckson Tada and Ethel Waters, among others.
___Kaiser recorded 16 piano solo albums and received a Dove Award for his piano album "Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs."
___His friends describe him as constantly trying to help and teach anyone he meets.
___Ken Barker, senior editorial director at Word, recalled one time when he was eating with Kaiser at a restaurant where a young woman was struggling to play the piano to entertain the customers. Kaiser gave the woman a quick clinic on how she could improve her playing.
___Since leaving Word, Kaiser has started his own label and works as a freelance composer. He works out of an office with three glass walls he had built in his backyard in 1974.
___Now in his 60s, Kaiser said he finds his musical tastes are favoring classical over mainstream music. He yearns for music styles of the past.
___"Hymnody is being dealt a severe blow because young people don't learn them," he said. "And there is just so much depth to the hymns. It is a terrible shame young people are missing what hymns can do."
___Kaiser helped start Day Spring Baptist Church in Waco about seven years ago, and he directs the choir, which rehearses in his house twice a week. He has written most of the group's material, which has led him to produce several pieces for smaller choirs. It is more difficult for small choirs to blend their voices, Kaiser said, and he believes there is a great demand for his work written for smaller choirs.
___However, this one-time gospel revolutionary is not just returning to established patterns in the music industry. He is once again trying to change the way the business works.
___Kaiser is helping develop a company that will provide gospel music over the Internet. He hopes the company's website will make a wider range of music available for churches nationwide.
___In all, Kaiser has written more than 200 songs and traveled the globe performing. But he and his friends agreed all that pales in comparison to his greatest accomplishment--raising his children.
___He and his wife, Pat, have lived in Waco since 1959.
___"Through Kurt's successes, he has never forgotten who he is," said Barker. "He will finish well. He is committed to the Lord Jesus and to God's plan for his life. He is entirely devoted to his wife, his family and his friends. To me, those are really his greatest accomplishments."
___Although he regards his family in the highest esteem, Kaiser said he realizes his musical career has given him opportunities he never expected. And he has tried to follow the advice his father gave him: "Whatever ability you have been given is a gift, so use it, improve it and give it back to the One who gave it to you."
___Even so, Kaiser said he continues to be surprised at the opportunities music has provided for ministry around the world.
___"Gospel music, even if not done well, can change lives and speak to a heart like nothing else," he said. "When you tie a text and a melody together, it can grab you like nothing else.
___"The way music works is so special. When you bring together certain notes and harmonies, you just go, 'Whew! That's special.'"
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