This piece was commissioned for the dedication of the 36-bell carillon at The Presbyterian Church in LaPorte, Indiana. (I served as consultant and as dedication recitalist.) Early in the history of The Presbyterian Church, the children from the Sunday school raised funds to purchase a bell for the church (by Meneeley of Troy—hanging not far from where the carillon is situated today). In recognition of this background, the carillon, which was funded by many gifts from the members of the congregation, is known as "The Children's Carillon." The church requested a new composition, incorporating familiar Sunday school melodies. Ultimately, I decided to use three nineteenth-century hymns: "Jesus Loves Me," "Praise Him, Praise Him, All You Little Children," and "Jesus Loves the Little Children." The latter is derived from the trio section of the march "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are Marching." It was important in this case that the melodies are easy to recognize, which I strove to do even in the sections where more than one melody is being played at the same time. It was also written to be accessible (not particularly difficult to play) and a bit showy. We extend our thanks to The Presbyterian Church of LaPorte for their willingness to make this piece available to the GCNA and therefore to a broader range of players and listeners.

—John Gouwens