Out of the Sky was commissioned by Andrea McCrady in honor of the Very Rev. Mart Craft's retirement as dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane in 2006, and it was premiered on the occasion of the installation of the new dean, the Very Rev. William Ellis, on October 22, 2006.

I would like to thank Andrea McCrady for asking me to write a piece for carillon and helping me, over the course of months, learn about the instruments by climbing up a couple of towers, hearing my sketches played, and offering suggestions and revisions as to what would help bring my ideas to life both acoustically and in the physical performance.

It has been a fascinating learning process, and my hope is that the result is not merely music adapted to the carillon, but music written for the instrument from the ground up which allows the instrument to truly shine and which is a pleasure to perform.

I believe that most of the musical ideas inherent in the piece, the relationship of themes, pacing, and the like, will become obvious as the performer reads through the music. I would offer that the first 16 measures are to be played freely, but at a pace which maximizes the overlaying and exploration of overtones as they bleed into each other.

Measures 17 and 18 should almost fade before moving along. For the "dance" section at measure 75, the tempo marked at 120 should be considered the maximum speed limit; steadiness and emphasis of the meter will help it dance even at a slower tempo. The final nine measures should probably relax in tempo as well as volume, so that the last two loud chords can be truly startling. They should be allowed to ring for some time, and the final notes should be at a whisper volume to blend with the fading of the penultimate chord.

—William Berry