Walking Tune

by Percy Grainger

Eric Shelton, flute

Naomi Stamoolis, oboe

Allison King, clarinet

Kaleb Stamoolis, bassoon

Herb Dunham, euphonium

Allison writes: In 1900, Percy Grainger, an Australian composer, visited Scotland and took a three-day walk in the Scottish Highlands. He whistled as he walked, coming up with a melody which later became “Walking Tune” in 1905. Proverbs frequently uses the metaphor of walking on the way, contrasting the way of foolishness and evil with the way of wisdom and righteousness. Proverbs warns not to “walk in the way of evil,” but instead to walk in “the way of wisdom” (4:14, 4:11). In Proverbs, wisdom is attributed to the Lord: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints” (2:6-8). Walking in wisdom is tied to walking with God. “Walking Tune,” like many of Grainger’s works, is bright and cheerful. In recent years, I have been learning that God enjoys His people. God does not merely tolerate us. He delights in us, and He wants us to share in His joy by walking with Him, recognizing that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).