David Hepburn is a retired minister-of-music, choir director, band director, missionary, teacher, and school president, and a fine tenor and trumpeter. His many compositions are a testament to the works of Jesus he has seen in the lives of others and in his own life.

The New Song Singers grew out of a church youth singing group David started about seven or eight years before David wrote "Philippians - A Love Letter." By 1975 the group has grown to over 20 singers and a full rhythm section and consisted of both high school and 20-somethings from many Christian denominations. Growing out of David's desire to base more of his lyrics directly on scripture, his idea was to make a significant part of each New Song Singers concert a full musical based on one of the epistles. "Philipians - A Love Letter" was the first of two such musicals David wrote.

The musical was recorded and pressed into vinyl in 1976 and was performed many times from 1976 to 1978, when David's second musical, "First John" was completed and replaced "Philippians - A Love Letter" in the concert repertoire of the New Song Singers.

In 1980, David Hepburn was called to a different ministry in a different place and the New Song Singers disbanded, leaving a legacy of many people who memorized many songs and performed over forty concerts each year, some of them having remained active for almost the entire life span of the group. As much as a third or even half of David's compositional output was intended for use by the New Song Singers.

The overall plan of the musical is:

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Optional prologue song: Rejoice in the Lord

Narrator read: Philippians 1:1-6, 8-9, 19-21

Song: A New Life

Read: Philippians 2:1-8

Song: The Mind of Christ

Read: Philippians 2:9-11

Song: The Name of Jesus

Read: Philippians 2:12-16

Song: Shine Out Like Beacons

Read: Philippians 3:3b-14

Song: The Things of Christ

Read: Philippians 3:15-21, 4:4

Song: Rejoice in the Lord

Read: Philippians 4: 6-13

Song: Confidence

Read: Philippians 1:27-30, 4:21-22

Song: A New Life (reprise)

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The zip archive contains a complete set of Mp3 audio files so you can make a CD or playlist to listen to the entire musical.

Note that the narration immediately preceding The Name of Jesus is very short so it was included in the music mp3 for that song.

MP3 sound sample: Rejoice in the Lord, New Song Singers (1976).



PHILIPPIANS - A LOVE LETTER by David Hepburn recorded by the New Song Singers in 1976 comes in a zip archive of 22898K that includes nine song mp3s and seven narration mp3s, named such that if sorted by title the musical will play in proper order. User is licensed for one copy for personal use only. Please contact us for information about broadcast or distribution license.