Inside the Creation of 'On Eagle's Wings': Archival Notes and Father Joncas' Musical Legacy
By David Miller
As parishes across the United States adopted the hymn, the original acoustic guitar arrangement proved insufficient for larger church choirs. Liturgical publishers soon contracted Joncas and professional arrangers to expand the simple melody into multi-part choral octavos. The piece transitioned from an informal guitar-strummed tune into a staple of Catholic liturgical music and mainstream denominational hymnals, including those of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The harmonic progression relies on an alternating tonic-to-subdominant movement, often pivoting between D major, G major, and Em7 before climbing toward an expansive bridge. The vocal range of the refrain spans an octave and a fourth, requiring congregations to produce a strong, confident chest voice on the lower phrases before floating into a head-voice climax on the words "make you to shine like the sun."
| Arrangement Era | Instrumentation & Voicing | Liturgical Deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Early Manuscript (1976, 1979) | Solo vocal lead sheet, acoustic nylon-string guitar, optional flute counter-melody. | Informal parish funerals, seminary prayer services, university student retreats. |
| National Publication (1979, 1990) | Keyboard and choral unison with descant; standardized SATB choral arrangements by OCP. | Sunday Eucharistic celebrations, diocesan ordination rites, ecumenical gatherings. |
| Orchestral & Modern (1991, 2026) | Full brass, strings, pipe organ integration, digital sheet music and chord charts. | State funerals, national civic memorials, global broadcast masses, cathedral dedications. |
Music directors frequently debate the difficulty of the verse pacing. Because the cantor carries irregular verses while the congregation waits for the familiar refrain, pacing requires careful conducting. When sung too slowly, the refrain drags under its own weight. When taken at the brisk pace Joncas originally intended, the melody retains its buoyant, folk-dance momentum.
David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.
