Roy Allen Hopp (b. Sheboygan, WI, 1951) composed HILLCREST for this text in 1984; it was first sung in Denver, Colorado, by the choir and orchestra of Hillcrest Christian Reformed Church on June 2, 1985. HILLCREST has the "stretched" cadence patterns that are characteristic of Hopp's tunes; four-part singing or organ accompaniment must keep the rhythmic energy moving through these cadences with their delightful harmonies. Try to feel one broad beat per measure.
Hopp attended Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Michigan State University; and Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Illinois. He has taught in the Christian school systems in Grandville, Michigan, and Grand Rapids, and served as choir director in Christian Reformed and Reformed congregations in Colorado and Michigan, most recently at the Woodlawn Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. Hopp also has been involved in recording and music typesetting projects for CRC Publications. Several of his anthems have been published, and his hymn tunes are collected in the Roy Hopp Hymnary (1990). His oratorio "The House of the Lord" premiered in 1996, sung by the Calvin College Oratorio Society.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988