When pianist Wayne Bethanis released his instrumental piano arrangement of “Happy the Man,” he had few expectations beyond sharing a piece that had shaped his early musical life. Six weeks after its debut, the reimagined version of Sebastian Temple’s folk-style hymn rose to No. 1 on the Tucson-based New Age Notes Top 10 chart in July 2026, placing a decades-old Catholic hymn on an international contemporary new age ranking for the first time in Temple’s catalog.
A pianist poses at a grand piano holding a vinyl and album art for 'Happy the Man,' promoting an instrumental arrangement of the Catholic hymn that reached the top of the New Age Notes chart.
Bethanis, who lives in Downtown Los Angeles, described “Happy the Man” as one of the defining songs of the Catholic folk revival of the 1960s and said the project of arranging it felt unexpectedly profound. “I first heard ‘Happy the Man’ as a child when I was singing in church,” he said. “I never imagined that decades later I could introduce it to a completely new audience. My experience arranging and recording ‘Happy the Man’ in the studio was nothing less than transformative. I saw how his uncomplicated folk melody was pure genius.”
Dyan Garris, founder and owner of New Age Notes Radio, said the station’s Top 10 chart is compiled on merit, and that Bethanis’ recording fit the outlet’s programming immediately. “When he sent over his new instrumental song ‘Happy the Man,’ I had a good listen and immediately added it to our station, New Age Notes Radio,” Garris said. “It’s a beautiful song, uplifting, very well produced and played in, what can only be referred to as ‘Wayne Bethanis style.’ It’s very elegant and distinctive. To my surprise, I found out much later that it was a remake of a Sebastian Temple hymn, a sacred song focused on service and inner peace. It fit right in here with our programming, which brings a wide variety of spirit-elevating, relaxing, high-quality music to our listeners.”
Bethanis dedicated the recording to his grandmother, Kathryn Bethanis, who died at age 103 and had asked him to release spiritual music. Crossing into the contemporary Christian genre with a work rooted in Catholic liturgical tradition represented a notable moment in his career, one that married personal history and artistic ambition.
Bethanis’ connection to “Happy the Man” reaches back to his childhood. He recalled playing the song for his church choir when he was around 7 or 8. “I played ‘Happy the Man’ on the piano for the church choir when I was 7 or 8 years old,” he said. “I never forgot how this song stood out for its natural genius of melody and lyric. I knew, even at that age, that Sebastian Temple was a pioneering voice. It stayed with me.” Those early experiences helped shape a musician who would later be described as a piano prodigy.
His formal training began at age 5 and continued through formative years in Kents Hill, Maine, where he competed in piano competitions, hosted local variety shows and performed in church. After high school, Bethanis relocated to Southern California to pursue higher education in music. He earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Chapman University and went on to complete a Ph.D. in musicology at Claremont Graduate University.
Bethanis’ education opened doors to significant mentorship and performance environments. He has acknowledged William Kraft as a mentor who helped provide early exposure to elite musical circles. Students connected with Kraft had access to the backstage worlds of major Southern California venues such as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, while Kraft rehearsed premieres of his works — an environment that Bethanis credits with shaping his artistic outlook.
Across a recording career that includes six albums, Bethanis has developed a repertoire that blends virtuosic pianism with accessible contemporary forms. Tracks such as “Song for a New World” and “Orville & Wilbur (the Right to Fly)” have been highlighted by the New Age Music Guide for their engaging, technically accomplished performances. Beyond recording, Bethanis produces and hosts Piano Garden on Mixcloud, a show that features keyboard artists and has routinely reached No. 1 on the global Mixcloud charts. Guests on Piano Garden have included Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies, Jon McLaughlin and Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik. “Piano Garden is a surprise success for me,” Bethanis said. “I’ve always had a show complementing my recording career, including my own talk show here in Los Angeles. I love to entertain people, and present talented artists in a very entertaining manner. Piano Garden is my second radio show. I showcase the top keyboard artists in the world. It routinely hits No. 1 on the global Mixcloud charts. I’m a team [player] and I love watching other people succeed.”
The ascent of “Happy the Man” into the New Age Notes Top 10 underscores how a simple folk hymn, reinterpreted through contemporary instrumental sensibilities, can find new life outside its original liturgical setting. For Bethanis, the project melded a lifetime of musical experience — from childhood performances in church to advanced academic study and a professional career that spans recordings and international performances — into a single, widely heard piece. The No. 1 placement on New Age Notes in July 2026 marked the culmination of that effort and introduced Sebastian Temple’s hymn to listeners who may not have encountered it before.
Bethanis’ recording has also crossed into country radio: his website notes that "Happy The Man" entered the Top 40 on Sound Machine Country Radio, a placement he announced on June 13, 2026.
The original "Happy the Man" was the title track of a 1967 LP released by Franciscan Communications, and the song’s sheet music is listed by GIA Publications with a 1967 copyright attributed to St. Francis Productions.
Sebastian Temple, the hymn’s composer, is best known for writing "The Prayer of St. Francis" (Make Me a Channel of Your Peace), which gained international recognition after being performed at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997.
New Age Notes also named Wayne Bethanis among its 2026 nominees: his album "Sonic Bloom" appears on New Age Notes’ official nominees list for Best New Age Album in the 2026 New Age Notes Radio Music Awards.