The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer

All of My Heart – piano score

Greg Scheer — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:32:10 +0000

Has it really been a month since I last posted something to my blog? Shame on me!

I hope the slower rhythms of summer soon kick in, but for now all I have time for is a quick post. Below is a piano accompaniment for “All of My Heart.” I’m really pleased that my congregation loves this song. We’ll be singing it throughout the summer months.

PDF, MP3

And here is a link to the composers leading the song in Brazil recently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCQJlrPNeNU

Hallel Postlude

Greg Scheer — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:14:19 +0000

With a Hallel rehearsal looming in my near future, it’s about time I wrapped this thing up. And nothing wraps up a piece of music like a postlude, eh?

MP3, PDF

2013 Spring Cleaning: Psalm 126

Greg Scheer — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:17:37 +0000

Once again, spring cleaning can unveil some ugly dust bunnies.

This version of Psalm 126 isn’t exactly an ugly dust bunny, but as I listen to it I hear a half dozen things I would change if I were doing it today. Okay, a dozen. But what’s done is done. Let me point out the interesting thing about the song: the verse and chorus sound like two different song parts (and they are) but then–voila!–they come together in perfect harmony.

I was quite proud of this contrapuntal trickery at the time, but I remember Dr. Gibbs, my composition teacher, becoming exasperated after seeing minute changes to the song three weeks in a row. He finally told me that we were done with this song and I was to bring in something new the following week.

Take a listen, won’t you?

2013 Spring Cleaning: Prayer (God in Heaven Above)

Greg Scheer — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:09:55 +0000

During college, I had a long season of doubt. On Sunday December 6, 1989 at 10:13pm of that season, I wrote this song. What I think is especially interesting in hindsight is that I wrote my song of doubt in the form of a prayer!

Listen to the MP3 while reading the lyrics below:

God in heaven above (or in my heart below)
why keep me waiting for love?

If I were to see you would I know you?
If I were to know you would I love you?
If I were to love you would you love me too?

If I were to strike you woul it hurt you?
If I were to leave you would you follow me?
If I were to hate you what would you do?

God in heaven above (or in my heart below)
why keep me waiting for love?

If you think of me keep me in your prayers –
I need some help with things down here

If you would approach me I’d be listening
When you’re passing by me you can stop with me
When my heart is hungry maybe that is you after all.

If you’re feeling lonely you can talk to me.
I know just how lonesome one can feel.
If you really knew me would you still love me, after the fall?

God in heaven above (or in my heart below)
why keep me waiting for love?

If you think of me keep me in your prayers –
I need some help with things down here.

2013 Spring Cleaning: Open for Me the Gates of Righteousness

Greg Scheer — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:01:39 +0000

Before I became the music director at Bellefield Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, I was just a lowly grad student in the composition program at Pitt. But the people of Bellefield were took pity and asked me to compose a choral anthem for a sanctuary rededication. I chose Psalm 118:19 as my text and wrote an extremely difficult anthem. Bellefielders must also be long-suffering folks; if I were the choir director, I would have pulled the plug on this after one read-through. I’m glad they didn’t, though, because it ended up sounding pretty good: MP3

2013 Spring Cleaning: Jig (Daedalus Quartet)

Greg Scheer — Sat, 11 May 2013 23:55:44 +0000

They say that any piece can get a premiere, but you know you’ve been truly successful if you get a second performance. By that standard, Jig for string quartet is a resounding success. Here it’s played by the Daedalus String Quartet: MP3

2013 Spring Cleaning: I Cry Aloud to the Lord

Greg Scheer — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:46:57 +0000

Sometimes spring cleaning can get downright dirty. In this case, my men’s choir composition based on Psalm 142, “I Cry Aloud to the Lord,” is sung by Greg, Greg, Greg, and Greg. I apologize in advance. On the other hand, it’s pretty fun to hear what I did 20 years ago when I got a hold of a 4 track cassette recorder.

Listen to the MP3. You may want to look at the score to have any idea of what the piece is supposed to sound like!

2013 Spring Cleaning: Lead Me to the Rock

Greg Scheer — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:57:14 +0000

In preparation for the Cry Out to God! CD, The Choral Scholars and I read through hundreds of Psalms. Literally, hundreds. We’d read through 40 songs in an evening, making quick recordings as we went, and after many of these mammoth sight-reading sessions we eventually winnowed it down to the 22 songs that appeared on the final CD.

One of the songs that didn’t make the CD was “Lead Me to the Rock,” my setting of Psalm 61. It’s just a first read through, so go easy on us. If you want the leadsheet, piano accompaniment, or a different demo, go here. If you want the MP3, click on the word “MP3.” (That’s how the Internet works, you know.)

2013 Spring Cleaning: As the Deer

Greg Scheer — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:56:04 +0000

I can’t believe I’ve never uploaded my setting of Psalm 42/43, “As the Deer,” to this blog. It’s kind of my big hit, appearing on the Greg Scheer Songbook CD, as a choral anthem in Augsburg Fortress’s GladSong Choirbook, on the Choral Scholar CD Cry Out to God, and even available in Chinese translation.

Sorry for the oversight. Here’s an MP3 to make it up to you.

Abana – SATB & Piano

Greg Scheer — Sun, 05 May 2013 14:16:27 +0000

Like “Kwake Yesu,” the Arabic Lord’s Prayer is something I’m really proud of. It just seems to capture people’s spiritual imagination. This is especially satisfying, given the fact that a hymn expert (who shall remain unnamed) declared that congregations would never sing it. A half dozen hymnals and recordings later, I think we can safely say that hymn experts don’t always predict what congregations will and won’t do!

But enough gloating. The version that appears in hymnals is an arrangement by me that makes heavy use of a drone in a hymn texture. That’s lovely, but not like the recordings I’ve heard of the song from Egypt. This SATB and Piano arrangement is more along those lines: almost Klezmer-like use of the harmonic scale, a rhythmic accompaniment with lots of rubato, and vocal harmonies that tend to move in thirds.

It’s stale Finale playback, but it’s the best I’ve got for now: MP3