GILLIGAN (3 tunes for Isaac Watts, part 1)

Update: For sheet music or to adopt this orphan tune, head over to gregscheer.com.

A call went out recently for new hymn tunes to go with a forthcoming collection of updated Isaac Watts texts.

Can I resist? No, I cannot.

Over the next three days I’ll post what I came up with. The first is a rousing tune in common meter (C.M or 8.6.8.6). The text, “The Islands of the Northern Sea Rejoice!” is a real foot stomper with valleys rising and mountains melting to plains. I knew the tune needed to be strong and solid, with a hint of sea chanty. My first draft sounded suspiciously like the theme from Gilligan’s Island (sea chanty indeed!). I re-wrote the offending “sit right back and you’ll hear a tale” section of the tune, but decided to commemorate my near plagiarism by naming the tune GILLIGAN: MP3.

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2 Responses to GILLIGAN (3 tunes for Isaac Watts, part 1)

  1. Kurt Schaefer says:

    I am really looking forward to hearing your melodies. But the first sentence of this post baffles me: Why does Isaac Watts need to be updated? Is Shakespeare next?

    • Greg Scheer says:

      Are you or aren’t you? That’s the question. See? Even Shakespeare sounds cool with a little updating! No really, I don’t know a lot about the project, but there are Watts texts that have been updated from the original in modern hymnals. My guess is that this project is aiming to make some lesser known Watts accessible to modern worshipers. I’ll keep you posted.

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