Month: January 2018

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Church Congregational Songs Global Live

Lord, Now Let Your Servant @ GKY Manggar Besar, Indonesia

One of my greatest joys is when a song takes on a life of its own and begins to travel to unexpected places and people. My setting of Simeon’s Song, “Lord, Now Let Your Servant Depart in Peace” was recently sung in Bahasa (Indonesian) and Chinese translations at GKY Mangga Besar Church in Jakarta.

GKY Mangga Besar

My friend, Lucky, was behind this. I met Lucky in 2015 when I was in Indonesia and he was just about to head to Grand Rapids to study at Calvin Seminary. His family and mine became close while he was in town. I was sad to see them return to Jakarta, but knew that God had big plans for them back at the GKY Church. This Christmas he decided to introduce my song to his congregation, and you can hear that his people really took to it.

One of the things I loved about worship in Indonesia is that people sing with all their heart. In this recording, you can hear the pastors urging on the congregation, and the people responding with full voices. I believe I’m also hearing a pipa (a strummed Chinese instrument that sounds a little like a mandolin tremolo) in the chorus, which sounds surprisingly good.

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Uncategorized

2017 Year in Review

I said I’d make this an annual event, didn’t I?

The New Year is a time of taking stock of one’s life. For me, that includes the music I’ve been writing. It’s easy to get lost among the trees of day-to-day composing without having any sense of the musical forest. While working on this overview of 2017’s music, a few things came into focus:

  • I’ve been writing lots of music, and I think I’m getting pretty good at it.
  • These demo-quality recordings are fine, but I need to put out a bona fide album.
  • I am very prolific, but not particularly profitable. I’m not complaining; I love what I do. I just need to figure out ways of promoting myself better and turning notes into cash.

Take a listen to this Year in Review and let me know if you have any insights. My life is a work in progress, you know? I’ll take any advice you have.

Please feel free to share this. Those of you who subscribe to my blog are the elite insiders of my musical world. But this podcast style program makes for a nice introduction for those who are still wandering aimlessly in a vast musical wasteland.

Categories
Arrangement Art Music Church Commissions Live

“Savior of the Nations Come” at Baylor University

Here is the recording of “Savior of the Nations, Come” performed at Baylor University’s 2017 Lessons and Carols service. I wish I could have been there in person. It sounds beautiful.

You can read about how the piece came to be written here: https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/2017/11/22/savior-of-the-nations-come-string-orchestra/. Of course, I’m happy to receive emails from anyone who would like to use it at their Lessons and Carols service. All the cool kids are doing it!