Author: Greg Scheer

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Church Congregational Songs Demos

It Was a Midnight, Dark and Cold

Just in time for…Christmas 2026?… is a Yuletide carol inspired by “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” You may remember that I recently arranged that classic carol for strings. While working on it, I was able to dig into the text and tune at a level I had never done previously. Here are some observations:

I like the idea of the angels’ song reverberating throughout human history (“that glorious song of old”) and that the song can still be heard over the din of human life (“and still their heavenly music floats/o’er all the weary world;/…and ever o’er its Babel sounds/the blessed angels sing.”). I also appreciate that the carol acknowledges that many of us are bent “beneath life’s crushing load.” What I like less is the angel-winged nostalgia that comes, in part from singing the song for generations, and in part from the treacly melody the text is usually paired with.

When I told my wife I was writing a remake of “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” she almost spit out her food. Instead, she spit out honest astonishment: “You’re not going to make that better!” Implied in her words was my very fear: that the only thing a new version would accomplish is annoying people by ruining their favorite Christmas carol.

I don’t know if my song will annoy or inspire, but here’s how I approached it: I changed my midnight from “clear” to “dark and cold,” because I liked the juxtaposition of the beautiful light and warmth of the angels’ song with the cool darkness of much of our existence. The verses focus on the darkness of the earth, while the chorus answers with the heavenly sound of angels declaring peace.

The only place I break the 8.6.8.6. meter of the original carol is the line “And still today, open hearts and listening ears (can hear the angels sing).” While I had hoped to maintain the interchangeability of the old and new texts, it was even more important to me to get across the idea of “those who have ears, let them hear.” That is, having hope in an often dark world takes faith and openness.

1. It was a midnight, dark and cold,
when dazzling light shone down,
and angels voices filled the sky
with the most glorious song:

“Peace on the earth, goodwill to all,
from heavens all gracious King!”
And still today, open hearts and listening ears
can hear the angels sing.

2. A song of love, a song of hope,
rang out that ancient eve;
a song of joy filled eager hearts
and filled the earth with peace. Chorus

3. Even when our world is dark and cold,
our hearts can still have hope.
We catch a glimpse of dawning light
and strain to hear the song: Chorus

4. All weary hearts and burdened souls,
all those who long for peace,
shall finally see salvation come–
this waiting world set free. Chorus

Categories
Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

Psalm 64: I Lift My Voice

A number of months ago, I sent Linda Bonney Olin a list of 40-some Psalms for which I still need to compose music, asking if she would contribute some new Psalm texts. She responded within days, attaching four of her lyrical creations. This is the third song from this recent collaboration, and I think it has turned out swimmingly!

Psalm 64 portrays the author as being hunted down by the wicked. Not only that, the hunters are arrogant, asking themselves, “Who will see it?” The Psalmist assures us that God will see it, and will ultimately punish them for their evil deeds. Now, this kind of final justice makes for exciting movie plots, but doesn’t necessarily sing well. And it isn’t likely to inspire warm spiritual fuzzies.

Linda does a great job of faithfully transforming the Psalm into a modern song. She begins with a cry for refuge–haven’t we all been there?–and ends with praise for God’s unfailing help. In between, she is honest about the damage wicked schemes can do, but she focuses on the ultimate justice and protection God gives us. This is a message we need to hear now more than ever. In a time that we’re all swimming in a sea of lies and malice, it is important to remember that God stills sees our deeds and judges our hearts fairly.

  1. I lift my voice to you, O God.
    My help and refuge be!
    Defend me from the enemies
    who seek to ruin me.
    They wield their tongues like sharpened swords.
    Their words like arrows fly.
    Protect me from their secret plans.
    My God, please hear my cry!
  2. Without a scruple or a fear,
    the wicked ones attack.
    Their ambush falls so swift and sure,
    their prey cannot fight back.
    So cunningly their snares are laid
    to trap the blameless one,
    they boast that none will ever learn
    the vicious things they’ve done.
  3. But God knows all their spiteful thoughts,
    unravels all their schemes.
    The evildoers, God brings down.
    The just ones, God redeems.
    Rejoice in God’s unfailing help,
    you innocent of heart!
    The world will see and be amazed,
    for God will take your part.
Categories
Demos Jazz Quirky

In a Melatonin

As 2025 winds down, I’m finishing up a few things that have been lingering in my draft folder. This one started with just a title: “In a Melatonin.” If you know jazz, you’ll recognize that as a riff on Duke Ellington’s song, “In a Mellow Tone.” Once the wordplay popped into my head, there was no turning back.

One of the things I love about Duke’s song is that it starts on the II chord (or V of V), which is a Bb7 in the key of Ab. Not only that, at the end, the turnaround walks down from the final chord of Ab to the V of that Bb7 (Ab, G7, Gb7, F7–so a V of V of V!). I included some similar chord planing in my song. (If you’re not into music theory, forget this whole paragraph!)

Of course, the song had to be about Melatonin in some regard, but I decided to make it about sleeplessness in general. The first verse discusses the frustration of lying awake, and the second verse lists items people use to help them fall asleep, from noise machines to Trazodone. Believe me, it is not easy to find rhymes for Diphenhydramine!

1. In a Melatonin–
that’s the way it’s going.
If I don’t fall asleep,
I’ll lose my mind.

Counting sheep gets boring.
Where’s the snooze and snoring?
Why am I keeping watch
til morning light?

I just lie in bed awake.
Looks like I will spend my whole night ruminating.

2. I’ve tried wine and warm milk,
memory foam and ZQuil,
Noise machines, meditation,
CBD,

Ambien, Magnesium,
Trazodone and Doxepin,
Diphenhydramine,
Benzodiazepines.

Still I lie in bed awake.
Looks like I will spend my whole night ruminating.

3. In a melatonin–
When’s the sandman coming?
In a Melatonin.

Ella Fitzgerald singing “In a Mellow Tone.”

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Arrangement Choir Church Commissions Congregational Songs Live

Mary’s Song, live at Baylor University

It’s so much fun to work with friends! In this case, my friend Carlos Colón commissioned me to write an arrangement of “Mary’s Song,” a song written by another friend, Wendell Kimbrough. This beautiful performance was recorded at a rehearsal for a chapel service at Baylor University.

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Live

Holy Is Your Name

The Canticle of Mary (the Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55) is one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible. It has elements of meekness, joy, obedience, wonder, and even some revolutionary overtones. It is no surprise that every music setting brings out different aspects of the text.

This anonymous text and Scottish folk tune pair beautifully to show a young girl whose hope has been steeped in the prophecies long enough that she believes the angel’s surprising message.

This arrangement for voice, guitar, and strings was written for a service at Rosewood Church that focused on Mary. With a melody this lovely and honest, the best thing you can do is avoid gilding the lily. Hence, a simple arrangement that swells at each chorus and remains understated during the verses.

I will soon write a piano accompaniment and make it available at my website.

Categories
Arrangement Church Live

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Just in time for Christmas 2025 is a brand new arrangement of “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”

First, a disclaimer: this recording is very rough, recorded live in worship after an hour-long rehearsal, direct from the soundboard.

Some songs are blank canvases on which one can paint their own personality. Not so, this carol. The melody dips in and out of a chromatic backdrop, establishing certain non-negotiables for the arranger. And yet, the song is marked by its quiet simplicity. I wanted to retain that serenity in my arrangement.

This arrangement was written for the All Saints Orchestra (guitar and string quintet), but I later added a piano part for churches with more standard instrumentation.

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Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

Psalm 72: Hear Our Prayer

If you need a musical setting of Psalm 72, you can’t do much better than Isaac Watts’ “Jesus Shall Reign,” in which he recasts the messianic king of the Psalm in the person of Jesus. What more can be added to his triumphant text set to the fanfaric tune, DUKE STREET?

Linda Bonney Olin took a very different tack in setting Psalm 72 to verse. Instead of interpreting the royal blessings of “Endow the king with your justice” and “may he defend the afflicted,” as the future deeds of a messianic monarch, she interprets them as acts that all of God’s people can, and should do–right now. And her hymn prays to that effect: “Hear our prayer for the ones you’ve called to rule, to judge, to guard, and to govern. Not to get all political, but I wish today’s leaders–especially the Christian and Jewish ones–would take this to heart. That they would focus on wisdom, mercy, humility, and defending the oppressed.

1. Hear our prayer, O Lord our God,
for the ones you’ve called to rule,
that your power and your wisdom they may share.
As a withered meadow blooms in a sweet, gentle rain,
may your people grow and flourish in their care.
Hear our prayer.

We lift them up to you, O Lord our God.
We lift them up to you.
Hear our prayer.

2. Hear our prayer, O Lord our God,
for the ones you’ve called to judge,
that your righteousness and mercy may prevail.
May they spare the friendless poor and defend the oppressed, weighing justice on a true, impartial scale.
Hear our prayer.

3. Hear our prayer, O Lord our God,
for the ones you’ve called to guard,
who protect the world from enemies of peace.
Give them courage; give them strength to stand up for the weak
till all violence and senseless bloodshed cease.
Hear our prayer.

4. Hear our prayer, O Lord our God,
for all those that you entrust
with authority to govern and to guide.
May they humbly seek to lead in the ways you command,
that your name alone, O God, be glorified.
Hear our prayer.

Categories
Art Music Commissions Demos

Grandfare

This summer, I was commissioned by the Grand Rapids musicians’ union to compose a fanfare for our 120th anniversary. The parameters were: a 2-minute (120 seconds–see what they did there?) fanfare scored for a mixed ensemble of brass, winds, and percussion not to exceed the instrumentation of Aaron Copland’s “Inaugural Fanfare,” which would also be on the program. I only had a month to go from blank page to completed score and parts, so I knew I had to get busy.

But first: what is a fanfare?

Intuitively, I understood a fanfare to be a festive, trumpety thing, but I started to second-guess myself. Was there a secret recipe that everyone knew but me? (I’ve been composing for forty years, and I am still susceptible to impostor syndrome.) After a good deal of research, I confirmed that a fanfare is, indeed, a festive, trumpety thing. It has no precise definition, but there are plenty of examples: Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” is something of a gold standard, as is John Williams’ “Olympic Fanfare and Theme.” One of my personal favorites is Leoš Janáček’s “Sinfonietta.”

The challenge was to compose something regal and courageous, immediately accessible to listeners, playable by performers with a half hour rehearsal, and that says everything it needs to say in a very short time.

I gravitated toward a more-or-less tonal palette, but kept it from being obvious or saccharine by using lots of stacked fifths/fourths (for openness) and non-harmonic tones (for bite). Of course, I relied heavily on the trumpets, but every section is featured at some point. I also had a ton of fun with the percussion, including Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Tubular Bells, Brake Drum, Crotales, China Cymbal, Cabasa, Vibraphone, Tam-tam, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal, and Drum Set. Finally, I played with style. The GR music union is made up of musicians of all genres: classical, blues, jazz, rock, etc. So, I used drum set to establish a pop groove in the middle of the fanfare, with jazz style voicings on top of it.

I was really pleased with how it turned out–a tasty little slice of musical cake.

Categories
Arrangement Commissions Demos Global Live

HSU MUU: Inevitable Adiós

The final arrangement for the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s “Music Unites Us” concert with Grupo Super Nova was a ballad called “Inevitable Adiós.” It is gorgeous and heartbreaking.

When Christian, the songwriter, first sent me this, I responded, “I don’t understand half of the Spanish, and I was still getting choked up!” With a song like this, the best thing to do is just stay out of the way. Let the song speak for itself; simply support and enhance what is already in the music. I did that with lush lower strings, regal horns, soaring violin lines, harp, and lots of cymbal rolls.

Of course, I needed to let the orchestra come to the foreground at some point. I did this with an oboe solo, a flugelhorn solo, and a trumpet/trombone duet. Just enough of a break to leave us wanting more.

I’m usually not one for modulations. They are so often used as a cheap way of inflating energy back into a mediocre song that I normally stay clear of them. But I made an exception here. I let the song wind down as if it were ending, but instead of the quiet tag of “Inevitable adiós” that we expect–BAM!–a sudden modulation into a new key with full orchestra. It’s glorious, if I don’t say so myself.

Below is video of me accompanying Christian on guitar at the concert.

Categories
Arrangement Commissions Demos Global Live

HSO MUU: Escucha

The next arrangement for Grupo Super Nova and the Holland Symphony Orchestra was “Escucha.” This song, too, is in an upbeat Cumbia dance style, but the lyrics are poignant: “Listen! I want you to pay attention, just in case today is our last day together: I love you like I have never loved before.”

This arrangement is further outside the box than the others. I ask the violins to strum their instruments like ukeleles and play a melody on one string with one finger (to match the portamento of the synth line). Later is a duet between electric guitar and electric violin. Then I ask the orchestra to sing background vocals. All of these stretch the musicians out of their comfort zones, but since we had worked together previously, I decided there was enough trust for them to try these unusual effects with a minimum of grumbling.

One of my favorite sections is when all the motion stops and Hector sings a quiet refrain in English. I didn’t want the English-speaking audience to miss the poignant message of the lyrics. Too, a short silence makes what follows sound even more energetic.

I should make a note about how I created these demos. I use Dorico for my notation software. To make a demo of the arrangement, I play Dorico through orchestral playback software called NotePerformer. NP is unique in that it interprets the score as orchestral musicians would play it, with articulations, blend, and reverb as they would happen in an actual performance. (Who says AI is bad?) From there, I load my orchestral arrangement and Grupo’s original recording into Logic Pro. After a bit of tempo matching and splicing I can produce a decent demo of how the final performance might sound. This is really important when trying to get buy in from both note-readers and ear-performers. It allowed everyone walk into rehearsal with a very good idea of how it would sound.

Below are a few snippets of video from the concert. There aren’t a lot of composers who can say people dance to their orchestrations!