Here’s a recording of “Creator of the Stars of Night” from last year’s Lessons and Carols service at Church of the Servant. The choir processed from the back of the sanctuary singing this beautiful 9th century chant, while the strings interjected tropes that I had composed a few weeks before. Now that’s ancient/future!
Author: Greg Scheer
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Rhythm Shift
This is one you’ll either love or hate. Rhythm Shift is something I wrote while in grad school at a time when I was studying a lot of minimalism. Like a lot of Steve Reich, two instruments repeat the same motive and slowly move out of phase with one another. In Rhythm Shift, I wanted to see if I could write something simple enough for two musicians to play live. I have fond memories of grabbing unsuspecting pianists, hauling two pianos into the same room, and playing this. No matter what you think of it as a listening experience, it is a ball to play. If there are any marimba duos or piano duos who want to have a mezmerizing musical experience, I’ll get you a score. For those of you who are listening at home, I recommend headphones.
In my ongoing attempt to win enough song contests to retire from my day job, I just completed a new song called “Christ Shall Reign.” This contest is sponsored by the National Federation of Catholic Youth Workers. If my song is chosen it will be the theme song of this year’s National Catholic Youth Conference. You can read the official contest rules if you’re interested. Hey, wait a minute. The rules don’t say anything about money. Drat! I guess this one will just have to be for the love of the game.
As I prepared this blog post I stumbled across another person who is entering a song into the contest. So now, my dear readers, you can judge for yourselves who should win this contest: the gentlemen at Oddwalk, or yours truly (MP3, PDF). May the best man win! (Feel free to inundate my competitor’s blog with smack talk comments.)
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This Is the Way
I just finished my 34th song with lyricist Colin Gordon-Farleigh. It’s a ballad called “This Is the Way.” If you know any Broadway musical producers, call them and tell them I’ve got their next hit. Listen to the MP3 or download the PDF file.
A while back I posted a recording of the Chagall String Quartet playing the piece they commissioned from me, called “6.” The string quartet that preceded that is a zippy little thing called “Jig.” Whereas 6 explores African rhythms, Jig is a melding of Celtic style and classical string quartet, with a little Bach and Dr. Who thrown in for free. I’m still waiting for the Kronos Quartet to adopt this as an encore piece. If anyone knows them, put in a good word for me…
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Adopt this tune
I recently composed a new hymn tune using a meter of 11.10.11.10.11.10. The tune has been driving me crazy the last few days. I just can’t get it out of my head. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. In any case, I’m trying to exorcise it from mind by posting it here.
It joins a number of other “orphan tunes” that you can read about at my other website (www.gregscheer.com). Maybe it’s an orphan because it’s written in a meter that narrows it down to about five existing texts. Maybe it’s an orphan because I gave it the tune name “SYCOPHANT.” Maybe it’s an orphan because you haven’t yet written a brilliant new text to go with it. Take a look or a listen. What would be really helpful is if some kind, semi-informed person (David Fuentes, where are you when I need you?) would give me some feedback–is this tune stuck in my head because it’s a perfectly crafted work of miniature genius or because it’s cloying clump of dump detritus?
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Travelling
Last night I finished the first of three new songs with Colin Gordon-Farleigh that will be part of a new country CD. The song is called “Travelling (It’s Been a Long, Long Trail)” and you are hereby invited to listen or look. Willie Nelson, look out!
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Our Father – rough excerpt
Update 10/1/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.
Here is another rough cut from my proposed CD of rock and/or roll. It’s called “Our Father.” If you guessed that it’s based on the Lord’s Prayer, you’re correct. This won’t generally be a religious CD, but I couldn’t resist including this one.
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Fritze
Back in grad school I took a computer music class. About the same time I got really into minimalism. As luck would have it, I got a visit from my Austrian friend Martin Pellizzari right when my final project was due. So I recorded Martin reading a poem by Wilhelm Busch, then sliced and diced, looped and lapsed, added a surprise ending, and voila! Out came Fritze.
Once I finish the global songbook I’ve been working on for the CICW, I want to start recording a CD. Yeah, that’s right, a real CD, with songs, shrink wrap, and everything. A CD chock full of all my rock and roll hits. (As rock and roll as a 41 year old man can muster.) My plan is to post rough drafts of some of the songs here at my music blog so I can get feedback early on from all of you. The first of the batch is “Walking the Wire.” Like I said, this is just a rough mix of part of the song, but I’d love to hear what you think.