Author: Greg Scheer

Did Greg Invent Techno?

Back in 1987, I went in the URI recording studio to lay down a few songs on the 4 track reel-to-reel. The first two were “Walking” and “1,000 Hands” with Stephen Brown and Royce Gibson under the moniker Canon Tallis. The next was music for a short film called No Sneakers, which, incidentally, I never heard or saw in its final form. The final song was a sonic experiment called “Was Habe Ich Gemacht?” (“What Have I Done?”) that was comprised of layers of my bass and voice, sometimes at half speed and double speed. The final result sounds suspiciously like techno. But in 1987 techno was only a fledgling movement in Detroit. And I had never been to Detroit. So I must have invented it. Or co-invented it. While you wait for history to vindicate me, take a listen to “Was Habe Ich Gemacht?“

Church Demos

We Worship You

This was a long, sad week at Church of the Servant, as one of our members died unexpectedly. As I planned music for the memorial service, it brought me back to a memorial service I led when I first began music ministry. “We Worship You” is a song I wrote in memory of Chuck Rosemeyer that continues to express for me the lament and trust of Job 1:21–“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Colin

A Long Time Lonely

What better way to start off a new year of blogging than with a little lonesome honky tonk? Here’s one I just finished with Colin Gordon-Farleigh: PDF, MP3.

Choir

A Christmas Tradition

One of our Christmas traditions here in the Scheer household is for me to force the whole family to listen to Joel Cohen and the Boston Camerata’s lovely CD “An American Christmas.” If you’re tired of syrupy Christmas crooners, this is the CD for you. It’s a great collection of full-blooded songs from the Sacred Harp and other early American traditions.

If you’re not tired of syrupy Christmas crooners, then you might enjoy the Scheers other Christmas listening tradition–the 3WS “Home for the Holidays” CD. The recording starts off with Lou Christie singing “O Holy Night” and ends with my arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” The Pitt Men’s Glee Club sang on both tracks, conducted by yours truly.

When 3WS contacted us to be a part of the “Home for the Holidays” CD, we were told that our musical contributions were going to charity. So I happily donated my arrangement of “God Rest Ye” that we had just sung in our Christmas concert and quickly wrote the choir parts for the Glee Club to sing with Lou Christie. And that’s the end of the story, right?

Wrong. About five years later, I was walking through a mall in Tallahassee when I heard the familiar strains of “O Holy Night” playing as I shopped. But it wasn’t just any “O Holy Night,” it was the one we recorded with Lou Christie. It seems that once the charity phase of the project was complete, the song was marketed to a number of other radio stations as part of “The Ultimate Christmas Album, vol 3.”

Someone, somewhere, is collecting royalties from my work this Christmas. Whoever you are, you’re welcome. And now, for some more giving: here’s Lou Christie and the Pitt Men’s Glee Club singing “O Holy Night.”

Rock and/or Roll

Walking

I’ve been taking walk down my musical memory lane as I digitize some old recordings I made on reel to reel and cassette. One of my favorites is a song called “Walking.” The song was written 1985ish and recorded 1987ish with my good friend Stephen Brown under the name Canon Tallis. Though it features all the over-introspection and the mimicked British accent that you’d expect from a college student of that time, I think the song holds up quite well even today. Listening to this reminded me of all the things I wanted to do with music before I learned what you were supposed to do. Maybe I can regain my youthful wide-eyed wonder about the craft while retaining what wisdom and experience I’ve grown since then.

In any case, this is dedicated to Stephen’s mom, Nancy, who wants us to play it at her funeral.

Live

River

In 1987, when I was just a fresh-faced lad attending the University of Rhode Island, I wrote a piano piece called “River.” I had the good fortune of living in a very small state, so it was chosen to be performed the following year at the Rhode Island Composers Festival at URI and Brown. The main thing I remember about the performance is that I was very excited and felt a bit like a real composer. I also remember that in one of the performances the page-turner turned a page too early, but the pianist Arlene Cole flipped it back without missing a note. I thought that was pretty impressive.

So here on its 20 year anniversary is a recording of River.

Choir Contests Live

Spring and Fall at the ICDA

Post author By Greg Scheer
Post date November 18, 2007
No Comments on Spring and Fall at the ICDA

I just received a recording of my choral composition “Spring and Fall: to a young child” which was performed at the Iowa Choral Directors Association in July. It’s being performed again today in Bettendorf, Iowa by the Chamber Singers and University Chorale of St. Ambrose University under the direction of Keith Haan. So send out your good vibes to Maestro Haan and take a listen to the MP3 while reading the text below.

SPRING AND FALL:
to a young child

Márgarét, are you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves, líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Àh! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

-Gerard Manley Hopkins

Choir Church Live

Peace in the Valley

As I finally get serious about putting together Christmas music at the church, I came across a recording from Christmas past. On this recording Charlotte Kerce and the men from the Wildwood church choir sing “Peace in the Valley.” It’s a beautiful song that fits perfectly with the traditional Lessons and Carols reading from Isaiah 11:1-9. Charlotte is not only unique in her ability to wrap her rich alto voice around this lovely melody, but also bears the distinction of being the only person I know who has run over her own foot with her car.

Art Music

The Story of 6

For a couple of years now, rhythm has consumed me.

It all started when I got involved in the African Drumming Ensemble at the University of Pittsburgh. Slowly a new way of thinking about rhythm evolved as my mind began to comprehend what it heard my hands doing. I couldn’t shake the rhythms from my head: I’d find myself walking down the street tapping out threes with my fingers against the twos my feet made on the pavement, or I’d curtail doing the dishes to tap on a particularly resonant portion of the sink, or I’d annoy everyone around me by breaking from my work at random intervals to play the bongos.

I decided that I’d better put some of these rhythms on paper before they ate me alive.

I began with a three-movement piece for orchestra and conga called Inventions which was premiered by The University of Pittsburgh Orchestra under the direction of Roger Zahab. Next, I wrote 12 for Evan and Catherine Pillsbury, a viola and cello duo from Boston. And now comes 6 for string quartet.

The Chagall String Quartet had been playing a piece of mine called Jig on their concerts and when they found themselves with some extra money at the end of the year they asked me if I’d write something new for them. Since I was in the middle of getting together a rock and roll string quartet I thought it would be a great chance to combine my enthusiasm for string quartet with my ongoing exploration of rhythm. And what came out was a piece in 6/8 meter that bristles with rhythm: 6.

Hear a recording by the Chagall String Quartet.

Colin Finale demo

Trip to Russia

No, I’m not taking a trip to Russia, but one of my songs is. I just got word from Colin Gordon-Farleigh that a number of our songs will be recorded by the Russian group, Lyra. Here’s one called “Benediction” in Russian translation. (PDF, MP3)