Category: Choir

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Choir Church Congregational Songs Psalms

Everlasting to Everlasting (Psalm 118) Easter @ COS

Update 3/12/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.

The last song from my Hallel Psalm cantata, Everlasting to Everlasting, is a setting of Psalm 118 for which the cantata is named. Psalm 118 is also the lectionary Psalm for Easter Sunday, so I decided to use the song at Church of the Servant this year. This is a slow burner–it sneaks up on you rather than grabbing you by the collar and shaking you–but I think it worked rather well. Of course, who can dislike a song that starts with a boy soprano? Thank you, Christian Voetberg for doing the work of winning over the congregation to my new song!

Listen to the MP3.

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Arrangement Choir Church Congregational Songs Psalms

Kimbrough’s Psalm 31: In You, Lord, I Refuge Take

Update 3/16/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.

Wendell Kimbrough is one of my favorite new congregational songwriters. I figured I’d hitch my wagon to this rising star early on his career so that when he becomes a household name, I’d be a household footnote.

One of his latest songs is a setting of Psalm 31 called “In You, Lord, I Refuge Take.” It’s simple–most congregational songs are–but also profound, translating the desperate prayer of Psalm 31 into fresh new language that sings well. I wrote a four part harmonization of it so we could use it in my church. As you can hear from the recording, my congregation took to it right away.

Since you all are so kind to stop by my blog, here’s little bonus Palm Sunday music for you: Hosanna in the Highest, and Sanna Sannanina (piccolo, djembe, choir).

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Choir Church Live Psalms

Deeper than the Sea in Canada

The Rosthern Junior College Choir in Saskatchewan, Canada did a bang up job of singing “Deeper than the Sea” (Psalm 36):

What are you waiting for? Get your sorry self over to GIA and buy a few dozen copies for your choir!

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Choir Church Congregational Songs Live Retuned hymn

Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory (SATB/Piano)

Update 2/15/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.

Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory, SATB/Piano: MP3

A new setting of the 1839 text, “Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory” was born a little over 24 hours ago. This beautiful hymn by James John Cummins had fallen into disuse until fairly recently, when Greg Thompson’s “By Thy Mercy” appeared on the Indelible Grace CD By Thy Mercy and High Street Hymn’s self-titled CD.

I wrote my own setting in 2012 and decided to bring it back again this Lent in an arrangement for SATB choir and piano. I’ve got to admit that I was pleased with how it turned out. The tune sings well, as you can hear by the way the congregation owns it when they join the choir in verse 4; the choral texture adds richness; and the piano provides a certain gravitas to the song’s theme.

We sang it Sunday morning in worship and then again that afternoon at the home of one of church friends who is terminally ill. It gave poignancy to the line “when we feel our mortal weakness, when all human help is vain.” Something else I observed during that visit is that Margaret requested a lot of upbeat hymns–not insubstantial, but also not morose. It made me wonder if that’s one of the roles music plays in faith: it reminds those who are likely far from death that there will one day be, in the words of verse 6, a “solemn hour of dying”; and it gives those close to death a hope of joy as fresh as the songs of their youth.

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Choir Church Live

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Charles Wesley’s hymn “Jesus, Lover of My Soul”  is a timeless text that has been forever in search of a timeless tune. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that my new music for the text is the apex of three centuries of “Jesus, Lover” tunes. Just a humble contribution to the fray.

I’ve had a draft of this sitting in my idea folder for a few years now. But a good idea is just a lot of wasted potential until combined with a deadline. In this case, the deadline was a Lent hymn series that will explore a different musical setting of “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” every week. You can read about there series in this Liturgy Lesson while you listen to the MP3 from this week’s service. Email me if you want to see the music.

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Arrangement Choir Church Congregational Songs

Prepare the Way, O Zion – two ways

Last year I was re-introduced to the Advent hymn “Prepare the Way, O Zion” (BEREDEN VÄG FÖR HERRAN) through the great recording Proclaim the Bridegroom Near by Chicago Metro Presbytery Music. (An unwieldy name, but one of my new favorite Christmas CDs.)

This year I decided to include the carol in Church of the Servant’s Lessons & Carols service. (It’s next Sunday at 6pm if you’re in Grand Rapids.) However, I knew I needed to make some adjustments to make it work for our musicians. What resulted was two arrangements: a fairly straight ahead 4-part version of the tune in its original 6/4 meter, and a 4/4 swing leadsheet for jazz combo.

I don’t have recordings yet, but wanted to make it available anyway, as some of you still might be able to use the music this year. For now, you’ll just have to enjoy Chicago Metro’s version.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=438264177 size=medium bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=3]

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Arrangement Choir Church Contests Finale demo

Lo, How a Loser, orchestra edition

Update: Sheet music for this arrangement is available at gregscheer.com.

I recently entered an orchestration of my choral anthem, “Lo, How a Rose” in a contest. I thought for sure I had this one in the bag. Alas, there was a hole in the bag.

Now I’ve got a jazz ballad arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose” for solo, SATB, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, timpani, strings, and piano, with an optional jazz rhythm section that’s looking for a home. I think it’s quite beautiful, but my opinion is hardly subjective. What I can say objectively is that the score is very flexible. It can be sung a cappella, SATB/piano, with or without jazz combo, etc.

Take a listen and head over to my website if you want the octavo and instrumental parts: MP3.

And if anyone has any ideas why Finale’s playback sounds so good and its exported audio sounds so bad, let me know.

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Arrangement Choir Church Congregational Songs Psalms

As The Deer (Augsburg Fortress)

I just got the Lent, Easter, Spring 2014 new music sampler from Augsburg Fortress, and my anthem “As the Deer” was first on the list. (The list is alphabetical, so it was simply fortuitous placement rather than them highlighting my octavo.)

You can listen to their demo, or even better, head on over to their website and buy a bunch of copies for your choir.

 

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Arrangement Choir Church Global Live

Psalm 125: All Those Who Trust (choral arrangement)

Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.

MP3: All Those Who Trust (Psalm 125)

Last year I told the story of how I stumbled upon Rubem Amorese’s music. I’ve been following him and Toninho Zemuner ever since, starting with a translation of “Proteção” and following it up with “Adoração.”

I’ve been looking for a place to use Proteção (Psalm 125: All Those Who Trust) for a year, and I was finally able to schedule it in last week’s service. The sermon theme was the church under attack, and I thought that Psalm 125’s focus on God’s protection of his people would complement that nicely. And since the choir was singing, I arranged it for them. In many ways the choir arrangement is a different animal than what I heard in that YouTube video of Rubem and Toninho a year ago, but I think the song remains beautiful and continues to speak clearly in this new cultural context.

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Choir Church Congregational Songs Live Psalms

One Generation in Vancouver

My friend Herbert Tsang and the stellar folks at Church Music Ministry of Canada held a Psalmfest in Vancouver late last year which included the orchestrated version of “One Generation Calls to the Next.”

Lucky for us, he recorded it. Check it out: MP3