Category: Church

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Live

2013 Calvin Worship Symposium Service: Not to Worry

I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s been a few weeks since I last posted. (Please say you’ve noticed…) My excuse is that I was busy preparing for the 2013 Calvin Worship Symposium, which ended Saturday. Among other things, I led the music in a worship service with the Calvin Christian High School, under Erin De Young’s fine leadership.

You can check it out here: http://new.livestream.com/calvin-college/events/1738250.

It featured three of my arrangements of hymns/songs for orchestra. It was very satisfying to be sandwiched between a full string orchestra and a thousand some worshipers singing their hearts out. The whole service–which I helped Sue Rozeboom plan and in which Luke Powery preached–is worth watching. But if you’re just interested in hearing the music I wrote or arranged, fast forward to:

  • 13:00 The Lord Be with You (by Ron Rienstra)
  • 16:11 One Generation
  • 1:00:52 O Bless the Lord, My Soul
Categories
Church Congregational Songs Contests Demos

We Are the Children of God

This summer I got an email from one of my blog readers alerting me to an upcoming song contest. (Thanks, Dean!) The contest is run by Grandfather Home for Children.  You really should check out their website, because they do wonderful work with abused and abandoned children.

As the deadline approached, I started looking through my songs to find some things that fit their three categories: traditional hymn, contemporary song, and children’s song. Sure, I found some songs that fit the bill, but I felt that I was taking the easy way out by submitting only old songs. (In Ninjago terms, I wasn’t unlocking my true potential.)

I started to think about the kind of song an abandoned or abused child would want to sing. I didn’t think an orphan would want to sing about being an orphan, even though there are lots of Bible passages about God being the father of the fatherless. Instead, I thought they’d want to sing about belonging and being part of a family. And of course, that’s what we all want.

Then like a bolt of lightening, it hit me: I need to write a simple children’s song about being a child of God. Not only is it cool that God adopts us as children, it’s even cooler that this makes us siblings–blood relations in Jesus. The great thing about this song is that it’s a song we can all sing–we’ve all been adopted into God’s family through Christ–but, of course, it has an even deeper meaning for the context of Grandfather Home for Children.

MP3, PDF

Categories
Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Demos Global

All of My Heart (Adoração)

Update 1/15/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.

I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve taken it upon myself to introduce the Brazilian writing duo of Rubem Amorese and Toninho Zemuner. They write beautiful, singable, meaningful songs. In Portuguese. But with a resolute will and the help of Google translate, I forge on, transcribing and translating some of their songs.

The latest is a simple song called “Adoração.” Because the song is so simple, the translation was very difficult. Every word had to be just right. As a matter of fact, I’d like a little feedback. Here’s the first verse in Portuguese:

Te adorarei, te adorarei
Com todo o meu coração;
Com toda a sede do meu viver,
Com todo o meu ser.

Te adorarei, te adorarei
Com todo o meu coração;
Com toda a minha razão e amor,
Com todo o meu viver.

As you can see, the first two lines of each half verse are identical. Normally, the fourth line would rhyme with the second line, but in this song they’ve bound the two half verses by rhyming the last line in each half verse. This creates an unusually long wait for the rhyme completion for a simple song. I respected the integrity of the original and followed their pattern. At first it didn’t sound right to my ear, but after I spent some time recording it, it began to feel more natural. Yak, yak, yak. See for yourself.

Listen to their original: MP3

Look at the translation: PDF

Listen to my demo at the link above.

Look at the leadsheet at the link above.

Categories
Arrangement Choir Church Congregational Songs Global Live

Good Christian Friends Rejoice, Christmas Eve 2012

Last week I posted a recording of my flute arrangement of “Good Christian Friends (Men), Rejoice.” Unfortunately, the flutist from that recording wasn’t available for the Christmas Eve service. But in a bad news/good news turn of events, recorder player par excellence, Cal Stapert, was willing to take over. Take a listen.

Added bonus: super sweet segue between the Good Christian prelude and the processional hymn “Once in Royal David’s City.”

Categories
Arrangement Choir Church Live

We Three Kings, Christmas Eve 2012

I know you’re all dying to know how my new arrangement of “We Three Kings” went. Well, die no more! Here’s the MP3 from COS’s Christmas Eve service.

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Arrangement Church Global

Sanna Sannanina, piccolo

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

Speaking of Kristen Zoeteway (I was in yesterday’s post), here’s another arrangement I wrote on a day that I knew Kristen was playing at COS. I know she’s always up for a challenge and that she’ll always have a full complement of flutes on hand: flute, piccolo, and alto flute.

In this case we employed the piccolo in the South African song “Sanna, Sannanina.” I tried to imitate an African flute style I’ve heard in which the flute/picc improvises rhythmic lines on top of singing or a band. We used it as a prelude on Palm Sunday with just djembe and piccolo, and it was pretty cool: MP3

Categories
Arrangement Church

Good Christian Friends, Rejoice, flute

Last Sunday was our Lessons & Carols service at Church of the Servant. As we got closer to the date, I decided that we needed a little musical bon bon for the orchestra to play for a prelude. (You know me and my musical bon bons…) So I wrote a descant for flutist Kristen Zoeteway to play on the second verse while the strings accompanied her pizzicato. It’s just a short little thing, but I really liked the way it came out: MP3.

Categories
Arrangement Choir Church

We Three Kings strings

I try to do a little something special each Christmas season here at Church of the Servant, and that often includes writing something new to fit the exact instrumentation we have available for specific services. So, hot of the press is this new arrangement of We Three Kings.

I wrote the original arrangement for choir and piano back in 1994 (I was 6*) and just added string orchestra for my fine players at COS. The great thing about this anthem is that it sounds full and festive, but it’s easy enough to learn in one rehearsal. (I verified that fact last night at choir practice.)

Listen to the quick and dirty demo (MP3) while perusing the score (PDF). If you like it (and I know you will) and use it in your church before the end of this Epiphany, I’ll cut you a special deal on the choral octavo and string parts. I haven’t decided what the deal will be, but I know it will be good.

 

*I lie.

Categories
Arrangement Church Congregational Songs

Come, Holy Ghost/Be Not Afraid

My son, Theo, drew this during a worship service while “Be Not Afraid” was sung. He was 6 at the time. And yes, he is an exceptionally talented lad.

Even though I spend lots of energy trying to get my own music to discerning ears, I’m humble enough to know that I can’t write all the good songs. One great song that I didn’t write is Bruce Benedict and Ray Mill’s “Come, Holy Ghost/Be Not Afraid.” It has traveled pretty widely in some circles and will be included in the forthcoming Lift Up Your Hearts hymnal. Built on an 8th century Pentecost hymn, I fully expect that this new version will be around for many years to come. Below are all the different arrangements that I and others have written of the song. Feel free to link to other arrangements and recordings in the comment section.

Greg Scheer: SATB choir and piano – I wrote this for the Sunday on which I introduced the song at Church of the Servant. There are aspects of this arrangement that I really like, but it’s probably a bit too much for everyday use.

Greg Scheer: simple(r) piano – Given the fact that COS’s pianists had to patch together a part from the above arrangement, I decided to write a new one that was sturdier and simpler. This is the version that will be used in Lift Up Your Hearts.

Sarah Majorins: strings – Sarah has written a super-tasty string arrangement that I’m itching to try the next time I lead worship with strings. How about a recording, Sarah?

Naaman Wood: piano accompaniment with a strong 2 against 3 feel (and a hint of “Mad World”).

E minor leadsheet – It’s entirely singable in the higher key, and this version also notates the song in 6/8, which makes a lot of sense.

COS Guitarchestra: MP3 – Nothing definitive. I just thought you might want to hear the song.

Categories
Arrangement Church Live Psalms

O God of Love (Psalm 120)

I’m a song maven. When I find a song I like, I make a point of sharing it with as many people as possible. If the song comes from a pop or global context, the sharing process often includes arranging it so that the pianists in my own church can lead it.

A while back I wrote two piano arrangements (one hard, one easy, plus SATB) of Bruce Benedict’s setting of Psalm 120 (via Isaac Watts), Thou God of Love. I’m pleased to say that Bruce’s song (and my arrangement) ended up in Psalms for All Seasons and the Choral Scholar CD, Cry Out to God.

Recently we sang the song at Church of the Servant on a Sunday that included a string quartet, so I whipped up a string arrangement. It’s simple, but it worked really well.

MP3, PDF