In an earlier post I introduced a song called “Jesus, Precious Jesus” and promised a choral arrangement. Here it is. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad trait, but this song can range in performance style from a simple praise chorus accompanied by acoustic guitar to slow and funky Black Gospel. In this choir arrangement I took somewhat of a middle road, using the lush harmonies of Gospel but keeping the rhythms fairly straight. It’s a little sweeter and flashy than more typical style, but it’s growing on me.
Category: Church
This Sunday at Church of the Servant we sang a brand new song of mine, Psalm 114. I was really pleased with the way it turned out, especially in light of the fact that I had studied the Psalm for quite a while before I really connected with it.
The Psalm tells the story of the exodus in poetic form. Once I latched onto the idea that Israel’s history is not just the events of a long ago people but part of the living story of all of God’s people, I quickly arrived at a way to represent this musically: the first half of each verse tells Israel’s story as it appears in Psalm 114, the second half of each verse reflects on ways in which God continues to work in similar ways today, and the refrain answers with overarching them of the Psalm: “The hills and mountains tremble, the rivers stand in awe, for in this pilgrim people is the presence of the Lord.”
Listen to the recording of the service or email me for the score.
Last week I finished an arrangement of “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You” for use in my church. How dare I mess with Beethoven, you ask? Indeed. A few years back I decided that I could no longer bear to hear praise bands butcher Beethoven’s fine tune. And since it had already been adapted for the hymnal, I thought I’d arrange something that would work for praise band. Since then I’ve written a lead sheet, a piano accompaniment, and string parts. You can find the piano music at my main website for a short time, and the demo you can find right here.
At Church of the Servant the theme verse of this year’s Girls’ Club is Micah 6:8. They found a few songs that worked pretty well (PsH 293, Schmit), but none that fit like a glove. And you know I can’t leave well enough alone, so I took it upon myself to compose my own by the end of the day. I like how it turned out. It’s simple to sing or play, and more importantly it turns the verses into a prayer. Sung justice scriptures often sound so heavy handed, so I like the way these lyrics convey a sense of aspiration rather than obligation. Listen to the MP3 or print off the PDF and take it to the nearest piano for a careful read-through.
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!
Categories
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?
Here’s my choir singing a recently penned little song called “Jesus, Precious Jesus.” I was joking with them that I was attempting to skim off some of the royalty stream that usually flows to “Father, I Adore You” and “Alleluia.” But that just a joke. Mostly. What I was really trying to do was compose something very simple for congregation that is supports a sturdy Trinitarian theology. (Only the first of three verses is heard here.) The version here is a four-part, hymn-style version. When I find the time I’ll write out an accompaniment for the Black gospel version I hear in my head.
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.”
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.