Category: Congregational Songs

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Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

Psalm 87: Glorious Things

I collaborated with Michael Morgan many times before his death in 2022. Not long before he died, he sent me a collection of new Psalm settings he had written after the publication of his collection of all 150 Psalms, Psalter for Christian Worship. I have received permission from his estate to continue to write music for his Psalm settings; I like the idea of keeping his memory and work alive after his death.

In this latest collaboration, I used a setting of Psalm 87 that he wrote for Emily Brink. That made my work even more special, as Emily is a long-time friend.

Psalm 87 is a beautiful and surprising prophecy of how God will draw all nations to the holy city of Zion. Long-time enemies like Babylon and Philistia will miraculously be welcomed into God’s family. Psalm 87 goes so far as to say that God loves these outsiders enough to fudge the royal registry: “This one was born in Zion.” This is a lovely reminder that God’s understanding of insiders and outsiders has always been more gracious than ours. Michael Morgan captures this as “generations to be numbered, sons and daughters yet unborn” are “future heirs of Israel.” Beautiful.

I matched these hopeful, expansive lyrics with a buoyant melody in 3/4 whose tempo marking is “bright and regal.” It can be sung as a four-part hymn (Michael was an organist) or as a folk-ish praise song (I’m a guitarist). In the demo above, I’ve combined both of these, creating a style that has a bit of a Celtic or even Medieval flair.

1. Zion, fair and glorious city,
sanctuary, grand and sure,
where God’s chosen dwell in splendor,
ever sheltered and secure.

Glorious things of you are spoken;
Jacob’s halls no more excel.
On your holy mount are cherished
future heirs of Israel.

2. Generations to be numbered,
sons and daughters yet unborn
rise to greet their God in wonder,
looking to the sunlit morn. Chorus

3. Singers raise their songs of gladness;
dancers leap with joy anew;
Through the seasons everchanging
all our springs are found in you! Chorus

Categories
Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

Psalm 32: When I Kept Silent

Not more than a few weeks after I completed a song based upon Psalm 32, my long-time lyrical collaborator, Doug Gay, sent me a beautiful rendering of the same Psalm. “Well,” I thought, “you can never get enough of Psalm 32.”

Whereas “Blessed Is the One” has an almost Middle Eastern groove, “When I Kept Silent” is an understated Celtic ballad.

Give a listen to both versions and let me know what you think. Is there one you like better as a listener? One you’d be more likely to use in your congregation? Do you hear different nuances of Psalm 32’s message in the two songs?

1. Happy are all those whose sins are removed.
Blessed are all souls at home in God’s love.
Happy are all folk whose conscience is clear.
Blessed are all those whose hearts are sincere.

When I kept silent I wasted away,
burdened by guilt every night, every day.
When I acknowledged my sin to the Lord,
I was forgiven, I was restored.

2. Come then, you faithful, and pray now to God
when trouble rises all round like a flood.
God is your shelter and your hiding place.
God will surround you with strength and with grace.

3. God says, “I’ll teach you the ways you should choose.”
God says, “I’ll show you the paths you should use.
Walk in my wisdom, my joy will be yours.
Trust me and follow, my mercy is sure.”

Categories
Church Congregational Songs FAWM 2025 Psalms

Psalm 29: The Voice of the Lord

Psalm 29 paints a picture of God and nature intertwined. But more than simply embodying God in the thunder and lightning, the psalm shows the world to be God’s very temple. While some theological frameworks paint the earth as fundamentally tainted by sin, to be left behind when we’re transported to heaven, Psalm 29 says that God’s presence makes the stuff of life sacred–blessed.

Psalm 29 begins with two “ascribe to the Lord” verses and ends with two verses of “the Lord is enthroned.” Between those bookends are seven “the voice of the Lord” statements. I stick close to this poetic form in my song.

Musically, this song is an easy-to-sing melody with fairly run-of-the-mill chords. But I’ve fleshed it out on this recording with all sorts of fun musical doodads: a section accompanied by four basses, interjections of arpeggiating guitars, and synthesized swamp gas.

  1. The voice of the Lord is on the waters.
    The voice of the Lord moves o’er the deep.
    The voice of the Lord resounds through the sky;
    thunders across the sea.

Ascribe to the Lord, all you creatures of heaven,
ascribe to the Lord all the glory and might.
Ascribe to the Lord all the splendor of his name
and worship the Lord on high.

  1. The voice of the Lord is filled with power.
    The forests fall down before their King.
    The voice of the Lord, the fiercest of joys,
    making the mountains leap. Chorus
  2. The voice of the Lord is like the lightning;
    it flashes across the desert sky.
    The earth has become the temple of God.
    “Glory!” the people cry. Chorus
  3. The Lord is enthroned above the water.
    The Lord is enthroned upon the sky.
    The voice of the Lord, it hallows the earth;
    blesses all humankind. Chorus
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Choir Church Commissions Congregational Songs Demos

Our Souls Will Magnify the Lord (O Antiphons)

I forgot to post this to my blog when I completed it in December!

My alma mater congregation, Church of the Servant, reached out to me last year about their O Antiphon service.* They had been using various musical resources and wanted to commission a brand new setting of all seven “O” texts. I set to work writing new texts based on the original Latin verses and composing an original melody.

Since the O Antiphons are traditionally associated with the Magnificat, I decided to tie all seven verses together with Mary’s song of praise, turning her words into a group response: “Our Souls will Magnify the Lord.” It is a pentatonic (five-note) melody that never seems to come to rest because it begins on the second scale degree and ends on the third. Let me put that in normal person language: the melody has a mystical, elusive quality that reflects the tone of the text and worship service.

This should have been a simple one-and-done seven-verse hymn, but as I continued to work on it, I imagined more sonic textures. By the time I was done I had written a 60 page score for choir, flute, alto recorder, violin, viola, bass, and piano. Feel free to follow along in the scrolling-score video above.

*If you’re not familiar with this Advent tradition, the O Antiphons are seven songs, each beginning with “O” and then addressing the coming Savior with a title like “O Wisdom” or “O Root of Jesse.” You may know them in one of their most popular forms, the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

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Church Congregational Songs Demos

Psalm 32: Blessed Is the One

Psalm 32 is the classic Psalm of sin, confession, and forgiveness–so classic that Paul quotes it in Romans 4:6-7 to explain righteousness apart from works.

The Psalm begins with a beatitude in three parts: “Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven” is reiterated with three nuanced synonyms for sin and forgiveness:

  • rebellion – burden lifted
  • wandering/failing – covered/hidden
  • defilement – cancellation of debt

What is more important than the exact meanings of each is the parallelism that tells us “This is important and complete; God will forgive every sin.” I kept this parallelism in the chorus of my song.

One of my favorite things about this Psalm is the vivid picture of unconfessed sin: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away.” People often glibly say, “Confession is good for the soul,” but this Psalm takes a much more serious view of not confessing–your secret sin will eat away at you until it causes you physical distress.

And then–Poof!–just like that, the Psalmist confesses and is forgiven. It begs the question of why we are often so reluctant to own up to the messes we’ve made. The Psalmist has a thought about that: “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding.” I recast this in more colloquial terms: don’t be as “stubborn as mules.”

Musically, I found myself in a folk/world groove that is amplified by all sorts of sonic doodads in the recording–tabla samples, Arabic tambourines, overdriven guitars doubled with synthesizers, and even a cloud of rhythmic patches like you’d find in EDM. What I most like, though, is the way the key of C minor slides into all sorts of other harmonic terrain without sounding forced.

Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven.
Blessed is the one whose wrong is recalled no more.
Blessed is the one whose spirit is washed from iniquity’s stain.

1. Oh, when I kept silent,
my bones, they wasted away.
My secrets consumed me;
my groaning accompanied my days.

    The longer I hid
    the more weary and weak I became.
    I longed for relief
    but was filled with the heat of my shame.

    2. I finally gave in
    and confessed the depth of my sin.
    I trusted your mercy
    and God, you forgave me again.

      Oh, why did I hide
      from the One who sees sins and hears prayers?
      The waters may rise
      but I’m singing salvation’s refrain.

      CHORUS

      3. As stubborn as mules
      we insist that we find our own way.
      But we’re lost little lambs
      and too proud to admit that we’ve failed.

        God’s bottomless love
        will surround those who give him their trust.
        Rejoice in the Lord!
        Rely on his mercy and love.

        CHORUS

        Categories
        Church Congregational Songs Psalms

        Psalm 135: Praise the Lord!

        I’m planning a recording project and realized I needed a setting of Psalm 135 to fill in the sequence from 120-136. You’ll remember that Psalms 120-134 are the Psalms of Ascent; 135-136 are often considered addendums to the collection.

        Like many of the Psalms that surround it, Psalm 135 is a call to praise, pointing to creation, the calling of Israel, and deliverance from enemies as reasons for praise. It was a trick not getting bogged down in details like the killing of Og, king of Bashan, while still retaining the overall sense of the Psalm. As often happens, the discipline of trying to find rhymes and rhythms that express the Psalm in modern language led to some fresh imagery and phrases. “Dwell” and “Hallel” for the win!

        Praise the Lord,
        all you servants of the Lord.
        Praise the Lord,
        those who serve in the house of God.
        Praise the Lord,
        for God has claimed us as his own.
        Praise the Lord!

        1. Our God has done as he has pleased.
        For joy he formed and filled the seas.
        The mountains grandeur and the heaven’s expanse
        all leapt to life at his command.

        God’s breath blew clouds into the skies;
        lightening and rain made their reply.
        And then God carved a path upon the earth;
        called us and led his people forth! [Chorus]

        2. Your name endures forevermore.
        Each generation joins the song.
        Our God is known for his unending love.
        His tender mercy covers all.

        Some trust in idols made of gold,
        but we will trust a living God
        who leads us on to where his glory dwells,
        where we will join the great Hallel. [Chorus]

        Categories
        Arrangement Church Commissions Congregational Songs Demos Global

        與主合 / One with the Lord

        A friend sent me this lovely Chinese communion song and a literal translation by a missionary/translator. There is no better way to procrastinate than to translate, arrange, and record a new global hymn, so I set to work!

        The key to translating a song is to get the spirit of the song, rather than just the words. Is the song highbrow or heartfelt? What is the rhyme scheme in the original language–or is there one? Is the music simple or complicated? All these questions come into play when “transplanting” a song from one culture to another.

        “One with the Lord” is a simple chorus with no surprises or sophisticated nuances. And yet, in its simplicity it is lovely and immensely singable. You’ll notice that the lyrics are all in first person. I’m not always a fan of “Jesus and me” communion songs, but I’ll make an exception for this authentic expression of personal prayer. One of the difficulties was that meter is 6.6.6.4. With lines that short–and distinct breaks between each line–it’s hard to fit all of the Chinese lyric’s meaning into so few English syllables. In cases like this, I always choose singability over correct grammar.

        I would love to hear from anyone who has sung the song in its original language or know where the song originated!

        1. Christ gave himself for me–
        body and blood for me.
        The bread and cup I see
        come from our Lord.

        Christ broke the bread of life,
        poured out salvation’s wine.
        I eat and drink and I’m
        one with the Lord.

        2. I have been crucified.
        My sin is dead in Christ.
        And yet I am alive–
        alive for God.

        I am made new in Christ.
        Darkness gives way to light.
        Christ has become my life.
        Glory to God!

        Categories
        Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

        Psalm 26: Upheld

        Psalm 26 is like the prayer version of Psalm 1. Whereas Psalm 1 states “Blessed is the one…” (who does not walk, stand, or sit with the wicked), Psalm 26 makes it personal: “I do not…” (sit or associate with evildoers). On the one hand, it is not flattering to hear someone extol their own virtues. On the other hand, the Psalmist is praying an honest prayer many of us have prayed: “God, I really try to do the right thing–please save me from the trouble I’m in!”

        What drew my attention most as I poured over Psalm 26 is the final verse: “My feet stand on level ground.” Many Psalms talk about God putting them on solid rock, but only this and Psalm 143 use the phrase “level ground.” It echoes the words of Isaiah 40: “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” To me, the image says that God is making a way, clearing a path for us. I like that.

        This “level ground” image seemed to ask for confident, relaxed music. I chose a 6/8 gospel groove which allows for a bit of crooning while still having some twists and turns that keep things from getting schmalzy. I especially like how verse 4 shifts harmonically, mirroring the impassioned cry for mercy, then returns to the level ground of the final chorus.

        You have set my feet upon steady ground.
        I am standing firm in my refuge strong.
        Let the saints join in, let their praise resound.
        We are upheld by our God.

        1. Uphold me, O God, for I’ve trusted in you.
        Test me, for my faith has not faltered.
        You know me, and my heart is forever true. Chorus

        2. Uphold me in your love, for I’m living in you.
        You’re faithful and you keep me from evil.
        It beckons, but you always have led me through. Chorus

        3. Lord, cleanse me again and your wonders I will tell.
        I’ll praise you in the midst of your people,
        proclaiming your great love where your glory dwells. Chorus

        4. Lord, don’t leave my soul to strangers
        who scheme throughout the night.
        Lord, redeem me, keep me blameless,
        have mercy on my life! Chorus

        Categories
        Choir Church Congregational Songs Contests Demos

        The Nicene Creed

        The World Council of Churches recently put out a call for musical settings of The Nicene Creed for their 2025 conference which will commemorate the 1700 years since the gathering at Nicea that produced this creed.

        How could I say no?

        I composed a setting of the Apostle’s Creed years ago but have never tackled the much longer Nicene Creed. Writing a song based on a text like this is daunting: there are no metrical patterns or rhymes to guide the music–just words.

        I started by composing a very simple refrain of “We believe” to be sung before and after each section of the creed. This gives a congregation an easy way to engage the song right away. Each section–God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit–uses the verbatim text of the creed.

        To shape this prose text into something singable I utilized lots of melodic sequences that are easy to follow even upon first hearing–this is no time for clever melodies with wide intervals! Music coherence is achieved by chains of harmonic progressions that give the music forward motion and repeated harmonies that give the ear some structure. Even though the setting is based on repetition and simplicity, I was able to throw in some interesting twists and turns that keep things fresh.

        Who knows? Maybe this will be my big hit. I’m sure no one expected Malotte’s “Lord’s Prayer” would be so successful!

        We believe in one God,
        the Father, the almighty,
        maker of heaven and earth,
        of all that is,
        seen and unseen.

        We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
        the only Son of God,
        eternally begotten of the Father,
        God from God, Light from Light,
        true God from true God,
        begotten, not made,
        of one being with the Father.
        Through him all things were made.
        For us men and for our salvation
        he came down from heaven;
        by the power of the Holy Spirit
        he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
        For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
        he suffered death and was buried.
        On the third day he rose again
        in accordance with the scriptures;
        he ascended into heaven
        and is seated at the right hand of the father.
        He will come again in glory
        to judge the living and the dead,
        and his kingdom will have no end.

        We believe in the Holy Spirit,
        the Lord, the giver of life,
        who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
        With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
        He has spoken through the Prophets.
        We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
        We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
        We look for the resurrection of the dead,
        and the life of the world to come. Amen.

        Categories
        Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

        Psalm 41: Blessed Are the Weak

        Unlike its neighbors, Psalm 40 (“I waited patiently”) and 42 (“As the deer”), Psalm 41 has no memorable catchphrases or popular songs based on it. But that doesn’t mean it should be ignored!

        Psalm 41 is a prayer for healing. It seems even the Psalmist believes the illness is due to sin. The dire circumstances cause the Psalmist to pray fervently, trusting God to forgive and heal. Unfortunately, others use this as an opportunity to kick him while he’s down. You can almost feel the Schadenfreude as enemies wait for him to die, cheerfully gossiping and expecting even the Psalmist’s memory to vanish. Even his friends take part in the hate-mongering. Still the Psalmist trusts, announcing a miraculous restoration even on what appears to be a death bed.

        My setting of the Psalm focuses on the weak: “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.” This strikes me as very similar to Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” God has always sided with the poor, the weak, and the outsiders. Psalm 41 indicates that God will care for those who help the weak when they experience their own time of need.

        1. Have mercy, O my God!
        I’ve sinned, but you can heal.
        My enemies encircle me
        to watch me disappear.

        Blessed are the weak,
        and those who care for the weak.
        God will care for them in their time of need.
        God bless the weak.
        God bless the weak.

        2. I hear them whispering now:
        “He earned this grave disease.
        He’ll never rise from where he lies.”
        And even friends agree.

        3. But you, my one true friend–
        you’ve heard and will restore.
        You’ll raise me up in power and love
        and keep me evermore.

        Blessed be the One
        who hears our deep lament.
        Eternal, everlasting God:
        Amen. Amen.