Category: Congregational Songs

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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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Church Congregational Songs Global Psalms

One Generation in Singapore

It’s very satisfying to know that half a world away, the Kampong Kapor Methodist Church of Singapore sang my song as part of their 120th year anniversary celebrations!

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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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Church Congregational Songs

I’ll Be a Witness to the Light

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

“I’ll Be a Witness to the Light” is a song I wrote almost 10 years ago to go with a sermon series on the beginning chapters of John’s Gospel. It’s held up surprisingly well, maybe because it sings a bit like a Negro Spiritual. In fact it feels enough like a spiritual that Michael Burkhardt included it with a number of global worship songs in his collection “From a Distant Home.” (Please don’t tell him that I’m just a white guy from Michigan.)

You can download the music at my main website or listen to the recording from last Sunday at COS.

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Church Congregational Songs Contests Hymn tunes

The World Lay Languishing in Pain

I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any more contests. I will not enter any m…DRAT!

I entered another contest.

PDF, MP3 (with the W82 Singers)

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Church Congregational Songs Contests Hymn tunes

I Eat Rejection Like Pizza

Anybody for a slice of humble pie?

A few years ago FaithAlive asked composers to submit tunes for four texts slated for their forthcoming hymnal. The hymnal is no longer forthcoming. Lift Up Your Hearts was published this year, and as expected, all four of my submissions were rejected. Let us wallow, shall we?

Our first slice of humble pie is dished up courtesy of Timothy Dudley-Smith and his text “As in That Upper Room.” Richard VanOss was the winner with his tune UPPER ROOM (LUYH #156). We took very different approaches in our tunes, and I don’t feel bad conceding victory to Richard’s direct and singable solution:

VanOss versus Scheer / VanOss wins!

We go back for seconds with Brian Wren’s “We Are Your People.” SPIRIT-PRAYER by Larry E. Schultz won the right to accompany the text on page 248 of the hymnal. Larry’s spritely tune is likable, but flattens out the subtleties of the text’s rhythmic scheme. Having said that, mine is kind of odd. But it grows on you.

Schultz versus Scheer / The jury is still out.

I don’t want a third helping of humble pie, but Sylvia Dunstan has a fork poised at my pie-hole ready to force feed me with a crushing loss to David Landegent’s BETA, which appears with Dunstan’s text “Blest are the Innocents” (LUYH #108). She originally wrote the text to go with the tune of “Be Thou My Vision,” and I stuck close to that tune with a simple pentatonic folk tune. Dave, on the other hand, went with a jazz ballad style that, in my opinion, takes a poignant text on the Slaughter of the Innocents in an entirely wrong direction. The Fmaj13 chord at the end of the hymnal arrangement is the final nail in the aesthetic coffin.

Landegent versus Scheer / I was robbed!

Though I feel absolutely stuffed with humility, there is one more slice of humble pie waiting for me. In this case, my tune for Stephen Starke’s text, “Jesus, Greatest at the Table,” lost to no one. This is almost as humiliating as the time in high school I got third place in a composition contest–when there was no second or first place winner. (Who does that to a kid?) My only consolation is that I have company in my rejection. I feel your pain, Stephen. Really, I do.

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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.

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Church Congregational Songs Hymn tunes Live Quirky Retuned hymn

Blest Is the Man Whose Bowels Move

What this world needs is more hymns about digestive regularity, don’t you agree? Well, wait no longer, world, because Isaac Watts and Greg have you covered.

Two decades ago, a friend of mine showed me the Isaac Watts’ text “Blest Is the Man Whose Bowels Move.” We had a good laugh over it. Then, two summers ago the folks at Hymnary.org and I led a “Weird Hymn Sing” featuring many of the quirky jewels we found as we added historic hymnals to our database. I seized the opportunity to write a new tune for this timeless Watts’ text. I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of this musical accomplishment.

Last week I had the chance to lead it again, and this time it was captured on a recording. You may want to read the music while listening to the MP3, because it all breaks down into laughter in the second verse. It’s also worth taking a look at the music because there are abundant humorous scatological references throughout.

If you’re interested in hearing the whole program, “Hymns that Time Forgot,” you can check out the MP3 (it’s large) and the program. Maybe you want to bring the quirkiest hymn sing on the planet to your town?…

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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.