Category: Congregational Songs

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Church Congregational Songs Psalms

Spring Cleaning: Shout for Joy

I’m always surprised at how well things can turn out sometimes when you have no idea what you’re doing. This setting of Psalm 100 was really a matter of me reading the Psalm and thinking, “Hmm… It sounds like this one could use some music.” Out came “Shout for Joy.” It turned out pretty well, and I’ve even returned to it a few times since then, updating it and creating an arrangement for piano and choir.

One of my favorite memories of this piece is when I lived in Salzburg in 1988/89, I attended a big Christian youth conference in Aachen, Germany. It turns out their praise band needed a bass player, so I volunteered. A few days into it I showed a few people this song, and they asked me to sing it during worship. I wrote an incredibly hard violin solo which I gave to an incredibly good violinist, and we sang the piece in front of a few thousand people that night.

This Ostertreff gathering, by the way, was a real turning point for me, faith-wise. Kind of an adult conversion. I went from being a temporary agnostic who hung out with Christians because that’s who was friendly to me, to becoming a Christian. It was a good Easter.

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Choir Church Congregational Songs

Spring Cleaning: The Lord Bless You

One of my early church compositions, we also used “The Lord Bless You” at Pitt Men’s Glee Club concerts. Both this two-part choir and a leadsheet version are available. It’s a perky little thang, ain’t it?

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Arrangement Congregational Songs Finale demo Global

Soft Rains of Spring (Korea)

I am neck deep in the Holy Week flood of services and feeling pretty overwhelmed. What does Greg do when he’s feeling burned out and cranky? He writes music.

Today I was reading through a packet of Korean songs given to me by Paul Huh, and I came across this beautiful tune written by Paul and Seung Nam Kim. I wasn’t satisfied by the arrangement that accompanied the tune–though it was written by a composer with a far greater reputation than me–and so I wrote a new one. Although my version may not look especially simple on the page, it takes a direct, chordal approach to accompanying the melody, whereas the other one was quite “noodly.” To my ear this clarifies and strengthens the beauty of the melody. Added bonus: it will sound good with guitar, too.

This is part of a project that Paul and I are working on to translate and arrange some of the core repertoire of the Korean church.

Look. Listen.

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms

Psalm 125: All Those Who Trust

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

A while back, I was looking for a musical setting of Psalm 125 to fit with our church’s series on the Psalms of Ascent. Like any good researcher, I went to YouTube. There, I found a video of two Brazilians playing a song called Proteção. I had no context for the music, but I couldn’t get the song out of my mind.

A little poking around brought me to a treasure trove of newly composed songs in Portuguese, written primarily by Rubem Amorese, but often co-written with others, most notably the other man in the video, Toninho Zemuner. Toninho has also recorded many of these songs. The man has golden ears and works with extremely talented musicians! You can hear the studio recording of Proteção at Amorese’s website or at their church’s website.

I wasn’t able to finish a translation in time for the sermon series that first led me to the song, but recently returned to it. A few days ago I completed a translation and piano score, and yesterday recorded a demo.

I hope to work with more of these songs in the future, and have been dropping hints at the CICW that a trip to Brazil would be an appropriate–no, necessary–part of my work. For now I’ll have to settle for this being a long distance collaboration, bringing more of Rubem’s songs to English speakers and making my presence in Brazil felt only through “Povo do senhor,” the Portuguese translation of my song “People of the Lord.”

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Choir Church Congregational Songs Live Psalms

Road-testing two songs

I usually reserve this blog for premieres, but as you know, a composition’s success is measured by repeat performances. In the case of a congregational song, there’s a big difference between what’s on the page, how it sounds when a congregation sings it, and how well it settles in after repeated singing.

So here are two songs that Church of the Servant has sung a few times each. Deeper than the Sea is published as a choral anthem, but that doesn’t mean that it sings well when given to a congregation. In this recording, it’s led by the Guitarchestra. From the Dust was rejected by the same publisher, but once again, that doesn’t mean much in terms of its worth as a congregational song. In this particular case, the COS choir sings the choral anthem version of the song, but the congregation is invited to join in on the refrains.

What do you think? Do these two have that undefinable it that makes a great congregational song? If there were a musical cage fight between the two songs, which one would win?

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Live

WALY WALY: O Blessed Spring

I’ve loved the folk tune WALY WALY for years. I used to sing “The Water Is Wide” with guitar and violin back in my coffeehouse days. I’ve annoyed congregation members by using the tune with the text “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” (It’s a better pairing, but people don’t seem to care about the facts when it comes to church music.) More recently I arranged the tune for piano and used it with the text “As Moses Raised the Serpent Up.”

But my favorite so far is Susa Palo Cherwein’s text “O Blessed Spring.” The wistfulness of WALY WALY brings out the seasons-of-life theme of Cherwein’s text beautifully. The added strings and Erin De Young’s solo are icing on the cake. If you can listen to it without crying, you need a heart transplant.

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Arrangement Choir Church Congregational Songs Live

Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed

This Lent, Church of the Servant is using a different version of Isaac Watts’ text “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed” each Sunday. Kauflin, Benedict, Governor–we’re doing them all. My own humble contribution to the collection is an arrangement of the traditional tune MARTYRDOM. Check it out.

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs

SALVATION

What’s with all the songs in D minor?

I’m still stuck on the tune SALVATION. It’s a Kentucky Harmony tune that’s not used nearly as much as some other early American tunes. And that’s a shame. I am trying to single-handedly right this imbalance by using it every other week at my church. This time it’s paired with the Herman Stuempfle text “You Strode into the Temple, Lord,” and accompanied by the COS Guitarchestra. Take a listen to the MP3. Of course, the problem is that I’ve used the tune so much that now people in my church are beginning to ask,

“What’s with all the songs in D minor?”

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Church Congregational Songs Psalms

Psalm 80: O Faithful Shepherd

Update 10/1/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.

Diephouse/Scheer strike again!

A month ago, I decided that Psalm 80’s vine themes would fit perfectly with a sermon on “I am the Vine.” But I wasn’t sold on any of the versions I found. The closest thing to something that excited me was a stodgy metrical text paired with a great Genevan tune that I hadn’t heard before, O PASTEUR D’ISRAEL, ESCOUTE.

So I sent David Diephouse an email: I think there could be some kind of rich ties between God clearing a place to plant a vine (Israel), Jesus ingrafting us into himself the Vine, and perhaps even the fruit of the vine and the Tree of Life. Play with it and see what you come up with, whether it’s a literal metrical setting or a looser hymn that treats Psalm 80 through New Testament eyes.

He, like me, works best when a songwriting project is a diversion from a pile of “real” work, and he quickly sent me a first draft. He would insist that the bulk of the final draft is my words, but the fact is he established the basic structure and set up key phrases like “graft us into the Living Vine.” Add a bit of advice on Goudimel’s harmonization from our church’s local music historian, Cal Stapert, and you end up with a really solid metrical Psalm that revives an overlooked, but beautifully singable Genevan tune.

MP3

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Church Congregational Songs Live Retuned hymn

Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory – two recordings

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

A few weeks ago, I told you the exciting story of writing this song. (It was exciting, wasn’t it? I mean, when I got to the part about the 4/4 measure, I bet you were on the edge of your seat.) Now I’ve had a chance to test drive it twice.

The first time was at the Ash Wednesday service. There we used the piano accompaniment I wrote for the occasion, and added a few recorders for good measure (MP3, Ash Wed). The next time was during a Sunday morning service in which the Guitarchestra led the singing (MP3, Guitarchestra). It’s interesting to hear how the music takes on a different feel with the different accompaniment. The Ash Wednesday version brings out the plaintive, lamenting character of the melody, while the guitars make it sound more like an urgent prayer.

Which do you like better?