The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer
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.
On Saturday night, an encouraging number of people showed up to play, hear and sing my new cantata, Everlasting to Everlasting. Thanks to everyone who came out, but especially to The Choral Scholars, who sounded brilliant as always, and the hastily named Grand Rapids Hallel Ensemble, who walked my musical tightrope with style and grace.
We’ll perform the cantata again in its entirety at the Calvin Worship Symposium (Jan 30-Feb 1, 2014) as part of the Vesper services on Thursday and Friday night. After that, we will be accepting invitations to exotic locales for further performances. Book it now. Seriously.
In the meantime, here’s an excerpt: MP3. Movement 9, “All You Nations” (Psalm 117), dovetails with the instrumental “All Nations Hallel.”
Update 10/6/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.
When I worked at Wildwood Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, we did a preaching series on Romans. I committed to studying Romans and writing a new song each week.
No one noticed.
But don’t cry for me, Tallahassee. Some of the songs turned out quite nicely. Two were included in Singing the New Testament: “Faith, First and Last” and “Grace and Peace to You.”
Here’s a third, based on Romans 1:18-32: MP3 (see link above for sheet music)
My friend Herbert Tsang and the stellar folks at Church Music Ministry of Canada held a Psalmfest in Vancouver late last year which included the orchestrated version of “One Generation Calls to the Next.”
Lucky for us, he recorded it. Check it out: MP3
Once again, spring cleaning can unveil some ugly dust bunnies.
This version of Psalm 126 isn’t exactly an ugly dust bunny, but as I listen to it I hear a half dozen things I would change if I were doing it today. Okay, a dozen. But what’s done is done. Let me point out the interesting thing about the song: the verse and chorus sound like two different song parts (and they are) but then–voila!–they come together in perfect harmony.
I was quite proud of this contrapuntal trickery at the time, but I remember Dr. Gibbs, my composition teacher, becoming exasperated after seeing minute changes to the song three weeks in a row. He finally told me that we were done with this song and I was to bring in something new the following week.
Take a listen, won’t you?
Before I became the music director at Bellefield Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, I was just a lowly grad student in the composition program at Pitt. But the people of Bellefield were took pity and asked me to compose a choral anthem for a sanctuary rededication. I chose Psalm 118:19 as my text and wrote an extremely difficult anthem. Bellefielders must also be long-suffering folks; if I were the choir director, I would have pulled the plug on this after one read-through. I’m glad they didn’t, though, because it ended up sounding pretty good: MP3
Update 10/6/20: Sheet music for this composition can be downloaded here.
Sometimes spring cleaning can get downright dirty. In this case, my men’s choir composition based on Psalm 142, “I Cry Aloud to the Lord,” is sung by Greg, Greg, Greg, and Greg. I apologize in advance. On the other hand, it’s pretty fun to hear what I did 20 years ago when I got a hold of a 4 track cassette recorder.
Listen to the MP3. You may want to look at the score to have any idea of what the piece is supposed to sound like!
Update 10/2/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.
In preparation for the Cry Out to God! CD, The Choral Scholars and I read through hundreds of Psalms. Literally, hundreds. We’d read through 40 songs in an evening, making quick recordings as we went, and after many of these mammoth sight-reading sessions we eventually winnowed it down to the 22 songs that appeared on the final CD.
One of the songs that didn’t make the CD was “Lead Me to the Rock,” my setting of Psalm 61. It’s just a first read through, so go easy on us. If you want the leadsheet, piano accompaniment, or a different demo, see the link above. If you want the MP3, click on the word “MP3.” (That’s how the Internet works, you know.)
I can’t believe I’ve never uploaded my setting of Psalm 42/43, “As the Deer,” to this blog. It’s kind of my big hit, appearing on the Greg Scheer Songbook CD, as a choral anthem in Augsburg Fortress’s GladSong Choirbook, on the Choral Scholar CD Cry Out to God, and even available in Chinese translation.
Sorry for the oversight. Here’s an MP3 to make it up to you.