Choosing lyrics to begin a composition seemed like it should be the easiest part of the process. WRONG! I started out just looking at poetry or scripture that I liked. But sometimes the poem was too long to really work with. Other times it seemed too short. Then there is the issue of copyright and how to go about getting permission to set someone else’s words to music. So then I decided the simplest way was to just use anonymous texts or writing my own. At this point in my journey I’ve done all of the above with various levels of success.
I found that there were other things to consider as well.
Who is going to sing this? usually my church choir
How long should it be? between 3-5 minutes is pretty good
Where will it be sung? probably at church
Will it be accompanied or sung a capella? accompanied
How will the accompaniment support the lyrics? always a mystery
What is the mood of the poetry or lyric? contemplative, inspirational, or praise suits best for the church setting
These are the questions that actually wake me at night. I’m currently on what I consider a minimalist journey, using 8 lines or less of text. This offers the opportunity to play with the words using different sequences, extensions, and repetitions. I don’t know how many songs I will write with this basic concept but it is fun for now.