Music Archives - Finding the Meaning in Everyday Life

Harp Journey

I love playing my harp and I wanted to share just a little more about my harp journey. I’ve been playing since March of this year. When I made the decision to play I didn’t realize how much I would really love playing. That doesn’t mean that my journey thus far has been effortless. I did come into it with the advantage of being able to read music and having experience playing and performing on other instruments. I’ve never really been aware that this was a gift and privilege to have learned music at such an early age and continued it throughout my adult life. I’ve come across many new harpists that didn’t have that background and are struggling.

The other advantage I’ve had is that I’m not particularly avoidant or fearful about playing in public. I’m more nervous playing the harp than I am the piano, or singing. It requires a lot more focus when playing harp just because it is new. Therefore, distractions during a performance have a bigger impact on me.

This Christmas season I have a lot of opportunities to play publicly, at church and at Eastern Star meetings. Whenever I play people are just thrilled to get to hear a harp, even if I’m not playing anything particularly stunning. I’m still working on beginner to advanced beginner music so hopefully by next year I’ll be able to play something more elaborate. But even these beginner pieces are fun to play and people seem to like them.

Here is a piece, not Christmas, that I recorded recently. Is it perfect? No. Did I love doing it? Yes.

If you have ever wanted to play the harp – Go For It. I’ve been using both a local teacher for hands-on corrections and online instruction at www.learningtheharp.com. The instructors there are wonderful and I very much enjoy the harp community they have created. I really value all of the encouragement they have given and the constructive feedback.

Jolie

I’ve got a new Jolie hybrid harp. In March I started learning to play the harp. I rented a 26-string Dusty Strings Ravenna just to see if I really liked it. Less than a month into this grand experiment I knew that I wanted a harp of my own. The process of choosing one was daunting. There is so much to consider and the investment isn’t insignificant.

My first thought was a larger harp from Dusty Strings. They have a great reputation. My hammered dulcimer was from there so I felt comfortable with the company. Wonderful wood. Rich tones. But really heavy so harder to take to church and other places. There were others I considered seriously including a carbon fiber harp from Heartland Harps. The sound was nice and they were really, really light. Unfortunately the customer service wasn’t great.

Then I heard about MusicMakers harps. The one I chose is a Jolie hybrid with carbon fiber structure and wood on the outside. Their customer service was magnificent. Rich tones, but much lighter than the Dusty Strings. I decided that as I get older the low weight will make it easier for me to get it in and out of the car to play at church.

Waiting for it to arrive was awful. Originally they quoted about 100 days to manufacture and ship. Imagine my surprise when I got a notice that it was ready to ship almost 2 months early. It took about a week to arrive – a very long week. But very much worth it.

Here is the Jolie hybrid

I had intended to have two videos, one on each harp. But unfortunately the one on the Ravenna got accidentally deleted.

May The Love of The Father

May the Love of the Father is yet another moving prayer from John Birch. It calls upon the power of the Holy Trinity to lift our spirits bringing peacefulness to our lives. John Birch has an ability to convey the mystery God’s love in language that speaks to the modern day heart.

May the love of the Father, the tenderness of the Son, and the presence of the Spirit gladden your heart, and bring peace to your soul; this day and all days. Amen.

I chose to set these words as a benediction response or blessing. The composition debuted in worship for the first time at Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church in Rio Rancho NM. It is written for four-part (SATB) choir with piano accompaniment. The voice parts are in a comfortable range for most volunteer choirs. The flowing accompaniment supports the choir, rising and falling to provide a sense of movement and encouragement.

I have always loved the sung responses used during worship. I have enjoyed writing a variety of introits, prayer responses, and benediction responses. Sometimes they take me a while, but this one seemed to speak to me almost immediately after I read Mr. Birch’s prayer. I added an Amen to this composition simply because I just like the feeling I get when I sing them.

A midi audio of the composition is available for you below.

If you would like a copy of this composition you can find it HERE. A selection of other compositions can be found at Music Notes Market Place.

Veni, Veni Emmanuel

Veni, Veni Emmanuel (O Come, O come Emmanuel) is an anthem for Advent, utilizing SATB choir, piano, and handbells, anticipating the coming of Christ. It includes both Latin and English lyrics of praise, worship, and anticipation.

I have always loved handbells. I spent a lot of my life at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio where the music program is massive. Both of my sons played in various handbell choirs, and I even had the opportunity to ring a bell or two for ornamentation during a choir anthem. My current choir also has a very enthusiastic and talented bell choir. They were quite supportive and helpful as I wrote this piece.

If you have read other posts, you already know that I love choral music. It seemed to be a natural transition to combining them in one composition. Then, when you add in that I love Christmas music it was a no-brainer. I also love singing in Latin, making the whole experience a lot of fun. Why Latin you might ask. Its the vowels. Nice round vowel sounds.

Alternating the melody between the handbells and singers created a joyous celebration where no one feels left out. For the singers, the range is generally moderate. The tenor and base are in unison, with rare divisi while the soprano and alto are generally divided, with occasional unison. Veni, Veni Emmanuel uses 22 handbells, and can be doubled for larger groups. Performance time is approximately 3:15.

The composition was first performed on December 17, 2023 at Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church with the Chancel Choir and the JuBELLation Ringers and was well-received. I’m starting to think about what other handbell/choir piece I might compose. Its too late for this year, but perhaps a jubilant Easter anthem for 2025?

May the Peace of God

May the Peace of God is based on Philippians 4:7 and offers an assurance that we do not need to be anxious about anything. God has it all covered in ways that we cannot even begin to understand. In times of doubt, pray. In times of uncertainty, pray. When we have troubled minds, pray. Protect yourself with the power of Jesus Christ and experience peace.

I love the poetic feel of the King James passage “and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ”. I also like the NASB translation. “As the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” It just seems a little more clear in the NASB translation that it is God who protects our hearts and minds, not us.

For context, this scripture is embedded between an admonition to make our requests known to God and a reminder that we need not be anxious. There is also the instruction to focus on what is right and true, behave honorably, and to dwell on the good things.

My composition is written for SATB voices, with or without piano accompaniment. My church choir did it a few times with accompaniment. Later, after the choir was more familiar with the composition, they sang it a capella. Both went well even though we are a small choir. The mood is generally soft and reassuring, just like the scripture verses. The vocal range is moderate with optional divisi for the bass voices. It can be used at any point in a worship service, but was intended for a benediction response.

Would you like to see more of this composition? Click here. Interested in some of my other compositions? Visit MusicNotes through this link.

Jubilate Deo

Jubilate Deo – Be Joyful in the Lord. This is an original setting of the words from Psalm 100:1, and sung in Latin and English. From The New American Standard Bible (Zondervan), Psalm 100 is a Psalm for Thanksgiving and an admonition for praise.

Psalm 100:1-2 (From The New American Standard Bible (Zondervan)

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness

Come before Him with singing.

Jubilate Deo - photo of people rejoicing

This setting is a 2-part round for mixed voices and piano accompaniment. The bright and joyful melody conveys a call for rejoicing among all people. The practice of singing in round exemplifies that rejoicing independently and together.

Jubilate Deo omnis terra.
Laudate Dominum.
Rejoice in God,
all the Earth.
Sing praise to God.
Alleluia!

To see more, click here or leave me a message.

With One Voice

With One Voice is a short piece of worship music based on Romans 15:5-6. It describes the desire for the people of God to live in peace and harmony. This can be achieved by living in the example of Jesus and through the collective activity of praising God. The song admonishes that we should sing as if with one voice, rather than as individuals. The melody is one of joyous praise and it ends in an acknowledgment of God’s majesty. Written for SATB choir and piano accompaniment, it would be appropriate for introit, benediction, or orison.

May the God of endurance and encouragement

grant you to live in such harmony

with one another in accord with Jesus Christ

that together you may, with one voice,

Glorify the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ve set the words of others several times and written my own poetry. With this piece I’ve enjoyed interpreting Biblical verse. All are inspirational to me when composing worship music. Writing this brought me great joy and it is my sincere wish that it brings joy to all that sing it or hear it.

Click HERE or contact me directly if you are interested in seeing more.

Can I Get an Amen?

I’ve mentioned it in other posts, I love a good Amen! I grew up in a church where you could usually expect an amen of some type at the end of every hymn. Obviously there was an amen at the end of every prayer as well. Therefore it is both familiar and comforting to have it there.

The online dictionary from Oxford Languages defines amen as an exclamation at the end of a prayer or hymn, meaning so be it. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim practices. The word itself has a Biblical Hebrew origin. In Hebrew it mean to be reliable or dependable, to be faithful, and to have faith or believe. It then passed into Greek, and then Latin. According to Wikipedia, amen occurs 30 times in the Hebrew Bible. It was used to affirm the words of another speaker (1 Kings, 1:36), refer to the words of another speaker without affirmation (Nehemiah 5:13), and as a final amen to one’s own words.

One of my favorite Amens is at the end of The Lord Bless You and Keep You by Peter C. Lutkin. One of my tasks during composition lessons was to write an Amen sequence. That was an assignment I really enjoyed. However, it was harder than I thought it would be.

According to archive.courierpress.com, The United Methodist church began deleting some amens from their 1966 hymnal and then did so entirely in their 1989 hymnal. In 1990 the Presbyterian Hymnal also omitted them. Apparently the Southern Baptist hymnal never included them. According to David Eicher at pcusastore.com writes that prior to the 1861 publication of Hymns Ancient and Modern, hymns didn’t include a sung amen. The Protestant Reformation hymns also didn’t have an amen. Some scholars think the addition of the amen was an error and that there was no precendent for having it there.

I wrote several versions of my Amen sequence, took my favorite one, and published it with two different voicings.

I think the reason that Amens work musically is because of two factors. The first is familiarity. For me at least, it takes me back to childhood. The other reason that it works musically is the vowel sound “ah” at the beginning of the word. It is such a beautiful vowel; nice to listen to and easy to sing. While all of the scholarly reasons for not having it sung at the end of a hymn may be historically accurate, I still like them!

I Know Not How

I Know Not How That Bethlehem’s Babe was written by Harry Webb Farrington and is in Public Domain. As with many of my hymn tunes, I used words from a hymn that I didn’t know and re-set them with my own preferences and personality. Harry Webb Farrington was an American author, hymn writer, preacher, and teacher. Farrington was born in 1879 in the Bahamas and then moved to Maryland. Harry Webb Farrington was raised in the Darlington United Methodist Church.

He worked for a while in a paper mill, then attended Lycoming College in Pennsylvania. He later graduated from Syracuse University in 1907 and continued his education at Boston and Harvard Universities. Farrington later became an ordained minister for the Methodist Church and served as pastor of Grace Methodist Church in New York City from 1920 to 1923. He died in 1930 after being paralyzed in an accident and was buried in Pine Lawn Cemetery in Long Island, NY. He wrote 30 or more hymns, including I Know Not How That Bethlehem’s Babe, Righteous Man of Galilee, and others.

The text describes the wonder of Jesus, from the manger birth through the resurrection. There is a sense of wonder and mystery, as well as celebration. When setting these words I focused on the celebration aspect. I did that by adding triangle, tambourine, and a rollicking melody in an easily singable range and four-part harmony.

If you would like to learn more about this piece click HERE, or send me a message.

May The Beauty of God

May the Beauty of God utilizes the beautiful prose from John Birch to create a song of praise. I learned about John Birch while I was searching for poetry that I would like to set to music. I found his work at www.faithandworship.com where there is a bit of a bio and access to a huge collection of prayers. Birch describes prayer simply – a conversation with God. Sometimes his words are in the form of conventional poetry. Other times it appears to be an intimate conversation with the Creator. His website offered the prayers for use in worship, so I contacted him to ask for specific permission to set his music for choral performance. He graciously offered his permission for me to use any of the prayers available on the site.

I loved the image he painted of the love of God dwelling in other people’s faces, works, words, and love. In addition, the love of God displayed by us can therefore impact others so that they also can believe. The song ends with the words that all might see, and seeing believe.

It seemed to me that the musical setting required movement to match the joy and optimism of the words. I particularly love the energy that a hand drum can add to a choral work, so I added an optional drum rhythm. The composition would be appropriate as an introit, benediction, or orison for use in worship.

To see the complete piece, please click HERE or send me a message on this site.