Tag: look what I made

AcWriMo 5: Cholsey

Byartsyhonker November 8, 2012 1 Comment
This one is to words by Ally Barrett, written for the closing ceremony of a supervision course for ministers. Be present, Lord, among us here, And speak to drive away our fear, And as a stranger seeking rest Be with us now as host and guest. Our mind and spirit, flesh and bone, Our past and present, things to come: To you, O Lord, we now present – We gladly spend, are gladly spent. Our...

AcWriMo 4: Milley 87 87 D

Byartsyhonker November 8, 2012 0 Comments
This one is to some words by Kit Smart: Where is this stupendous stranger? Gentle shepherd now, advise. Lead me to my Master's manger, show me where my Savior lies. O Most Mighty! O Most Holy! Far beyond the seraph's thought, art thou then so weak and lowly as unheeded prophets taught? O the magnitude of meekness! Worth from worth immortal sprung; O the strength of infant weakness, if eternal is...

AcWriMo 3: “Farringdon”

Byartsyhonker November 6, 2012 0 Comments
Here's the third tune, to this text by Alex Klages: Behold your King is coming! So prophets spoke of old, The blessèd birth foretelling As ages did unfold, The Lord of all creation, His perfect promise made; To bring the world salvation His plans, in order, laid. Behold your King is coming! So sang the joyous throng! As Jesus, lowly, riding A donkey heard the song. The greater son of David Into...

AcWriMo 2: “Harringey”

Byartsyhonker November 6, 2012 0 Comments
I asked Doug Chaplin if he had any hymn texts suitable for AcWriMo, and he sent me this text, saying it's not quite finished but I'm welcome to have a go: From the Jordan to the desert, from the crowd to barren place, Spirit-driven, Satan-tempted, Lord, you sought the Father’s grace: show us now your pow’r, in weakness, presence in the empty space. Out of Egypt with God’s people, freedom...

AcWriMo 1: “Mile End”, a metrical setting of the Benedicite

Byartsyhonker November 6, 2012 0 Comments
I'm not doing too badly with AcWriMo so far: I've written five tunes, and harmonised, er, some of them. Here's the first. The words are Chris Upton's metrical setting of the Benedicite, originally written with plainchant in mind. I hope that this setting will be more accessible for congregational singing, particularly where plainchant is unfamiliar. Many of the 11 11 11 5 tunes available are...

Transfiguration

Byartsyhonker October 3, 2012 1 Comment
One of the challenges of my job is finding music appropriate for our small choir at St Andrew's. The Anglican choral tradition is wonderful and beautiful and has a tendency to assume you have altos, tenors, basses and a positive horde of boy sopranos at your disposal. The reality is a bit different, and attempting the music of a large, well-stocked cathedral when we are a tiny parish with an...

Anglican Chant from a metrical psalmody tune…

Byartsyhonker June 16, 2012 0 Comments
The choir will be singing the Benedictus at St Andrew's next week, and I've been looking for an appropriate setting. Common Worship has a few metrical settings of the text, one of which is Double Common Metre. This fits to a number of tunes, but perhaps my favourite DCM tune is number 373 in the New English Hymnal -- also known as "Third Mode Melody". This was made famous by Ralph Vaughan...

Nothing works the frist time.

Byartsyhonker May 24, 2012 1 Comment
I may be up past my bedtime, having harmonised the little tune I wrote earlier. Here's a rough draft harmonised version: Here's a .pdf of the sheet music: While dead in sin 001 And here's the problem: Revd Klages tweeted in haste, and the text he posted, while making sense, was not in fact 8.7.8.6.4.9.5.3.3.11, but rather 8.7.8.6.9.6.3.3.11. Note the missing line and the one with the extra...

One thing leads to another…

Byartsyhonker May 24, 2012 4 Comments
Today has been one of those bitty days when I can't quite settle to anything. A twitter chum of mine had a comedy exchange with a twitter chum of his, which resulted in this: While dead in sin and error’s way, My soul was troubled greatly. My grief o’ertook me night and day, Pain was all I did see. The light of the Gospel grace did shine, My darkened soul arose. Made anew, Baptized, too, By...

New music for Pentecost: Sweet Spirit Comfort Me

Byartsyhonker May 18, 2012 1 Comment
St Paul's Cathedral had another composition competition. I only found out about it around ten days before the deadline but decided it was worth at least looking at the suggested texts and having a go at writing something. The result? Three verses of Robert Herrick's "Litany to the Holy Spirit", set for SATB. It's a bit mournful perhaps, but so is the text. Each verse is set differently, so adding...