New for Christmas!
Available now at Jackman Music and Deseret Book stores
New for Christmas! This arrangement of Patricia Kelsey Graham's beloved Primary Song was originally written for my family to perform at the Festival of Lights Christmas Concert Series at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitor's Center. We love to sing in parts and take turns singing solo. This is a very versatile arrangement for SATB Choir with soloists, duets, trios, and even children. It is perfect to use when creating a live Nativity Scene at your Christmas event.
Available now at Jackman Music and Deseret Book stores
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Attracting and audience and keeping them engaged has always been a conundrum. How can an unknown composer or group attract and keep an audience? What makes the audience want to stay and hear the group or the music? Well, I cannot say that I have all of the answers, but I do understand a few things. People are fickle and no one knows exactly what will tickle their fancy at any given moment. Their moods are always changing, so what may please them one moment, might bore them in the next moment. That last part is the real key to engaging and holding an audience. Understanding that moods change, in order to please the audience, you must plan your programming to ebb and flow to take that audience on an adventure through many different mood swings and genre changes. Good musical compositions will follow this rule, too. The well-crafted piece will have changes in dynamics, and tempo, and textural colors and lead the listener through an adventure of emotional and/or spiritual awareness. And yet, a piece of music that will please one moment, the audience might not be in the mood to even listen to in the next. VARIETY is the key to holding an audience. The most powerful influence to how a group or composer will attract an audience is through word of mouth comments. People tend to act on other people's recommendations. If enough people buzz about a song or a group, more people will take notice. That is why disk jockeys and critics have always held such enormous power. They can be "king makers" and even "career breakers" all depending on how they play-up or tear down a new group or song or composer. Social media has come on the scene in recent years and has given more power back to the actual listeners and performers. But, the principle is the same -- word of mouth accolades or criticisms amongst the public will determine the fates of the performers or products. The real difference here is that a performer or composer might have some very vocal friends who spread the word to other friends who spread the word to their friends and so on until the song or group suddenly and miraculously builds a following of fans all from a grassroots effort. Many composers and performers have delicate egos. They work and work to create and offer their music never knowing if it will be favorably received. They may struggle for years with hardly any recognition at all. They may suddenly have success for time but fade in the next instant. So, on behalf of all the struggling artists out there, I plead with the public to support music and art and be vocal with your praise. It is a little thing for you to give a favorable comment or a "like," yet so powerful and meaningful to the struggling artists in your midst. Last week, our missionary son sent us this beautiful photo of the Gilbert Arizona Temple. The area where he currently works is very near to the Temple. How wonderful to have the very symbol of the greatest blessings of the gospel that he is called to share with the people, right there, constantly before their eyes. Not long ago, I was searching for an idea for a Children's song, when I picked up a copy of the 2010 Temples Issue of the Ensign magazine. On the back cover was a quote by President Thomas S. Monson. It said, "How far is heaven? In the holy temples it's not far at all. In these sacred places earth and heaven meet and Heavenly Father gives His greatest blessings." These words literally jumped off the page in melody. I was so excited, I had to grab a piece of manuscript paper to write it down. The first verse was beautifully and perfectly formed, but the song seemed short. There must be a second verse. So I picked up the Temples issue again and started scanning the pages for another quote by Pres. Monson. And, sure enough, there on page 10 was a quote that perfectly fit the melody. "In their gleaming glory, temples seem to say, 'Come home to heaven, home to family, home to God."
Yes, these words fit perfectly, but the song still seemed a bit short. During General Conference a few days later, I was sure if I listened intently enough, I would hear the words to create another verse. And sure enough, one of the brethren was talking about temples. He said, "In sacred ceremonies, covenants are made. These covenants create eternal families." Yes! I did not know I was searching for the body of the message. But it became clear. That was what had been missing. It is through sacred covenants that the greatest blessings Heavenly Father has to give his children will be given. So, this beautiful song for children about the holy temple, "How Far Is Heaven?" was now complete. I had the occasion to present this song to President Monson himself. He sent a letter of appreciation to say that he is always pleased when the members of the Church create beautiful works that will help bring more people to a knowledge of their Savior. I am sure that this song can be instrumental in doing just that. How far is heaven? How far is heaven? In the holy temples it's not far at all. In their gleaming glory, temples seem to say, "Come home to heaven, home to family, home to God." One Person can beat a drum and make enough noise for ten.
One Person can blow a horn, And that little bang and that little blare Can make a hundred people care. And One Person can hold a torch and light up the sky again. And one little voice that's squeaking a song can make a million voices strong. If One Person can beat a drum, If One Person can blow a horn, If One Person can hold a torch, Then One Person can change the world. This wonderful march, "One Person," comes from the pen of Jerry Herman, Broadway composer of such classics as "Hello Dolly" and "Mame." We in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir have been working to memorize this song for our concert with the Utah Symphony later this week. Jerry Herman was known for his particularly hummable tunes. These lyrics are fairly easy to memorize. They can easily be "pictured." My sister likes to make up hand choreography to help her memorize lyrics. These words fit that bill very well. The words may be fairly easy to memorize, but they are harder to sing because of the fast succession of notes. The tune is built on a quickly ascending and then descending Major 9th chord -- that is five stacked thirds coming and going! And gets harder from there! Not as easy to maneuver! But it is a fun song to sing and has a neat message. Ryan Murphy did a bang up job arranging it for our concert! I overheard some elementary school music teachers in the hallway saying that they loved the message of that song so much, they intended to use it as their theme of this year's chorus concert. The message is a useful one, I grant you, but I worry about the youngsters being able to sing the extended harmonies with the extended range with anything close to precision. It could just end up a monotone mess. The melodic range is well over an octave even if you stay in the key of C Major. All I can say is good luck. Last week I was asked to join a focus group to review a song project for a new composer. This composer had written many songs on a very relevant topic and was obviously well invested in their usefulness to help society as a whole in this area. He wanted some frank observations and advice since he was new to the songwriting arena. Well, that got me thinking long and hard about the elements of good song-writing. GETTING THE IDEAS ORGANIZED - This is obviously the place to start. Gaining a working knowledge about the idea, looking for vocabulary to fit the topic, finding a musical style to match the mood or setting, selecting a target audience, are there cultural elements to consider? -- these are all important elements to think about before setting out. MELODY, RHYTHM AND LYRICS - Some composers start with the musical ideas and then turn over their outline to the lyricist to fit words to a mostly finished composition. Other composers start with words, sometimes a title or theme or a line of text for inspiration. Those few words actually drive the rhythm and melody and inspire the direction and shape of the composition. From that beginning, the rest of the piece - melody and lyrics and even arrangement and orchestration - can be created. Most songwriters work within certain standard compositional and/or poetic FORMS that have been around for centuries. The standard AABA (2 similar phrases, a contrasting section and then repeat of the 1st phrase) or the AB (verse/chorus) models are very typical song forms. THE HOOK - New songwriters tend to forget about this element. A hook is a section of the song that packs the most punch. It is the essence of the message in the most memorable bit of melody and lyric. It is placed in a prominent portion of the song to be the most repeated and catchy part. It is the most important nugget of the entire piece. If your most catchy rhythm or melody does not present the most significant message of the song, watch out! Sometimes the entire message is lost or misrepresented because the hook actually says something unrelated or even counter to the real message of the song. For example, I heard a song that was about the evils of overcooked vegetables to nutrition. This song was targeted to young children to try to get them to actually eat their vegetables. But the HOOK of the song came across not that "overcooked vegetables are slimy and gross," but "vegetables are slimy and gross." See the obvious problem? The catchy part of the rhythm and melody picked up only that "vegetables are slimy and gross" and what parent in their right mind wants to promote that idea to their children? So, if you happen to be a new songwriter, be wary of your hooks! You may end up hooking a very strange and unexpected fish! Several years ago I was asked to write a song to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Baltimore Maryland Stake. The Stake President requested a song that would recognize the faith of the early pioneers of the Church as well as capture the strength and spirit of the new pioneers who are currently building the kingdom of God in the Baltimore area. There are many converts in the Baltimore area who are first generation members and truly new pioneers. The inspiration came in an instant. Of course, they were "Building on a Legacy of Faith" of those who went before, but they were also forging onward in new territory with new challenges and new triumphs. The song needed to link the past with the future. It needed to be painted with broad strokes on a large canvas. It needed a heroic scope and concept. This song came about as if I was writing a screenplay and score for a movie. I knew what needed to be written because I could see and hear it unfolding in my mind like a movie in Cinemascope. The scene opens with the purple mountains in the distance and as the camera sweeps in closer, the wagon trains appear with many pioneers struggling, but ever pressing forward with faith, determined to reach their goal, ever seeking Zion. Then the scenes continue to unfold to see the growth of the Church due to missionary efforts in many lands around the world. Yet it is only through the faith, diligence and obedience of those new pioneers, those exceptionally courageous individuals, that the work rolls on.
Oh, how I wanted this song to be premiered by a large choir accompanied by a large orchestra, but I knew I was limited in scope to a 50 voice choir, piano, string quartet and two flutes. What we lacked in orchestration, we more than made up for in spirit and enthusiasm. The song was received well and the 30th Anniversary Celebration was a success. The song went on to win an Award of Distinction in the annual Church Submission contest and was performed on Temple Square in Salt lake City. "Building on a Legacy of Faith" may be sung to commemorate the efforts of the early Pioneers of the church as well as to celebrate the many new pioneers throughout the world in our day who are bravely pressing on, ever seeking Zion. It is a stirring Pioneer Anthem as well as a wonderful Missionary Anthem. These words exhort us to continue onward: "Serve the Lord. Trust His word. Make known His wondrous works in all the earth. Learn of Him. Call upon His name. Prepare for the day when Christ will come again." And then these words of President Gordon B. Hinckley provide the reason we do what we do: "The time has come to stand a little taller, To demonstrate our faith in the living God. To do the work of His Beloved Son, our Master, To follow in the ways that our Savior trod." "Building on a Legacy of Faith_____ Ever moving forward; ever seeking Zion. Servants of our God, working hand in hand, Ever building on a legacy of faith." Next week, my youngest son leaves to serve a full-time mission in Arizona. Thirty members of our extended family came to our Ward to listen to him give his farewell talk and help provide a musical number. Together we sang my new arrangement of "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" with piano and flute accompaniment. This hymn has become a wonderful missionary anthem. The message of going, doing, saying, and being what the Lord would have us be and serving His children throughout the world is a great send off for any new missionary. It also helps us resolve to remember to do our part on the home front. After the meeting, a friend came up to me and said, "You are having a harvest day today." What she said was true. Five of my children and their families who live locally were there, as well as many of my brothers and sisters and their families. Not only did they come to offer support and encouragement for my son, they are talented musicians who love to bear their testimonies of the gospel through song. Years ago, when the time approached for the return of our oldest son from his mission, I felt inspired to write a missionary anthem for his homecoming. "Go Forth in the Service of God" came about while I was contemplating some words of President Gordon B. Hinckley. He talked about how missionary work offered the joy of the gospel to the hungering souls of the earth. He went on to say, "For this is the joy of which angels sang when they sang at the birth of God's Son." This wonderful quote and its follow-on became the climax of my song. The message of this anthem is not only for the departing missionary, but to all of us in fulfilling our callings and taking part in building the kingdom of God on the earth. In this respect, this anthem is not just a Missionary Anthem, but a song of exhortation unto all of us to "Press forward with faith and endure to the end 'til the work of the Master is done."
With the beginning of summer comes the time we get to perform many wonderful and stirring patriotic anthems. Some of my favorites that we sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir are "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" arranged by Wilhousky, "Distant Land" by John Rutter, "And the Dream Goes On" by John Williams, and "America the Beautiful" arranged by Mack Wilberg. The words and choral parts of these anthems are moving and wonderful, but what makes the experience of singing them so exciting are the orchestrations. How great is it to be able to sing with such a wonderful orchestra! These pieces are all very different, yet powerful and thrilling in their own ways. During the next few months, we will get to sing many wonderful patriotic anthems on the Music and the Spoken Word Broadcasts, as well as concerts with the Utah Symphony at Deer Valley and the the Pioneer Day Celebration concert. My father was born on July 2nd. We have always had fun celebrations for his birthday in conjunction with the July 4th Independence Day celebrations for our country. Dad's jobs moved us all over the country, so we were able to experience many different ways of celebrating the birthday of America, as well as my father's. But, no matter how elaborate the fireworks, or parades or gala events, the thread that connected all of these celebrations was the music. And we had the advantage of knowing and understanding the many references in the songs about America, because we had first-hand knowledge of historical events and places from actually visiting them. For my father's 80th birthday, I felt inspired to write a song to thank him for helping me develop a love for our country. Not only did Dad take us to visit most of the United States, he taught us about how this land was preserved for a special purpose. This land was reserved as a place for the gospel to be restored and come forth in the last days. It is a promised land for those who are righteous and serve the God of the land. It is "My Promised Land" because of the covenants I have made to personally serve the Lord and strive to live righteously. It can be your promised land, too.
At this season of remembrance, may we take the time to remember our forefathers and their resolve to build America as the land of the free and the home of the brave. May we commit to live righteously, for as John Adams said, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Singers quite often have a dilemma they face when performing. "Do I think about the words of the song and sing with emotion OR do I try to ignore the words and rely on technique to carry me through so I do not cry." On one of the songs on the Father's Day Broadcast, the women really had a hard time singing without falling apart. "Turn Around" is a tender song about watching a daughter grow up from a tiny babe to a wife with babes of her own. All of us have children in our lives who have grown up too fast before our very eyes and the music makes our tender hearts ache and our noses run and our eyes leak! During the run-through, there were very few of us who were actually singing by the last verse! So what to do? Some singers have suggested that they have to think about doing the laundry back home or making a grocery list. One friend said that she imagined one of the tenors doing pirouettes down the steps of the loft in a comical way. Others carry silly pictures in their folders to focus on during the "tearful tender" sections. I found that for me, thinking about the technical aspects of the music helps me hold it together. "Turn Around" -- the title helped me think about the musical device called a "turn around." This is a device used between phrases to provide a springboard back into similar thematic material or to provide momentum into a modulation to a new key. So, for the actual Broadcast, I paid attention to how the harmonia played a beautiful little motive as the strings swelled just a bit to give it some life. I noticed how the horns and lower strings accompanied the men's verse all in the bass clef. Then, I listened as the modulation swelled with all of the instruments doing a grand crescendo with the harp glissando and then all of the singers came in with the last verse. Then I focused on how the woodwinds played a lovely accompaniment with the strings supporting the voices. And I watched how the vibraphone player was using four mallets all at the same time! And guess what? I made it through the song without weeping! Yay for me! It is not that we singers do not want to give a proper interpretation of the words, it is more the problem of how to get through the performance and still be capable of singing at all! So, we do our best to put the interpretation into the voice through musical techniques -- crescendo, diminuendo, legato, staccato, shaping the line, etc --- and RELY TOTALLY ON THAT during the times when we have to strategize ways to hold our emotions together in the hope to be able to get through the song! Listen to this beautiful and touching song on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir YouTube Channel. "Turn Around" The workings within the percussion section of the orchestra can be interesting to watch. The players trade places often to cover the different instruments as they are called for in the score. Usually the drums and chimes and mallet instruments and hand-held noisemakers are all grouped together, but occasionally they are strategically placed throughout the orchestra to get just the right effect. During the rehearsal for the broadcast, the glockenspiel player was asked to move with his instrument to be beside the harp so that they could work and "feel" together. Their plucking and pinging were to happen precisely together for reenforcement. When they were on opposite sides of the orchestra, that effect did not come across as well. I noticed that in the Broadcast, when they were beside each other, the two players were better able to "feel" the exact instant of their unison plucks and pings and the effect was magical. Some choir conductors like to group their singers in "pods" of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. They feel that by equally dispersing the parts throughout the choir, they can achieve a better quality blend. Other conductors feel that they can control the blend of the singers better when they are in their homogeneous sections. I have sung in both arrangements and have enjoyed both models. The pod arrangement worked very well for a small choir of 40-60 voices on stages with very good acoustics. The blending was easily achieved because we were all very close to each other and could "feel" together easily. Besides, it is very fun to sing in an SATB pod and hear all the parts so close around you. But unless you are very well tuned in to how you blend with your fellow sectioneers as well as your podmates, your voice may actually stick out from the fabric of the choir as a whole and you may not realize it. For the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I have the feeling that the microphone issues are the real reason we cannot sit in "pods." The blend that the conductor hears from the podium a football stadium's distance away from the choir is very different from the blend that the microphones pick up very near to the seats of the loft. I can just imagine how problematic the "pods" arrangement could potentially be. Individual voice colors regularly pop out of the choir sound even within our big sections. That problem could easily be magnified a hundredfold if we were sitting in pods. The guys in the sound booth can make an educated guess which mic is picking up the stray sound within a section, but it would be too hard to isolate the problematic sound if all the parts were coming through all of the mics. For us, the homogeneous sections help us unify our section sound for reenforcement and we rely on the conductor to keep us balanced with the rest of the choir (which we cannot always hear as well). This really does help us "feel" it together, too. And when we achieve that unity, it is truly magical! |
AuthorMy name is Betsy Lee Bailey. I enjoy singing and writing all kinds of music. I have performed and directed or taught music all of my life. This blog is dedicated to all of the people who have been encouraging me to write about my experiences. |