Only a Word

Only a Word is a 2-part mixed anthem based on the words of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper 1825 – 1911 (African American abolitionist, suffragist, poet, and temperance activist).

Having done with my own choir, I can report that it took less than one rehearsal for them to learn it. The time signature is in 5/4 but because each measure has practically the same indelible rhythmic pattern it “plays itself” so to speak. If you think your choir might be afraid of that meter, think of (or maybe play a recording of) the second movement (waltz) Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #5 of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.” If the rhythm is clear and predictable, amateurs handle 5/4 easily. Sheet music available at https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/se/ID_No/2252705/Product.aspx and https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/only-a-word-24024644.html.

This piece is one of those, that for legal purposes, is hard to categorize: is it an arrangement or an original work? It uses melodic cells from the plainsong, Lauda Sion Salvetorum, but the not actual melody itself.

The reason this matters is that ASCAP handles performance royalties different between the two, and platforms like YouTube handle royalties and monetization differently between the two.

A wise colleague in the past counseled me on this when I was confronted by the same dilemma in some earlier, piano pieces. He asked, “Is the Fauré Requiem an arrangement or is it an original composition?” (The Requiem doesn’t contain actual quotes as far as I know, but it certainly has passages reminiscent of chant.) He concluded by saying it’s considered an original composition. There’s also the fact some organ compositions of mine based on Christmas hymns that were published by Concordia, in the score the publisher used the term “settings by” rather than “arranged by.” Is there a legal difference? I don’t know. And, frankly, I’d just rather write the music and let somebody else figure that stuff out.