Category: Church music

My Faith It Is an Oaken Staff

As part of my job as music director at Lakewood UCC, I write a lot of original music (original hymns, anthems, solo keyboard pieces, hymn-tune settings). Because of the corona virus lockdown, I’ve been doing all those same things, but for online posts by Lakewood. If those interest you, you can hear those posts at https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/.

I’ve decided to post some of those here: the ones that feature original content by me. This post was originally posted on March 23, 2020 at http://lakewooducc.org/2020/03/23/my-faith-it-is-an-oaken-staff/.

oak treeHere’s a tune for your morning meditation that will lift your spirits. Rev. Wells introduced me to this hymn and it’s become a favorite of mine. Every time we do it in church I only wish there were more verses so it lasts longer. Feel free to sing along this morning. You can see the words in the New Century Hymnal #418 or at https://hymnary.org/hymn/NCH1995/418.

There’s a very short organ introduction. When the brass come in, you start singing. Between verse 2 and verse 3 there’s a little organ interlude. But, on verse 3, BE WARNED (!), there’s a trumpet descant. What might confuse you is that the trumpet plays an echo, like a kid’s round (you know, like in “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”), of what you’re singing. So don’t get lost…hang on to your own part (follow the trombone…a trombonist will never lead you astray).

Wendeyaho

(original hymns, anthems, solo keyboard pieces, hymn-tune settings). Because of the corona virus lockdown, I’ve been doing all those same things, but for online posts by Lakewood. If those interest you, you can hear those posts at https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/.

I’ve decided to post some of those here: the ones that feature original content by me. This post was originally posted on March 29, 2020 at http://lakewooducc.org/2020/03/29/wendeyaho/.

Screen Shot 2020-03-29 at 4.40.50 AMSomething different this morning! It’s not found in any hymnal although it should be; rather, it’s a Native American hymn traditionally sung to the four directions in the morning by the women of the community. The arrangements and orchestrations are my own. I’ve done several settings–orchestra, solo piano, and choir–the first two of which are presented here.

“Wendeyaho” is often described as a “Cherokee Morning Song.” However discussion of it on the Internet indicates that the word, “Wendeyaho,” is not contemporary Cherokee, although it may have its origins in an ancient form of the language. The translation I was able to piece together from various internet sources is as follows:

Translation – We n’ de ya ho
Freely translated: “A we n'” (I am),
“de” (of),
“Yauh” –the– (Great Spirit),
“Ho” (it is so).

First, here is my orchestral arrangement.

And, here is the piano solo arrangement. Feel free to download the 2 page sheet music PDF from THIS LINK so you can play it at home, yourself. You need to do some tricky shifting of hands to cover all the parts in the last two variations, but it’s doable, I promise.

O Loving Founder of the Stars

As part of my job as music director at Lakewood UCC, I write a lot of original music (original hymns, anthems, solo keyboard pieces, hymn-tune settings). Because of the corona virus lockdown, I’ve been doing all those same things, but for online posts by Lakewood. If those interest you, you can hear those posts at https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/.

I’ve decided to post some of those here: the ones that feature original content by me. This post was originally posted on April 1, 2020 at http://lakewooducc.org/2020/04/01/o-loving-founder-of-the-stars/.

O Loving Founder of the StarsThe choir often sings this arrangement of mine of New Century Hymnal #111 at Easter. Here is that same arrangement performed on organ. You’re welcome to follow along. The exact words as found in our hymnal aren’t found online, but a common text found in other hymnals is at https://hymnary.org/text/creator_of_the_stars_of_night. Those words have 6 versus. The New Century Hymnal version, however, has only 5 verses.

The picture to the left is of a door at the Salzburg Cathedral.

%d bloggers like this: