A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the twenty-first new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!).

I thought I would work one more title in “under the wire” for the month of July. I love this text which was inspired by the gift of a tune from Jillian Bray, another composer who creates music for some of Shirley Erena Murray’s texts. I have long been an advocate for a variety of musical settings for contemporary hymn texts since it provides opportunities for church music leaders to access what works best in their congregational/parish settings. What is important is that these words be sung! Jillian’s tune is lovely and quite different from mine. It can be found in Shirley’s book, “Touch the Earth Lightly” (Hope Publishing Company, 2008). RK

New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: 2-part Treble Voices and 2-part Mixed Voices.

New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: 2-part Treble Voices and 2-part Mixed Voices.

New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: 2-part Treble Voices and 2-part Mixed Voices.
NOTE: These 2-part versions are new categories which will provide arrangements for a particular niche of ensembles:
1) The 2-part Treble Voice versions will be useful for 2-part children’s and youth choirs, for small adult women’s ensembles, and for treble voice duets.
2. The 2-part Mixed Voice versions will be useful for small mixed voice ensembles which do not have full SATB or SAB capabilities and for mixed voice duets.
I’ll continue to add more titles in these categories in between uploading new titles. Subscribers: If there is a particular title for which you could use these new 2-part versions before you see them added, please drop me a note and I’ll put it on the top of the list. RK

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the twentieth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!).

Ahhh…
Time for a deep breath. For those who are following these daily uploads in July 2010, get ready for a change. My goal was to upload one piece per day for each day of July. I achieved my self-imposed goals for the first 20 consecutive days, but it’s time for a break. It’s not that there isn’t enough material (I still have over 35 Shirley Erena Murray texts set to music and not yet on the site) nor is it that it can’t physically be done. However, it’s the ONLY thing I’ve been doing this month and I feel that I’m missing summer by being inside the studio every day. The combination of doing the arrangements, notation, uploading, mixing and mastering the sample recordings, and preparing the index items (season, theme, subject, and scripture references) usually takes the entire day (and a fair bit of the night) for each title. My revised plan is to continue uploading new titles, but at a more relaxed rate, allowing time for working outside around the house, updating some of the dated information and photos on the site, and going to the beach. So… keep watching because more will be coming – but probably not tomorrow! RK

A number of changes to this item today: If, since this new selection was uploaded last night, subscribers have printed out any of the music, please dispose of those copies and download new ones. ALL MUSIC VERSIONS have been replaced as of this morning due to the discovery of a global typo error which I have corrected. Thank goodness we’re not in the ‘old’ system of printing 5,000 copies of a piece of music before coming upon errors!

ALSO: Added this morning is an SATB Version which hadn’t been completed at upload time last night.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the nineteenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, p.150): “Written after singing the usual conventional hymns on Pentecost Day. This is my idea of the vibrancy, whimsy and interpretive power of the Holy Spirit. I looked for new images for ‘disturbing the peace’ if peace meant any sense of settling complacently in our pews, hence ‘moving the furniture’ and challenging the status quo.”

The Sample Recording for yesterday’s new selection was successfully uploaded today. We discovered that the problem with yesterday’s attempt to upload it was that it was too large (too long) a file for the web space we have dedicated to sample recordings. As a result, I remastered it this morning, removing the piano introduction I had played as well as the last line of music which brought it down to within one second of our maximum reserved space on the server. Ahhh… technology! RK

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the eighteenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!)

SPECIAL NOTE: For some reason, the Audio Sample which David Moddle and I recorded for this selection would not upload. I don’t know why – it’s a mystery! I’ll try again tomorrow and post a notice here as soon as it’s available.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the seventeenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!).

Another from out of the archives. For years I have written specifically for a Sunday morning or other service and tossed the resulting song or hymn into a drawer or box. A schedule that was far too busy often prevented me from making the music accessible to others. What a joy it is to now have the time to prepare these pieces for publication. This one is over a decade old for me – and it was nearly two decades ago that Shirley created this stimulating text! RK

A new sample recording with David Moddle singing Verse 1 was added today, replacing the earlier piano-only playing of one verse.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the sixteenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!).

This text by Shirley has long long been a personal favourite of mine. I have always felt that Judas deserved more “credit” for his part in the story. Without him, there really isn’t a story – at least, as we know it. I find it highly unlikely that many of us would think of this character as an innocent infant. But, like each of us, he would have been just that.

I actually composed this music in 2005. Until yesterday, it sat in a stack of completed music which waits to see the light of day. David Moddle was in the studio yesterday doing some recording for me and this was one of the “old” ones I pulled out. RK

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the fifteenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, p.158): “When looking at this familiar text, I had an echo in my mind of the Maori waiata, or greeting song, usually chosen by a woman and used in welcome ceremonies. ‘E toru nga mea’ says simply: ‘There are three things, three very important things which the Bible tells us. There is Faith, and Hope, but the most important thing is Love’”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the fourteenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book In Every Corner Sing (Hope Publishing Co., 1992): “There seem to be very few hymns on money, though the Gospel is full of it!”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the thirteenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 158): “This is a new setting for an older text of mine in which the Christ presence appears in the forms of the victims of the world, including the differently abled and AIDS sufferers.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the twelfth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 155): “I have found very few hymns that do not become unreal and even pietistic about this theme. Many forms of suffering are accompanied by fear, despite the traditional allusions to healing miracles. The effect of human touch and concern is sometimes a miracle in itself.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the eleventh new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 157): “This was my Christmas greeting to friends in 2007. I once saw a blessing on the wall of a home in the Phillippines which has stayed with me, mostly because it sharpens the element of transcience, and time slipping away:”

“Bless our home, Father,
that we cherish the bread before there is none,
discover each other before we leave
and enjoy each other for what we are,
while we have time.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the tenth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 157): “An attempt, yet once more, to address the need of the world and especially the plight of children. This [text] was used by Christian World Service in NZ for their annual Christmas appeal.”

A new sample recording with David Moddle singing Verses 1 and 3 was added today, replacing the earlier piano-only playing of one verse.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the ninth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 151): “This [text] was a response to Vaclav Havel’s words: ‘Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It is not only the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.’”

A new sample recording with David Moddle singing a verse followed by a piano interlude was added today, replacing the earlier piano-only playing of one verse.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the eighth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 156): “I feel that the churches soft-pedal or neglect the whole issue of environmental damage and the urgency of ‘green’ theology by continuing to sing about the beauties of creation without too much responsibility for ecological ‘sin,’ and our continued part in this.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the seventh new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 159): “There are few hymns I can find which express gratitude to the ‘hands-on’ people who deal with crisis and catastrophe, tidy up the pieces of a situation, do the necessary and menial tasks with a dedicated and caring spirit. This hymn [text] was used for an ecumenical service in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Wellington [NZ] in Recognition of Volunteers of all kinds and their service to the community. This included police, fire service people, counsellors, ambulance drivers, Red Cross workers and many more.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the sixth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE FILES FOR THIS SELECTION (double the work today!). One is the syncopated version (this one, which is my preference), and the second is a more accessible “straight” version. Please read “A NOTE FROM RON” under the “straight” version below.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the sixth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

A NOTE FROM RON: Part of the appeal for me of this particular wedding of words and music is the life the piece receives through the use of syncopation. Being aware, however, that there can be restrictions imposed by architecture, human resources, or style preferences, I have made this “straight” version available so that the door may be open as wide (and the music as accessible) as possible.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the fifth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 154): “One of my first hymns to be published and widely sung… this was a simple approach to relational imagery for God.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the fourth new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 158): “This is a hymn of approach to communion. I am trying to evoke the reasons why we come to the table, and a feeling of more than our personal needs, however compelling, so that the table opens up to the needs of the world around us.”

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the third new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 156): “A meditative piece written to help focus, and to slow myself down.”

Ron: “I named this tune “LAURIE” in honour of one of my friends, Rev. Bill Laurie, whose focus in ministry is meditation and contemplative prayer.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the second new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):

From Shirley Erena Murray: This text is a response to the Charter for Compassion and was written in November 2009.
From Ron: I set these words to music almost immediately after receiving them from Shirley in May 2010. I knew nothing of the Charter for Compassion until learning about it from Shirley. For more information, visit charterforcompassion.org.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (the first new selection in my “Month of Murray” marathon!):
Author Shirley Erena Murray, from her book Touch the Earth Lightly (Hope Publishing Co., 2008, page 158): “A hymn about the warmth and comfort of being befriended, of speaking up for the poor and of giving hope when hope seems buried. Though we do not experience harsh winters where I live, there is always poverty and loneliness in every community. This hymn is also about the wintering of faith and our need to shed old skins for change to come about.”

PLUS A MAJOR CHANGE AS OF TODAY: Many people have expressed appreciation for the one-verse piano samples included for each selection, but have also wondered about the possibility of having a verse sung. There has been general agreement that a sung verse would help even more in “getting the feel” of new compositions. My good friend, David Moddle, agreed to sing the first grouping of new titles and you can hear him on this July 1, 2010 addition (click on the title link above).

New Version uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SAB.

New Version uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SAB.

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (words written by Shirley Erena Murray in 2002 and music composed by Ron on March 16, 2010):
CATEGORY: Melody Line Versions: Vocal (or ‘C’ Instrument), ‘C’ 8va, ‘Bb’, ‘Eb’, ‘F’ (high), ‘F’ (low), Viola, Bass Clef ‘C’ Instrument.

CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Piano, Guitar/Bass (keyboard key), and Easy Guitar.
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB

A NEW TITLE UPLOADED TODAY (words written by Shirley Erena Murray in 2004 and music by Ron on December 23, 2009):
CATEGORY: Melody Line Versions: Vocal (or ‘C’ Instrument), ‘C’ 8va, ‘Bb’, ‘Eb’, ‘F’ (high), ‘F’ (low), Viola, Bass Clef ‘C’ Instrument, and Congregational Bulletin Master.

CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Piano, Easy Piano, Guitar/Bass (keyboard key), Guitar with Capo Chords, and Easy Guitar.
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB

New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB.
CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Easy Piano.


New Version uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB.

New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Guitar/Bass (keyboard key), Guitar with Capo Chords, and Easy Guitar.


New Version uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Piano.


New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Melody Line Versions: ‘Eb’, ‘F’ (high), ‘F’ (low), Viola, and Bass Clef ‘C’ Instrument.


New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB
CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Guitar/Bass (keyboard key), Guitar with Capo Chords, and Easy Guitar.


New Versions uploaded today:
CATEGORY: Melody Line Versions: Vocal (or ‘C’ Instrument), ‘C’ 8va, ‘Bb’, ‘Eb’, ‘F’ (high), ‘F’ (low), Viola, and Bass Clef ‘C’ Instrument.

CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Piano.

New Versions uploaded today:

CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB.

CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Guitar/Bass (keyboard key), Guitar with Capo Chords, and Easy Guitar.


New Versions uploaded today:

CATEGORY: Melody Line Versions: ‘F’ (high), ‘F’ (low), Viola, and Bass Clef ‘C’ Instrument.

CATEGORY: Hymn-style Harmonizations: SATB.

CATEGORY: Accompaniment Versions: Guitar/Bass (keyboard key), Guitar with Capo Chords, and Easy Guitar.

Also… The Piano Accompaniment was adjusted today and put into a new, more accessible layout. It was expanded to three pages from the original two to make the notation less dense in its appearance.

New Versions uploaded today:

CATEGORY: Melody Line Versions: ‘Eb’ and Bass Clef ‘C’ Instrument.