Bonsoir, mes amies,
I am sooo close to finishing arranging a song. It's such a bummer. I really needed it done three weeks ago. And I am supposed to make copies of it tomorrow, so then my ward choir can practice it tomorrow, too. I got sooo close to finishing it today, and made what I hope was excellent progress on it. (Maybe in a week I will not be so sure in my musical choices.) Here's a hint. (And I think I hinted this before.) It's another one from the Children's Song Book. The song I have chosen to arrange is "To Think About Jesus." Yeah, maybe not your first choice. But while the lyrics are juvenile, (infantile, practically), the chord progression is really fun. And maybe I am my father's daughter, lovin' those good chord progressions. (He loves the guitar and playing all those great swing/jazz songs from the 30's, 40's, and 50's. Good stuff.) It is so similar to the Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus. There is something about the C minor key that I have always loved. I remember learning Solfeggietto (by C.P.E. Bach) in the second grade and being super-obsessed by it. I memorized it right away and I still have it memorized. I would love to just sit down and play it whenever, wherever. It's fun! Kind of mournful, but fun! Solfeggietto On YouTube. All the songs have similar elements. Key signature, for sure.
I rewrote some of the lyrics on verse two. (When they got too unbearable, um, no offense to the original writer, but I made it more adult-friendly. I don't think adults want lectures on keeping their feet from shuffling.) And I wrote my own verse three. Verse one is four-part SATB harmony. Verse two is women's three-part SSA harmony with choir repeating the chorus SATB. Then verse three is in another key, in a major key, with a sound like fanfare and it's talking about Christ's resurrection (because the earlier verses are about Christ on the cross, and I turned this thing into an Easter song, by gum!). And verse three begins the fanfare and happier lyrics with men's three-part TTB harmony. The choir joins in at the new chorus in the major key and ends nicely with a "Come Follow Me" shout-out. It's good times.
I think at first I will probably lose the audience when they hear the song and think, "She's doing *this* song?," but in my heart-of-hearts, I can do no other. This song has been kicking around in my head since October, when I was first called to be the ward choir director. And hopefully we can win them back by the third verse and the triumphant message of Christ's resurrection, overcoming death, and opening the way for us to salvation and eternal life.
I hope to say soon that there will be a new offering from Ruby and Pearl. (Oh yeah, we're just talking song-writing! I have yet to program it with LilyPond, which I dread. It's fun, but it just takes soooo muuuuch tiiiime!) Until then, I will keep trying to force the creativity and music writing out of my soul. (It doesn't really work that way, I kind of have to wait until I'm in a creative mood and not bugged to be able to sit down and get somewhere with the project.) But I'm practically there. Being so close will surely motivate me to finish the darn thing, right??
I hope you are finishing your projects, too. Good night and adieu! Bon nuit!
Danelle
Ruby and Pearl
