This is the time of year I devote to preparing my annual composite Christmas tape/CD for gifting. I just found some very-free Swift piano variations on "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" that I think would work well as the first piece on the album. Sorry, I don't see a date on this recording. From the sound of the audience, it must be from one of my 1980s or '90s concerts. Enjoy!
As we approach mid-November and the Thanksgiving holiday, my thoughts turn to "giving thanks, giving song, giving praise" to God. Let me share a recording of my choral-symphonic "paraphrase" of Psalm 95 "O Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord." During my three-month church sabbatical ... January, February, and March of 1996 ... I devoted part of my time to composing this setting of the following text: "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."
I composed the music for 8-part chorus and full orchestra in about a month. The difficult and time-consuming part was entering the notes into my newly purchased music software. Later in the year, I summoned the forces of my church orchestra and chorus and with only one dress rehearsal premiered the work on Sunday, June 2. At the conclusion of this recording, I include the pastor's words of appreciation.
It's November; can Advent be far away? But, of course! As Minister of Worship & Arts, I used to have my advent plans together (and music ordered) back in June or July. In October 2004, I decided to supplement my purchased music by composing this simple advent anthem (choir-congregation "antiphon"). Later, I arranged the melody for "The Great Thanksgiving" responsorals. My intent was to create a haunting, mysterioso, modal piece for vocal soloists (cantors) and choir (or congregation), accompanied by 2 violins, clarinet, bassoon, and piano. Each verse concluded with a vocal octet treatment of the text. Here is the full text:
We pray, Lord Jesus come.
Bring justice and peace to all the earth.
Bring hope, love, and joy through your holy birth.
We pray, Lord Jesus come.
Come Jesus, King of Kings.
Send forth your light, your truth unseal.
Your bountiful grace, your wisdom reveal.
Come Jesus King of Kings.
Also, the first verse was sung as a cantor/congregation responsoral each week during the advent wreath candle lighting. Here is an example of me leading the congregation with use of two handbells for accompaniment.
On this All Saints' Day 2006, I include this premier recording of my November 2000 setting of The Beatitudes.
"The Beatitudes"
Text: Matthew 5: 1-13
Music: Bob Swift (November 2000)
Blest are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blest are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Rejoice, be glad
for great is your reward in heaven.
Alleluia!
Blest are the meek
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they will be filled with righteosness.
Alleluia!
Blest are the merciful
for they will receive mercy.
Blest are the pure in heart
for they will see God.
Blest are the makers of peace
for they will be called children of God.
Alleluia!
Blest are the pursecuted for righteousness.
for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blest are you when people revile you and say all evil against you.
Rejoice be glad for great is your reward in heaven.
Alleluia! Amen.
With joy for all creation, I share my singing of the Ralph Vaughan Williams "Let All The World in Every Corner Sing" from his "Five Mystical Songs."
Since I'm making some progress in converting these old analog tapes into MP3 files, let me experiment one more time.
Once again, I'm singing duet with my soprano friend, Melissa O'Connor, but this time, "with an accompanist." Sadly, I seem to have lost all recordings of a major 1997 St. Cecelia Festival featuring our duets of Bach, Handel, Purcell, Mendelssohn, etc. This one piece was saved on a Psalm Festival composite tape. Finally, I was free to concentrate on singing rather than multi-tasking voice with piano. I don't have the text in front of me now, but here are a few phrases: "In thine hands are all the ends of the earth, and the high towering mountains thou hast made. Come let us worship and kneel before the Lord. For in thine own hands are the ends of the earth, Come let us adore; let us worship and kneel before the Lord." [Now, if only I could increase the volume recording "gain" from the original source. Sorry, once again, you will need to "turn up the volume."]
"Self-Accompanied" Vocal Works
It’s official! I’ve been asked to sing my 2001 setting of “The Lord’s Prayer” in church on Sunday. This time the pastor wants me at both 8:30 & 11:00 services. I'm honored to share a sampling of this Psalm setting. I say “sampling” because, originally, the music was composed for a multi-voiced choir and orchestra. Hopefully, I can provide at least a “flavor” of my music’s intent.
To simplify matters (and to avoid multiple rehearsals), I will accompany myself on piano. This isn't the first time for such singing without an accompanist. Here is a recording of "O Divine Redeemer" (Charles Gounod) with me playing the piano and singing baritone with a soprano from choir one Sunday. Even without the "real" pianist, "the show must go on." Enjoy!
I'm reminded that "Reformation Sunday" is drawing near. Here's my free improvisation on "A Mighty Fortress" played as a postlude (sometime back in the 90s). Once again, I had misplaced the printed music score and could only remember some snippets of the first page. I played a few motifs and then "made up" the rest. [The congregation surprised me with applause.]
Welcome ...
to Experiment #3 in an ongoing project of archiving my "live" concert performances as organist, pianist, harpsichordist, and baritone vocalist. Actually, today I am expanding the scope of work to include some "Swift-Cotrone Duo" recordings. The excerpt recording (above) is the J.S. Bach "Fugue from the C Major Double Clavier Concerto" performed in March of 2003. Enjoy! (You may need to "turn up the volume".)
This is my first attempt at entering a MP3 file in this journal. It is my intent to load primarily personal compositions; but, because this was one of my first recordings converted to MP3, I'll include it as a test ...the Bach "Prelude in C Minor" BWV #549 from a March 2003 concert:
