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10-4-2017: Richard added a reading of Alex's poem.
1st Verse:
I've seen good and bad
Now I question myself should I be mad?...
At a world where light wants to shine in our lives
No more fights this time I want to embrace what is right...
Even though pain cannot be avoided
I want to see the same light everywhere which I see in the lord-and...
I don't know why we fear death...
Please see this blog article to see how this collaboration with Asiansa09 evolved: topcatholicsongs.com/enchristment
Initially, I had imagined this song would be slow and meditative. But the Spirit made me go uptempo! Tell me what you think. Record the song and send it to me! A lead sheet with guitar chords is attached to the end of this story. Thanks, Dan (Asiansa09), for the inspiration.
5/12/17: I uploaded a revised audio demo in which I did voice pitch correction and also corrected mistakes I had made in singing the melody in verses 2 and 3.
7/20/2017: I uploaded a piano + voice score (notated sheet music) which can be downloaded free as a PDF file. See download links at end of story. Huge thanks to my music colleague André van Haren for preparing this arrangement!
9/28/2017: See the Sibelius score player below. A brand new feature of Sibelius 8.7. Thanks to André van Haren for sending me the embed code for his Sibelius engraving. Please comment below if you have questions about Sibelius or scoring/engraving in general. This song has been submitted to OCP Music for consideration.
Enchristment
CHORUS
On my knees, I humbly pray.
I love to feel your radiance.
My heart is one with you, O Lord,
in this moment of Enchristment.
VERSE 1
My God, my Christ, you are in my heart.
I praise you, I worship you.
Your presence in this holy place
makes me want to be with you
forevermore.
VERSE 2
My God, my Christ, you are in my mind.
I pray, with Mary, for chastity.
I pray for us to receive your...
NOTE: We submitted this song to Oregon Catholic Press (ocp.org) but it was not accepted.
Our World So Beautiful is a new Christmas song co-written by Dan vi Nguyen, Richard Schletty and André van Haren. Dan posted her lyrics here and asked if anyone could make a song out of her words. Richard Schletty rewrote the lyrics to give them a consistent rhyme, line length, metrical pattern and overall poetic structure. Then Richard came up with a melody. Next, André van Haren wrote a beautiful piano arrangement based on an a cappella recording of the melody by Richard. Using Sibelius, André engraved the sheet music not only for piano and voice, but developed the song fully by adding guitar chords and two additional instruments: flute and cello. He also engraved a version of the song with optional SATB harmonies in the refrain...
Note from Richard (collaborator with Alex): I have posted my second Folk-Rock sung version of my rewrite of Alex's lyrics. I also posted a very rough Hip-Hop spoken version of Alex's original lyrics. See the first comment below for my modified lyrics. We would appreciate your honest comments about our efforts. Anyone is welcome to join in the fun of collaboration. That's what this site is all about.
A Few Thoughts
(Original lyrics by Alex John)
1st Verse:
God Is on the Scene
(rewrite by Richard Schletty of Alex John lyrics)
My life was running empty, I was riddled with heartache
In the mirror I saw a frown that I could never shake
I lived my life in fear with a fist full of rage
But I can tell you now how I left that awful cage
No more tears to shed for all those years of disgrace
I found a real Good Book with every page full of grace
The truth and light o' God can make the dark go away
Like the burning sun that turns the night into day
[bridge 1]
I'm no Nostradamus
But I start to see the promise
When I feel neglected
I know I'm not rejected
Because I got my... [READ MORE]
From Jeff Ostrowski at Corpus Christi Watershed:
THE FRATERNITY of Saint Peter put on a fantastic church music conference last week, and eighty people came from all over North America to attend:
Sacred Music Symposium • Spectacular Success!
"I challenge anyone to read those beautiful testimonies and then say there's no hope for church music in the United States!" – Jeff Ostrowski
Profile submitted by TCS member Maria7Steps
We are a Catholic family band called Simply4Him who believes that music was created to glorify God and to sanctify His people. We serve in our parish and we are a part of a Catholic Charismatic Community called Couples for Christ. Our children are members of its ministries. We cannot think of another place to be in order to learn and share not just God's music but everything about our faith. This is home for us!
We would like to share with you the first album God worked on through our family. It's called 7 Steps (for the seven sacraments in contemporary style of music). Available in digital stores. God bless!
Website: SIMPLY4HIM.COM
Instagram: SIMPLY4_HIM
Twitter: SIMPLY4_HIM
By Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune staff, June 23, 2017
Gregorian Chant, best known as the solemn music sung by robed monks of old, is enjoying a 21st-century revival — and the Twin Cities are at the heart of it this week.
Experts and students of the ancient sacred music from across the globe have gathered for what is billed as “the most in-depth teaching conference ... on sacred music in the world.” They’re honing their musical skills and bringing the solemn choral notes to several St. Paul churches...