Back in the mid 90’s, the Carthage music department hosted a gifted and charismatic composer and arranger named Alice Parker, who was probably most famous as the composer and arranger-in-residence of the Robert Shaw Chorale for many years. The music faculty took turns taking her out for dinner, and Kathy and I took her to the Chancery in downtown Racine and enjoyed an absolutely lovely time. At one point in the meal, it was actually Kathy who summoned the courage to ask Alice Parker the question which had been on my mind all night long: What advice would she have for a young, aspiring composer? I was very intrigued by her answer, which was:
Try to write for very specific people and voices. You will create your most distinctive music if you write something that you can easily imagine being sung by a singer or vocal group you admire.
And although I was several years away from putting that advice into practice, it ended up being the single best piece of compositional advice I’ve ever gotten. . . and when I look back at the songs I’ve written over the last twenty years or so, there’s no question but that the best songs were all very directly inspired by a particular singer or vocal group. It’s certainly true for both of the songs that will be published next year. “Great and Glorious Light,” although now it’s arranged for full choir, was originally written as a duet for me and my voice student Nick Barootian. “Shepherd’s Gloria,” on the other hand, was written expressly for the Choral Arts Society after I heard their assured, impressive performance of Carmina Burana the year before and realized that there was no rhythm they couldn’t count. And beyond those two are a host of other songs that I’ve written for someone and/or with someone’s particular voice (and sometimes their personal story) echoing in my ear. . . “Mother’s Love,” “Come Unto Me,” “Manna,” “Caleb’s Song,” “Seeds,” “Everything Can Change,” “Your Music” . . . on and on. I’m firmly convinced that if I’d been marooned on a desert island for the last twenty years with nothing with which to entertain myself except for blank music manuscript paper, I would have never managed to write any of the aforementioned songs. It’s not that I don’t believe in the Hand of God in something like song composition- but for me, God’s inspiration so often comes through other people, which makes me all the more grateful for the many fine singers I’ve been blessed to know and work with over the years.
By the way, from time to time I have tried to write songs with a famous singer’s voice and manner in mind. . . say James Taylor or Judy Collins or Kathy Mattea. . . but that does not work nearly so well, probably because I have no personal connection with them whatsoever. They are just voices to me. And what stokes my imagination and creativity is not just an attractive voice – but the human being behind that voice. So almost without exception, every song I write is written with someone in my own life in mind- whether they even know about it or not!
And of course, when I write a song for someone – that is, when I am inspired by someone to write a song – and actually present it to them, they are so incredibly grateful for what amounts to an entirely unexpected gift. But in those situations, I feel more like I’m the one who received the gift. I mean, without Trevor Parker and his beautiful voice and musicality, I’m sure I never would have written “Mercy and Love.” So who should be thanking who?
Speaking of “Mercy and Love,” a song really near and dear to my heart, this fall it occurred to me that one of my new students, Fletcher Paulsen, would sound perfect in that song, and decided to show it to him in the hopes that he would like it and want to sing it. (That was scary because he might have politely said “Thanks but No Thanks.”) But he DID like the song, and actually arranged to sing it at his church back home in DeWitt, Iowa. And much like I felt way back when I first wrote the song, I felt at least as much gratitude to Fletcher for embracing the song so enthusiastically as he felt in having the song shared with him in the first place. And the whole exchange has emboldened me to offer up some of these songs to some of my other students…. and to compose some brand new songs as well. One of my fine freshmen, Mike Anderle, sounded absolutely glorious the other day in studio when he sang “You are Beautiful” from Flower Drum Song. As I heard that beautiful voice rolling out into the recital hall, I found the start of a new song wafting through my head that I will finish and share with him someday. . . the first of what I hope will be many new songs inspired by the fine young singers in my life right now.
Music really is the Gift that keeps on giving!
pictured above: Fletcher Paulsen, one of my freshman voice students, rehearsing “Mercy and Love” with me the other day. He sang the song probably about the same time that I sang it for my own church’s Thanksgiving Eve service. And in case you’re curious, here are the lyrics:
Thank you for all of my blessings . . . bestowed so richly –
far beyond my deserving.
Thank you for all of my blessings . . . too many to number –
granted from your marvelous, measureless Mercy and Love.
Have you heard the story of the Ten Men –
Lepers stricken head to toe with sores?
They called out to Jesus crying “Heal us!”
and Jesus said “Rise up, go home, and be sick no more.”
And as they hurried on their way, their sores & sickness fell away.
They ran with ever quickening pace- abundant joy on every face-
and then…one of them stopped and turned around…
came to Jesus, fell upon the ground and said: Thank you. . .
Have you ever asked the Lord for comfort?
Asked the Lord for healing in your pain?
Or asked the Lord for hope when all seemed lost
or for a glimpse of sunlight in the midst of the deepest rain?
& when you’d finally given up, have you had your burdens lifted up?
Known a parent’s warm embrace?
Seen the smile on your best friend’s face?
We have been blessed in a thousand ways –
but forgotten at least a thousand times to say: Thank you. . .
Too many times we run off with the nine.
So seldom do we come back to Jesus with the one –
With the one leper who returned to say
in his sincerely simple way: Thank you. . .
Lord, help me always be
grateful for the blessings You have given me.
And Lord, help me thank You not in just the words I say,
but in how I live and give through each and every day.
Thank you . . .