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"Forget Me Not, O Lord" - Pres. Uchtdorf's message

3/19/2018

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          As I was scrolling through Facebook today, I came across as post asking Ward Choir Directors what songs they would be singing in the next few months.  As a composer, I am always interested in what songs directors choose in different seasons.  I am also curious about how many rehearsals they plan for the choir to learn them.  Christmas season is pretty predictable.  They choose mostly Christmas carols and arrangements and start preparing in October for the Christmas program.  Easter changes dates each year, so the preparation time really varies.  Patriotic services and Pioneer Day observances happen, but are not nearly as regularly planned.  Other than those seasonal celebrations, the themes for songs mostly center around Christ, as well they should.

          So, as I was reading, I was caught off guard by a director who posted that her choir was learning
"Forget Me Not, O Lord," and she had seed packets for the choir members to help them create a memory with the song.  What a wonderful idea!  Such a "spring" thing to do!

          It was such a thrilling experience to create this song.  I was asked to take the words from then President Uchtdorf's talk (newly delivered at the Women's Broadcast in September 2011) and create a piece to be included in the birthday gift basket from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in November (just a few weeks away).  When the song was finished, we gathered some 27 singers from the choir to record it.  I felt that the song needed three verses.  The first, sung by the sopranos, would be from the perspective of the tiny flower.  The second, sung by the altos, would be from the perspective of a woman.  And the third, sung by the men, would be from the perspective of our loving Heavenly Father.  At the end, all of the individual parts would be sung together.  The wonderful singers from the MoTab were so skilled at sight-singing and blending!  We spent just a few minutes learning the song, and then recorded it.  Oh, that every choir I directed had such beautiful and talented singers!

         I am so pleased that "Forget Me Not, O Lord" will be performed next month.  President Uchtdorf was so pleased when he heard it on the CD that he asked me and my husband to come visit with him so that he could thank me in person.  He hoped that the song would be sung throughout the Church for many years to come.  That message was so very special to him.  

​I hoped so, too.  

      
          Like the little flower, you think you are alone,
​                    So lost and insignificant and slight.

          Our Father knows your needs, each child is loved and known. 
                    His precious children are the source of His delight.
          You are known.
          You are loved.
          Though you at times may feel so small,
          He'll ease your pains.
          He'll dry your tears
          And give you power to fill the measure of your being.

   
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If the Way Be Full of Trial, Weary Not

3/19/2018

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        Last week, I received an email from an old singing buddy who requested that I create an arrangement for him.  The hymn he has been singing out of the 1910 LDS Hymnal is "Weary Not."  I knew that hymn from when we sang it  in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the "85th Birthday Celebration Concert for Thomas S. Monson."  I had never heard it before that concert.  But, I came to find out, that it was written by a composer I am well acquainted with -- John R. Sweney.

       When I looked up the hymn to see it in its original form, I thought that name sounded familiar.  I knew that composer's name from arranging "There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today."  In fact, just yesterday, I sang an arrangement of another of his hymns, "The Lord Is My Light."  His melodies are soaring and full of power and conviction.  They lend themselves beautifully to the solo voice.

​        As I read the biography of John R. Sweney, I learned that he was rather famous as a conductor of congregational singing as well as a Professor of Music at a Pennsylvania college where he directed both bands and choirs.  No wonder he had such a command of pairing melody to hymn texts.  I can well believe what was said about him.  "Sweeney knows how to make a congregation sing!"  

          My friend who requested this arrangement wanted to be sure that I included some ascending modulations to heighten the momentum of the piece.  He is a tenor and has the range to sing these modulations.  A singer, with good command of the high register will be able to sing them.  But, I still may do some modifications with a simpler transposition for a medium voice.



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Conducting from a Distance

3/12/2018

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     Many of you have had varied and interesting experiences conducting choirs for church meetings.  Well, yesterday's adventure hit a new level for me. Stake Conference for our BYU Young Single Adult Stake was held in the student center ballroom.  I was in charge of arranging for the music, so I made my requests for an organ, piano, choir risers and microphones as early as I could.  I just never heard back whether we would have a an organ or just a piano or both.

      When I got there, I found my pianist having lots of fun figuring out sounds and stops on the organ.  He was thrilled to have the opportunity to play the organ for this meeting.  Then I looked around to see where they had set up the choir risers.  This Ballroom is very big and the stage crew had set up the risers on the opposite side of the hall!  It seemed like a football field away from where they had set-up the organ!  My heart sank as I wondered how we would communicate and keep the tempo together from such a distance.  My pianist was more confident, though.  He thought we could make it work just fine.  After all, hadn't I written the closing choir arrangement for the choir and organ?

     The other issue pending was that I really had no idea how many kids would show up to sing in the choir. Would it be 12, or 20 or 50? I had had two rehearsals previous to our performance day, but each rehearsal had a few regulars, but mostly other singers show up.  I had chosen music that I thought would be accessible in two rehearsals, but I had the feeling that we might get a few people who had never come to any rehearsals.  However, I knew that we had many talented singers in our Stake who sing with the most accomplished choirs on campus.  So, I extended an invitation for those good sight-singers to come join us as long as they would do some homework.  I sent out a link to my web site for any who would at least listen to the arrangements beforehand.

    This "warm-up" rehearsal was to run through the songs and add the flute, oboe and string bass into the equation -- as well as learning to arrange ourselves pleasingly on the risers and do a mic check.  We only had about 20 minutes to do all that.  Our first piece was "I Stand All Amazed."  We began the run-through with the piano, flute and oboe and about 18 singers.  By the end of singing, the choir grew to about 35 singers.  The congregation was also starting to fill the hall.  I was anxious to try our second piece.  "How Firm a Foundation" was to be the closing hymn.  This would be our challenge piece.  The pianist ran the gauntlet to get to the organ quickly through all of the masses of people and chairs.  The string bass player got set and more singers filled in on the risers.

     There were some other technical details about this piece: We were going to sing just four of the seven verses -- and we would sing the seventh verse before ending with the 3rd verse.  I would turn to conduct the congregation to join us on this third verse as the sopranos sang a descant.  We would even elongate the ending and have the choir finish out singing a grand "Amen" ending.  Oh, did I mention that we also had a young man providing ASL signing?

​     So many details to keep together!  But it worked!  I stood as tall as I could and waved my hands high to give the cues to the distant organist.  Fortunately, he is an excellent musician, and we could feel the tempos and dynamics together even across that vast expanse of time and space!  Even the choir expanded to fill the risers -- about fifty singers in all!  They did a fantastic job and we were all edified together!

      But if there is a next time, I would really prefer the organ to be closer to the other musicians!
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    My name is Betsy Lee Bailey.  I enjoy singing and writing all kinds of music.  I have performed and directed or taught music all of my life.  This blog is dedicated to all of the people who have been encouraging me to write about my experiences.

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