My Musical Musings Blog | betsyleebaileymusic.com - The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey

Musically Preparing for Christmas

10/26/2020

Once upon a time, musicians had many avenues to pursue for performance opportunities, especially at Christmas time. Nowadays, because of COVID-19, these opportunities have become scarce. However, I have just been informed about an opportunity to submit a video for a Virtual Christmas Concert sponsored by Temple Square Performances.

My sister found out about this from some of our Tabernacle Choir friends. She got excited and approached me saying, "They are looking especially for composers to submit their original Christmas songs. Who knows, someone out there might have the next 'Silent Night' or 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' and just needs a way to get it heard! Let's round up our family and record one of your songs! They also said that groups are given priority over soloists."

My mind instantly returned to 2006 when my family and a couple of other families performed for the Festival of Lights concert series at the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center. We actually did a family show there each Christmas for five years. I have audio recordings of some of my original songs and arrangements from those shows, but not video. And too bad, because the song I thought we should submit was performed with a dancer who was terrific!

"On a Sacred, Still and Silent Night" for SSATB, Piano, Violin, and Guitar

Anyway, my sister and I brainstormed about what we could do to learn, rehearse, record and create a video using our family in three short weeks! We decided that we would just use family members living close by who are descendants from our parents, Tom and Carolyn Lee - The Lee Family Singers. (Just like in the olden days when our mother had her six children singing all over the place!) We plan to feature our little children in a Nativity Pageant tableau in place of the dancer. Just the older kids and adults will sing and play the instruments.

Apparently, the submissions that are accepted will be edited together to create a Virtual Concert that will take the place of "The Savior of the World" play and the Tabernacle Choir Concert on Temple Square this year. (Can anything really take the place of the Tab Choir Concerts?) These videos will also be part of the "Light the World" campaign online. Submitters will also be encouraged to post and repost these concert links on their own social media accounts.

Well, wish us luck!

Salt Lake City Mission Song 2020

10/23/2020

How humbled and pleased I was at hearing that "Building on a Legacy of Faith" has been used this year as the Salt Lake City Mission song.

The wife of the Mission President called me a few weeks ago and asked if I could do a video interview explaining how I came to write this song. They wanted my thoughts to share with all of their missionaries. (In this time of Quarantine, missionary work is still rolling forward through TECHNOLOGY! The "tech" Elders in the SLC office would glean and edit the good stuff from whatever material I gave them to use in Zoom meetings.)

So, yesterday a couple of Sister missionaries came to my house, set up the video equipment, and asked me questions. First, they wanted to know about me, my family, my history of writing music, and so forth. I rambled on for a while giving them information I hope they can use.

They followed by asking how the song came about. I told them that when we lived in Baltimore Maryland, the Stake President asked me to write a song to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the formation of the Baltimore Maryland Stake. I searched for inspiration and prayed, and one day woke up with the title in my thoughts. I continued to read Conference talks and scriptures until I found the lyrics for the body of the song that supported the title.

The most important idea I felt had to be included was that our Stake was made up of many first generation members of the Church. They are as much true Pioneers as those early members who crossed the plains to Utah. Of course, the entire song is about missionary work! And the last verse is almost word for word quoting Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley:

"The time has come to stand a little taller,
To demonstrate our faith in the living God,
To do the work of His Beloved Son, Our Master,
To follow in the ways that the Savior trod"

NEW - Unison and 2-Part Version A simplified version of "Building on a Legacy of Faith" is available for solo, duet, or small choir or family group, or other Missions to use as their Mission Song.

Immortal Beatles Tunes

10/20/2020

Through the Arrange Me program at SMPPress, thousands of popular songs by famous performers can be arranged and posted for public use. This has been a boon for music teachers who want to entice their students into practicing their instruments by offering pieces that peak their interest. As a teacher and composer, I have started to take advantage of this opportunity, too.

I was introduced to The Beatles, like most of America, on the Ed Sullivan Show in the early 1960's. I was too young to really be impressed. (I actually thought that the thousands of screaming girls were very silly and disrupted the music! Apparently, The Beatles themselves thought so, too.) But my older brother was impressed enough to start buying their records. We would listen together in his room where we could hear the songs better. Through these listening sessions with my brother, I gained an appreciation of their music.

What was most interesting though, were the comments by my father about The Beatles songs. He said that he actually enjoyed their music when it was redone, or as we would say nowadays, when the songs were "covered" by different artists. My dad was specifically speaking in that instance of the Lennon McCartney song "The Fool on the Hill" as covered by the band Brazil 66. Dad told me that when he learned that that song was written by The Beatles, he was amazed. He actually liked it. (My dad was definitely an easy listening sort of guy, so this was a big revelation for him.)

As I became more versed in music theory, I learned how to qualify just why I liked or disliked songs from the popular music we heard on the radio. I knew that I liked songs that kept my interest through intriguing chord progressions, unique musical motives, beautiful melodic structure, meaningful words, and fun rhythms. I also discovered that I prefer clean, uncomplicated music that supported the singer. After all, I am a singer first and foremost. That's just my personal taste.

So, now these many years later, I just finished a few easy Early Intermediate level Piano Solos from The Beatles catalog. I needed to use songs that had strong melodic content, straightforward chord progressions and rhythms, and would translate well for piano. The older beginning piano student (with bigger hands) may enjoy these.

"I Will" - a tender love song written by Paul McCartney utilizing interesting syncopations in the melody played against straight beats in the accompaniment.

"Eight Days a Week" - a fun, up tempo Lennon McCartney song with a driving beat. Not all upbeat songs work well for piano, but this one does and is very fun to play.

"Here, There and Everywhere" - another introspective ballad written by Paul McCartney that introduces extended chord accompaniment patterns for the left hand.

Included in Conference...Again

10/5/2020

2015 October General Conference with First Soprano Friends (Me top center)

The worldwide Covid-19 Pandemic has brought all kinds of situations where adjustments have had to be made. One adjustment has been positive for me. Although I have been retired from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square for several years now, because of the virus, past performances of the choir have been used in General Conference. So, a few performances from the time I was still singing in the choir were used in this October Conference.

Now, I usually sat on the edge or near the edge of the First Sopranos on row five. What that means is, that area was rarely panned. Usually, the cameras would pan over the Soprano section coming down a few rows from the top --- then switch to the men. Or they would start from the bottom and pan up a few rows --- then switch another section. Or they would start with close-ups in the alto section and move to the left towards the outside edge of the middle rows of the sopranos --- but never quite get to the edge. So, I was mostly visible if you knew where to look in the WIDE SHOTS.

But believe me. I WAS THERE! I NEVER MISSED CONFERENCE!

(You may have noticed, if you watched the choir songs during Conference that the choir seats seemed particularly full. That's because NOBODY WANTS to miss singing in Conference. And since there are technically more members of the choir than there are seats in the loft, there had to be a stratagem to determine who actually got a seat to sing in Conference. To qualify, you had to keep up good attendance at all of the rehearsals and MSW broadcasts and other events.)

Singing in General Conferences were spiritual highlights of my time in the choir. So glad to be included VIRTUALLY again. It was wonderful to relive the feelings of what it was like to be in the Conference Center listening to the messages of our wonderful Prophets and Apostles. I felt again the Spirit of singing those magnificent arrangements.

It was such a blessing to be transported to that time again.

Writing Christmas Music in September

10/2/2020

My son came in the other day and made a snide comment about how Christmas music should not be heard in September.

Okay, I was playing the piano and I was playing "Let It Snow, Let it Snow, Let It Snow." (That song is technically not Christmas music but it does talk about snow and cold and needing to snuggle up with your honey in front of the fire. Okay, maybe it was not the image he wanted on that 90 degree day.).

I then proceeded to explain to him that musicians always work at least one season in advance. How can people have music ready to be performed if they don't practice well ahead of schedule? And composers really have to work to get the music ready, formatted, published and marketed well in advance of the season! That's why I was playing Christmas music in September!

The Christmas songs I was working on are a set of Easy Piano Duets for the early piano student about Grade level 3+. These pieces feature the student with accompaniment by a teacher or more advanced student. The student mostly plays melody with some shifting between chordal or 5-finger scale positions in keys such as C major, G major and F major. The excitement comes in some of the trickier eighth-note runs and interesting rhythmic motives and some extended harmonies. These pieces are very fun to play for both participants.

"Let It Snow, Let it Snow, Let It Snow" by June Styne and Sammy Cahn
"Ding Dong Merrily on High" a traditional French Carol
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin
"Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" by Leon Jessel

They are available now!

Being a Armchair Critic

9/15/2020

I enjoy watching old movies. I confess that I enjoy movies that I don’t worry about being exposed to foul language or illicit themes or racy costumes. Okay, sometimes the techniques used are not as refined as in our later days, but I really admire those early directors and technicians who honed their skills by creating tools for later movie makers to build upon. I look on it as an education to watch how filming techniques have evolved through the years. It’s fun to study costuming, hair styles, shoes, and devices of the era presented.

Last night I watched a movie featuring music from the Big Band Swing Era. Glen Miller’s orchestra was featured playing some of their most famous hits. But the movie was really a vehicle for the figure skating sensation Sonja Henie. These two performers, Glen Miller and Sonja Henie were superstars in their day (early 1940’s) before the title was even coined. As a trombonist, Glen Miller obviously featured trombones in his songs. The film makers took advantage of the slides of the trombones and had the players do fancy choreography with their horns as they performed. And Sonja Henie was the first woman to bring figure skating to the movies as an art form.

It was obvious from my perspective, being removed by nearly 80 years, that what was popular in musical styles and figure skating techniques in 1940 (as opposed to 2020) is very different! For example, we rarely hear or see trombonists play by wiggling their slides to create vibrato the way Glen Miller did. And now days, we are accustomed to watching any figure skater of repute to display an arsenal of triple axels and other tricks as a matter of course during their routines. What we forget is, back then, Glen Miller and Sonja Henie were forging new ground.

Thank goodness for film that has preserved great performances. Glen Miller produced hit tune after hit tune from 1932-1944. Unfortunately, he and his band were all killed when their plane went down in the English Channel during WWII. Sonja Henie won 10 Olympic figure skating titles in a row. But what made her the inspiration that she was to future female figure skaters were her movies and touring ice skating shows.

While I was watching the movie, "Sun Vally Serenade," I really had to check myself for having thoughts like an armchair critic. (I have no ice skating skill and I don’t play trombone, so I really have no right to be judge-mental.) Some of the choreography for the instrumentalists of the Big Bands during the 1940’s seem pretty hokey to us nowadays. But these big bands were learning to do anything they could to compete and be unique in a field of so many.

(Check out a YouTube clip from this movie: The Glen Miller Orchestra "In the Mood" - 1941)

Olympic Figure Skaters nowadays are just unbelievably great. We simply expect spectacular jumps and balletic extensions from figure skaters in our day. We don’t realize that Sonja Henie pioneered some of the first jumps and spins ever executed by a female in competition. She also freed the female skaters of the burden of always wearing ankle length heavy skirts while trying to figure skate. She began the practice of wearing short velvet tutu skirts and white skates. She had many imitators and inspired younger skaters who followed her to further the sport.

So, I am vowing to learn more about the past so that I won’t be tempted to be an armchair critic!

The Rainbow Connection

8/24/2020

This was our little neighborhood Elementary School in Toro Park near Salinas, California. Right now, it is the evacuation center for people fleeing their homes due to the River Fire burning the hills to the east. I feel so sorry for the folks in our old neighborhood. The fire is ravaging and sending smoke into the air that we are seeing come into our valleys in Utah.

Many of our children attended this little school. They had no Music Program at the Elementary level, so I volunteered to lead a Choir and do the end of school Dance Festival. Love this picture of the rainbow arching over the school. One song we sang in the Choir was "The Rainbow Connection." This song by Paul Williams and Kenny Asher is a beautiful song about wishes and kindness and love and hope.

This song was written for the Muppet Movie. It became such a popular song because it opens the heart and encourages faith in dreams. A rainbow is a symbol of hope. I sure hope for better days for our poor old neighborhood!

Refreshing the Memory

8/22/2020

How does the old Beatles song go? "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?"

This year of being 64 has not been what I had imagined for my future. For example, I had not imagined being widowed, being isolated so much from family and friends, not being able to participate in any singing or musical activities, and seeing such terrifying acts of violence and unrest happen in the world, our country and even in my little neighborhood.

Thankfully, there have been positives, too: So far my family members have all stayed well. We were able to have our Family Reunion and get our latest Family picture taken. We have enjoyed holding Church meetings in our own homes -- where we can SING as part of our worship! We have been revisiting and developing old interests and talents. And we are amazed at the advances in technology that allow us to continue working, going to school and meeting together over extremely LARGE BAND WIDTH.

After spending so much time alone with myself these days, I have had the opportunity to look back over the things I have done and witnessed in my lifetime. I was born the year Disneyland opened - 1955. Television was brand new. Baby Boomers were starting their families, building little homes, and trying out all sorts of new technologies for the home. The Space Race was heating up. I got a front row seat for this in the 1960's. My Dad worked for NASA and brought home samples of all the newest inventions they were creating for the astronauts to use in space.

Food pouch for astronauts in the 1960's

Food pouches for babies in 2020

Who knew so many of those items would soon show up on the grocery store shelves? My childhood was an exciting and fast moving time!

Changes in technologies happen so routinely now, we hardly get excited about what might be new. We are absolutely bombarded by advertisements everywhere competing for our business, so we try to ignore all that noise. We don't even have a sense of wonder at new advances. We simply expect advances to happen and they had better work! But, because of the Pandemic, many people are opting for a much quieter, slower pace right now.

Apparently, the musically-minded have still been out there looking for new music to perform. It has been interesting to me that the music from my catalogue that has continued to sell over this time of Pandemic have been the Vocal Solos and Duets and Easy Piano solos and duets. (I guess people are really still enjoying doing music in their homes! Kind of helps renew your faith in humanity, doesn't it?) Some of the best selling ones have been the songs from Disney movies and the Beatle songs. Who knows, maybe I will write a few more...

Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da
Yesterday
All You Need Is Love

Under the Sea
Be Our Guest
God Help the Outcasts

Studying the Words of Alma

8/3/2020

If there is one Prophet/Writer in the Book of Mormon that I would especially like to meet, it would be Alma the Younger. Even in translation, his powerful spiritual insights are delivered in a particularly poetic style. (Perfect for inspiring songs!) Since we have been studying the words of Alma during July and August (2020), it has reminded me of the great privilege I had to create sacred songs from three of his passages.

"Counsel With the Lord in all Thy Doings" Alma 37:37 (solo)
"Counsel with the Lord in All Thy Doings" Alma 37:37 (SATB)

I really, really do not like giving talks in Church. I would much prefer singing my testimony. One Father's Day, years ago now, I just couldn't convince the Bishop to give the assigned talk to someone else. As I was researching to find ideas for the talk, I read the account by Alma where he was giving counsel to his son. Here was a father hoping that his words would inspire his son to be faithful, to sincerely pray always, and to dedicate his life to serving the Lord. What a beautiful message for Father's Day! So I wrote a song and had my daughter and her friends sing it. (I still had to give the talk, but I felt better about it.)

"O, That I Were an Angel" Alma 29:1-9 (solo)
"O, That I Were an Angel" Alma 29:1-9 (duet)

Back in the early 2000's, I sang in a community choral society choir. The conductor was very kind to indulge me every time I asked him questions about composing. He was very supportive of my efforts and even complimented me saying that I had quite a flair for "melodic drama." He especially liked this piece.

  At the time, my youngest child had also started school, and that left my days wide open. I decided to start writing sacred solo songs for myself to sing, and while I was at it, I decided I should write some songs that my vocal students might like. One of these students was a young tenor who got a mission call while he was taking lessons from me. I decided to write this piece for him to sing for his Mission Farewell. He really did the song justice with his heroic tenor voice.

A few years later, a Baritone friend from the Tabernacle Choir asked if I would create a duet version for us to sing together. So, I did that, too.

"How Exquisite Was My Joy" Alma 36 (solo)

The entire chapter of Alma 36 is written in chiasmus. That is an ancient poetic writing style that uses inverted parallelism to emphasis the most important phrase at the center of the passage. A friend from the Tabernacle Choir, Barbara Cramer, invited me to try writing a solo for her to sing at the 50th Anniversary Jubilee of the Discovery of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Her brother Jack Welch had made the discovery while he was on his mission years ago and would give the keynote address.

  She gave me a few phrases from the scriptures to concentrate on in the chiastic form ABCDDCBA. But, I really couldn't wrap my head around trying to write music in a strict chiastic form. Did the melody and accompaniment have to stick to the form and the inverted parallelisms?

Anyway, I decided that the scriptural phrases would stay in the chiastic outline, but the music would not stay strictly in those patterns. After all, I had to build up to not only the climax in the center, but save a little something for the ending.

Creating these songs was spiritually moving and testimony-building for me. I realize how fervent Alma's testimony of Jesus Christ was and how he wants us all to believe and put our trust in the Lord. All I can say is Amen.

Having Church Meetings at Home -- with Singing

6/27/2020

One of the benefits of home Church meetings has been that we are free to sing if we want. Ours is a musical family and we enjoy singing, so that's what we always include in our Sunday devotionals. Sometimes we sing hymns from the hymnal in complete 4 part harmony, with or without the piano. Sometimes we just make up our own harmony parts singing without accompaniment. Sometimes we have a small group, sometimes more, but we always sing.

Worshipping through music (particularly singing) is so powerful. The inspired words contained in the hymns help invite the Spirit into our home. Primary songs teach principles of the gospel in simple yet eloquent ways. Some of the most impactful sermons are taught through music. The marriage of lyric and music help the message stick in our brains and hearts. I cannot imagine a worship service without music, especially singing.

One person in our family commented that she would rather continue Home Church if going to Church meetings means not being allowed to sing. I tend to agree. I enjoy listening to prelude and postlude music, especially in our Ward because of our very accomplished organist. I enjoy hearing talks and spoken testimonies. I enjoy directing and/or singing in the choir. (I tend to be one of those musicians who truly enjoys the process of rehearsals. Yeah, call me crazy.) But singing the hymns together as a congregation brings the greatest worshipful attitude for me. There is just something spiritually powerful in joining my voice with hundreds of others in bearing testimony of Jesus, His life and mission. In those musical Spirit filled moments, my faith is strengthened.

Until this pandemic crisis is over, my family will continue to enjoy our Home Church Meetings --- with singing!

The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey copyright 2020