Music compositional update, part 3

 

To wrap up my compositional update as of the end of 2022, outside of the little matter of writing the fourth movement to the Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor (“The Honeymoon”), there isn’t currently that much in the way of small projects. I will likely always have this goal of setting as much of the Bible to music as possible, as well as other ideas as they come up. As for future piano works, I may take a bit of a break after writing The Honeymoon. Until I began writing the Piano Suite in B-flat major, I hadn’t really done a whole lot in terms of having new piano music (that I could quickly learn to play) since about 2010. The main reason was that, for many years, my attention was focused on developing my craft as a pop song and praise song writer. Now I’m kind of sick and tired of writing piano pieces exclusively in Sonata form, because I’m kind of reaching that “same old, same old” place. As such, I’m looking at what else I could write…

In spring of 2019 I saw a license plate that basically said: symphony. I still didn’t quite understand how to interpret signs, primarily the question of whether it came from God or not. I at least was aware enough at the time to recognize this. However, just to be safe, I sketched out about 2/3 of a slow movement of a symphonic movement, just in case. It has since been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for me to pick it back up again. It still needs a development section and a coda section. And then at least two more movements.

So I could pick that up again. I also still have many sketches in my old sketchbooks that have yet to be developed and finalized into fully-fledged pieces. I do also still have a handful of pop songs that are unfinished that could be worth something. Plus, the Minimalist Piano Sonata in B-flat minor needs two more movements.

Beating around the bush aside, I do have a big project that’s been on my mind and heart off and on for about a year-and-a-half now. I’ve got the basic concepts down, as well as a super-basic overarching format for the whole thing. About a month ago, I felt God impress upon my heart to make Bible verses the center of each part. So, that part of the project is just about done. (I have to finalize a few of the verses and alignment with the right sections.)

However… I’ve never been much for big projects. I know, I sound like Moses when he said this:

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11, NKJV

Or when he said this:

Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Exodus 4:10, NKJV

I have my reasons. Primarily, I’ve attempted big projects before, and they are all either barely started or partway done. In 2009 I had this idea to set a bunch of text from Ecclesiastes to music. I included text from Psalms, as well as perhaps another place or two in the Bible. I even had an idea for how the overall structure would go. I began and wrote the first couple pages, and even had choir parts written out for a few verses. And then… nothing. I lost the inspiration, and outside of glancing at old sketches when I came across them, I’ve done absolutely nothing with them since. Also in 2009, I had this idea of setting the opening chapter of the Gospel of John to text. I wrote an overture for string orchestra to set the mood, completed said overture, and then… nothing.

More recently, when I felt God impressing upon me to read through the book of Proverbs, I decided to buffer that by setting the first chapter to music and seeing how far I could go. This was indeed more successful. I have two sections written. And I got deep into the third section. And then… I’m not going to say that the inspiration left me. I dropped the ball this time. I started sketching other stuff and promptly forgot about it. I can still go back, pick up where I left off, and finish it.

And then the above-mentioned symphony.

I think it also important to note that, all of the above occurred before God brought me to my knees in 2019 regarding the music-making area of my life (and really, all parts of my life). Since then, I have been able to finish a Suite and two Sonatas (almost). I have been able to gradually stretch myself toward embarking on larger projects with the focus required to do so, especially considering the other life responsibilities I also have.

There’s also this:

So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:12, NKJV (God's response to Moses from Exodus 3:11)

And this:

So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” Exodus 4:11-12, NKJV (God's response to Moses from Exodus 4:10)

And this:

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6, NKJV

This project of which I speak came via a chord – a chord I call IV9, because, well, that’s what it is in Classical Roman numeral theory. I’ll spare you the nerdy-geeky background theory on it, but basically, when I think back on significant seasons in my life, seasons of reflection, seasons of growth, seasons of backsliding, and seasons of being humbled, I see now more of how God was present and active in my life, often in ways that I did not or could not understand then. That chord – IV9 – was also a predominant chord (pun intended) in the songs that I was listening to at the time, often on repeat ad nauseam. I also found fascination in how certain songs I listened to in a certain order, would be linked by a chord such as this.

Another side note: a weird quirk I started incorporating was how I would count the notes on the 88-key keyboard, from the bottom A to the top C, and call the first note #1, and the last note #88. (For reference, middle C is #40.) Anytime I had a birthday, I would find the note that corresponded with my new and current age, and jam on the tune “Happy Birthday” with that as the tonic. Over the years, this resulted in each such improvisation being one half-step higher than the previous year.

As such, this quirk led me to the idea of music moving up a half-step every time I was in a new season of life. And reflecting back to various eras of life, I could actually hear which keys would be appropriate for which seasons. And, wouldn’t you know it, it was actually quite easy for me to arrange them so that as I went from one season of life to the next, the music would go up a half-step.

This is what I began with a year-and-a-half ago. Only a month ago I felt God suggest that I add Bible verses, to which I agreed. As I started praying and searching the Word for appropriate passages, I found that it was easy to find Scriptural passages for certain seasons, because those often were times when I felt God teaching me or impressing something upon me that He deemed important for me to know. Some seasons were easy this way. Others, not so much. With extra prayer and reflection, I’ve been able to (for the most part) find Bible verses that would have approximately fit, oftentimes verses I wasn’t aware of at the time I was going through that season of life, but verses that in retrospect would have made sense.

With the exception of a section or so, that part has now been finalized. And so, it’s time to begin, right?

I began by sketching out the beginning to the second section. I got about 8 bars in, and… the inspiration and motivation failed me again. So, I moved on to sketching other things instead. I think one of my fears of embarking on big projects is that, if the sketches are not already grouped together neatly, I might lose track of where the music goes next. One such fear is the idea of having part of one composition in one sketchbook, and the rest in another. They would be separate and not together, and if I misplaced one sketchbook, then I’ve lost half the piece right there. I do recognize that it is an irrational fear. But it’s there.

However, to close off this post (and this update), here are a few reassuring and encouraging points:

1. I need to remember who I’m doing this for. Am I doing this for God? Or for myself? Or for other people? Who am I doing this for? (Answer: it needs to be for God, and to be used as a vehicle for bringing people to faith, as I alluded to in the first part of this series.
2. All my previous failures were in large part due to trying to do this project entirely on my own strength. This is what I was doing prior to my repentance in 2019. Not that I haven’t still sometimes tried to compose on my own strength (after all, I’ve needed more correction this year), but seeing two of the larger projects, Piano Suite in B-flat major and Piano Sonata in B minor, where I was doing it for God and in His strength, has shown me that I can manage larger projects and see them through to completion.
3. A key part I have been learning regarding collaborating with God, where He supplies the inspiration and I basically try to take dictation as best as I can, is that sometimes the inspiration just will not be there. I’ve had many projects where I started it at one point in time and then finished it a few years later, sometimes as much as a decade later.

Amen! And this likely won’t be the last time I share about this project. Due to its size, I don’t expect it to be anywhere near completed by the time I give another update post (or series thereof).