When I was told I was going to get to orchestrate for this song I just couldn't wait. I really love this old melody by Robert Burns. Charlie of course is fabulous.

Old Lang Syne - Performed by Charlie Zahm - Orchestration by David Thomas Gilchrist

A Fond Kiss was one of Robert Burns more famous songs and as such I thought I would like to really give it some color. I can almost guarantee that this song has never been orchestrated like this before. I really like the violin solo in the middle of the song. This particular file is not a mastered file and as such does not have Charlie's voice out front like it should. But that's o.k... this is the orchestrators cut.lol.

 When I first heard the song all I got was a guitar and a voice singing 4 or 5 versus. The song is structured in sort of a hymn like fashion in that it really doesn't have a chorus and all four versus were essentially the same in melody line. For most people who are not folk music fans or Robert Burns fans and are more inclined to music with a beat and some other instruments, I attempted to write an orchestration that would try to capture this particular audience in every verse and pause of the song. In my version of the song I purposefully wrote it without guitar and without any beat. It was sort of a challenge to myself to see if I could write around Charlie's beautiful voice without any rhythm to back me up and still be able to capture the audiences attention until it was done. This was very difficult at times.

 I always love to write in 4 part harmony as much as I can and I really love bringing in one instrument and then another and then another until a full orchestra sound is reached then back it way down really fast, then build it back up again. This has significant effect on the listener. It is a major dynamic that is not utilized very often in pop music or any music for that matter except orchestral music. I also used a different variation of instruments at the start of each new verse. This subtly gives the listener's ear a reprieve from the last verses tone. This is also a very good effect to use and is absolutely essential when trying to capture the attention of the audience. What really helps boost my work is that the song is a good song even though it is quite old and it really helps when you have Charlie singing.



A Fond Kiss - Performed by Charlie Zahm - Orchestration by David Thomas Gilchrist

Time To Fly was written for a scene in the film involving a remote control airplane. For various reasons these scenes were cut from the film. I saw no footage and was left to my own imagination. 
	So if you will imagine with me.... We begin with anticipation for takeoff. Then suddenly the old, but ever timeless and rugged P-51 Mustang bursts forth into the clear blue sky. As the throttle is thrown, the herculean engine, moving its powerful pistons into overdrive, rapidly reaches for her maximum speed.  In a gutsy display of brut power, the venerable Mustang shows her intrepid spirit and panache as she climbs in a rapid ascent, flying full throttle towards the sun. As the Mustang quickly increases her altitude, she hesitates, then stalls, and begins a chaotic descent going pell-mell to the earth. Suddenly the engine kicks back in and the plane regains control, pulling out of the deadly free fall at the last minute. Undaunted, the P-51 digs deep and throws everything she's got into another speedy ascent, climbing higher and higher until she finally pierces the clouds. There she finds herself all alone in the emerald sky with the sun at her back, the clouds below, and the majesty of the heavens before her. She ultimately must depart from this paradise and head back down in victory.

"‘The heights by men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, 
but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.’ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."

Time To Fly

The Caleb &amp; Rachel Montage is probably one of the more popular songs of the album. Caleb &amp; Rachel, who in real life are actually good musicians, both played the Moot Court theme and made it their own. They did a great job. I went in later on and added orchestration to the mix and then....voila!



Caleb & Rachel Montage

This was written for a 2 minute trailer describing a non-profit organization called Hard Hats for Christ. 

HH4C Trailer Music-Almost Polished

This is a competition piece for 5 select scenes of the movie Benjamin Button.

The Curious Case For Benjamin Button - 5 Minute Suite Competion For VSL

The Caleb & Rachel theme was written in three different tones, if you will. They were all put together in one song or suite. The last part of the suite is the original theme from which the former pieces in this suite were derived from.

Caleb & Rachel Suite

I really liked orchestrating the last third of the song. I would love to write for a quartet or quintet string section. 

Come What May (Main Theme)

Everyday, A Gift From God

Piano Interlude "Nice"

Come What May

Was It Worth It?

This piece of music would be considered a second rough-draft. Decent enough to listen to but definitely not polished. This music was not picked for the production. 

This particular theme was derived from my interpretation of the old German Hymn, Alone, Yet Not Alone. The Leininger family sang this hymn as a favorite and it was this very hymn that reunited Mrs. Leininger and her youngest daughter, Regina. Because Regina was captured at age 9 and had been held captive for nearly 10 years she forgot almost everything from her past, including her native tongue. The only thing that sparked Regina's memory of her mother and family was this song sung by her mother when her mother was trying to identify her among many of the just released white captives. It is a very powerful story.


Alone Yet Not Alone First Attempt

This piece of music would be considered just short of finished. A bit more polishing would be needed. Also, I would consider making this piece of music into a suite of some kind. Like the title states, this is a second attempt at a theme for this particular movie. This theme was not chosen. But that's the nature of the business. Beauty is in the eye, or in this case, the ear of the listener. 

The short synopsis of the, "Based on a true story", story I "tried out" for goes like this.....

The Leininger family settled deep within America's new frontier in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania. A sudden Indian raid changed their lives forever. This story retells the heroic and daring escape of Barbara Leininger, and the touching reunion with her sister, Regina, after nine years. It also gives us an endearing portrayal of the love between family members and the strength of childhood memories. Father and Mother Leininger's commitment to "hide" God's Word in the hearts of their children yielded the fruit of an enduring faith in their Savior. Barbara and Regina held firmly to the belief that they were never alone, even in their darkest hour.


Alone, Yet Not Alone Second Attempt

This song is fast paced and made eventually for a Quartet or Chamber Orchestra. If so, I plan to make the piece longer.

I wrote this song specifically for learning how to use my score editor and learning how to properly write sheet music.

A Reel Fun Jig

This is the teaser piece for The Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar - 1 Minute Teaser

This is an adaptation from a larger orchestral work in progress as of Feb 2012. It was created for the Euphonium instrument but works excellent with a French or Vienna horn or a Triple Horn. As with all performed solos of this nature, this was orchestrated with only a piano. An interesting note...  if a piece of music can be performed by a single instrument or not more than two and have an impact on the audience, then chances are good that a full orchestration of the work will make a significant impression.

David Thomas Gilchrist

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