The road to glory seems so long, and sorrows often take my song. 

454 The Better Land

Sweet Rivers
Sung from The Christian Harmony. One of my favorite songs in any book; I'm never in a hurry to sing through it. Hope you enjoy! 

106 CH Sweet Rivers

A captivating song of warning, written by William Walker and a special hymn by Charlotte Elizabeth that has me thinking more about each line:

Soldier, go, but not to claim
Mould’ring spoils of earth-born treasure;
Not to build a vaunting name,
Not to dwell in tents of pleasure:
Dream not that the way is smooth,
Hope not that the thorns are roses;
Turn no wishful eye of youth,
Where the sunny beam reposes,
Thou hast sterner work to do
Hosts to cut thy passage thru;
Close behind thee gulfs are burning –
Forward, then there’s no returning.

Soldier, rest; – but not for thee
Spreads the world her downy pillow;
On the rock thy couch must be,
While around thee chafes the billow:
Thine must be a watchful sleep
wearier than another’s waking.
Such a charge as thou must keep,
Brooks no moment of forsaking:
Sleep as on the battlefield,
Girded – grasping sword and shield;
Those thou canst not name nor number,
Steal upon thy broken slumber.

317 CH The Christian Soldier

With my head in the Christian Harmony this week I wrote a Walker-styled piece called Charlotte with another poem by Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna, who, I found,  also published several anti-slavery hymns. I hope you enjoy.

 

Charlotte 7s. 6s. (Keillor)

203 Cumberland from the Christian Harmony: this song is without a doubt one of the finest harmonies and settings of an American hymn. I believe it is a triumph of the genre, credit being to both its author, Henry Alline of Nova Scotia and New Hampshire, and its composer Ananias Davisson. Its arrangement and the subsequently added alto enrich it even further. I hope this finds you well! 

"Pilgrims, with pleasure let us part,
Since we are of one mind and heart;
No length of days, nor distant place,
Shall ever break the bonds of grace.
Parting with joy, we’ll join and sing
The words of our dear, bleeding King;
Our distant bodies may remove,
But nothing shall dissolve our love.

In vain shall earth and hell combine
To quench that love which is divine;
It will not cease with dying breath,
Nor e’en when we are cold in death.
O Jesus’ name! let’s part and fly
To spread His name far thru the sky,
That other souls may learn their woe,
And join with us in glory too."

203 CH Cumberland

364 Redemption in the Christian Harmony. 

364 CH Redemption

One of the great settings of these words. 

262 CH Collins

205 CH The Watchman's Call

One of those anonymous, intriguing harmonies. Photo of the Brimstone Methodist Church in on Blenheim Hill, in the Catskills. 

125 Expression

318 CH The Martial Trumpet, version sung by Charlie Spencer, ca.1941, words of #317 Thomas Hymnal.

441 Raymond

123t The Dying Christian

163t Morning

It's hard not to sing this over and over! enjoy. 

336 Eternal Home

This has gone unsung for a long time, though it is certainly one of 'big' Sacred Harp pieces of the past. In several recordings of it at Conventions, (perhaps always the lesson of the same leader) the class immediately flies into 354 Happy Land  as a sort of rousing chorus in the same, well, very high key as 350. Does anyone know if this was a popular 2-song lesson to restore energy to the class, or whether this was something one leader did wherever (she?) went? *in most recordings that have both, a female voice begins Happy Land.*

At any rate, I've chosen to do that here, and I hope you enjoy this quirky, shouty anthem by B.F. White, ca.1850. I did not sing the Denson alto from the 36 ed.

350 The Red Sea Anthem & 354 Happy Land

132 Sinner's Friend

This started as a sort of outpouring of nostalgia towards the white book sound, and with songs like Noah's Dove in my ear,  and a lot of neglected 3 part harmonies in that and the Cooper book,  Which is not to say there isn't a better selection of those  With alto parts-  There are simply many 3 part songs from mid 19th century Georgia that are never sung who take after the southern harmony mechanics. In this way, The Happy Time was conceived in 3 parts, and I added the alto later. 

The Happy Time (Keillor)

434 Fillmore

A thoroughly Sacred Harp composition, 447, with a great rich texture. 

447 Wondrous Cross

As this would have surely never seen the light of day, here is my faithful attempt at the old clunker, 228 The Masonic Ode, notes and words. What a taxing and occasionally pleasing ode!

228 Masonic Ode

I'll be sad to see it go but I think it's one of the best songs for its words; it's a favorite of mine. 

295 Odem

Well, for the final song of the day (maybe) I sang Church's Desolation. Sorry the treble and my feeble bass voice are light...I had to keep some in the tank for a bit of alto shenanigans on that strange part...Hope you enjoy, as always. Thanks!

The Church's Desolation 8s.7s. (89 Sacred Harp)

In which I attempt to sing Christmas Anthem by James Denson, 1844.

I hope you'll settle for it. 

Thanks everyone!
getting to your requests slowly but surely.

Christmas Anthem (225b Sacred Harp)

I'd like to dedicate this song to Edwina, who has had a very long year already. Forgive my liberties with it.

Love The Lord C.M. (375 Sacred Harp)

Here is a piece I wrote before diving into the New England materials, and I think it sounds plenty different than the pieces I'm usually putting together these days. If anyone wants a PDF I can send it along. Thanks! 

 I hope you enjoy the words by Emily Huntington Miller: 

1 I love to hear the story
Which angel voices tell,
How once the King of Glory
Came down on earth to dwell.
I am both weak and sinful,
But this I surely know,
The Lord came down to save me,
Because He loved me so.

2 I’m glad my blessed Saviour
Was once a child like me,
To show how pure and holy
His little ones might be;
And if I try to follow
His footsteps here below,
He never will forsake me,
Because He loves me so.

3 To tell His love and mercy
My sweetest songs I’ll raise;
And though I cannot see Him,
I know He hears my praise;
For He Himself has promised
That even I may go
To sing among His angels,
Because He loves me so.

Wilton 7.6.7.6. (Keillor, 2016).

Just a nice tune that stuck out to me the other day. by D.J. Givens, 1927. With the asterisk-inscription: "Inscribed to my good friend, W.L. McGee." Glad that P.S. was maintained; must've been good friends.

I'm Going Home To Die No More (541 Cooper Book)

While I don't believe I've ever led it, this is my favorite song in the book. It's not the best I've sung it, but it might never be so that never matters- The song one 'leads' the most might not be their favorite song! 

Enjoy

Christian Soldier C.M. (57 Sacred Harp)

This is one of my songs whose style doesn't fit the bill for my project, but I thought I'd sing it to hear how it sounds. I like the key of D Flat for a tune, though I likely keyed it higher than others might, since, as has been repeatedly stated, I'm no bass! I'm happy to send a PDF along to anyone who'd like it- I don't think there's a way to upload it here by any extension somehow....Also,
I JUST DISCOVERED ONLY NOW that I can enable you to download my tracks! I'm sorry haha. You'll see the option in the dropdown in the app. Try it! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! 

Thank you!

Guardian Care CM(Keillor)

Our hearts are filled with holy zeal!

Enjoy

308 The Happy Time

Here is, I guess, my favorite piece I wrote this year, called Willow, named for a small town in the Catskills. One of my favorite pieces in the Christian Harmony is Samanthra, for how it treats these amazing words by Joseph Swain. But I always found myself singing them to my own tune, which I later harmonized into this piece. I hope it finds you well! 

Thanks for the continued support. 

As a funnier side-note, with headphones one might here light chatter in the background, which is the sound of the pizza guy getting the door while I was singing the tenor line. My roommate intercepted the confused Philadelphia man, allowing me to finish the line, however I sang just one verse!

Here is the PDF link: [ https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vPgpbr68fzqSuayEIU91_nLgd820PjF8 ]
 
The words by Joseph Swain I selected:

1. O Thou, in whose presence my soul takes delight,
On whom in affliction I call;
My comfort by day, and my song in the night,
My hope, my salvation, my all.

2. Where dost thou at noon-tide resort with thy sheep,
To feed them in pastures of love?
For why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or alone in the wilderness rove?

3.O why should I wander an alien from thee,
Or cry in the desert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice, when my sorrows they see,
And smile at the tears I have shed.

4.His voice as the sound of a dulcimer sweet,
Is heard through the shadows of death;
The cedars of Lebanon bow at his feet,
The air is perfumed with his breath.

5.He looks, and ten thousand of angels rejoice,
And myriads wait for his word;
He speaks--and eternity, filled with his voice,
Re-echoes the praise of the her voice.

Willow 11s.8s. (Keillor)

I've been thinking about tunes that work with the 12s & 11s hymns, since I enjoy how they are often quite dense; their melodies can cover a lot of ground in a short space. Some of them are among my favorites, like 360, The Royal Band, by W.T. Power, words from Mercer's Cluster. 

What are some of your favorite tunes for this meter? 

Please Enjoy,

-K

I believe the church there is in Livingstonville, which is small village in the Catskills west of Rensselaerville. The vantage point there is looking over my shoulder just as I wove East into the hollow which contains the small assemblage,(surely known as) Hauverville, for which that way is named. There is cemetery on the left once you emerge from the hollow, just a ways after the delaware turnpike begins, that seems to lie equidistant from Livingstonville and Rensselaerville, which suggests there may have been more dwellings along that route at an earlier time in the 19th century than have been maintained today.

Keillor Weatherman Mose

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