Recently I recorded this rendition of "Home" by Tiffany, the power ballad finale of the 1990 Jetsons Movie. It was for the purpose of music and occupational therapy for my elderly grandmother Olga. This is the warmup act for the exciting new Holiday Soul Album "The Announcing Harp"!

Home (McCormick Street Remix)

I recorded this rendition of the famous Mexican dancepop hit, as part of Amherst College Homecoming 2025 festivities. It definitely had at least one middle aged married couple canoodling to the music and the Memorial Hill view of Mount Norwottuck! Sometimes, after a long time, the Spark Is Still Just *There*!

Because after all, what is Titletown Soul Music here for, but to give you the most timeless soul hits to the Virgin Mary!

Feast your ears, Amherst Alums, baile folklorico aficionados, and metalheads all!

La Zandunga (Val Dining Remix)

Do you ever wonder what the a cappella classic holiday hit by Herbert Howells would sound like if covered by the Ghost of Elliott Smith? If so, check out this uplifting All-American rendition of the British soul ballad known to lovers of Anglican liturgical music!

Accompaniment is on lapstyle banjo, and a steel string guitar lent by a dear family friend.

"He looked at her directly as she sang the second verse of the song they had once learned."

A Spotless Rose (Kai & Gerda Remix)

Holiday medley featuring my cover of the early 1990s torch song by pop singer Tiffany, followed by an original shape note carol meant to evoke the Starry Skies over the Great American City of Green Bay on Twelfth Night, which can be none other, and No Less, than MY birthday.... . . . . 

Not *just* sparkling all through the night because I was born, nor yet because charming Matt LeFleur prevailed against the opposition with his perfect eyebrows, as usual.

Inspired by the likes of Vince Guaraldi and John Coltrane, "Chandler" is featured in the bilingual Spanish-English shape note carol book *The Announcing Harp: Introducing the Secret Language of Fa La La's!*  

Which makes it destined to be a holiday hit known to American history, alongside the soul ballads of Guaraldi and Olga Sele´me Humérez d VROL; modesty must defer to honesty.

The lyrics for "Chandler" originate in a grimoire retained by the Worcester Art Museum's Rare & Valuable Manuscripts Division, circa 1899. Hard copies of the music with this attribution have already been placed in numerous Little Free Library boxes at undisclosed locations. It's halfway to Mars by now. Sue me, O. Henry.

I Always Thought I'd See You Again - Chandler

Saint James Park, a pedestrination of the public works in a faraway and mysterious city by a bay, is known to have been a stop on the storied Underground Railroad! For your security, please keep hands and arms inside the historical narrative at all times! Thank you for riding the Zippin Pippin! We hope you enjoy your evening at the Bay Beach Twelfth Night Fairground!

The lyric of "Mount Saint James" originates in a grimoire acquired by the Rare Manuscripts Archive of the Worcester Art Museum circa 1899. 

It seems fair to note here that the Worcester Art Museum central stairwell perfectly resembles an up-down Mirror Image of the front stairwell inside the historic Old Saint Joseph's Academy Building in a faraway and mysterious City by a Bay, the greatest glory of which must be Titletown Soul Music! AKA MCVROL sings soul music to the Virgin Mary! 

. . . . ....but maybe you just need to see for your self to Suddenly Find Out, Frances Hodgsen Burnett-style!

Mount Saint James (feat. MCVROL & the Bay Beach Zippin Pippin)

Never Alone (feat. MCVROL & Our Lady of Good Help)

"Sabes hijito, no cuesta nada soñar." ~ Ms. Olga Seléme Humérez d VROL

. . . . . ......they gather for the curtain call and gaze
Into the clapping crowd to catch some hint
Of heartfelt thought. We loved it, I could say,
Because we really did. And that’s no act.

The Old Saint Joseph's Academy building, in a faraway and mysterious city by a bay, somewhere in the Land of Red Running, has a front stairwell precisely symmetrical, in vertical Euclidean orientations, to the central stairwell of the Worcester Art Museum. Coincidence? You Decide.

In Spanish, Time and the Weather are the same thing.

Valediction of Time

Prelude piece performed by Ashley Soto and Joseph Smeall (vocals), Daniel Freije (guitar) and Celia Ou (violin)

A Bolivian patriotic song

O Cochabamba!

recitation by Daniel Freije of the biblical text for the following track, "REINKE: The Canticle of Zacharias."

Luke 1 68-79

Minor Doxology

My grandmother used to rock me to sleep with this song when I was very little. It's one of my earliest memories.

When I was three, my day care teacher was running a sing-along. She asked us if we had any requests for songs we wanted to sing. I raised my hand, and asked her to sing my grandmother's song. She smiled sheepishly: "I'm so sorry Joseph--I don't know that one!" And I was sad. I thought everybody knew that song! It was so jaunty and sparkling, like something out of Mary Poppins.

Well, here we are, 27 years later. I am finally sharing with the whole wide world the song my grandmother gave me. The music track you hear is MIDI of a Finale score I wrote, for my arrangement of the song for a singer and pianist.

You'll recognize the piano intro: "Little Bunny Foo Foo." But the main melody (on flute sound) is a rare folk song that has made an American crossover from Austria, via Bolivia. ("I'm FLYING! Joseph!!" ::Kate Winslet face::)

My grandmother's song will probably make you feel like you're riding a merry-go-round, on a fine spring day, when the sun is smiling and the flowers are blooming. From Grandma Olga's heart, to your ears.

Musical Fantasy on "Little Bunny Foo Foo" for Merry-Go-Round in E Major (Olga Humérez & MCVROL)

I only talked to my great-grandmother, the late great Sra. Leovina Quiroga de Villarroel (may she Rest In Peace), once over the phone. It was the year before she died.

She had a voice that sounded like the night, a ragged face like thunder.

376 - Help Me to Sing!

"We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task of life is to find reality."

- Dame Iris Murdoch

O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in Lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel.

::Maronite Anthem to the Archangel Gabriel's Announcement for Our Lady Queen of Angels::

O Come, Thou Branch of Jesse, draw
The quarry from the Lion's claw;
From dreary caverns of the grave,
From netherworlds thy People save!

Rejoice!........ . . . . . . .

O Come Thou Day-Spring from On High,
And Cheer us by thy drawing Nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadow put to flight!

Rejoice!........ . . . . . . .

::Anthem to the Archangel Gabriel's Announcement::

O Come Thou Lord of David's Key,
The Royal Door fling Wide and Free!
Safeguard for us the Spirit Road,
And bar the way to hell's abode!

Rejoice!........ . . . . . . .

O Come, O Come Thou Lord of Might,
Who to thy tribes on Sinai's Flaming Height,
In ancient times didst Give The Law,
In Cloud and Majesty, and Awe!

Rejoice!........ . . . . . . .
Rejoice!........ . . . . . . .

::Apparition of the Archangel Gabriel::

Dance of Announcements (Song of the Archangel Gabriel, in the Time of Coronavirus 2020)

This one's for all the charming girls with sad eyes of the world, especially those who are essential workers.

Chiquitita tell me what's wrong,
You're enchained by your own sorrow,
In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow;
How I hate to see you like this,
There is no way you can deny it,
I see that you're oh so sad, so quiet.

Chiquitita tell me the truth,
I'm a shoulder you can cry on;
Your best friend, I'm the one you can rely on.
You were always sure of yourself,
Now I see you've ruffled a feather,
I hope we can stir things up together!

Chiquitita you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go,
And the scars they're leaving;
You'll be dancing once again,
And the pain will end,
You will have no time for grieving!
Chiquitita you and I cry,
But the sun is still in the sky
And shining above you!
Let me see you dance once more,
Like you did before,
To a new song Chiquitita!
Try once more,
Like you did before,
To a new song Chiquitita!

So the walls came tumbling down,
And your love's a blown-out candle;
All is gone, and it seems too hard to handle.
Chiquitita tell me the truth,
There is no way you can deny it,
I see that you're oh so sad, so quiet.

Chiquitita you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go,
And the scars they're leaving;
You'll be dancing once again,
And the pain will end,
You will have no time for grieving!
Chiquitita you and I cry,
But the sun is still in the sky
And shining above you!
Let me see you dance once more,
Like you did before,
To a new song Chiquitita!
Try once more,
Like you did before,
To a new song Chiquitita!

Chiquitita (ABBA Remix In The Time Of Coronavirus 2020)

Oh! when shall I see Jesus,
And reign with him above,
And from the flowing fountain
Drink everlasting love?

Oh! had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode!

But now I am a soldier,
My Captain's gone before,
He's given me my orders,
And bids me Not give o'er!

Oh! had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode!

Through Grace I feel Determined
To Conquer, tho' I die,
And then Away to Jesus
On Wings of Love I'll fly!

Oh! had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode!

Farewell to sin and sorrow!
I bid them both adieu,
And oh! my Friends, prove faithful,
And on your way pursue!

Oh! had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode!

Oh! had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode!

Oh! had I wings, I would fly away and be at rest,
And I'd praise God in his bright abode!

Lyrics: John Leland, 1793
Tune: "Ecstasy," T.W. Carter, 1844

A Miraculous Pentecost in the Time of Coronavirus, to You and Yours, Now and Always.

Ecstasy (Oh! When Shall I See Jesus)

Lyrics: Alexander Pope, 1712
Tune: "Claremont," Temple & Merrill, 1799

Vital spark of heavenly flame!	
  Quit, oh quit this mortal frame:	
  Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying,—	
  Oh the pain, the bliss of dying!	
Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.	
 
  Hark! they whisper; angels say,	
  Sister spirit, come away.	
  What is this absorbs me quite?	
  Steals my senses, shuts my sight,
Drowns my spirits, draws my breath?	
Tell me, my soul, can this be death?	
 
The world recedes; it disappears!	
Heaven opens on my eyes! my ears	
  With sounds seraphic ring:
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!	
O Grave! where is thy victory?	
  O Death! where is thy sting?

Dedicated my grandfather, the late great Mr. Germán Villarroel, for the anniversary of his departure from this world: May 24, 2020, the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians.

Claremont (Vital Spark Of Heav'nly Flame!)

My Jesus walks with me on my journey,
He will guide tho' the way gets steep;
His loving breast is ever downy,
He will lead me over the deep!

I won't turn back! Lord, I won't turn back!
No I won't turn back anymore!
Sometimes the way seems thorny,
And the road gets rocky,
But I won't turn back anymore!

The Lord has been so great as I travel
Thro' this world, this old world of strife!
He promised that he'd never leave me,
But would guide to eternity!

I won't turn back........ . . . . . . . . .

Let come what may, I'll serve my dear Savior,
And his grace will support my soul!
Then when my race on earth is over,
I will go where ages shall roll!

I won't turn back........ . . . . . . . . .
I won't turn back........ . . . . . . . . .

Hymn composed by S. Whitt Denson, 1953. Reprinted in The Christian Harmony choral hymnal.

I Won't Turn Back (Saint George & The Dragon 2020)

Movement 3 of 'The Creation Cantata,' by Steven Porter & David Bobrowitz, 1973

And the Lord, he gathered the waters together
To make up the rivers and the seas,
And to summon the Good Earth, for to bring forth its bounty,
He scattered the dry land with flowers and fruits,
Growing free, growing free,
In the shade of the trees!
He scattered the dry land with flowers and fruits,
Growing free, in the shade of the trees!

And There Was Morning

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I have already in this veil
A life of joy and peace!

The earth will soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine,
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine!

Amazing Grace

Dedicated to my grandmother, Ms. Olga Humerez, on her 85th birthday! So grateful to still have this grande dame in my life :)

"Speed of Sound" - Cold Play, covered by MCVROL, Summer 2020

Speed Of Sound 2020

Brown eyed soul ballad composed by Ms. Olga Humérez d VROL, 1991. Piano and vocal overtone arrangement by her grandson MCVROL, Summer 2020; All Rights Reserved.

Como pompas de jabón, 
Y en correo de arco iris,
Tus deseos volarán,
Muy lejos se alejarán.

Como pompas de jabón, 
Y en correo de arco iris,
Tus deseos volarán
Al presencia del Señor.

Como pompas de jabón, 
Y en correo de arco iris,
Tus deseos volverán,
De pronto se volverán.

Translation:
Like bubbles of soap,
And along the rainbow’s path,
Your wishes will fly,
Far away from here.

Like bubbles of soap,
And along the rainbow’s path,
Your wishes will fly
Into the Lord’s presence.

Like bubbles of soap,
And along the rainbow’s path,
Your wishes will return,
Will suddenly return.

Path Of The Rainbow

This cherished anthem of the Maronite Catholic Church is sung the world around, every August on the Solemnity of the Virgin's Assumption, to invoke the Marvelous Miracles of Our Lady!

María Reina de los Angeles,
Y Domadora de Todos nuestros miedos:
Abre la puerta Celestial de tu Jardín Hermoso,
Y allí siempre mantenganos.

Mary, Mother Of God

How beautiful the hands that served
The Wine and the Bread, and the child of the earth,
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty roads, and the hill to the Cross:
How beautiful,
How beautiful,
How beautiful is the Body of Christ.

How beautiful the heart that bled,
That took all my sin, and bore it instead,
How beautiful the tender eyes
That chose to forgive, and never despise:
How beautiful,
How beautiful,
How beautiful is the Body of Christ.

And as he laid down his life,
We offer this sacrifice:
That we may live, just as he died,
Willing to pay the price.

Willing to Pay the Price!........ . . . . . . . . .

How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of Good News, and the Love of the King!
How beautiful the hands that served
The Wine and the Bread, and the Child of the Earth:
How beautiful,
How beautiful (How Beautiful!),
How Beautiful is the Body of Christ!

- Twila Paris

How Beautiful Is The Body Of Christ

And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown:

A land of deepest shade,
Unpierced by human thought;
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot.

Waked by the Trumpet Sound
I from my grave shall rise,
To see the Judge with Glory Crowned,
And view the Flaming skies!

O thou who wouldst not have
One mournful sinner die,
Who died thyself my soul to save
From endless misery........ . . . . . . . . .

My Lord, my Life, my Love,
To thee, to thee I call:
I cannot live if thou remove,
For thou art all in all.

Lyrics: Charles Wesley 1763
Music: Ananias Davisson 1816

Joseph Smeall's Album

Idumea (August 2020)

Overtone rendition of #419 from The Christian Harmony choral hymnal ("Rockingham"), with a special dedication to the Feast of the Virgin's Queenship 2020.

1.
Oh! for a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemer's praise:
The Glories of my God and King,
The Triumphs of his Grace!

2.
My dear Redeemer and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all this earth abroad,
The honors of thy Name.

3.
Show my forgetful feet the way
That leads to joys on high,
And knowledge grows without decay,
And love shall never die.

4.
Jesus: the name that calms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease,
'T is music in the sinner's ears,
'T is life, and health, and peace.

Oh! For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

Blest are they, the poor in spirit:
Theirs is the Kingdom of God;
Blest are they, full of sorrow:
They shall be consoled.

Rejoice and Be Glad!
Blessed are you, holy are you!
Rejoice and Be Glad:
Yours is the Kingdom of God!

Blest are they, the lowly ones:
They shall inherit the earth;
Blest are they who hunger and thirst:
They shall have their fill.

Rejoice and Be Glad!........ . . . . . . . . .

Blest are they who show mercy:
Mercy shall be theirs;
Blest are they, the pure of heart:
They shall see God.

Rejoice and Be Glad!........ . . . . . . . . .

Blest are they who seek peace:
They are the Children of God;
Blest are they, who suffer in faith:
The glory of God is theirs.

Rejoice and Be Glad!........ . . . . . . . . .

Blest are you who suffer hate,
All because of me:
Rejoice and Be Glad; Yours is the Crowning:
Shine for all to see!
Rejoice and Be Glad; Yours is the Crowning:
Shine for all to see!
Rejoice and Be Glad; Yours is the Crowning:
Shine for all to see!

Rejoice and Be Glad!........ . . . . . . . . .

From the Green Gather Hymnal, with a special dedication to the Feast of Our Lady's Queenship 2020, and to fine female leaders everywhere who lead us through the tough times, with the grace and light of Our Lady the Crowned Queen of Angels.

Blest Are They, The Poor In Spirit

"World Unknown" is #428 in the Sacred Harp choral hymnal. It was composed by H.S. Reese in 1859. 

1.
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my Trembling spirit Fly
Into a World Unknown!

2.
Waked by the Trumpet Sound,
I from my grave shall Rise,
To see the Judge with Glory Crowned,
And View the Flaming Skies!

This rendition of "World Unknown" is dedicated to the spiritual repentance of certain law-breaking individuals in the Sheriff's Office, City Police Department, Circuit Court, and Catholic Diocese, of a mysterious city by a bay, who have proven by their actions that they would rather silence survivors of underage abuse in the city's Catholic schools, than prosecute the unregistered sex offenders perpetrating the abuse, still employed in the same schools, this very day, as you read these very words, at exactly this moment.

Somewhere, nobody knows where, Christ the Lord judges your deeds silently. And you made the Virgin Mary cry; I hope you're pleased with yourselves.

You know exactly who you are, listening to this music.

World Unknown

Refrain:
If today you hear God's voice, harden not your heart.

1. 
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord,
Hail the Rock who saves us;
Let us come now before our God, 
With songs let us hail the Lord.

If today you hear God's voice........ . . . . . . . . .

2.
Come, let us bow and bend low,
Let us kneel before God who made us,
For there is our God, we the people, 
The flock that is led by God's hand.

If today you hear God's voice........ . . . . . . . . .

3. 
O that today you would hear God's voice,
"Harden not your hearts,
As on that day in the dessert,
when your parents put me to the test."

If today you hear God's voice........ . . . . . . . . .

If today you hear God's voice........ . . . . . . . . .

Psalm 95 - If Today You Hear God’s Voice

1.
O tell me no more
Of this world's vain store,
The time for such trifles with me now is o'er;
A country I've found,
Where true joys abound,
To dwell I'm determined on that happy ground.

2.
No mortal will know
What Christ will bestow,
What joy, strength and comfort! go after him, go!
Lo: onward I move,
To see Christ above,
None guesses how wondrous my journey will prove.

3.
Great spoils I shall win
From death, hell and sin,
'Midst outward afflictions shall feel Christ within;
And still, which is best,
I in his dear breast,
As at the beginning, find pardon and rest.

4.
When I am to die,
"Receive me," I'll cry,
For Jesus hath loved me, I cannot tell why;
But this I do find,
We two are so joined,
He'll not live in glory and leave me behind!

5.
Perhaps for his name,
Poor dust that I am,
Some works I shall finish with glad loving aim;
Lo! this is the race
I'm running, through Grace,
Henceforth till admitted to see my Lord's face.

6.
And now I'm in care;
My neighbors may share
These blessings: to seek them, will none of you Dare?
In bondage, O why,
And death, will you lie,
When one here assures you free grace is so nigh?

7.
This blessing is mine,
Through favor divine,
And O, my dear Jesus: the praise shall be thine!
In heaven we'll meet,
In harmony sweet,
And glory to Jesus! we'll then be complete.

This musical reflection is dedicated on 9/11/20 to the memories of the brave first responders who gave their lives to helping others the day the Towers fell.

It is also dedicated to a special prayer to Our Lady of Good Help, for the repentance of evil-doers who dare to masquerade as legitimate authorities. 

The purpose of this musical reflection is to teach these lawbreakers pretending that they have the divine right, that this kind of behavior is something that simply cannot be tolerated by our community.

Sweet Harmony with Charming Chimes <3

Deleted Scenes from *FLAPPER: A MADCAP MUSICAL COMEDY TRIBUTE TO THE ROARING TWENTIES*: 

The Duke and Duchess of Milford soft-shoe it up with "Stocks and Bonds," hardly suspecting that their days of law-breaking are numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided. 

Meanwhile, in another part of Gotham, Lieutenant Fluke conducts meticulous forensic research on the trail of destruction left by a dangerous psychopath who even the other cops and court officials fear to indict, because of what they know that at-large felon to be capable of pulling off with impunity, via her shady connections to the mob. 

But Fluke has a few questions, and he'll put on one hell of a song-and-dance show, to get some answers.

Because Lieutenant Fluke Always Gets His Man (Or Whoever).

Fluke (reads aloud psychiatric report from the suspect's inpatient hospitalization at Bellevue):

"Something's happening,
Don't speak too soon;
I told the boss off, and made my move!
Got nowhere to go:
Son of Sam,
Son of a Shining Path, a Clouded Mind,
Couple killer, each and every time!
Not uncomfortable,
Feeling weird,
Long revered options disappear,
But I know what to do:
Son of Sam, 
Son of a Doctor's Touch, a Nurse's Love,
Acting under orders from above!

::Charleston dance break::

King for a day!........ . . . . . . . . .
Son of Sam,
Son of a Shining Path, a Clouded Mind,
Couple killer running out of time!

::eerie wind-haunted ambience::

Shiva opens her arms now,
To make sure I don't get too far;
I may talk in my sleep tonight,
Cause I don't know what I am,
I'm a little like you,
More like Son of Sam!........ . . . . . . . . ."

::wicked laugh::

Elliott Smith cover, September 20, 2020. Hell is murky.

Son of Sam (FLAPPER Deleted Scenes)

How condescending and how kind
Was God's eternal Son;
Our misery reached his heavenly mind,
And pity brought him down!

When justice by our sins provoked,
Drew forth its dreadful sword,
He gave his soul up to the stroke,
Without a murmuring word!

Here we receive repeated seals
Of Jesus' dying love;
Hard is the wretch that never feels
One soft affection move!

Here let our hearts begin to melt
While we his death record,
And with our joy for pardon'd guilt,
Mourn that we pierced the Lord!

Arrangement: Ananias Davisson 1817
Lyrics: Isaac Watts 1747

This anthem appears in the 2005 edition of The Missouri Harmony, a shape-note choral hymnal.

How Kind Was God's Eternal Son (1817)

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light:
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight!

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together:
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And Peace to us on earth!

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given,
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven:
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray,
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born to us today!
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell:
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

O Little Town Of Bethlehem

2020 Birthday Gift to my mother Gratzia Villarroel, on her birthday December 8th, the Solemnity of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception.

I Saw Three Ships (& An Angel In The Snow)

All human music is an attempt to sing with the birds, and ultimately, to fly.

Transfiguration of the Commonplace

Pinned to spotlight

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