[Lynn Martin]

I also use MuseScore and find it to work quite well. I don’t think it’s quite as intuitive as Sibelius or Finale, but since you have to pay for those and MuseScore is free, I didn’t mind the learning curve.

Pro tip: To convert to shape notes in MuseScore, click on a staff, then right-click on the staff and click “Staff/Part Properties.” In the dialog box that appears, click “Advanced style properties…” Then at “Notehead scheme:” choose “7-shape (Aiken).”

If you have some cases where two parts are singing unison “fa” and the triangular noteheads together look like they make up a “la” instead, then do this: Choose one of the notes, and in the toolbar to the left, go to the top and choose the “Properties” tab. Near the bottom of that toolbar, choose “Hide notehead.” That will hide the notehead but not the stem, and it will now look like a unison “fa.”

You can find answers to most questions in online MuseScore forums, but that’s one where it’s mostly just Anabaptists who need the answer. 🙂

[Lynn Martin]

Hi Austin, is the sound file for sure the same as the pdf? The last line sounded different.

[Lynn Martin]

Wow, I totally missed seeing the notification for this. Looks like it came to my spam folder.

I’ve seen people go either way on blessed vs. blest. The classic poets wrote bless’d, but that may look odd. I personally prefer to just use “blessed” and let people figure out which pronunciation to use based on the way the tune’s rhythm goes.

I like the poem. I think it works and will be successful when paired with a tune. Although I could wish that the second rhyming pair in st. 3 worked better.

[Lynn Martin]

I like this, Rachel. I think it works quite well. However, there are a couple of lines that have rhythm bumpyness:

“that they then were bringing” sounds a little contrived

“Shepherds heard it then” doesn’t fit the rhythm of Wenceslas. I suppose you could say something like “Shepherds heard the call then” to rhyme with “all men,” although that could sound a bit odd. Feminine rhymes are just harder to find, especially with the constraint of short lines.

[Lynn Martin]

I like this overall, and it seems pretty singable. It would be very useful as a short Scripture chorus.

I agree with Lyndon’s point about the rhythm. I also agree on the open fifths. The tenor will have some trouble tuning their final note, and it would also be a more familiar harmonic language to have them sing a mi. Also, starting out, I think it could be more intuitive to have them begin on a mi. I don’t sense that the benefits of the open fifths are outweighing the disadvantages in either place.

Otherwise, quite enjoyable!

[Lynn Martin]

Nice! I like the modulations.

[Lynn Martin]

Nice singable tune, with a somewhat nonstandard harmony. To my ear, it works. Not sure I’m well-placed to judge it, but I do notice some open fifths, such as the first chord on ms. 8. Whether it works or not will probably depend on how it sounds when sung.

[Lynn Martin]

I like this overall, Marshall! It’s a singable tune, and the harmony is generally enjoyable. A few things:

• The chord change from ms. 6 to 7 feels a bit weak, probably since all the parts are moving in the same direction.
• The change to major at the end seems very abrupt. Maybe if it could transition sooner, such as in ms. 19, it would be better.
• The final cadence feels like it ought to be stronger, such as a classic authentic cadence with the semi-final chord in root position.

[Lynn Martin]

Very nice and singable. I really like the harmonic direction. The piece has a lot of character.

The vowel in “World” is such that an extended upward slur on it could be a bit painful to hear, depending on the congregation.

The accents in the word “darkness” don’t line up with the beats, which will make it a bit more awkward.

I think I like the chromatics, but am not quite sure I like how they resolve. Could they resolve into another key so that they sound more like a natural part of the progression than just a moment of color? I recognize that that could be hard to do.

Otherwise, I really like it!

[Lynn Martin]

Some really good elements here, Yolanda! I would agree, though, with your assessment that there are ways it could be strengthened.

I would hope we are not loved by Jesus alone. Perhaps “Redeemed through Jesus’ love, and his alone” or something of the sort, so that it would be clear that his love is not the only love, but the only redeeming love.

The last line of the second stanza feels like it’s mainly there for the rhyme. But I think integrating it into the thought better would solve that. Perhaps

God’s Spirit thunders our adopted name

In oceans, whispers it in dewy pearls.

This is still not satisfactory, of course. But it ties in the final line, giving it a purpose.

The first line of the third stanza is rhythmically a bit difficult to read. When set to a tune, that may take away some of the issues, but it might not. The line has two inverted metrical feet, which in a hymn-type poem is a bit much. How about, “May we who love the truth hold out its grace”? Maybe not. It’s unclear to me why “truth” rather than some other equally important concept, since this poem isn’t specifically about truth.

[Lynn Martin]

Nice! I like the direction it has taken.

[Lynn Martin]

This feels really good and solid to me. Looks quite singable and I think a congregation would enjoy it.

To my ear, the harmony at “Father but by” feels a bit unstable and tenuous. That may be because the first chord is an inversion, and the second and third are “clustery” chords. They follow a very standard, stable harmonization, but depart from it starting on a downbeat, so it feels a bit aimless until it gets to “by me.” I think it’s singable, but it will probably not want to tune.

That’s all I can see that I’d suggest looking deeper into.

[Lynn Martin]

Yes indeed! I’ve used Sibelius 7 for years, and it’s pretty good with shape notation. It doesn’t always flip fa correctly and it doesn’t assign noteheads to chromatics, so those need to be done manually, though there are fairly simple keyboard shortcuts for doing that.

I hear that Dorico might be the up and coming choice, however.

[Lynn Martin]

Very nice, Rachel! I think this is really good. The second quatrain is grammatically a little awkward. I mean the section that goes:

In Him we live and being have

In Him, our all in all.

In Him, our glory and reward.

From Him, life’s bounties fall.

As Yolanda pointed out, the first line sounds a bit awkward. And since the next two lines don’t have verbs, they don’t help us to return to natural grammar, so it feels like a bit of a grammar limbo, even though it’s not wrong grammar. Not a big deal, but wording this stanza in a less awkward way would improve the poem.

[Lynn Martin]

I like this! The only issue I see is that “Sol-Fa-Re” at the end of the first phrase isn’t an intuitive soprano line. I’d change it to “Sol-Mi-Re” if possible, which also reflects what happens later in the song. It would necessitate harmonic changes, though.

[Author]

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