I have spent most of this day working on my organ composition for the AGO. I have dubbed it “Lob den Herren dances for organ,” that being the name of the tune I have been working with. Jordan VanHemert’s help has been crucial. He sent me an email with comments on all the pieces. Today as I was working on pieces, he and I went back and forth on email talking about them. It satisfies me that he seems to like what I am writing. I have been losing confidence in its appeal to classically trained musicians. Jordan definitely fits that classification. His aesthetic is as close to my own as anyone I know. That helps, I’m sure.

I didn’t have the wherewithal to both practice and exercise today after composing. I chose exercising.  I have been spending hours preparing organ music for the next few weeks so I think that was probably the wise choice.

For what it’s worth, here are updates on my piece.

01 The Lord the Almighty (pdf of score)

02 Life and Breath (pdf of score)

I have decided to title these dances with phrases from the hymn. The title, “Life and Breath,” is especially satisfying because Jordan has helped me remember to think about breathing as I revise and edit.

NYTimes: A Vulgar Term Goes Unmentioned as It Gets Its Day in Court

Always happy to see vulgarity in the news.