Musical Notes and Thoughts

For the last few days, I’ve been working to adapt arrangements of some traditional spirituals to play them as a concert suite for solo double-bass. A couple of them I’ve played before, but never as a suite. The three are: Deep River, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and Balm in Gilead. I’m making a number of changes to how I played Deep River, and a couple with Balm in Gilead. All three of those pieces, while in one sense a code for the longing for the end of slavery, do reflect a genuine longing for Heaven, eternity with God. As Christians, we know all too well, that everyone is a slave—including at one time ourselves as well: that is, a slave to sin to which Jesus is the only answer.

Tomorrow, I hope to start working on a formal arrangement for a traditional folk hymn: What Wondrous Love Is This. It is a personal favorite, but I’ve only ever created a lead sheet version of it, a lead sheet that my accompanist wished was an official arrangement. Due to the melodic structure, it is a piece I’ve struggled in the past to successfully arrange. It is time to make another attempt. I’d eventually like to create a YouTube video of it, but would need help with that, and in any case, that’s a fair ways off (also not getting there without an arrangement). I’ve heard a few very dissonant and “modern” versions of it, but that isn’t at all what I’m after.

As I prepare long-term to resume doing recitals, having a couple YouTube videos would be a good idea. We’ll see how things progress.