Mark's Mormon Music Blog

  • About…
  • Intro & List of Articles
    • Where are the new hymns?
    • Bringing the Power of the Spirit
    • Vocal Ranges in Hymns – a statistical analysis
    • Hymnbook Statistical Analysis 2 – Time
    • Appropriate Sacrament Meeting Music, Part I
    • My first live General Conference
    • A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
    • My Stake Conference Choir 1 – Did You Think to Pray?
    • My Stake Conference Choir 2 – More Holiness Give Me
    • On Commercializing Music
    • Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 1
    • Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 2
    • Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 3
    • Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 4

All Things Hymnal

Compositional Issues

Hymnbook Statistical Analysis 2 – Time

January 12, 2017 by Mark 16 Comments

In discussing the hymns, time is more subjective than pitch, since it depends on how fast (or slow) the organist is playing. (Notice I didn't say how fast the [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues, General

Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 4

October 4, 2015 by Mark 1 Comment

Originality in hymn writing One basic goal I strive towards: the hymn must be special.  After all is said and done, after all the technical restrictions that [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues

Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 3

September 21, 2015 by Mark Leave a Comment

Technical considerations in hymn composition  II: Melody A note about my hymn melodies: I like them to have motivic unity, meaning small melodic fragments [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues

Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 2

September 16, 2015 by Mark 3 Comments

Technical considerations in hymn composition  I: Working with the Text Now to some of my thoughts on hymn writing for the composer.  It should be obvious [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues

Orson Scott Card Hymns: Forword 1

September 5, 2015 by Mark Leave a Comment

from the Forword to Hymns of Light Introduction: The Power and purpose of hymns Music is a mystery. Let me begin with a personal anecdote.  I recall [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues

My Stake Conference Choir 2 – More Holiness Give Me

July 10, 2015 by Mark Leave a Comment

Philip Paul Bliss was born in Pennsylvania the same year as Joseph F. Smith (1838). He worked as a school teacher and music teacher for many years until he [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues, History and stories

My Stake Conference Choir 1 – Did You Think to Pray?

June 13, 2015 by Mark 4 Comments

Last Sunday we had stake conference and I was asked to conduct the choir. This conference was my first opportunity to use a recently composed arrangement: a few [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues, History and stories

Vocal Ranges in Hymns – a statistical analysis

May 11, 2015 by Mark 15 Comments

Something more technical today: this is a post about how to write a hymn that real people can sing – at least one important aspect of writing, anyway, which is [Read more...]

Posted in: Compositional Issues

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