In Love Christ Shed His Tears

Yesterday was a good day. Yesterday, I got to see a hymn I had written in print for the first time in the Winter 2014 issue of Lutheran Forum. (The hymn text is included as the end of this post if you have limited time and need/want to skip my ramblings on my hymnwriting journey to this point)

RichieWriMo hymnwriting committment post

I know what you're probably thinking: What's RichieWriMo?

RichieWriMo is my take on NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month

I have a number of friends--you know who you are--do this challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel draft entirely in November. Some of my friends have successfully completed this multiple times.

I, however, am not going to write a 50,000 word novel. I am going to use this as an opportunity to write hymn texts.  Over half of my hymn texts finished to date have been finished in my previous two November RichieWriMo campaigns, so this will keep the tradition going into its third year. Like last year, I'm setting my goal at 5 finished hymn texts. I wrote 5 the first year and failed to reach my goal of matching it last year, but 5 is a good number. I should be able to do 5......yes.

This blog entry may be a mistake because it creates some accountability and invites your ridicule if I slack off. So, please take advantage of this potential opportunity to ridicule my laziness and help motivate me to write some hymns!

214 Days

Way back on Ash Wednesday, I wrote 42 words of a new hymn text idea I had. These 42 words formed one complete stanza and half of another stanza. Then a combination of lack of insight and busyness kept me from writing more.

Until yesterday.

Tangram No. 7

Completing one project creates a new beginning.

One beginning project creates a new completing.

Project completing creates beginning a new one.

Creates one new project: completing a beginning.

A new one completing beginning creates project.

New creates one project completing a beginning.

Beginning creates a project completing one new.

Tangram No. 6

Connecting beginning to accomplishment is hard work.

Beginning accomplishment is connecting to hard work.

To work hard connecting, beginning is accomplishment.

Accomplishment is connecting hard to beginning work.

Is hard work connecting beginning to accomplishment?

Hard connecting to work is beginning accomplishment.

Work is connecting to hard accomplishment beginning.

Tangram No. 5

Success through trying until failure teaches clarity.

Through clarity, failure teaches trying until success.

Trying through failure until clarity teaches success.

Until trying teaches clarity, success through failure.

Failure through trying teaches clarity until success.

Teaches clarity through failure: trying until success.

Clarity through trying teaches failure until success.

Tangram No. 4

Genius solutions are made by limited resources.

Solutions are limited resources made by genius.

Are solutions made by genius resources limited?

Made resources are limited by genius solutions.

By genius resources are solutions made limited.

Limited solutions are genius made by resources.

Resources by limited solutions are made genius.

Tangram No. 3

Thinking up puzzles to exercise the mind.

Up to thinking exercise, the mind puzzles.

Puzzles exercise up the mind to thinking.

To the exercise: thinking up mind puzzles.

Exercise the puzzles to up mind thinking.

The thinking mind puzzles to exercise up.

Mind puzzles to up the thinking exercise.

Tangram No. 2

Mine to discover where you have not.

To not discover, mine where you have.

Discover where you have to not mine.

Where have you not mine to discover?

You have to discover where mine not.

Have mine to not discover where you.

Not mine: Where you have to discover.

Tangram No. 1

Using creativity is exhausting all the options.

Creativity is using all the exhausting options.

Is using the options exhausting all creativity?

Exhausting creativity is using all the options.

All using is creativity exhausting the options.

The all exhausting creativity is using options.

Options exhausting all the using is creativity.

[July 18, 2014]

Borrowing, Stealing, and "Same-Saying"

"Amateurs borrow. Professionals steal."

The above quote was a comment by the wonderful conductor of my college choir after I was remarking on Facebook about always feeling like I'm inadvertently stealing the writing in my musical compositions. After completing a composition project, I always feel like the piece sounds familiar. It makes sense that I would feel this way since I "hear" what I want the piece to be in my head before and while writing it, but I always wonder if I have, in fact, heard it outside of my head before. I'm not necessarily a fan of the above quote itself*, but I think it is making an interesting point about depth of understanding and ownership.

Amateurs only borrow because they never have ownership of the material they borrow. They do not have mastery of the material. The material borrowed remains associated with the original source. Professionals steal because they can claim a certain ownership of the material. They have mastery over the material.

When thinking about this, it brought to mind the confessing or "same-saying" aspect of the Christian faith. The Church uses creeds and prayers as confessions of faith that may have been written many, many centuries ago, but we "same-say" them. We are making them our own. We are claiming ownership of them as our own personal creeds and prayers. They did not originate with us and they will endure after we are gone, yet they are ours. We do not borrow them only to let go of them and give them back later, but we receive them as a gift that multiplies through giving since in giving them we also keep them.

To bring this back to my original discussion of musical composition, I do not wish to steal or borrow the work of someone else (unless I'm "borrowing" in the sense of arranging). Yet, even though I say this, I have and will intentionally "same-say" using compositional vocabulary borrowed from other composers as an homage. I use their language as my own to preserve their voice from the past, add my voice to it in the present, and share this voice into the future for others to continue to "same-say" along with.

*I would prefer a variant something like "Amateurs borrow. Professionals own." or "Amateurs copy. Professionals pay homage." or "Amateurs borrow. Professionals 'same-say.'" but they aren't as striking.

Lord Jesus, Think on Me

I was a reader before I started working to be a writer, and I was a listener before I started working to be a musician.

I want to be a hymn-writer. I guess you could say I already am one, but, much like I'm still working on becoming a musician, I'm still working on this writing thing.

I want to be a hymn-writer because, as a hymn-lover, I find within hymns a clear confession of faith and a great source of comfort. So, while I'm working on the writing part with failing thoughts, I'll take comfort in reading of the One whose thoughts do not fail.

~~~~~~~~~

               Lord Jesus, think on me
               And purge away my sin;
               From worldly passions set me free
               And make me pure within.

"Pastor! There's a sick call to be made. You must go to Sjöstugan. [. . .] It is Frans, a heart attack, they think. You'll have to hurry, Pastor."

               Lord Jesus, think on me,
               By anxious thoughts oppressed;
               Let me your loving servant be
               And taste Your promised rest.

Fridfeldt saw at once that there was little he could do here. The old man was obviously already paralyzed and entirely unconscious. Now and then he spoke a few incoherent words.
[. . .]
Fridfeldt sat down on the edge of the bed. He tried to talk with the sick man, but there was no sign of recognition. He bent over and shouted in the man's ear, but received no recognizable answer. Occasionally they could make out what the old man said, but he spoke of far-away, distant things, about rock blasting and oxen.

               Lord Jesus, think on me
               Amid the battle's strife;
               In all my pain and misery,
               O be my health and life.

"Father was always such a good man," said the weeping daughter. "I know, of course, that he will have it better now, but it is so hard to part with him."

"When I got here," she continued after a moment, "I said, 'You are are thinking about Jesus, are you not, Father?' And he answered me, 'I am not able to, Lena. I can't think any longer. But I know that Jesus is thinking of me.'"

               Lord Jesus, think on me
               Nor let me go astray
               Through darkness and perplexity
               Point out Your chosen way.

The pastor sat in silence. The truth that Jesus is thinking of the sick one seemed to him a comforting pillow on which to rest one's head when death is near.

               Lord Jesus, think on me
               That when this life is past,
               I may the eternal brightness see
               And share Your joy at last.

~~~~~~~~~~

Quote sources:

The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz, (pp. 163-65)

"Lord Jesus, Think on Me." Lutheran Service Book 610

Tasty, tasty mistakes

People are often surprised I can cook. It's really annoying. I'm a good cook. I avoid cooking whenever possible, but I'm good at it when it is absolutely necessary.

I've sometimes had people ask me for the recipe I used to make this or that. This is always awkward. I do look at recipes for some things, but it is the rare occurrence that I follow a recipe exactly. I prefer to follow a process like this:

1. Research typical uses and recipes for any ingredients I'm considering working with I'm not already familiar with.
2. Decide what type of dish I feel like eating.
3. Assemble ingredients I know will work together.
4. Wing it.

Does this approach sometimes limit me? Yes.
Do I sometimes make mistakes? Yes.
Are the mistakes almost always tasty? Yes

My improvisation approach at the piano or organ is similar. I decide on a framework to work within I know works, and I explore the framework as I go. Limiting myself to the framework ensures that anything I do will be workable, so I don't worry about making "mistakes." Sure, I sometimes make a mental note not to do a particular something again, but everything works out because I always know where I am and where I am going.

I don't fear limits. I enjoy the challenge they present. Limits force me to know, understand, and love my tools. Limits present me with the world of the familiar, in which I explore, discover, and make tasty, tasty mistakes.