Benedictions

[averygoodun42]

So, I'm trying my hand at adapting a simple Shaker farewell song to our UU purposes. I think wordwise I'm doing relatively well (not perfect by any means, but well), but musically... It is obviously not my forte. Not to mention I have no idea how to transcribe the rhythm, which is slightly different from the original hymn (seeing as I'm crap at singing in 6/4 without lots of guidance).

I think what I've got goes beyond being simple and borders on simplistic. Although it does flow a bit more cohesively...

Anyway, the words are very simple, indeed:

Farewell, farewell
Wherever you go, wherever you dwell,
Peace will be with you
Farewell

In peace we leave
With love we live
Farewell, farewell.


The original words:

Farewell, farewell,
wherever you go, wherever you dwell,
Mother will be with you,
farewell.

And we all Brethren and Sisters
kindly bid you farewell
Loving Kindred farewell.
Loving Kindred Farewell.

I like the original words quite a lot, but a) the wording is kind of old-fashioned, and b) musically, the second stanza is a separate song. It's easier to write new music and words to correspond with the first stanza than to adapt the original second verse's words to the original music.

Right now I have the first stanza to the original score except for the last 'farewell' which I've changed from going from E down to C to E to D.

I have no idea how to write this, but it's in C maj:

Fare-well, Fare-well          E-D, E-D
Where-ev-er you go,         E-G-A G G,
Where-ev-er you dwell     E-G-E C E
Pe-eace be-e with you     E-D C-D E E
Fare-well                             E-C

And we all Breth-ren and Sis-ters      G G C A-F A G-G
kind-ly bid you fare-well                       E-E E C E-C
Lov-ing Kind-red, fare-well.                 C-D E-G, E-C
Lov-ing Kind-red, fare-well.                 C-D E-G, E-C


What I've come up with so far...

Fare-well, Fare-well          E-D, E-D
Where-ev-er you go,         E-G-A G G,
Where-ev-er you dwell     E-G-E C E
Pe-ace be-e with you     E-D C-D E E
Fare-well                             E-D

In peace we leave  (going up)   E G A C
With love we live      (down)       G E D C
Fare-well, fare-well.                    E-D, E-C


What do ya think?  Any suggestions?  And remember that keeping it simple is key.  The congregation has to sing it.

In other segments of life, I've made a bit of progress on exchange fic (finished the last chapter and started the next), so that's good.  I made a vat of spaghetti sauce to have without spaghetti.  It is quite good (although I did add salt.  But only about 3/4 tsp for 8 qts!).  I have given up and started using vit E on my face.  Too soon to tell whether it'll help the enflamed, scarred areas, but the zits are responding weil (or to my liking, anyway).   I've also determined that I need way more fat in my diet than I'm used to.  An avacado a day seems to make my rashes go away.  Well, maybe only half an avacado.  Have I mentioned that this is not a cheap diet?

Went picture hunting this evening, but it was too late for really good pics, I was cold, and the cemetary isn't at its peak yet.  Another few days should get it to its full glory, and then I will bundle myself up for a nice leisurely walk through the park.  However, yesterday evening we stopped at the store on the plateau and were just in time to see a really quite spectacular rainbow.  It wasn't the boldest or the best rainbow I've ever seen, but it was so incredibly detailed!  Not only was it a double, but the inner arch was trying to double up itself!  I tried taking some pictures, but the camera didn't really like the rain all that much.  And the video I captured of the clouds floating into it (it was so fake!) has disappeared into the ether, so I can't capture a frame from that, either.  But it was beautiful and lovely and the sky on the other side was yellow.  Golden yellow.  And then, driving home, the clouds turned mauve while the visible sky was cyan.  With little highlights of fuschia cloudlings here and there.

'Twas a lovely evening, anyway.

And we also went to the library yesterday.  I returned my mostly unread books and picked up four more, although two of them are books on Shaker music, so they shouldn't count.  The other two books will be read as time permits, although I've already finished the first third of the bigger one.  Gotta love pulp fiction.  :-D

Anyway, it's late and I'm finally getting sleepy so I'll sign off now, sending and receiving vibes of good cheer.

Comments

[millennia2.livejournal.com]

I played around with the music just a little and here is what I've come up with. I am in no way muscial and have very limited piano skills. I've also added a couple of measures at the end. If you don't like it, I won't be offended.

Fare-well (E, D) Fare-well (E, D) Where-ev-er you go (E, G, A, G, F) Where-ever you dwell (E, G, F, E, D) Pe-ace be-e with you (E, D, c, D, E, E) Fare-well (E, D)

In peace we leave (up - E, G, A, C) With love we live (down - G, E, D, C) Fare-well Fare-well (E, D, E, C) Fare-well, my friend (E, D, E, D, E, F, D, C)

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

I didn't ever get out the keyboard to plunk out your version until last night, right before choir, but thank you! I like it very much.

We'll see what the choir director does with them. I gave him the original and all the versions, so perhaps next week he'll have something for us. :-)

[millennia2.livejournal.com]

I messed up the last couple of lines, it should be: Fare-well Fare-well (E, D, E, D) Fare-well, my friend (E, F, D, C)