With text taken directly from the New Testament, this song tells how the dead shall be resurrected and we shall rise together to meet the Lord at His Second Coming.
Notes / Back story
I was sitting in Sunday school the other week and Danielle was reading aloud these verses from the New Testament, and suddenly the idea for this song came into my head. After we got home I copied the verses word for word from the King James Version (except that I used the word 'precede' instead of the original 'prevent' because it's closer to the intended meaning in today's language, based on the original Greek). Then I arranged them into lines and stanzas and made up the melody line as I sang them out loud. Next, I recorded myself singing the melody line from start to finish a few times through. Now it's a week or so later I've just finished the accompaniment and recorded and mixed my final vocal tracks.
This is in the 'recitative' style, similar to what Handel uses for many of the solos in the Messiah, which is to say it's more speaking set to music than a song with lyrics.
I have never written anything like this, but it's cool to know that I can!
Lyrics
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not,
even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord
shall not precede them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God:
And the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Reference: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Visitor Comments
Attatorasleri from France ~ 2012-09-12 02:11:18 ~ Hello!
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OK so I thought this must be French...it even came from an IP address in France, but I put it into Google Translate and it didn't work. I did the 'auto-detect language' thing and guess what... it's Latin. And here's what it says:
"Web site, a used car can be used to grab. U.S. retail sales channel or the main players hated members of the basketball."
Whatever. Post approved for entertainment purposes.
~ K
Tanya from United States ~ 2011-09-09 16:26:52 ~ Woah! I didn't know what to expect, and this is not what I might have expected. ;) Very cool! I love the organ runs between "verses". The major/minor flip-flopping works here. Very nice job.
(Btw, I love Jerrold's father's comment! :)
Jerrold from United States ~ 2011-09-04 17:09:31 ~ Unfortunately the little electrons in my computer have been hijacked by the gremlins again, and I have no sound; so I can't listen, but thank you for sharing the information with me. I am amazed/mystified by the process of creating music. I enjoy music, but I know nothing about it. As my father used to say, "There should be a lot of music in me, because a lot has gone in through my ears, and none ever came back out through my mouth!"
Anon from United States ~ 2011-08-25 22:05:15 ~ Your new song is in the classic style that I love. Recitative? Anyway, it sounds like Handel or Bach to me. Wonderful.
I love both the accompaniment and the voice, and the way they fit together with each other, and the words.
Ron H. from United States ~ 2011-08-25 17:27:31 ~ Wow Kelly! Now that you have written an impressive recitative, you're going to have to write a beautiful aria to go with it.
Kathy from United States ~ 2011-08-25 14:03:17 ~ I love Handel's "Messiah" and I had no idea that anybody was still writing recitatives like this. I love it! Thanks for sharing your talents with us, Kelly. I'm gonna check out more of your stuff.
Helge Sverre from Norway ~ 2011-08-24 08:26:36 ~ Woah. the ending was impressive, you got a deep voice man, i'm not really religious but quite a nice song. one thing you should work on though is to play the music while you sing, this gives it a more "complete" sound, it sounds like you just sang over some prerecorded organ music.
Anonymous from United States ~ 2011-08-23 18:03:13 ~ Well now, that was "as cool as all get out"! Your voice is so well suited to this type of setting. Great music and of course, the words are exceptional.
The music was very supportive of the words of the scripture. It enhanced the words and made them effective in conveying the meaning. Like it a lot.