A Twice-Yearly Spiritual Delight

Two times a year I sit in my comfy reclining chair at home, or go to an LDS meetinghouse, to see live broadcasts of LDS General Conference. This is a Must-See event in my life.

President Thomas S. Monson

It's a chance to gain knowledge and spiritual renewal at the feet of living prophets and other leaders of my church.

I get to hear glorious music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and other choirs made up of members of the church from the urban Utah areas.

 

For me, it's a time for reflection, a time to ground myself once again, a time to weep, to rejoice, to feel the Spirit of God, and to resolve to become a better person.

How about you? Will you join me this weekend, October 4th and 5th, for an uplifting series of meetings that will bring joy into your life?

Independence Day - July 4, 2014

Happy Fourth of July!

This is the day on which we celebrate the beginning of this, the most remarkable nation on earth. Courageous men signed their names to a powerful document, pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, to tell a king halfway around the world that they were through with his tyranny and were prepared to put all of the above on the line to back up their convictions.

I so admire the bravery of John Hancock, who boldly wrote his name so large that King George couldn't possibly miss it. These men meant what they said in signing that document.

And so, in honor of that document, the Declaration of Independence, I give you the most joyful, triumphant sound I know, The Gaither Vocal Band singing our National Anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner:

An Old Birthday Song

A couple of days ago I was doing something or other on the Internet and ended up on a site that had a question about the origin of an old birthday song that the person's grandmother had taught them.

That person furnished the words, and I recognized them. Our family had used the song for generations, ever since my childhood. I answered that I didn't know where the song came from, but that we all knew and used it at birthday celebrations.

Someone else asked if there was some way to share the music. I answered that I would try to do something about that.

I've decided that the song is probably long out of copyright, if any existed in the first place. I've spent a lot of time and effort searching for it, and it does not appear to be available anywhere.

Well, of course I've spent several hours playing around with this shiny project: first writing down the music with my songwriting software, saving it in both audible and visible formats, then trying to figure out how to share them.

I discovered a way.

Here is an mp3 file to download of what I'm calling Old Birthday Song. Our family appended the traditional Irving Berlin birthday song to the end of it, and since that one is tightly held, I'm not including more than two bars to get you started.

Here is a pdf file of Old Birthday Song to download so that you will have the words to learn. It's best to use the print icon in the source, not your nifty keyboard shortcut.

I hope you will be able to use this song with your family, and that it becomes a tradition in your celebrations. Enjoy!

By the way, if I'm wrong about there being no copyright, the song will go away from here.

EDITED 01-08-2014:

NEW INFORMATION. "A Very Happy Birthday," credited to Beth Marchant, was published in the January, 1949, issue of "The Children's Friend" magazine. A box to the side says, "A NEW BIRTHDAY SONG. This birthday song is suggested for Primaries in place of the Primary Penny Song."

In 2008, my sister's daughter-in-law discovered this in the BYU Library, and acquired a photo image of the page, which she sent to my sister. I just received the image.

Although the words as I remembered them are just slightly different from the original, I used a different time signature and eighth notes instead of quarter notes, and a couple of the notes are not the same, I find it interesting that I pitched it in the original key!

Just a little something blood-stirring for this day

Why I'm a Mormon

I can listen to a Prophet of God every six months. 

Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

At last! Chocolate Roses Review

Back on July 23rd, I mentioned that I would be part of Joan Sowards' blog tour for her latest novel, Chocolate Roses, on August 2nd. I also gave the list of bloggers, and the prizes and rules linked to the blog tour contest.

Since then, I left home for a writers retreat, during which my brother-in-law died. Due to those unfortunate circumstances, needing to leave home to attend the funeral, and a misreading of the calendar, I missed my blogging date. Be that what it may, I'm here, and so is my review.

I'm sure you've all read the back cover blurb of Chocolate Roses, are familiar with the story of Jane Eyre, have been following the other bloggers' revews, and making comments to enter the contest for the two copies of the novel and the apron the author made. If not, when I'm through, you may go do those things. Be sure to leave your comments on this blog post.

Although the subtitle of Chocolate Roses is A Jane Eyre Parody, I didn't find the satiric aspects in the work that the word parody brings to my mind. I found Joan's novel to be much lighter than the original, but I would have called it a contemporary re-setting, or, given Joan's credentials as a consummate musician, an arrangement of Jane Eyre.

Extracting a simpler plot from Jane Eyre for her novel was a good trick, and Joan pulled it off. She peopled the work with interesting minor characters and sub-plots that made the whole an enjoyable read.

I liked Janie Whitaker; she was spunkier than Jane Eyre, and I found her to be in much the same circumstances as me long years ago: single and older than I thought I'd be before I found love and marriage. I'd macheted my way through many of the same emotions, and made similar bargains with God as Janie did. I'm glad she held onto her values despite the internal pressures, the gossips, and the jealousy swirling around her.

Mr. Roger Wentworth (a tip of the hat to Jane Austen?) was a genuinely good man in a tragic situation, not the brooding, older man who tried to pull the wool over the eyes of a naive young woman and the community like Mr. Rochester did. I write conflicted characters who try to do the right thing, so I liked him, too.

I like satisfying endings.

I like chocolate.

What's not to like in this novel? Go buy it.

Walnut Springs, the publisher of this novel, provided a copy to me. It in no way influenced my review, because I had already bought the novel for myself, with all intentions to read it anyway.

Let All My Life Be Music (An Offer)

The above is the title of a song of yesteryear. Not the (An Offer) part, just the words before that. I loved the song. At one time I thought about having it sung someday at my funeral. I thought it would always apply to me, and define who I was.

A funny thing for a writer to claim, right? Maybe not. Many creative talents go hand-in-hand in creative persons. Music, art, photography, writing, serious crafting, pottery-making . . . Writers of my acquaintance also make use of those talents in their lives, as a business or for pleasure.

Yeah, yeah, Marsha, but what does that have to do with you?

Quite a lot, actually. I started life in a musical family, and music performance has played a big role throughout my growing years and into my adult years. I've served in my church as a musician since I was 14 years old. Pretty much continuously. I studied theory, composition, and appreciation, both in high school and college. I played viola in high school and college, as well as majoring in vocal performance. I've sung in college, church, and semi-professional groups, and soloed with the Tempe Symphony Orchestra, as well as at thousands of church, school, and local events. I've sung opera, Broadway musical pieces (off Broadway--wa-a-ay off Broadway), art songs, sacred music, and a whole range of others. In fact, I was on the operatic track until Life Happened. Yeah, music has been there for a long time.

Get to the point, Marsha.

I've dabbled a bit in music composition and arranging. Lately that endeavor has sprung up and smacked me in the face, to the extent that for the last two nights, I've been awake until 6 a.m. working on pieces. I've done four this year. One has been performed already. A couple of them are still works in progress. Last night's effort came to me as I was ready to go to bed, and it flowed so cleanly that I've only been making slight changes as I've checked the work on my keyboard. Now I know how Mozart felt. Not that I'm in his pay grade, but the feeling must be the same for the amateur as for the icon.

The current work is an original musical setting of Folliott S. Pierpoint's lyrics known as FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH, written for three-part mixed voices, that is SAB. I wrote it specifically for my church choir, which is very small, and often (make that almost always) lacks tenors. There is no LDS (Mormon) doctrine embedded in the work; it is suitable for church, civic, or school groups, depending on your community.

For a a limited time this summer, I am going to make the piece available for free to several choir directors via portable document format (.pdf) or Finale .mus file, with certain conditions.

• You let me know what type (church, civic, school, etc.) and how large a choir you direct;
• You make sufficient copies of the music for your choir and accompanist, and no one else;
  
• The piece is not to be shared in any way with others, except through your performance of the work (no giving the sheet music, files, or audio to your Aunt Betty for her choir's use);
• You perform the piece within one year;
  
• You give me feedback on several points that will be explained to you who participate.

I may be reached through the regular channels if you know me, or at marshaw@marshaward.com, or by U.S. postal service at Marsha Ward, P O Box 53, Payson AZ 85547.

I will let you all know here when I have received requests from sufficient choir directors, so you won't have to get in touch with me in vain about participating.

Thank you.

Yes, it's a New Look!

Blogger has added a lot of nifty gadgets to the whole blogging experience, and I'm excited to take part in this beauteous makeover. I've started with a new template for a new look. It wasn't until after I had already chosen this color scheme and variation on the "Simple" theme that I noticed the well-laden bookcases showing along the sides. What serendipity!

I'm looking forward to forging onward with the story of Marie Owen. One of my writing organizations is holding a "Week of Writing" or WoW this coming week, and although I haven't told the organizer yet, I intend to take part. Here's to many good words spilling forth during the days ahead.

In other creative endeavor news, a few weeks back, my church's choir sang a hymn that I arranged. What a thrill that was! I'm going to continue arranging and writing music, now that I've installed and learned a little about a great notation program I bought a while back. It's far superior to the one I had before.

Aside from my adventures in the legal system as a member of a county grand jury--that's not a bad thing, mind you--I've been pretty much a stay-at-home lately. I need all the hours I can get to do all I have on my plate. I did accomplish a task today that's been hanging fire for a while, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. I'm also looking forward to a Writer's Retreat in a couple of weeks. That will be fun, and I hope restorative, and fruitful on the word count side.

On Tuesday, I'll have another book review. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation

Every year, children in the LDS Church's Primary have a different gospel theme upon which their singing and sharing times revolve. During one hour of their two-hour Sunday meeting, youngsters from ages three through twelve learn songs, give talks, and receive messages about that theme. Then, towards the end of the year, they share what they have learned with their parents and other members of the congregation in what is known as the "Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation," or CSMP, for short. The 2009 theme is "My Eternal Family."

Even though my children are all grown, it never ceases to thrill me when my congregation's children put on their program. Their small but sturdy testimonies, their sweet voices, and their steadfast determination to do their very best bring a lump to my throat every year.

Having served many past years in the Primary, I find myself mouthing the words to familiar songs, as though I could help the children with a little boost of memory when they falter. I listen to new songs, giving heed to the gospel message in a song possibly created just for this year's theme. I thrill to hear the well-loved hymn, "How Firm a Foundation" coming with fervor and belief through young lips. The year's theme was summed up very nicely in the final song: "Families Can Be Together Forever."

Members of my church believe God has ordained that temples be built upon the earth where sacred ordinances can be performed to link individuals in eternal bonds to their ancestors, their earthly families, and to their descendants, as well.

Questions? Go to www.mormon.org for answers.

Today's Song

Most mornings, I wake up "with a song in my heart," and often it's a sacred hymn. Those mornings are delightful.

Some mornings, I wake up with a sing endlessly repeating in my brain, just like an earwig put it there. That's today.

"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday; are the days, are the days, are the days of the week." Repeat.

Then repeat some more.

What is that anyway? Sesame Street? The Electric Company?

Sheesh!

Susan Boyle

Those two words will henceforth, always and forever, mean excellence, grace under pressure, and poise in the face of mockery.

http://twurl.nl/v0twq8

(on 4-16-09: more than 12.3 million views! Go SUSAN!!!)

Of Melodramas and Mountain Storms

The last week of June, our small church congregation puts on an old timey melodrama for the surrounding communities. It's a lot of fun, and I've enjoyed my participation onstage in the past.

This year, I was content to take part in the background: distributing free tickets for the four performances, and playing the piano for "The Old Cookie Shop, or Nellie Was a Baker 'Cause She Kneaded the Dough." Soon I'm sure I won't be able to play "Sweet Annie O'Grady" in my sleep, or wake up hearing a barbershop arrangement of "Coney Island Baby" playing in my brain. I'll simply revert to Marsha Ward, the community hermit and writer.

And I'll be turning off my computer a lot more than in other seasons. How is it that I forgot our summer lightning storms that seem to blow up without warning? To preserve my data and prevent a catastrophic computer wipeout, I'll be closing down all my programs early each afternoon instead of leaving my baby running for weeks at a time. I'll have to write down on a pad what I was working on, or my ADD will keep me from remembering what tasks I need to complete. Oh well. That's just one of the complications of summertime in the mountains.

I Love Being a . . .

Of course you expect me to fill in the last word of that declaration, and it should be "Writer," yes? Of course I am a writer. And of course I love it.

But, last night I had a little blip. My inner musician surfaced and caused me to lose sleep.

I blame it on the music in my head.

This is the week I'm supposed to finish up all the little corrections on my book and send it off to a certain publisher, right? Well, instead I've spent at least two days checking out blogs and doing research on the Internet--but not anything relevant to my book or my next novel. I've been downloading MIDI files of patriotic songs.

Why? you ask (and I do, too).

Because I bought this music program several years ago that I've put off installing on my computer. It's notation software, for writing down/printing off any musical compositions or arrangements I might have lurking in my head (and they've been coming out lately!). I had the notation software, and I have this electronic keyboard, plus a cable thingie to hook it up so I could play and see the notes appear on screen. At least that was the plan. For someday.

I opened the cable thingie last week and discovered that my new computer doesn't have the 15-pin joystick interface I needed to attach it. Bummer! I found a USB powered interface on the Internet, ordered it, received it, opened it (discovering that the manual is not there, but I think I can figure out how to install it), and it's still sitting near my computer. Waiting for someday.

Late last week I installed the notation software and let the icon sit on my desktop. I even moved it around a bit, but I didn't open it. You see, I have this novel to finish!

Well, last night I remembered that I'd left my dial-up connection open, and returned from watching "Deadliest Catch," to check my email.

That's when everything went to heck!

I OPENED THE PROGRAM!

Not only did I open the program and discover that when I opened the MIDI files in it, I could see the notation guts of the songs--some in up to seven tracks--I scrounged around and found some long-ago-written music and entered it into the program.

Do you know how alluring hearing your music played flawlessly on a piano, or a church organ, or by a string ensemble, is?

Sheesh! I didn't get into bed until 5 a.m. this morning.

AND MY NOVEL STILL ISN'T FINISHED! Yes, I'm yelling, but it's at myself. Today I'm headed for the library with my laptop and flashdrive to get away from the music so I can finish those last little changes.

Did I ever tell you how badly I can get distracted? It's the ADD.

The Music in My Head

For some reason, I've been waking up lately with a song going through my head.

You know, the sort of annoying thing that stays with you throughout the day?

Yes. That kind of thing. Well, I noticed it right away when the song was "Bringing in the Sheaves." I know this is a hymn sung by various Christian denominations, but I never really learned it, as it's not commonly used in LDS services. I thought maybe it was because I recently had seen the film, 3 Amigos, which features the song in one of the final scenes.

The next day, the same song floated through my head with the rising sun.

And the next day.

And the next.

I tried to think if it had any significance in my life. Was I going to be called on a mission? Did I need to upgrade my food storage?

The next day the song changed. Now it was "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." In light of the recent change in LDS Church leadership due to the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley, I figured that was appropriate.

The song changed again. Yesterday. "The Star Spangled Banner."

Let's see. What is the nearest patriotic holiday? Flag Day is in June, but that's a couple of months away. Then there's the Fourth of July after that. But Francis Scott Key's poem, "Defence of Fort McHenry," was written in September, during the War of 1812.

Aha! Someone sent me an email claiming that Barack Obama doesn't like our current national anthem and would change it--if he had his druthers--to something less . . . patriotic, like, "I Want to Teach the World to Sing." Yikes!

I did find out the fact is that was a creation of a humorous columnist, so I got hoaxed. The mere thought of changing out a song dear to the heart of the majority of Americans (even though it's difficult to sing) must have sent my brain into spasms.

At any rate, I want to let you all know how much I revere this beautiful anthem. Whether it's sung in a ballpark or stadium, at a picnic, at a display of fireworks, or in a church service, the majesty of its music and profound words touches my heart and brings out deep emotion. It is my fondest hope that we, as Americans, will do our part so that ever and ever, until the Lord shall come, "the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Sunday Musings

Today dawned cold and with drifting snowflakes. I thought, Oh goody, we're going to get that snowstorm the weatherman promised. Well, that didn't happen. We had intermittent flurries during church, but nothing stuck to the ground. Now at 11 p.m. we still don't have anything happening. I am grateful for my warm coat, though. The house was icy when I returned. It took a while to warm up, and the coat served me well.

It was branch conference today. For those not of the LDS faith, it's a once-a-year occasion in the local congregation when the next-higher tier (stake) leaders--both the ecclesiastical and auxiliary leaders--come and give the lessons. The stake president also gives a talk in the worship service. These lessons and talks contain insights the leaders want to share with us, and encouragement for further advancement in faith during the coming year.

Our choir leader choose a special arrangement of a well-beloved hymn for the choir to prepare and present. Mind you, our choir generally consists of about ten people. The arrangement she chose was written for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of over three hundred singers. Most of the choir members don't really read music, especially the men. The Mack Wilberg version of the hymn is quite complex, including several key changes, and eight voice parts at the end.

Well. We don't have any tenors to speak of, and eight parts into ten people generally leaves 1+ person per part. Our chapel isn't huge, so that's okay. It wasn't volume that concerned me. I worried about our ability to render the arrangement in any recognizable fashion. Not that amateur singing was my paramount concern. I know that the spirit the choir brings to the congregation's worship experience is much more important than whether or not a few sour notes get produced. I worried that Lynn would be disappointed, that the choir would feel deflated, or that God would not accept our puny efforts to do the arrangement justice.

Why do I bother to worry? Lynn did her due diligence to recruit visitors and more people from the branch to sing today. Some had practiced with us a time or two; others had not. The results: awe-inspiring!

The sound was full--angels must have joined us, as they have in the past. The spirit of God was in the performance. I felt it so strongly that when I sat down I cried for the overwhelming sense of love it brought. I'm crying now as I recall it.

The hymn?

"The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning."

The World Has a New Prophet

From the Newsroom at LDS.org

Thomas S. Monson Named 16th Church President

SALT LAKE CITY

4 February 2008

Thomas S. Monson is the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was announced today at a news conference in the Church Office Building. President Monson, 80, succeeds President Gordon B. Hinckley, who died 27 January.

President Thomas S. Monson

The new world leader of the Church has called to serve with him in the First Presidency, the top governing body of the 13-million-member faith, President Henry B. Eyring, 74, first counselor, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 67, second counselor.

President Henry B. Eyring

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

President Boyd K. Packer, 83, is the new president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be filled later.

President Boyd K. Packer

"We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet,"* and for an orderly succession in the Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

* Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, No. 19

President Gordon B. Hinckley, 1910 - 2008

Last night, President Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a Prophet of God, was called by that God to come home.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marjorie. I have no doubt that their reunion was joyous and beautiful.

I have a sweet memory of President Hinckley. Sometime in 1969, while I was serving as a missionary in the Colombia-Venezuela Mission, President Hinckley visited the mission headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, in his capacity of the apostle overseeing the work in South America. We had a zone conference, and he asked that I sing "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words to Each Other." I don't know who told him I was a singer--perhaps he knew it by the Spirit. In fact, I had been a vocal soloist for many years, and had performed both in church services, and at college and civic organizations. That request, however, was a sacred responsibility to me, and one I took as a great honor. It is now a precious memory.

Writing today

I had a chance to go to the library today, and I took it. I made my goal in editing and writing, and enjoyed the warmth. The novel is getting closer to the end. I can hardly wait to see how it comes out.

Just kidding. I do know how it turns out. It's finding out how that is accomplished that is sometimes a surprise.

I thought Aura Lee would be the song the male character sings, but I've decided on Annie Laurie, instead. It can be modified to suit the character's purpose much easier. Also, that song has some personal good memories attached, so it's doubly exciting to put it to good use.

Brrrrrrr!

It's been quite cold this week, and I've been struggling to keep my fingers warm enough to work on everything I have to do. Several web pages have needed my attention, it's membership renewal time for ANWA, and I've tried to blog every day. I tried cutting the tips off a pair of gloves last winter, but I've mislaid them, so I rub my hands together a lot.

:-)

My very low goal of tackling my Work In Progress for an hour every day seems to be working for me, though. Except for three days over the weekend that encompassed a bad eye day, I've edited or written for at least an hour a day since January 7th. Giving myself permission to do this work at such a low level has kept my spirits up and my story progressing. I know I can remain undistracted for an hour.

I include research in that hour. I've been looking for the perfect Civil War-era love song for the story. Aura Lea may be what I need.

Now the sun has gone down, and it's almost too cold to type, so I'm calling it a day. Check my Work in Progress Report for my, well, progress each day. This novel will be finished soon!

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

My friend, author Randall Platt, sent me a poem that describes my situation so exactly as Christmas approaches each year, that I asked her if I could share. Being the publicity-savvy writer that she is, she instantly agreed. Herewith is the poem, and the link to her awesome website is below.

O CHRISTMAS CARD!
(to be sung to the tune of O Christmas Tree)

O CHRISTMAS CARD, O CHRISTMAS CARD,
I FEEL SOME APPREHENSIONS.
O CHRISTMAS CARD, O CHRISTMAS CARD,
I REALLY HAD GOOD INTENTIONS.

I BOUGHT THE STAMPS, I BOUGHT THE CARDS,
BUT I CAN’T BUY TIME TO SEND REGARDS.
O CHRISTMAS CARD, O CHRISTMAS CARD,
I REALLY HAD GOOD INTENTIONS.

O CHRISTMAS SPAM. O CHRISTMAS SPAM.
I REALLY LOVE THIS EMAIL.
O CHRISTMAS SPAM, O CHRISTMAS SPAM,
SO EASY ON MY TIME SCALE.

I EMAIL YOU, YOU EMAIL ME,
WE SAVE THE EARTH, WE SAVE A TREE.
O CHRISTMAS SPAM, O CHRISTMAS SPAM,
IT’S FILLED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS!

Randall's website: http://www.plattbooks.com/

The Christmas Tree photo is courtesy of Wendy Bumgardner, About.com Walking Guide http://walking.about.com.