Arms of an Angel
Hymnal ~ SATB

Bread of the World, in Mercy Broken
Hymnal ~ SATB

Every Sinner Has a Future
Hymnal ~ SATB

Extra Alleluia
Hymnal ~ SATB

Fishes & Loaves
Hymnal ~ SATB

For the Bread Which We Have Broken (minor)
Hymnal ~ SATB

For the Bread Which We Have Broken (major)
Hymnal ~ SATB

Forty Days and Forty Nights
Hymnal ~ SATB

Golden Pathway
Hymnal ~ SATB

He Gave His Son
Hymnal ~ SATB

It's Christmas Time Somewhere
Hymnal ~ SATB

Kyrie Eleison
Hymnal ~ SATB

Let It Go
Hymnal ~ SATB

Lord, We Would Have Heard You
Hymnal ~ SATB

More Will Be Revealed
Hymnal ~ SATB

My Flesh Is Food Indeed
Hymnal ~ SATB

Next Best Thing
Hymnal ~ SATB

O Come, Thou Prince of Peace
Hymnal ~ SATB

One More Soul in Heaven Tonight
Hymnal ~ SATB

Open Up the Doors
Hymnal ~ SATB

Take Me Down to the Riverside
Hymnal ~ SATB

There Is a Balm in Gilead
Hymnal ~ SATB

The hymns in the songbook Open Up the Doors are presented in leadsheet form, commonly used by jazz and popular musicians. Leadsheets present the essential elements of lyric, melody, chord changes and structure. While leadsheets may be sufficient for musical settings which are improvisatory or spontaneous, they are often confusing for classically prepared musicians and choristers who are accustomed to a literal realization of these elements.

The custom of many accompanists is to expect standard piano/vocal sheet music. Organists may be accustomed to hymnal four-part voicing in bass and treble clefs. Choirmasters and choruses may be accustomed to full SATB (Soprano~Alto~Tenor~Bass) presentations on separate staves, perhaps additionally with a keyboard or orchestral accompaniment.

It is the composer's desire to make this music as widely available and accessible as possible, and to that end, ultimately to offer full realizations in these various versions. Thusfar, hymnal and SATB renderings have been prepared.

Presented in leadsheet form, the hymns in the songbook are pitched in keys commonly used by guitar players. For these versions, several of the keys have been changed to accomodate typical choral vocal ranges.

As a footnote, commonly in the Baroque period, keyboard parts were merely notated with a figured bass, a bass part to which Arabic numbers have been added to indicate the intervals of the accompanying harmonies (also known as thoroughbass). In a sense, they were leadsheets. While the soloist or ensemble would read literal parts, the accompanist would read from the cello or bassoon part so notated, and improvise the rendering of the harmonies with figurations, motives and counter-melodies. In the modern era, most of these parts have been formally transcribed and fixed, and few modern classical players are comfortable working merely from a thoroughbass.

The downloads are in .pdf format, derived from the notational software Finale 2012. By special arrangement, composer may be willing to share copies of the source files for the leadsheet, hymnal and/or SATB versions.


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©2014, Fletcher Clark
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rev. 1/6/14