Academy of LDS Print Music

Friday, 19 November 2010

Christmas Postludes and Sussex Carol went to press today—also reprint orders for Jenny Oaks Baker's Violin Collection No. 1 plus some some chorals. The pressure is easing somewhat in Editorial. I only have one more Christmas choral to get out for the demo—Gordon Jessop's While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks—and I am half finished with that. I have a dozen non-Christmas items to get to print. I am also developing a new small choral assortment for Easter.

We met with a dozen composers Tuesday night at Goodwoods Barbecue Co. at the University Mall to visit and networfk over dinner. It was a nice evening with Chemain Evans, Jan Underwood Pinborough, Penelope Moody Allen, Amy Baugh Hansen, C. C. Cole Edwards, Peggy Pearson, Janice Kapp Perry, Marden Pond, Brent Jorgensen, Clark Edwards, and others—a good time to review new works and to catch up witb with these influential writers’ lives.

We discussed forming an Academy of LDS Print Music which would be a means of recognizing outstanding contributions to our industry.

On the Line

Sunday, 8 August 2010

In the Orem Canyon View 6th Ward today, Bishop Mella and Adam Millington sang Rachel Goates' "Teach Me to Walk / Love Is Spoken Here" medley. Though this piece is a two part CHOIR number, it worked extremely well as a duet. I was surprised by its emotional impact.

Writing Arrangements

31 March 2010

I received a letter today which I think will be useful for LDS composers:

From Timothy Johnson:
     Aloha Jerry,
    I've studied music composition for the past several years and regularly arrange for choir, solo voice, string solos and orchestra. My works are performed regularly for BYUH Devotionals and my pieces have been performed all over the world by BYU Choirs.
     If I was to submit some music to Jackman what sort of pieces are most likely to be considered for publication?
     Mahalo,
     Timothy Max Johnson
--

Dear Mr. Johnson,

     Our business is very much time-oriented. It requires a constant flow of new material and we publish many new works a week—mostly choral.

     Today, I need a simple, thoughtful, original piece for ward choir to complete our March ChoralClub offering. If I find something appropriate, it will be at the printer by tonight.

     I have viewed your compositions (great idea, by the way, sending us YouTube links). These are very good arrangements, but they don't come across as being new. Each of the first two hymns have been arranged so many times. We have many editions of each. We are not going to accept another setting except that it be viciously distinct and different. This means that it has over 50% new and original MELODY content. Think of Bach's "Jesu Joy..." as an example of a vicious new melodic approach to hymn arranging. The arrangement itself is more familiar than the chorale tune it is based on. Excellent modern works in this category are Mack Wilberg's "Lead, Kindly Light" and A. Laurence Lyon's "True to the Faith".

     Another way to get in is to offer excellent arrangements which are TIMELY. We don't have a new Father's Day piece yet, for example, which we need tomorrow. We also need tidy little pieces for ward choir with piano accompaniment for Summer—Pioneer, Patriotic themes (for the vacation choir—limited numbers—nothing more dense than S.A.B.) We don't need works containing organ at the moment and we are swamped with instrumental projects.

JACKMAN MUSIC CORPORATION

Jerry R. Jackman

Senior Editor / CEO