Week of 28 December 2015

29 December 2015
          While working on back-list restorations today, I started new engravings for Robert Manookin’s choral setting of Beautiful Savior. It hasn't sold well, but it is an important part of his history, and I have decided not to let it go to “download only”. He wrote the arrangement in response to an invitation from Jerold Ottley and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the 1980s. It is chromatic and a bit challenging to the ear—probably one of the first in that series. He mellowed greatly later on—calling the process ”repentance.”

Current Needs

Jackman Music Corporation

2015 Manuscript Submission Schedule

Deadline: January 12, 2015

1.           Hymn Arrangement - Meditation

2.           Hymn Arrangement - SAB

3.           Hymn Arrangement - SSA

4.          Hymn Medley - SAB

5.          Hymn Opener - SATB (Stake Conference)

6.           Original Sacred - 2 Part

7.           Original Sacred - SAB

8.           Original Sacred - SATB

9.           Original Sacred (Women's Chorus)

10.       Original Sacred  (Men's Chorus)

Deadline: April 12, 2015

11.       Christmas Cantata - 25 minutes in length

12.       Christmas Carol Arrangement - SAB

13.       Christmas Carol Arrangement - SAB

14.       Christmas Carol Arrangement - SSA

15.       Christmas Carol Medley

16.       Christmas Opener - SATB

17.       Christmas Original - SA

18.       Christmas Original - SAB

19.       Christmas Original - SATB

20.       Christmas Original - SATB

21.       Thanksgiving Meditation - SAB

22.       Thanksgiving Opener - SATB

23.       Christmas Original or Arrangement (Men's Chorus)

Deadline: June 12, 2015
24.       R.S. Birthday Celebration - SSA

25.       Stake Conference - Faith, Scripture based, Prayer, Trust

Deadline: October 5, 2015

26.           Easter Medley (or Hymn Arrangement)

27.           Easter Opener (Resurrection)

28.           Father's Day - Family Proclamation - Children Songbook

29.           Mother's Day - Family Proclamation - Children Songbook

30.           Original Easter  (Meditation)

Deadline: December 15, 2015

31.           Patriotic (use in Sacrament Meeting)

32.           Pioneer (use in Sacrament Meeting)

33.           Sacred Song Arrangement

34.           Temple piece

35.           Testimony piece (like "This Is the Christ")

36.      Young Women Theme 2014 - SA

Determining Availability

I received a letter from my good friend, Rickey Shirley about use of a specific hymn in an arrangement which he submitted for publishing. Here is clarification which I hope it will be useful  to all arrangers:
Jerry Jackman

  Rickey,

  One clarification—be cautious when using the

  creation date of a piece as a determination as to

  its availability. That has only an indirect impact on the issue. 

  A composer would have had to be no older than 19 when

  he died in order for his piece, created in 1923 to

  be available now. You see, it is his DEATH date that

  determines when a piece passes into Public Domain,
  not when the piece was written or

  published. Otherwise, he could be 89 years old

  today, and the seventy years protection of his work

  would still not have kicked in.

  The only possible further consideration is when

  his piece was copyrighted in or before

  1927—that copyright renewed in 1956, and finally

  expired and passed into Public Domain in 1984.
  The next year, 1985, the new

  copyright law went into effect and extended

  protection to the later issues of writer's entire lifetime,
  PLUS seventy years.

  I publish the works of people now who were born

  before 1923, who are STILL living.

  Remember that the copyright now extends for a long,

  long time, and only if the writer has been DEAD,

  now, since before 1942 can we consider using their

  work at all—well, at least without permission.

  Fun stuff, isn't it?—Research, I mean.

  Jerry

General needs

The bottom line way we look

at submissions:

1)  Do we need a piece for a ChoralClub obligation?

2)  Does it fill a niche for our demo recording?

3)  Has it been arranged before?

4)  Is it unusually distinctive?

5)  Is it needed for General Conference or some other

      large event?

Here are specific needs we have at the moment:

JACKMAN MUSIC CORPORATION

Choral Music Manuscript Needs for 2012

1.              Christmas Cantata (like Christmas: A Carol Cantata)

2.              Essential Ward Choir, Vol. 1 - SATB - Arr. Brent Jorgensen

3.              It Came upon the Midnight Clear - SATB - Arr. Carson Orme
3a.     Wexford Carol  SATB Smith

4.              Christmas Carol Arrangement - SSA

5.              Christmas Carol Medley

6.              Christmas Opener - SATB

7.              Christmas Original - SA

8.              Christmas Original - SAB

9.              Hear the Angels Sing - SATB, flt, piano - Kristen Allred

10.           Christmas Original - SATB

11.           Christmas Original or Arrangement - TTBB

12.           Original Easter Meditation

13.           Easter Opener

14.           Father's Day - Family Proclamation - Children Songbook

15.           Hymn Arrangement - Meditation

16.           I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go - SAB - Kristen Allred

17.           My Heavenly Father Loves Me - All Things Bright and Beautiful - SATB - Arr. Douglas Pew

18.           Jesus Savior Pilot Me - Jesus, Thou Who Wearest a Crown - SATB - Arr. Douglas Pew

19.           Hymn Opener - SATB (Stake Conference)

20.           Mother's Day - Family Proclamation - Children Songbook

21.           Original Easter ("The Gardens") - Meditation

22.           Original Sacred - SA

23.           Original Sacred - SAB

24.           Original Sacred - SATB

25.           Original Sacred - SSA

26.           All Creatures of Our God and King - TTBB, org - James C. Kasen

27.           Oh, Beautiful for Spacious Skies / Onward Christian Soldiers

               SATB - Arr. Jackie Frost Halversen

28.           Pioneer (Heritage)

29.           R.S. Birthday Celebration - SSA

30.           Sacred Song Choral Arr. (Like, but not O Divine Redeemer)*

31.           Stake Conference - Faith, Scripture based, Prayer, Trust

32.           Temple piece

33.           Testimony piece (like "This Is the Christ")

34.           Missionary Work Piece

35.           Thanksgiving Opener

36.           Thanksgiving: Because I Have Been Given Much/For the Beauty

               SATB - Arr. Jackie Frost Halversen

37.           Young Women Theme - SA  Standards)

* Check catalog listing for duplications. Submissions must be original, free from copyright restrictions, or Public Domain (i.e. a hymn written by someone dead for at least 70 years.)

Current Production List

JACKMAN MUSIC CORPORATION

Summer Choral Production List

as of 28 July 2015

JAN 2015

___ #01507  What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?  Hinckley & Perry

___ #01656  He Watching Over Israel - Mendelssohn/Jackman

___ #01454  Glory to God on High - SATB - Steven Spiel

FEB 2015

___ #00719  Come unto Christ - Renae Eldridge - SSAATB

___ #01458  Nearer, Dear Savior to Thee - SATB - Arr. Ann Kapp Andersen

___ #01518  God Loved Us So He Sent - TTBB - Arr. McDavitt

MAR 2015     

___ #01379  The Advent of Emmanuel - Oratorio - by Rob Millett

___ #00460  Thine Own Way - SATB - by Rickey Shirley

___ #01484  If You Could Hie to Heaven - SATB - Arr. Gordon Jessop

___ #01762  Jesus in a Manger Came - SATB - Kristen Allred

___ #00986  Yes, My Native Land - SSAATTBB - Arr. James C. Kasen

APR 2015

___ #01139  American Hymn - SATB - Arr. Thomas L. Durham

___ #01572  The Savior's Smile - SATB - James K. McFerson

                         Donna & Michael Kleven

___ #01690  While Shepherds Watched - SAATTB - by S. Gordon Jessop

___ #01647  My Soul Delighteth In the Covenants - SA - Janice Kapp Perry

MAY 2015

___ #01695  Lift Up Your Voice and Sing - SA - Carson

___ #01693  Jesus the Very Thought of Thee - SB - Halversen

___ #01433  Midnight Clear - SATB - by Nathan Bigler

___ #00179  Weary Not—Come unto Jesus - SATB - Jorgensen  

JUNE/JULY 2015

___ #01697  The First Noel - SATB - by Nathan Bigler

___ #01721  Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - Eldridge

___ #01734  Thanksgiving Celebration SATB - Arr. Jorgensen

___ #01754  Missionary Medley - SSATBB - Chemain Evans

___ #00000  I Stand All Amazed - SSAATTBB - Arr. Ryan Murphy

___ #00000  Jesus Lover of My Soul - SATB - Arr. Steven Spiel

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

What we are learning

Saturday, 20 December 2009

Our annual sale just completed. The valuable part about having sale like this is that we get to see the realities. We can observe in a concentrated time which of our publications are useful and which are vain expressions of fitful fantasy.

We are facing a new year now. We still need easy pieces which are beautiful. By easy, I mean, start with unison. Add a harmony line as a change of pace, and divide to four voices, possibly, just at cadences. Texts must be expressed in the first person, i.e. like "I Need Thee Every Hour", "Abide with Me", "Because I Have Been Given Much". These hymn texts are not classic by accident.

4 June 2009

Carole and I were in Nassau, Bahamas on vacation last week, and happened to meet the Nassau branch choir director, Luicito Bazard while we were there. It interesting to compare his experience building a choir with ours. Most of the choir members have not been trained to read music. He spends time teaching parts by rote. Members often move away to school, get married, and never return. It's a constant process. He needs worthy music which can be performed by untrained voices.

Carole and I came home more dedicated to publishing accessible music constructed to the highest quality standards of art and music. We believe it will happen as we educate and become more attuned spiritually. We must take caution not to be influenced by pride and tradition.

Submission

Monday, 29 July 2015

Submitting work to Jackman Music Corporation

Manuscripts may be submitted any of in three ways:

1. email  your work formatted: Sibelius 6 or earlier, Finale 2010 or earlier, or .pdf to jackmanmc@aol.com. (Sibelius is our preference.)

2. Fax your manuscript to (801) 225-0851
3. Send a recording—mp3, or CD

4. Mail a paper copy of your work (with an SASE for return) to:

Editorial Board

JACKMAN MUSIC CORPORATION

P.O. Box 1900

Orem UT 84059-1900  USA

Points to remember

1. You are responsible to have cleared rights for any outside copyright use.

2. Contact us before arranging any hymn. More arrangements of "Come Come Ye Saints", "Oh How Lovely Was the Morning", and many others are no longer needed.

3. Check the posting "Current Needs" for specifics.

Seasons

When to Submit:

DEADLINES

Christmas music (the Baby's birth) - April 21

Piano solo books and sheet music - February 1
Easter (Resurrection) - October 1

Instrumental solos and ensembles - all year

Hints

1.  Lyric written in the first person is far more powerful than in sermon style. For example, rather than “Go ye forth...”, use “I will go forth...”.  Rather than “Harken and obey...” use “I will obey...”; etc.

2.  An hymn arrangement whose distinction lies only in its voicing, key changes, accompaniment texture, etc., is not perceived by the public as being original. It must contain at least 50% ORIGINAL MELODY. Consider J. S. Bach's hymn arrangement Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring as an example. No one remembers the hymn tune. It is Bach's flowing melodic setting which instills life in this arrangement—still recorded over and over after 286 years.

Jackman Music Corporation's mission is to the Ward Choir and families. Choral works should be SAB, SATB, SSA, or TTBB, with warm and rich rather than austere harmony. Ward Choir budgets are woefully small. They must consider carefully how they spend their funds. Consider what your ward choir is actually singing. A Psalm setting for example, though worthy, is not usually practical. 

Have your choir rehearse and perform each work you write. You will soon see the realities of choir music in the Church. Write for the simplest of Saints using your most worthy art. Please refrain from writing commandments and sermons. Instead, give us music that quiets the heart, that comforts, that inspires us to repent and change our lives. Write about the Savior and his teachings. Tell us how you feel about Him in your music.

New works needed

Thursday, 4 June 2009

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir recently presented Children of the Heavenly Father (probably arranged by Mack Wilberg). This is the type and style of the music we are looking to publish. It uses a portion of the hymn melody or an original melody as a motif which is developed and over which the simple hymn is presented. Even more powerful is an original melody set against the hymn tune and developed from beginning to the end (See Wilberg's arrangement of Lead Kindly Light).