Collaboration Curve

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Linda Bonney Olin

After a two-year hiatus while I worked on other projects, my Holy GhostWriter plunked me back into hymn-writing this year, with an exciting new twist!

Thanks to Facebook groups, YouTube, and the Hymn Society in the US & Canada, I’ve connected with several composers to work on new musical settings for texts I originally published with public domain tunes and for some brand new texts. In addition, I’ve written melodies for a couple of my newest hymns, with harmonization help from Diva Daughter, Theresa Olin (aka The Inexorable Juggernaut of Music Theory).

It’s been quite a roller coaster ride, careening up, down, and around the learning curve of collaboration. I mean, it’s one thing to tweak a hundred-year-old tune written by a guy who is, shall we say, in no position to argue with my choices. It’s quite another to communicate and negotiate with a living composer who brings a different vision and style to my lyrics, and who is as new to the art of collaboration as I am. Fortunately, my HGW has blessed me with partners who possess a gracious heart as well as musical skills.

Our newest pieces are not going public yet, in order to preserve eligibility for competitions and publishers which require unpublished work. Stay tuned for those!

Meanwhile, I hope you’ll enjoy the lovely new setting written by talented young composer Jared Bernotski for my text “How Long Is the Longest Night.” Jared himself sings HLITLN, accompanied by Cade Johnson, in this video. (Lyrics below.)

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The Blizzard Doxology Snowballs

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Linda Bonney Olin

My new verse “Praise God from Whom All Blizzards Flow” was born on January 18, 2019. Two months later, winter has not yet relinquished its icy grip. We’ve run through the alphabet of storm names all the way to Winter Storm Ulmer. And that light-hearted blizzard doxology has been shared many thousands of times on social media, hopefully brightening the long, snowy season.

Snow in the air, and Linda on the air

Viral postings of the blizzard doxology led to an invitation from WWIB FM in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to join their Wake-Up Show host Caleb Svendsen for a radio interview. (My segment starts at the 2:00 mark, with Caleb’s brother Josh singing his own version of the blizzard doxology.) It was 25 below at their location when I called in, and only a little warmer here in the Susquehanna Valley. Brrr! But we had a fun chat, and we warmed up one lucky giveaway winner with a signed copy of Now Sings My Soul: New Songs for the Lord.

Singing the faith in all circumstances

God only knows how many chilly church choirs and congregations have sung the blizzard doxology, but Googling the hymn title produced a few hints.

Here’s a nice rendition by Pastor David Hewitt at King of Glory, Carmel, Indiana.

2019.01.20 | Pastor David Hewitt | Praise God From Whom All Blizzards Flow from KOGCarmel on Vimeo.

And from the little congregation of Holy Cross in Burlington, Ontario Canada:

Edit: Just found a video on Facebook from a very well-rehearsed youth choir at St. Ann Catholic Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina:

Here’s the choir of West Lebanon Congregational Church, one of the few churches in New Hampshire that braved the blizzard to hold a Sunday worship service on January 20, 2019:

And the Sanctuary Choir of All Saints Lutheran Church, ELCA in Cottage Grove, Minnesota:

A different faith song

Meanwhile, areas farther south have sung a different tune. Melting snow, heavy rain, and driving winds and tornados have caused widespread devastation. No laughing matter there. But people of faith continue to call upon the Lord to hold them close through the storm and walk with them as they struggle through the aftermath. Let’s raise prayers for their safety, still praising the God of strength and compassion.

Blessings,
Linda

A Blizzard of Praise

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Linda Bonney Olin

Music score of "Praise God from Whom All Blizzards Flow" by Linda Bonney Olin

A blizzard of shares

Last Friday I woke up to a weekend forecast calling for heavy snow and icy mixes across the Northeast. Area churches were already canceling Sunday services to keep their congregations safe at home. I’m not a fan of arctic weather. But we are called to give thanks and praise in all circumstances, even blizzards.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NRSV

So I penned a lighthearted but sincere doxology verse to fit the snowy circumstances and posted it on Facebook. Amazingly, this simple little ditty was shared and re-shared on Facebook more than 3,500 times in its first three days of existence. Churches in the USA and Canada have contacted me for permission to use it. Winter Storm Harper has come and gone, but the avalanche of interest in “Praise God from Whom All Blizzards Flow” keeps on rolling.

The tune in my score, pictured above, is LASST UNS ERFREUEN (“All Creatures of Our God and King”). My home church sings “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” to that tune (United Methodist Hymnal #94). If you are accustomed to the OLD 100th setting (UMH #95), you can sing my text to that tune by skipping the parts in parentheses. Too bad—you’ll have to drop the snowballs!

Praise God from whom all blizzards flow,
when snow comes down and cold winds blow.
(Alleluia! Alleluia!)
Praise God for shovels, gloves, and plows
when four-foot drifts surround your house.
(If more snow falls,
praise for snowballs.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!)

There is majesty in God’s wintry gifts, and some fun too. Truly our Creator is worthy of praise in the midst of it all!

Stay warm and safe, my friends. And keep singing!
Blessings,
Linda

Words and Music: Which Comes First?

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Linda Bonney Olin

Which comes first, the words or the music?

Well… yes. Like the chicken and the egg, a hymnwriter can go either way.

Words First

For me, writing a new hymn often begins with an idea for the words (aka text or lyrics). Perhaps some situation in my life or in the world around me suggests a musical parable. Perhaps my Holy GhostWriter prods me to explore a particular Bible passage or theological concept. Perhaps a hymn-writing competition specifies a theme or occasion to write about. Perhaps an intriguing turn of phrase begs to be rhymed and set to music.

Ideally, while I’m writing the words a good tune bubbles to the surface of my memory or imagination. If my verses have a commonly used meter (pattern of syllables per line), I might pick a suitable tune from the metrical index in the dog-eared back pages of my hymnal. Otherwise, a scrounge through the archives of public domain hymn tunes (and maybe a tweak or two to the existing notes) may be necessary to get the right musical setting.

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Faith Songs for Eye and Ear on YouTube

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Linda Bonney Olin

My Holy GhostWriter is no slouch when it comes to using technology for music and ministry. I’m a little slower on the uptake. But I did manage to learn the basics of creating and uploading YouTube videos. Now you will be able to sample some of the hymns and faith songs I’ve written since Songs for the Lord came out five years ago.

I’m delighted to feature Theresa Olin, aka Diva Daughter, singing while my lyrics are displayed onscreen. Her voice is a treat. She sings first soprano with the Houston Symphony Chorus, for which she has served as section leader, and with smaller choral groups, including Houston Camerata. (Diva Daughter is the slim brunette in the middle of the back row in Houston Camerata’s group picture.)

We had time to record only a few songs during Theresa’s Christmas visit. But I hope to travel to Texas, with digital voice recorder in hand, when time and my husband’s health allow. (Bill is still recuperating from injuries he suffered in a farm accident last September; that’s why I haven’t had time to post here in the past several months.)

Meanwhile, I have another sacrificial lamb almost ready to throw on the altar. Er … that is to say, I have another highly talented singer who has volunteered to record some vocals for my mini-videos. So more samples of my work will be coming along soon.

If you’d like to be notified when I upload a new video on YouTube, please subscribe to the Linda Bonney Olin channel. Signing up is simple, and it’s free, of course. I don’t “monetize” my videos, so you won’t be plagued by ads when you try to hear my songs.

I appreciate “likes” and comments and shares on YouTube—on Facebook and Twitter, too. Your responses help bring my work to the attention of other listeners. Thank you!

Link to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/lindabonneyolin

Links to the individual songs I’ve uploaded so far:

If Jesus Christ Had Beckoned Me (Theresa Olin, soloist; Lida Bassler, accompanist; recorded at Harpursville UMC worship service)
(**Edit 2/25/2017 An adaptation of these lyrics has been submitted to a poetry contest whose rules require that this video be disabled temporarily. Please check back after April 9. You won’t be disappointed!)
Peering into Faith’s Foggy Window (Theresa Olin, soloist)
Indigo Christmas (Theresa Olin, soloist)
Mary’s Lullaby (Theresa Olin, soloist; Lida Bassler, accompanist)
Your Heavens Stretch Before Me (Theresa Olin, soloist)
O Lord, Whose Touch Once Made Me Whole (Theresa Olin, soloist)
Jesus, Please Remember Me (Emrys Tyler, soloist; recorded at Nineveh Presbyterian Church Lent program)