Our young friend Composer David Voss, composed an Easter cantata this year.
We had a long conversation about how he composed it and I saw parallels with the writing life.
So, that’s what this post is about–composing and the writing life.
It also will introduce you to a fine composer and his music.
Who is Composer David Voss?
Original Photo by Elise Aileen Photography
A pianist out of Santa Rosa, California, David studied composition and music at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.
(Yes, he was cold).
He’s about to begin a master’s program in composition at the State University New York, at Stony Brook.
I’ve watched him grow up, have played and sung with him for years. He’s an excellent pianist and accompanist–plus a great deal of fun.
How David began writing an Easter Cantata
This is how he did it:
“My cantata The Resurrection Promise came about as a result of a generous commission from a friend of the family. They requested I compose an Easter cantata for their church choir, giving a few requests regarding length, instrumentation, difficulty level, and musical style.
“While I had never really considered writing a cantata prior to this commission, I set to work on the project, using my past experiences writing for vocalists and organ to guide my writing.”
I’ve published six novels and written a biography. I understand planning a project, but how did he put together both lyrics and music?
It started with the lyrics.
“I thought a lot about the form I wanted, particularly in terms of the lyrical, textual content of the piece. Since I didn’t want to summarize the events of Holy Week , I chose to focus on Jesus’ resurrection, with references to his ascension.
“I divided my cantata into three movements, the first one containing Old Testament prophecies of Jesus’ coming and salvation, the middle movement containing Jesus’ own words about his death and resurrection as well as the events of Easter morning, and the final movement focusing on the promise of resurrection for all who believe in Christ.
“Once I settled on this form, I was able to approach every other aspect of the creative process.”
I begin a writing project the same way–figuring how long it should be and dividing the ideas into chapters.
See how writing and composing are similar?
Which came first, lyrics or music?
Since composing is taking an additional step to writing–adding music to the words!–I couldn’t imagine how this worked. David had personal parameters which helped.
“The words came first. Once I settled on an overarching form and structure, I looked for passages that fit various sections. Also, being a sacred work, I believed the words were of the utmost importance and solidified the text before I composed a single note.”
He honored, too, the meaning of the words.
“I decided to set solely biblical texts. Having no experience writing about Christianity or theology, I didn’t want to write my own text and wind up saying something contrary to Christian teaching or doctrine.
David combed through hundreds of verses online, using either the English Standard Version (ESV) or the New International Version (NIV). He sought verses that fit his “storyline,” but also would work with the music he planned.
Since he also incorporated well-known hymns into his cantata, he adjusted some lines.
“I took some writings by Martin Luther and Saint Augustine and turned them into rhyming phrases, more suitable for the hymn melodies.”
Technical writing issues cropped up I never would have suspected:
“Since the Bible isn’t written like a poem, it’s often difficult to find a regular meter and finding a rhyme is almost as miraculous as some of the miracles the Bible contains!
“As a result, I had to use the natural stresses of the English language to guide my musical setting, trying to stick to a regular metrical meter whenever possible.”
Finally, the music!
Once Composer David Voss established his text, he could turn to his real talent: writing the music.
“Most of the music that I used in my cantata was original. I wrote some music specifically for the cantata, whereas other pieces were based on musical motifs and ideas I wrote years ago..
“As a composer, you often come up with a snippet of music you like but it doesn’t fit with whatever you’re writing at the moment.
“This cantata allowed me to go back in “the vault” and use some of my older ideas.”
Repurposing other music
How did he come up with such diversity of sound and music in only six months of writing?
He adapted music he didn’t write, but which Easter traditions recognize.
“Two of the pieces in my cantata were actually based on preexisting melodies. The second part’s melody is actually an Eastern Orthodox chant often sung in Orthodox Easter services. Other portions are derived from an 18th century American hymn in the Sacred Harp singing tradition.
“I wanted to bring in other Christian musical traditions, celebrating the diversity of our faith and bringing new sounds to my work.”
How did Composer David Voss orchestrate the music from his keyboard?
“I was familiar with the [particular] church’s music program and knew what instruments to write for.
“I couldn’t write for a small orchestra like Bach does in his cantatas, so I focused on what I knew would be possible. A choir and an organ were obviously mandatory.
“From there, I included limited handbell parts, writing them so choir members could sing and play the handbell parts without too much difficulty,. I included a trumpet part, which seemed appropriate for Easter. I wanted to keep the instrumentation small so it would be manageable easier to program for other churches.”
He used the music notation software Sibelius to create a professional and easily legible score of the work.
“I wrote most of the music down on paper as I went along, using Sibelius closer to the end of the process and inputting what I’d written into that software.”
Influences?
I asked if Handel’s Messiah or Bach’s cantatas influenced his work.
“To write a cantata without listening to Bach, the master of the form, would be a tragic oversight! I went straight to Bach!”
He listened to Bach cantatas 140 and 150, as well as more recent sacred works like Pepper Chopin’s, Come Walk With Me and Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living.
“With this context of old and new, I was able to base my work within the long cantata tradition while seeing how contemporary composers worked within the form.
David noted Handel’s Messiah is five times as long as his cantata as well as being an oratorio. He didn’t compare himself to the classic Easter work, except for one section.
“I found myself very much in Handel’s shadow while working with Job 19:25-27: “I know that my redeemer lives…”
“Nearly 300 years before me, Handel set these words in his Messiah, so it was difficult to get his music out of my head when working with that particular text.
“I think I managed it.”
We’ve read through David’s cantata. It’s wonderful–even though it hasn’t been performed or recorded . . . yet!
Tweetables
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Which came first: the lyrics or music? An Easter cantata. Click to Tweet
Sacred Harp, Handel and Jesus influence an Easter cantata. Click to Tweet
Composer David Voss doesn’t have samples of the cantata, but here’s a lengthy Youtube video of his senior recital at Lawrence University.
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?