Michael Roy and Jan - Modern Era
These are songs MR arranged for Jan to sing in recent years.
Jan sings and MR plays various instruments: guitar, flute, recorders..
Holy, Holy, Holy - This hymn was written in the early 1800's by Anglican bishop, Reginald Heber (1783–1826). It is one of the most ubiquitous hymns in Christendom, appearing in a wide range of denominational hymnals. This hymn was also Michael Roy's favorite as a small child,
and represents his first remembered musical experience in life: as a 6-year old, announcing to his mother that this hymn was his favorite. He arranged this for Jan in 2019, to sing at Central Presbyterian. Michael plays his 1969 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar, using the complex finger-picking styles commonly heard in folk music. His arrangement of the hymn rather converts it into a tone poem by his writing original melodies for each verse. The guitar is in G-tuning, a special tuning MR learned from a young guitarist in Alaska... under a revivalist tent: you can't make this stuff up.
Jan and Michael lay down tracks in their home recording studio: Reel-to-reel tape decks are sitting like neglected toy soldiers in the background, their medium before the digital age.
I Sing a Song of the Saints of God - This early 20th c. Anglican hymn is a favorite of Jan's; she once sang it with the children at St. Thomas Episcopal Church School where she was a 1st grade teacher for 25 years. This hymn is often heard in American Episcopal churches and is
sounded with special purpose on All Saints Day. She sings it here, to an arr. by Michael Roy. It was, by the way, recorded on All Saints Day, Nov. 1, 2020. MR plays baroque tenor recorder throughout.
I Will Arise - Jan sings the early American hymn tune which is pure pentatonic. This arrangement is elaborately contrapuntal between the vocal lead, the recorder and the piano: a close-knit 3-part canon can be heard. Note: the key is Bm - D, but the guitar plays capoed up two frets in Am - C.
A pentatonic tune only uses 5 of the 7 degrees of the scale: do, re, mi, sol, and la, never touching fa or ti.
Father, Lift Me Up - This contemporary Christian song is by Honeytree. MR did the arrangement and orchestration. Included in the mix is piano, strings (I, II violins and 'cello), elec. bass, and percussion, all provided digitally by Sibelius. Jan sings the solo, and MR adds guitars, flute, bass flute, and recorder on top the digital soundtrack.
Come, People of the Risen King - This is the full performance recording, with Jan singing the alto solo, with full orchestration: digital piano, strings, elec. bass, perc. and live guitar and penny whistle. This cont. Christian song was written by Keith and Kristyn Getty; arrangement and orchestration, MR. He also plays the guitar and penny whistle.
Come On, Rejoice - Words/music: F. Hernandez - arr. MR - A new arrangement for us in August of 2021. Jan sings this contemporary Christian song accompanied by the digitally performed instruments: piano, elec. bass, percussion, and strings. Added live in the studio: guitar, flute, bass flute, and recorder.