Invitation to compose or arrange some music

In the table below are the passages to be read as part of the Revised Common Lectionary, June to November, Year A - over the next 5 months where there are no available performances of the music according to the interpretation of the accents of the Old Testament.

The raw data for the musical cantus firmus or melody for the passages are all available through the music pages. Please see the earlier posts for available compositions and those relevant to the RCL in the upcoming months.

If you are a student composer and would like to try your hand at setting one or more of these, please let me know in a comment. If you have questions, I can suggest a way to approach the work. E.g. have a look at this post.

There are many examples of possible arrangements. My purpose is to encourage the liturgical use of the music of the canonical texts of the Hebrew Bible.

At the moment I am staying away from the formality of a contest, but it is possible that if you try your hand and your music is chosen to be performed in its arrangement, there may be some reward, financial, publicity, and the joy of hearing your music performed.

Here is roughly what I am looking for:

• pieces suitable for liturgical use in translation from the default Hebrew in the raw data. This requires, at a minimum, the underlay of the notes with the new language. (I don't exclude Hebrew altogether since it is often ear-catching to use both Hebrew and translation especially if performing the Old Testament lesson. But the result should be comprehensible to the congregation in a liturgy. Also if you are in a Hebrew congregation, by all means use the Hebrew. The raw data is fully performable as a recitation with or without accompaniment.)
• You may also consider that the work should have a chorus, a line of the text that can be sung responsively, perhaps by the congregation. 
• You may choose to divide the singers into decani and cantoris, or men and women, or even multiple characters if the text allows it. (We did this many years ago in Hebrew and English with 3 actors and a narrator for the story of David and the Philistine - you could hear a pin drop.)
• You may choose to write a hymn or a motet for multiple or unison voices. Many Psalms lend themselves to strophic arrangements. Some do not.
• The work may be unaccompanied recitative, or song, or accompanied by harp, piano, organ, percussion, or other instruments.
• The major constraint is that the melody and its development must be derived from the raw data in the supplied PDF or MusicXML file. And that you give permission to record your arrangement and allow the recording to appear on the web and allow others to perform it. (You may retain copyright over the arrangement if you make it available to others through publication.
• You may vary the mode. For a discussion of mode see the posts under the label mode. Most of the raw data is in the default mode.
• You may choose any passage. Perhaps set the recitation of the names of 1 Chronicles. This is not likely to be performed in the liturgy, but it is very interesting.

There is an enormous number of possibilities and more than enough (an overstuffing of) information available. There are 929 chapters in the Hebrew Bible. The process is a great learning experience. My own learning process is exposed on this blog over the past 10 years.

Liturgical day	Date	Passage
Proper 6 (11)	14-JUN-20	Exodus 19:2-8a
Proper 6 (11)	14-JUN-20	Genesis (21:1-7)
Proper 6 (11)	14-JUN-20	Genesis 18:1-15
Proper 7 (12)	21-JUN-20	Genesis 21:8-21
Proper 7 (12)	21-JUN-20	Psalms 69:7-10,(11-15),16-18
Proper 7 (12)	21-JUN-20	Psalms 86:1-10,16-17
Proper 8 (13)	28-JUN-20	Jeremiah 28:5-9
Proper 8 (13)	28-JUN-20	Psalms 89:1-4,15-18
Proper 9 (14)	05-JUL-20	Genesis 24:34-38,42-49,58-67
Proper 9 (14)	05-JUL-20	Psalms 145:8-14
Proper 9 (14)	05-JUL-20	Psalms 45:10-17
Proper 9 (14)	05-JUL-20	Zechariah 9:9-12
Proper 10 (15)	12-JUL-20	Genesis 25:19-34
Proper 10 (15)	12-JUL-20	Isaiah 55:10-13
Proper 10 (15)	12-JUL-20	Psalms 119:105-112
Proper 10 (15)	12-JUL-20	Psalms 65:(1-8),11-13
Proper 11 (16)	19-JUL-20	Psalms 139:1-12,23-24
Proper 11 (16)	19-JUL-20	Psalms 86:11-17
Proper 12 (17)	26-JUL-20	1 Kings 3:5-12
Proper 12 (17)	26-JUL-20	Genesis 29:15-28
Proper 12 (17)	26-JUL-20	Psalms 105:1-11,45b
Proper 12 (17)	26-JUL-20	Psalms 119:129-136
Proper 12 (17)	26-JUL-20	Psalms 128
Proper 13 (18)	02-AUG-20	Genesis 32:22-31
Proper 13 (18)	02-AUG-20	Isaiah 55:1-5
Proper 13 (18)	02-AUG-20	Psalms 145:8-9,14-21
Proper 13 (18)	02-AUG-20	Psalms 17:1-7,15
Proper 14 (19)	09-AUG-20	1 Kings 19:9-18
Proper 14 (19)	09-AUG-20	Genesis 37:1-4,12-28
Proper 14 (19)	09-AUG-20	Psalms 105:1-6,16-22,45b
Proper 14 (19)	09-AUG-20	Psalms 85:8-13
Proper 15 (20)	16-AUG-20	Genesis 45:1-15
Proper 15 (20)	16-AUG-20	Isaiah 56:1,6-8
Proper 16 (21)	23-AUG-20	Exodus 1:8-2:10
Proper 16 (21)	23-AUG-20	Psalms 124
Proper 17 (22)	30-AUG-20	Jeremiah 15:15-21
Proper 17 (22)	30-AUG-20	Psalms 105:1-6,23-26,45b
Proper 17 (22)	30-AUG-20	Psalms 26:1-8
Proper 18 (23)	06-SEP-20	Exodus 12:1-14
Proper 18 (23)	06-SEP-20	Ezekiel 33:7-11
Proper 18 (23)	06-SEP-20	Psalms 119:33-40
Proper 18 (23)	06-SEP-20	Psalms 149
Proper 19 (24)	13-SEP-20	Exodus 15:1b-11,20-21
Proper 19 (24)	13-SEP-20	Genesis 50:15-21
Proper 19 (24)	13-SEP-20	Psalms 103:(1-7),8-13
Holy Cross	14-SEP-20	Numbers 21:4b-9
Holy Cross	14-SEP-20	Psalms 78:1-2,34-38
Proper 20 (25)	20-SEP-20	Exodus 16:2-15
Proper 20 (25)	20-SEP-20	Jonah 3:10-4:11
Proper 20 (25)	20-SEP-20	Psalms 105:1-6,37-45
Proper 20 (25)	20-SEP-20	Psalms 145:1-8
Proper 21 (26)	27-SEP-20	Exodus 17:1-7
Proper 21 (26)	27-SEP-20	Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32
Proper 21 (26)	27-SEP-20	Psalms 25:1-9
Proper 21 (26)	27-SEP-20	Psalms 78:1-4,12-16
Proper 22 (27)	04-OCT-20	Isaiah 5:1-7
Proper 23 (28)	11-OCT-20	Exodus 32:1-14
Proper 23 (28)	11-OCT-20	Isaiah 25:1-9
Proper 23 (28)	11-OCT-20	Psalms 106:1-6,19-23
Canadian Thanksgiving Day	12-OCT-20	Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Canadian Thanksgiving Day	12-OCT-20	Psalms 65
Proper 24 (29)	18-OCT-20	Exodus 33:12-23
Proper 24 (29)	18-OCT-20	Isaiah 45:1-7
Proper 25 (30)	25-OCT-20	Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Proper 25 (30)	25-OCT-20	Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18
All Saints Day	01-NOV-20	Psalms 34:1-10,22
Proper 26 (31)	01-NOV-20	Joshua 3:7-17
Proper 26 (31)	01-NOV-20	Micah 3:5-12
Proper 26 (31)	01-NOV-20	Psalms 107:1-7,33-37
Proper 27 (32)	08-NOV-20	Amos 5:18-24
Proper 27 (32)	08-NOV-20	Joshua 24:1-3a,14-25
Proper 27 (32)	08-NOV-20	Psalms 70
Proper 27 (32)	08-NOV-20	Psalms 78:1-7
Proper 28 (33)	15-NOV-20	Judges 4:1-7
Proper 28 (33)	15-NOV-20	Zephaniah 1:7,12-18
Reign of Christ -Proper 29 (34)	22-NOV-20	Ezekiel 34:11-16,20-24
Reign of Christ -Proper 29 (34)	22-NOV-20	Psalms 95:1-7a
Thanksgiving Day, USA	26-NOV-20	Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Thanksgiving Day, USA	26-NOV-20	Psalms 65