SKU: A0.1281368

Sacred choral music for Christmas with music by Kevin G. Pace and text by Mary Ann Snowball.

Text:
Hush, sweet Baby called to earth long before thy mortal birth.
Truth portrays angelic worth. Hush, sweet Baby, hush.
Chosen Child from on high, there will be sweet lullabies
Silencing each human cry. Hush, sweet Baby, hush.

Hush, sweet Baby now adorned, wrapped in swaddling bands so warm.
Love was born this Christmas morn. Hush, sweet Baby, hush.
Now earth's Savior will be known: There will come a time to show
Heav'nly power so blessings flow. Hush, sweet Baby, hush.

Hush, 'til Thou saves from the Fall. Love will imprint on thy palms,
Grace displaying healing balm. Hush, sweet Baby, hush.
'Til then sleep the night away, waiting for a brand-new day.
Close your eyes now while you may. Hush, sweet Baby, sleep.

Hush, hush oh Baby sweet. Sleep, sleep tonight.
Jesus, our dear Savior lives, will His saving light.

SKU: A0.1044923

12 Bell (F5-C7) Level 3 REPRODUCIBLE! Written to commemorate the retirement of beloved handbell director Carolynne Mathis, this original tune is a festive celebration just waiting to happen! Utilizing just 12 bells between F5 and C7, this selection is a perfect choice for the small or socially-distanced group. Be sure to check out the piano accompaniment to this composition! Purchase of this PDF entitles original purchaser to make as many copies as necessary for purchaser's sole use. Permission is also granted to broadcast or live stream performances.

SKU: A0.1465707

Based on one of only several poems written by my mother, Jewish Holocaust survivor Rita Hoffman of blessed memory (1927–2018), Only from Blood Does Freedom Grow echoes the words of Hatikvah (The Hope), the national anthem of Israel. I have to believe that she wrote this poem around 1948 because of how it is worded. 

I of course knew the source of inspiration for this poem when I reread it not long ago—something I had not done since the 1990s—but its having been inspired by Hatikvah was really driven home to me by a Facebook comment. That comment inspired me to compose a piece in which the opening and closing sections are based on the opening melody of Hatikvah, but in which the middle section is newly composed. 

“Israel was not created in order to disappear - Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy, and it honors the sword of freedom.” 
—John F. Kennedy

My mother’s brief memoirs are housed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.  https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn502129

—Stanley M. Hoffman, 25 June 2024
—
Only from Blood Does Freedom Grow 

For so many years a voice sounded in Jewish hearts saying,
“We want to have a home, we want to have a life again.”
Enough blood has already streamed through rivers,
the blood shed by our brothers *[and sisters],
they, who for freedom of strangers and nation died.
Now, the dream we dreamt for a long time has been awakened in us.
We want to ?ght for our state, our country.
The moment that we have been waiting for and been praying for
two thousand years has brought us a spark of hope.
We must not despair, for we are nevertheless Jews.
We must and must want to persevere.
A time will come which itself will become a symbol of our tragedy,
and which will remain forever in our hearts -
a burning ?ame, and a joyful feast.   
—Rita Hoffman (1927–2018)
Words: © Copyright 1948 by The Estate of Rita Hoffman.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
—
Instrumentation 

2 Flutes (2 Piccolos)
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
 
4 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in Bb
2 Trombones
Tuba

Tam-tam
Timpani

Strings

Duration
ca. 2:30

SKU: A0.747215

About the song: In Psalm 22:22, David writes, I will praise You to all my brothers; I will stand up before the congregation and testify to the wonderful things You have done. Again, in Psalm 66:16, the psalmist says, Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. Jesus, after healing a man with a demon, commands the man to go home... and report the great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you. The testimony of a life changed by God's love and His great mercy is a powerful tool for both spreading the Good News and resisting temptation. It is good for us to remember and proclaim, both personally and collectively, the great things the Lord has done.

Can be performed with piano accompaniment only, OR with additional band members, OR with full orchestra*.

Please Note:
You can purchase individual copies of the vocal part separately on Sheet Music Plus. Performance of this piece requires the purchase of one vocal score per singer.

*Full orchestration and parts also available on Sheet Music Plus.

Included in your Purchase:
Piano Accompaniment

Lyrics:

Verse 1

Let me tell you a story of grace,

How the Son of Man died in my place.

Raised to life, all my sin was erased.

Praise the Name of the Lord.

Verse 2

Many times I have asked of the Lord,

On my knees I have prayed and implored.

In the waiting my soul is restored,

Praise the Name of the Lord.

Chorus 1

This is what the Lord has done for me,

Paid my debt and set this captive free.

Mercy flowed down at Calvary,

This is what the Lord has done for me.

Verse 3

When I’m tempted to fear the unknown,

I’m reminded I don’t walk alone.

Christ is with me and He’ll lead me home,

Praise the Name of the Lord.

Chorus 2

This is what the Lord has done for me,

Paid my debt and set this captive free.

Mercy flowed down at Calvary,

This is what the Lord has done for me.

Bridge

Opened these blind eyes to see,

Softened this heart to believe,

Pardoned my sin on a tree,

Now I stand redeemed.

Key Change (up whole tone)

Chorus 3

This is what the Lord has done for me,

Paid my debt and set this captive free.

Mercy flowed down at Calvary,

This is what the Lord has done for me.

Chorus 4

This is what the Lord has done for me,

Paid my debt and set this captive free.

Mercy flowed down at Calvary,

This is what the Lord has done for me.

This is what the Lord has done for me.

SKU: A0.970747

By Mike Strand, ASCAP 

This is a lead sheet with lyrics, chords and guitar fret boards, for a jazz ensemble, large or small, with singer or solo instrument.  Thus, it is the basis for a variety of arrangements, contra facts, and improvisations.

The audio sample is a jazz quartet:  An iReal Pro swing accompaniment combined with my tune from Finale PrintMusic.

Wait It Out (Alternate Version), and Wait It Out (Rock Version) are also for sale on this web site.  The alternate version is also a swing -- same tune with different harmonization.

The March 2020 Covid-19 influenza scare is the subject of Wait It Out.  The lyrics express an individual’s efforts to cope with being isolated, away from friends – social distancing to discourage the spread of the flu.

I wrote this tune in the Locrian mode, which conveys a sad, surreal mood associated with self-isolation.  The coda brightens the mood with a change to Ionian (major) mode.

Here are the lyrics:

Wait It Out

1. 

I’m not having fun home alone.

I’m chewing my nails to the bone.

I don’t pretend to comprehend.

I’ll just wait it out to the end.

2.

Well, I just want to sit, drink and eat,

But going on line is a treat.

And I know this much, we’ll stay in touch!

Waiting this out to the end.

Coda

Sending warm wishes to you, my friend!

We’ll wait this thing out to the end!