Mount Zion has a special significance to the author of Psalm 48 because it is the location of the holy city Jerusalem, the palaces of Israel’s king, and the temple of Yahweh. Just as God dwelled in Zion for the Israelites, the Church of Christ should be “a city on a hill”–a holy place that is set apart for God that allows the light of the Spirit to shine. Or as Jesus says in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Piano
Showing 85–96 of 118 results
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Psalm 46: O Lord of All, You Are Our Home
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_046-o_lord_of_all.mp3[/embed]Psalm 46 offers comfort and hope in times of trouble. It doesn’t promise that we won’t experience hardship, but that God will be with us in those times.
In Martin Luther’s famous setting of Psalm 46, “A Mighty Fortress,” he focused on themes of strength and battle. In my setting, I highlight the Psalm’s images of God as a refuge–God’s stable presence among us in a chaotic world–concluding each verse with an affirmation of hope: “The Lord of all is with us.”
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Psalm 46: The Lord of All Is with Us
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_046-the_lord_of_all.mp3[/embed]This song is something of an homage to the Reformation. It is based on the same Psalm as Luther’s great “A Mighty Fortress” and can, in fact, be sung to that hymn’s tune. My tune uses a mixed meter like many Lutheran and Reformed tunes. The 2+2+3+3 pulse makes the hymn more challenging than most. If you’re up for the challenge, use a hand drum to keep the beat steady. If you’re not up to the challenge, try my song “O Lord of All, You Are Our Home,” which uses the same text set to a simpler tune.
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Psalm 48: A City on a Hill
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/05-A-City-on-a-Hill.mp3"][/audio] -
Psalm 5: Hear My Words, O Lord
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/Ps005-hear_my_words.mp3[/embed]My setting of Psalm 5, “Hear My Words, O God” is composed for two narrators and congregational refrain. It appears as Psalm 5C in the Psalms for All Seasons hymnal, but if you want the un-squished piano music and choral parts you hear on this recording you’ll only find it here. The above recording is just a rough read-through by the Choral Scholars which doesn’t include the scripture reading. The narration allows the whole Psalm to be heard and allows the multiple voices of the original text to come through, as you can hear from the live worship recording below.
[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_5_hear_my_words.mp3[/embed] -
Psalm 53: Fools Deny Their God within Them
$5.00 Add to cart[audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/psalm_053-carlill-fools_deny.mp3"][/audio]Adam Carlill’s metrical rendering of Psalm 53, from his excellent Psalms for the Common Era, retains the Psalm’s difficult themes but uses language that allows us to enter into them more easily. My tune accompanies the text with a Baroque-flavor that is off the beaten path, but still accessible, with a simple melody surrounded by harmonies and a bass line that scurry to and fro with all the fury of Psalm 53’s evildoers. The final half verse shifts to a major key, letting the accusations and anger of the previous verses give way to a final note of hope.
Sheet music for voice and piano.
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Psalm 55: Oh, That I Had Wings
$0.00 – $25.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]http://musicblog.gregscheer.com/psalm_055-oh_that_i_had_wings.mp3[/embed]Psalm 55 is the plea of someone who has been betrayed and attacked by a former friend. Understandably, the Psalmist wants to beat a hasty retreat: “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Given the urgency of the Psalm, I wrote a tune that comes in short, breathless bursts, with harmonic twists and turns.
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Psalm 61: Lead Me to the Rock
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lead_me_to_the_rock.mp3"][/audio]Psalm 61 is both a cry for help and an affirmation of trust. This song tries to capture both expressions with its minor-key verse and its major-key chorus. These two demos model the song in two different styles: above is a driving rhythm for worship band and below is more hymn-style using the written piano accompaniment.
[embed]https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/Ps%20061%20Lead%20Me%20to%20the%20Rock.mp3[/embed] -
Psalm 62: Only God Can Save Us Now
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_062-only_god.mp3
Psalm 62 famously begins with the words, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” The Psalmist goes on to describe the many difficulties experienced in life–those who are attacking or extorting money–always coming back to the refrain, “My soul finds rest in God alone.” Scottish lyricist, Doug Gay, has given these words an introspective feel in his setting of the Psalm. They could almost be sung by a victim of abuse, crying to God for help. That’s the thing about the Psalms: they give words to things we may have not experienced, which may make us feel like we don’t need them–until we do.
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Psalm 65: We Praise You, God, in Silence and Singing
$35.00 Add to carthttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_065-rehearsal.mp3
Bethany Cok and Josh Parks asked me to compose music for their wedding, and they chose Psalm 65 as the song’s text. It was a great choice: Psalm 65 is a Psalm of thanksgiving that was likely written for one of the harvest festivals; its focus on entering God’s house, keeping vows, and God’s blessing make it a beautiful fit for a wedding.
This song is mentioned in Greg’s podcast, “Thanksgiving Brainstorms.”
Score and parts for piano, voice, violins, viola, and cello. Purchase price allows you to print as many copies as you need for your ensemble.
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Psalm 78: People Of The Lord
$0.00 – $10.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[audio mp3="https://gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/people_of_the_lord-cantor_and_choir.mp3"][/audio]Who would have thought that a Genevan Psalter-style setting of Psalm 78 in 7/8 time would become my biggest hit? After it won the Calvin09 hymn contest, the song was translated into a half dozen languages and sung from Switzerland to Brazil. It is included in a number hymnals, including the Presbyterian Glory to God and CRC/RCA Lift Up Your Hearts. Your church can get in on the fun, too, by downloading the music here at www.gregscheer.com.
Read the whole story of the song here: People of the Lord
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Psalm 80: Restore Us, O God!
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttp://musicblog.gregscheer.com/restore_us_guitarchestra.mp3
Eugene Peterson argues that we sanitize the Psalms. His Bible translation, The Message, attempted to restore some of the grittiness of the original Hebrew. If this is true in Bible translation, it’s even more true in the way we sing the Psalms–we edit out the difficult verses and sing the rest very piously. “Restore Us, O God!” has a folk music (almost Klezmer) feel that brings out the urgency of Psalm 80’s lament.
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Psalm 81: Sing to God Our Strength
$0.00 – $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/Ps081-sing_to_god.mp3
Psalm 81 should be sung more often. In this song, the Psalm’s opening music images take center stage and the more Israel-specific latter verses are recast in a way that modern worshipers can sing them authentically. The song can be sung in both a pop/praise style and as more of a straight hymn, like it is in the demo above. If you’re interested in reading an article that includes this hymn, visit Call to Worship.
Showing 85–96 of 118 results