Episode Notes and Examples

In the episode “Service Music and Specificity with John Harbison”, John shares some examples of his service music from over the years. Follow along with the episode (timestamps in parenthesis) to hear the ideas behind these works and why they were or were not successful.

#1 (33:00) Example where each voice appears in all three positions
#2 (33:58) The two voice piece that worked only when the congregation just sang the top voice
#3 (34:10) An attempt in Gregorian style; “a flat reject” according to John
#4 (6:44, 34:26) The reharmonization of a Rutter tune that “made the piece palatable”
#5 (35:01) The simple tune with French-inflected harmony