There Is Life (for Vocal Ensemble, Rhythm Section and Orchestra)

This was an experimental piece, written for Easter, in which the tempo gradually morphs through the middle of the song, becoming twice as fast at the end, as the opening material returns in the same tempo in which it started, only now in ‘cut-time’. In order to make this rhythmic transition successfully, a click-track arrangement was made to guide the rhythm section players successfully.

Due to the pandemic, Easter 2020 presented a big challenge: how was I going to do a piece of this magnitude? I had already started producing the orchestration and arrangement with Logic Pro and the EastWest Hollywood Orchestra sample library. I ended up digitally producing all instrumentation together with two phoned-in choir parts, and a four-member vocal ensemble, including myself.

The original concept of the work was to blend the various stylistic elements of: 1) Praise and Worship, 2) Symphonic Orchestration, 3) Elements of folk/spiritual, using the pentatonic scale, and 4) an Obligato Choir line throughout. The piece starts in F minor and concludes in Eb Major after going through a passage of chromaticism towards the end of the piece.

I wrote the original version several years ago with limited success in our performance. The difficulty it presented to our group was a rhythmic one. Making the ‘twice as fast’ change was difficult for our team at that time. I knew the only way to successfully achieve it would be to use click across the entire group, including vocalists. Finally having this capability in my grasp, the pandemic situation caused me to abort the larger group idea, replacing the instrumentation with a fully produced track.

Following is the video performance used for Odessa Christian Faith Center’s Easter 2020, featuring Ana Young, Carmen Young, Debra Bledsoe, and myself:

There Is Life (©2020 Lowell Hohstadt)

There is life

There is life in the River,

life in the River which flows from the Throne,

it flows from the Throne,

it flows from the Throne

There is life

There is life in the breath of His Presence

There is peace beyond measure,

beyond measure,

a peace freely given,

freely given

It surrounds, it surrounds  

and it covers like a flood

covers like a flood,

like a flood

There is fruit precious fruit

which grows on the Vine,

inside there is seed to be planted

If it falls up on ground that is fallow and moist,

its power, its power,

its power will reflect all of Heaven,

all of Heaven

There is fruit precious fruit

which grows on the Vine,

inside there is seed to be planted

If it falls up on ground that is fallow and moist,

its power, its power,

its power will reflect all of Heaven,

all of Heaven

All of Heaven

Jesus is the Resurrection

Jesus is the life

No one comes unto the Father

No one comes unto the Father of Lights

with Whom there is no variation,

with Whom there is no shifting shadow of turning

No one comes unto the Father of lights

by any other way but Jesus

Jesus is the Resurrection Jesus is the Life

Jesus is the Life

Resurrection, Resurrection

Resurrection, Resurrection,

If you believe there is nothing impossible

If you believe there is nothing impossible

For He said, "I Am the Resurrection, I Am the Life,

He who believes in Me will never die."

Resurrection, Resurrection

If you believe, If you believe,

All things are possible

Resurrection, Resurrection,

Resurrection, Resurrection,

Resurrection, Resurrection,

Resurrection and the Life,

Resurrection and the Life

There is life in the River

which flows from the Throne,

There is life in the breath of His Presence

There is peace beyond measure, a peace freely given,

it surrounds and it covers like a flood

There is fruit, precious fruit

which grows on the vine,

inside there is seed to be planted

If it falls upon ground that is fallow and moist,

its power, its power,

its power will reflect all of Heaven

All of Heaven

He said, "I Am the Resurrection. I Am the Life.

I Am the Resurrection. I Am the Life.

Believe in Me, Believe in Me,

You'll never die.

I Am the Life, I Am the Vine,

I Am alive, alive, alive."

There is life,

There is Life!

What Child Is This (for String Quartet)

Here is an arrangement of the well-known Christmas hymn. Hope you enjoy!

What Child Is This (for string quartet) Video

I enjoyed writing this arrangement/composition of the well-known Christmas carol. My family, along with Tim Tyler on viola are all involved, including Jonathan Hohstadt who did the video.

I hope you enjoy it.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

I enjoyed singing this hymn growing up in church.  I hope you like this new string quartet arrangement.

Impressions (for Soprano Sax, Violin, and Piano)

This piece was premiered by some wonderful musicians at a West Texas A&M music faculty recital. 

(Click here to purchase score and parts.)

Crown Him With Many Crowns (for String Quartet)

Here is a new string quartet arrangement of the famous hymn "Crown Him With Many Crowns".  I hope you enjoy!

Silent, Holy Night

Here's a composition I wrote merging the melodies of two famous Christmas hymns, "O, Holy Night" and "Silent Night."  Enjoy! 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (for String Quartet)

Here's a fresh arrangement/composition of the well-known hymn.  Hope you enjoy!

The Old Rugged Cross (for String Quartet)

In my opinion, these are some of the most powerful lyrics ever set to song, depicting the Christian faith.  I hope you enjoy this arrangement for String Quartet. 

On a hill far away, stood an old rugged Cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old Cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain

So I'll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown

Oh, that old rugged Cross so despised by the world
Has a wondrous attraction for me
For the dear Lamb of God, left his Glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary

So I'll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown

In the old rugged Cross, stained with blood so divine
A wondrous beauty I see
For the dear Lamb of God, left his Glory above
To pardon and sanctify me

So I'll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown

To the old rugged Cross, I will ever be true
Its shame and reproach gladly bear
Then He'll call me some day to my home far away
Where his glory forever I'll share

So I'll cherish the old rugged Cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged Cross
And exchange it some day for a crown

Brass Quintet #2

It was a great honor to recently have my Brass Quintet #2 performed by the Lone Star Brass of the Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale at the Wagner-Noel Performing Arts Center.  Along with being excellent musicians, the piece was played by super-nice guys, some of whom I have had relationship with for decades.

I wrote Brass Quintet #2 approximately 13 years ago, and was pleased to have its premiere April 3, 2016.

The piece is written in four contrasting movements.  Mvt. 1 is Renaissance-like, Mvt. 2 is aggressively contrapuntal, Mvt. 3 is peaceful with a hint of jazz sonorities, and Mvt. 4 is motivically cumulative, finishing with a bright 16-note passage.

I hope you enjoy listening.

America the Beautiful (for a cappella ensemble)

Here's an arrangement I wrote for this past year's Patriotic service.  It's probably the most challenging lines I've written for the group, to date.  I finally had a chance to mix it down.

Hope you enjoy!

Silent Night (for String Quartet)

Here's another String Quartet arrangement/composition, based on the well-known melody 'Silent Night'.  Hope you enjoy!

Noel (for String Quartet)

As we get closer to the Christmas season, it's always fun to make a new twist with the old familiar carols.  Here is a composition/arrangement on the theme 'The First Noel' for string quartet.  I hope you enjoy!

O Holy Night (for SATB Choir, Piano and Orchestra)

Here's a unique original composition/arrangement to this beautiful song, incorporating a different version of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', as well.  Hope you enjoy it!

(This performance was taken from Odessa Christian Faith Center's Christmas Eve Production in 2013, directed by Stephanie Carter.)

Christmas Fantasy Overture (for full orchestra)

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This work was originally conceived based on the simultaneous use of two themes: 1) Joy to the World (in C Major), and 2) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (in D Minor).

I was waking from sleep one morning imagining the two melodies happening simultaneously in these two key areas.  At that time my main objective was to capture the thought by writing it down.  I hadn't yet discovered why the melodies worked well together, or why I had imagined them in two separate tonal centers. 

I then began the process of extracting fragments from each theme- melodic, harmonic and rhythmic. 

Following is what I obtained from ‘Joy to the World’:

I then began building cluster harmonies based on the melodic fragments.

I created a cyclical ‘chord progression’ based on the melodic fragments of quartal harmonies to be used in an accompaniment ‘rhythm section’ punctuation of the melody.

I then began extracting patterns from ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, as follows:

I noticed that quartal harmony was evident in this melody as well as ‘Joy to the World’.

The following rhythmic pattern became useful in building energetic syncopated passages.

I then discovered the reason both of these melodies worked so well together in their different tonal centers, and it surprised me.  My ‘ear’ had imagined it, but until now I didn’t really know why it worked, but here is the reason: the basic construct of the ‘Joy to the World’ melody is C,A,G (in the key of C) and the basic construct of the melody ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ is D,F,G (in the key of D Minor).  Both condensed melodic fragments, amazingly, are inversions of one another.

I began using this pattern with harmonies derived from the thematic fragments of both melodies.

There are scaler differences between the two melodies and their corresponding traditional harmonic treatment.  Taking these differences creates a chromatic theme.

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I finally created a ‘combined’ new melody using intervallic fragments of both melodies.

Throughout the work I tried to contrast the two melodies, almost in disagreement with one another, finally merging them into a ‘unified’ theme.  Also the difference between the tonal center of C versus D is resolved at the end, as the ‘Joy to the World’ theme ultimately jumps up to unite with its D rival, causing the main tonal center of the work to shift from C to D, which also is motivically derived from both melodic themes.

The UTPB Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Thomas Hohstadt (my father), worked diligently to prepare the work, but the concert was cancelled due to an ice storm.  Fortunately, we were able to obtain a good recording from the practices.  I greatly appreciate everyone's hard work!

Antiphony (for Cello and Piano)

I recently had the privilege of having this piece premiered at Texas Tech by cellist Jeffrey Lastrapes.  I began writing the work back in 2001, as Lastrapes, a member of the Lindsayan String Quartet, had recently performed my "Vignettes for String Quartet", and suggested the possibility of my writing a recital piece around 7-10 minutes in length.  

I immediately began working on it, but after a computer glitch in the Finale file rendered a portion of the work inaccessible, together with Jeffrey moving to NYC and my usual busy schedule, I shelved the project. 

Several years later, when I heard that Jeffrey had moved back to Lubbock, I thought I would try one more time to open the file, now with a later version of Finale, and to my amazement, the file was retrievable, so I finished the work within a few weeks in 2005. 

After 10 years from its origin the work was premiered.  Not only was I elated to hear it played, but also was glad to put a 'check-mark' next to a completed project.

I love Jeffrey's playing, which I endeavored to highlight in the compositional process. He's a great musician and a great friend.  

To purchase sheet-music for Antiphony, click here

Noel

Here is a piece I wrote for Christmas using a poem by Anne Porter for the text.  It is in a modern classical style for SATB a cappella choir.  I endeavored to interpret the meaning of the poem musically, showing the stark difference between mundane traditions and that which is truly inspired.   Noel was sung by members of the Odessa Christian Faith Center choir, directed by Stephanie Carter, December 23, 2012.  Hope you enjoy! 

Noel

When snow is shaken
From the balsam trees
And they're cut down
And brought into our houses

When clustered sparks
Of many-colored fire
Appear at night
In ordinary windows

We hear and sing
The customary carols

They bring us ragged miracles
And hay and candles
And flowering weeds of poetry 
That are loved all the more
Because they are so common

But there are carols 
That carry phrases
Of the haunting music
Of the other world
A music wild and dangerous
As a prophet's message

Or the fresh truth of children
Who though they come to us
From our own bodies

Are altogether new
With their small limbs
And birdlike voices

They look at us
With their clear eyes
And ask the piercing questions
God alone can answer.

"Noël" by Anne Porter, from Living Things. © Zoland Books, 2006.

What Child

A very unique version of "What Child Is This", orchestrated from an electronica track I made earlier this year.  Hope you enjoy!

(UTPB Orchestra, directed by Thomas Hohstadt, at the Wagner-Noel Performing Arts Center during the UTPB 2012 Christmas Concert.)

What Child Is This/ Do You See What I See

Here is a unique arrangement of these two well-known Christmas songs, put together in an unusual way. Hope you enjoy!

(This was performed by the UTPB Orchestra with a combined choir from surrounding regional high-schools during the University’s Christmas Concert at the Wagner-Noel Performing Arts Center.)

Vignette (for lever harp)

Here's a unique composition I wrote for my very talented wife who took up the lever harp little more than a year ago just for fun.  The interesting thing about a lever (or 'folk' harp) is that each note can be adjusted to sharp, flat, or natural.  I thought it would be interesting to write a piece that every note below Middle C was tuned to C Major, and every note above Middle C tuned to Ab Major. 

Here's what came out.

Vignette (for lever harp):

(performed by Katherine Hohstadt)