"New" Timberliners' Songs

The RoseCity Timberliners Chorus, that I have the honor of directing, has just premiered three songs in their song set.

The jaunty song "Harmony Leads the Way" simply asserts that music and harmony can bring a better world,  but doesn't give much evidence, so it takes other songs to make the point.  With [bass pickups] and (other guys), the words are:

[One way to live](One way to live), one way to be.
[We are one}(One people joined) in perfect harmony.
*[For ev-ry race](For ev'ry race) for ev'ry creed,
[Yes indeed](for what we need) is perfect harmony.
Arm in arm and heart to heart, soul with soul right from the start.
*[Let it begin](Let it begin) with you and me.
[We'll create](We will create) a world of harmony.
Harmony leads the way, a lifelong cabaret,
Ev'ry day's a harmony holiday.   :||
Ev'ry day's a harmony holiday. Harmony leads the way.

When we :|| repeat from the beginning and sing "loo" between the stars *, our EmCee says:

    "Joined in Harmony" is a pretty good description of folks getting along despite their differences. We barbershop singers make harmony with each other every time we get together. And we make harmony with all you folks when we sing together. So let's make harmony.

"Amazing Grace" was the 1779 result of British sailor and slave-trader John Newton's epiphany in 1748.  He set aside that life in 1755 to join the clergy.    Truly, "a wretch like me, I once was lost."

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" started as a anonymous camp meeting song around 1850 as "O, Brothers will you meet me... on Canaan's happy shore", later gathering a "Glory, Glory, hallelujah" chorus.   The tune became a US. Civil war marching song  as "John Brown's body lies a-mouldring in the grave...his soul is marching on" with every regiment adding lyrics of their own.  The song still keeps getting new lyrics.   You might have heard "John Brown's baby has a cold upon its chest", or "I wear my pink pajamas", or any one of a dozen variations that sports teams use, but the best-known nowadays is Julia Howe's lyrics written in 1861 after hearing the soldier's ditty on the request the regiment chaplain.   That tune still keeps bringing people together. 


The long 24 song set still includes "In the Good Old Summertime" and "God Bless America" and "Darkness on the Delta" with histories that are only a little less interesting, but are pure Americana.


We're just starting to learn the classic 1939 tune "(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow".   Our performance will be more like the Oscar winning song Judy Garland song in "Wizard of Oz" than the medal-winning "Second Edition" quartet" performance, and completely unlike Israel Kamakainwo'ole's 2010 platinum rendition because it's more familiar and easier to learn and sing.    We might even premiere it in 2017.