Tag: song: sun after sun

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Melody for Esther 2 chorus progress

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Made some great progress on the melody in today’s live songwriting session (which is the 21st one)! Really happy about how it’s coming up as a strong ending for the chorus ending was figured out, and it would be belted out by either the King or by Mordecai, and the other will keep singing the chorus, making for strong polyphony! Wow! However want to develop another option for the melody and perhaps put the 2 options up for voting and see which one is better. Gonna do the same for an earlier chorus. So, stay tuned for 2 potential polls coming up! As always, appreciate the support, comments, compliments, critique, suggestions, and advice!

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Update on melody of important chorus

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Remember the chorus yesterday that was written? Still writing the melody for it! Ran through about a handful of melody options already and going to write a few more melodies before settling on the right one. The one I’ve just written has a lot of minor chords which sounds dark and uncertain, which is impactful, but I may want it to be more bright and contemplative, so am going to write a few more melodies and find the right balance.

Also, made some really cool friends who loved the Act 1 Finale! They expressed interest to stage it in their respective countries! So really wonderful of them and I am really honoured. You know who you are!

Meanwhile, here’s today’s before-and-after, from notepad to orchestra!

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Chorus Lyrics based on Esther Chapter 2

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Feeling really humbled because this is a very important song in the musical, introducing Mordecai and Esther. This is a song in which Mordecai, Esther, and the King faced 3 years of uncertainty in the search for a new queen. A pivotal moment in character development so trusting for inspiration and wisdom to write this and do justice to the story.

Below are the draft lyrics, and now taking on the challenge of writing the melody, which needs to sound ruminating, grand, melancholic, and emotional at the same time!

Day after day
Choice after choice
Searching for a sound
in all of the noise

Night after night
Crowds after crowds
Looking for the light
in the midst of the clouds

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Esther, Mordecai, and King Xerxes’ personalities and character traits

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Idea for musical number #5 – Introducing Mordecai

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Based on Esther Chapter 2: “10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.”

  • Mordecai talks to Hegai
  • Virgin #1 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Mordecai talks to Virgin #1
  • Virgin #2 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Mordecai talks to Esther’s servant #1
  • Virgin #3 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Mordecai talks to Hegai
  • Virgin #4 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Mordecai talks to Virgin #4
  • Virgin #5 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Mordecai talks to Esther’s servant #2
  • Virgin #6 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Mordecai talks to Hegai
  • Virgin #7 sees the King
  • Something happens
  • Hegai prepares Esther
  • Mordecai bumps into Esther (too dramatic?)
  • Esther sees the King

Thoughts?

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Structure of the first 5 musical numbers! (Writing the Book of Esther into a musical)

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Finalizing the structure of the songs from Esther Chapter 1 through 2. Just running through

Musical numberSource from the bookContents
1Esther 1:1-12Feast of Persia – Opening number to introduce the setting and the grandeur of Persia and Media and its 127 lands, and also setting up Queen Vashti’s refusal of the king’s command.
2Esther 1:13-227 princes of Persia try to calm down and advise the king to get rid of Queen Vashti to send a message to the whole country, and introduce the idea of finding a new queen.
3Esther 2:1-4After some time, the king has really calmed down but there’s still no queen. So his servants remind him to go ahead with gathering young women to the palace in order to select a new queen. During the gathering process, some of the women will either love or hate this edict and will sing some lines.
4Esther 2:8Hegai, the eunuch, gives orientation to the women of whom he’s now in charge of. Maybe some of the women has a dispute with him and Esther defends him in an indirect way, thus starts to win Hegai’s favour, perhaps? This is Esther’s introduction and at the end of the song, Hegai asks what her name is, and she replies “Esther”, and lights out and audience applause! Haha.
5Esther 2:9-11New scene to introduce Mordecai, singing his thoughts and worries out. He also checks on Esther and Esther perhaps tells Mordecai about her first-class treatments from Hegai? Maybe… still thinking how to convey that Esther received first class treatments… It’s either this, or from Hegai, or from Esther’s female servants that Hegai bestowed on her.

Also, enjoy this “before and after” of the opening number composition!

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