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Intone the Verses A Resource for Bahá'í-Inspired Music |
Information About Our Staff |
Intone the Verses is a source for music based on the Writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi. These songs express many of the most sublime thoughts and ideals found in the Bahá’í Writings and should help us all feel a sense of reverence and appreciation for guidance we have been given by God. These songs also have musical diversity: there are songs written in various cultural styles. Some are prayers. Some are written for group singing in unison, and some are designed for a cappella choir. |
“O beloved of the Lord, strive ye with heart and soul … that ye may … lift up your voices and sing the blissful anthems of the spirit. Become ye as birds who offer Him their thanks, and in the blossoming bowers of life chant ye such melodies as will dazzle the minds of those who know.” ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 11 |
Wendy's Bio I became a Bahá'í in 1964 after hearing about it from a classmate in a music theory class at San Francisco State College where I was majoring in double bass. I never completed my degree in music, but I have taken many college music classes over the years, having sung in large choirs and smaller chamber choirs. I have studied voice at various times along the way. I was drafted to direct a Bahá'í choir in the early 1970s called The New Dawn Singers since I was the only one they could find at that time who had any experience at all with directing (I had actually conducted my high school choir in a performance). That choir morphed into a successful road show called The Welcome Change, which performed all over California and Nevada giving the Bahá'í message through the music interspersed with explanations of the history and teachings by the choir members. (Ron Lyles sang in the choir and also soloed with us. He became a Bahá'í at that time.) We had few choral arrangements back then, so I wrote them myself using Seals & Crofts songs, England Dan and John Ford Coley songs, and other Bahá'í and Bahá'í-related music. I was a freelance bass player with local symphonies and played bass in the Bahá'í World Congress Orchestra (my husband Bob played clarinet and my daughter Anissa sang in the choir). After the World Congress, another choir was started in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Bahá'í World Choir, which I directed for five years. I have had a couple of smaller choirs where I live in the Modesto area and have studied voice. I sang in the Voices of Bahá in Slovakia in 2000 and was one of the choir directors in the Carnegie Hall concert in 2002. I sang in the chorus of Russ Garcia's recording of The Unquenchable Flame, an opera about Táhirih. I toured with the Bahá'í Gospel Choir in Western Europe in 2004 and also recently sang with the Third Annual Bahá'í Choir Festival at the Bahá'í Temple in Wilmette (where I met Zak Mortensen in person for the first time after working on this project of developing Bahá'í music for group singing for five years!). I have also sung in the Modesto Symphony Chorus, and I've been performing in some opera choruses including two separate productions of Porgy & Bess (backstage chorus), Showboat, The Magic Flute, and H.M.S. Pinafore with the Townsend Opera Players in Modesto. -Wendy Scott |
We invite you to listen to samples of music from our CDs and other songs while you read. You can do this by clicking on the arrow in the player directly below. These songs and many others are available as sheet music and MP3s. |
Our CDs were recorded at “The Sound Chamber” in Modesto, California. If you'd like to check them out, the link to their website is www.soundchamberrecording.com Here's a picture from recording studio itself! |
Zak's Bio Music has always been a great part of my life since my earliest memories. I began playing the piano as soon as I could reach the keyboard, and with my grandparents' encouragement, music plays an integral part of my life as it figured into theirs. I was blessed with a knack for hearing a melody and having it stick with me, knocking out the same melody (with my own chord variations) as soon as I could reach a keyboard. Writing and arranging music came along later during my adolescence. Those early experiences were supplemented by activities in church, at school, and in the community. Later in high school I took all sorts of music classes: band (playing baritone/euphonium), orchestra (playing cello and harp), and choir. I also had the rare opportunity of taking music theory classes which totally opened my eyes to a world behind the music I never knew existed until that point. Those classes prepared me well for what I encountered at the undergrad level in music, where I went on to complete a major in composition. Fast-forward to the early 2000s. I had recently completed a master's degree in theological studies at the Candler School of Theology (connected with Emory University) and had a precursory introduction to several schools of religious thought from my studies, but the interest was mostly academic or intellectual (or so I thought). One day after graduation, while surfing the web, I came across a site for the Bahá'í Distribution Center in Atlanta, GA, which I filed away for future reference. I further investigated the Faith on line and had regular discussions with a woman who presented the Faith to me in a direct, matter-of-fact manner on the internet. That lady was none other than Wendy Scott. I finally got to meet Wendy in the flesh at the House of Worship in 2009. In March of 2004, I declared my faith in Baha'u'llah there in the Bahá'í Distribution Center. When I read the Prayers and the Writings of the Central Figures, I frequently hear melodies formed by the words circling in my heart and head. I started to write down these ideas and setting the texts in with these inspiration, and what you hear through the CDs and the website samples are examples of that inspiration that comes from my own personal encounter with the Creative Word, and how thankful I am for these great bounties, and there always seems to more in the musical pipeline just waiting to get down on paper. ~ Zak Mortensen |
We have four CDs currently available: Raise Your Voices Intone...the Verses of God, Singing His Praise on Holy Days, and Hymns of Praise! Intone...the Verses of God, Singing His Praise on Holy Days, and Hymns of Praise have both vocals and instrumental tracks which can be used for group singing, personal devotions, or simply listening. Raise Your Voices only contains the vocals. The piano accompaniments are easy enough for most pianists, and there are guitar chords displayed especially for guitarists. The vocals on the CDs listed on this site are performed by Wendy Scott and Ron Lyles, both of California. Wendy serves as the producer for the project. The composer/arranger for all the songs listed on this website is (Dr.) Zak Mortensen. The artist of the original illustrations, whose work is in the upper left corner, is Lou DeCou. Both reside in Illinois. |