Rica Bolipata Santos and Palan Reyes share with me their respective thoughts on writing this track and arranging it for Bukas Palad's 20th anniversary album. Not only are these two ultra gifted in what they do; they are also friends whom I can coerce on occasion to do the unthinkable--like contributing to this blog. Meanwhile, I have yet to twist the arms of Icar Castro and Lou Grant Tan and convince them to reveal their experiences of recording the song, THE LOVE OF GOD ENDURES FOREVER MORE. People...my guest bloggers, Rica and Palan.
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The Love of God Endures Forevermore
Rica Bolipata Santos
I believe in having a theme song.
Oh there’s the regular theme song you share with someone. Maybe the love song you first danced to. Maybe it was the song playing in the mall when he first reached for your hand. Or maybe it’s the song that nursed you back into couplehood.
But, that’s not what I’m talking about. The theme song I’m talking about is akin to an anthem. It’s what anchors your walk everyday. It’s what keeps you steady, with your eye on the future. It best arrives when you’re taking a walk and your feet naturally move to an internal rhythm. I have found out that one’s walk is attuned to the spirit of the heart and that the song that comes to mind is the perfect song for the heart’s state.
These days, for me, that song is The Love of God Endures Forevermore. Let me tell you a bit about how this song was born.
On a regular day, Manoling Francisco texted (a fact which is already worth talking about because Mano is not prone to texting unlike us lesser beings…) and invited me to write a song with him. He said that he already had the music and just needed help with the lyrics. You must know that to refuse would have been impossible and foolish. One does not pass up the chance to write a song with an icon!
The last time I had ever written a song was back in grade school. In love with words, I had the naïve idea that I could make music for it. Of course, this was foolhardy. I quickly abandoned that career path and concentrated on the part that made the most sense to me – playing with words.
Mano and I met at Loyola House of Studies and in my mind, we would simply be brainstorming, tossing ideas to each other and that it would take us at least a month to get to some kind of product. Lo and behold, he tells me as soon as I arrive (which was at 2 pm) that we had until 5 pm to finish the song! Behind him was the exit door and truth-be-told if Mano had not been blocking the way, I would have been out of there in an instant.
You see nothing is more overwhelming than a lack of faith in oneself. But then, I looked at clear-eyed Mano and made the decision to rest on his faith in me. He explained to me the song, almost fervently, and pointed the Psalm we would be basing the song on (Psalm 136).
I knew that Mano constantly troubled over the travails of the country. His work kept him constantly in touch with all kinds of Filipinos so he has intimate knowledge of the common man’s desire to have faith in the Kingdom of God. When faced with poverty, hunger, and that great big word that underlines everything INJUSTICE, it becomes difficult to find the hand of God. This song was a promise, a constant reminder that the love of God is stronger, the love of God is constant, the love of God has steered humankind and continues to steer us to goodness, the love of God endures forevermore.
The song is plaintive, historical even, of the paths we have taken as a people. Underneath its chords a tension is revealed. This tension lies in the humanness of people in the face of God’s infinite wisdom. We cannot see as far as God sees and this fact is troubling. The challenge to see it as sacramental almost seems impossible. I thought of the psalmist’s world of a thousand years ago and felt one with his world. He too struggled and yet he still chose to proclaim: “Praise to the God of Gods, Praise to the Lord of Lords.”
But the song is also joyful. It is a reminder of God’s love and Grace. It speaks of God’s qualities as a creator who loves and that ironically enough, that which troubles us (his infiniteness) is also what comforts us. The chorus replies to each refrain: the love of God endures forevermore-An acknowledgment of this greatness.
To write a song is to be in touch with one’s stand in life. Although I was, in essence, only rewording what had already been written, I could not create a new version of something I did not understand. In one refrain, the psalmist says: “Out of great love Yahweh heard their pleas and freed them from their captivity. Fed them manna and water from springs.” Manna and water no longer appear in our modern times. But they do appear in other forms, and I have witnessed that and so now I too am Psalmist.
This is my anthem now as I walk my gift of life. In times of confusion, in times of great despair, in times of dryness, in times of plenty, in times of loss, in times of darkness, my feet walk the walk of truth. I pound the steps with certainty and peace. I say it like a mantra: the love of God endures forevermore.
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The Love of God Endures Forevermore
Palan Reyes
Arranging this song was a challenge. First, its refrain sounded too much like Humayo't Ihayag. Second, its verses had three different melodic lineunrelated in synchopation to each other. And third, it had to sound joyous yet be solemn enough to be used in liturgical functions.
Since the task of arranging was given to me, I decided to use as my peg the theme song of the BBC show, Talking Movies, which features a piano-bass-percussion trio. In this song, I used a 4-part chorus with 2
soloists accompanied by grand piano.
When I recorded the accompaniment, I also wanted to get a gritty, spontaneous feel of a live performance. That's why we also invested in renting a parlor grand from Lyric Pianos one weekend. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first song I recorded that day. One problem I encountered was how to deal with a noisy sustain pedal. This was solved by propping the bottom with cloth and playing barefoot. The other problem was how to play it without mistakes, which is the base of a pianist who was arranging the song practically as it was being played. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with the results.
Towards the end of the song you may hear some murmurs and handclaps intended to highlight a "party-like" atmosphere. A praise song such as this works well in the spirit of fellowship and in the context of a celbration of God's love for His people. I wish to stress not just the devotional aspect of this liturgical song, but also its social dimension. We worship WITH other people as a community of believers.
THE LOVE OF GOD ENDURES FOREVERMORE
Disc: Liturgical
Music: Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ
Lyrics: Rica Bolipata Santos, based on Psalm 136
Vocals: Icar Castro, Lou Grant Tan, and The Bukas Palad Music Ministry
Instrumental and vocal arrangement: Palan Reyes
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