God and Music

Christopher Getman has always had music in his blood. But his path hasn’t been the most common. While most musicians are scrambling to play local stages and festivals, Getman first blazed a path in the world of video game composition and now – he’s onto an even bigger, and more unique, project.
“I was sitting in church, reflecting on how I’ve been creating music for 20-plus years, but I had never considered making music for God,” he says. “So, I asked myself the question – ‘if I were to do that… what would it look like?’ Instantly the idea was received: take a Bible verse and translate it into music.”
Today, Getman is working on Words and Verses where he will compose original instrumental music based on Bible verses. According to his website, “The task of the composer is to take a single Bible verse and craft a musical composition that represents it.”
Though Getman has had significant success with his projects in the past, including winning a Syracuse Area Music Award for his album, American Pixels in 2018, Word and Verses will provide a completely new challenge in a myriad of ways. He talked with CNYAlive about both the pressures and freedoms of the project and his ultimate goals.

JN: What is your musical education and background?
CG: Part of a musical family, I grew up surrounded by music, and as of fourth grade was playing trombone in school. Around age 15 I took an interest in composing, especially in the arena of the electronic. After high school I attained a degree in composition via SUNY Purchase.
After college, I took my degree and pursued work in the field of film scoring. Sadly, it just wasn’t a great fit for my style. However, along the way I fell into a totally different scene: video game music. Given my taste for fusion, the video game world was a far better fit than the film music scene, and specifically I found a following in the world of remixing and arranging game music. In 2005 I released a full-length tribute to American game composers, known as The American Album, which was a huge success.

JN: What is American Pixels?
CG: American Pixels is my sequel to The American Album, taking a series of tracks by American game composers and arranging them in new styles. This particular album took my work to a whole new level, going back to my college roots and merging classical instruments with electronics.

JN: When did you make the decision to create Words and Verses?
CG: The idea hit while I was in the middle of working on American Pixels, around 2015.

JN: How has your experience with video game music informed or influenced what you’re doing now with Words and Verses? And/or how is it starkly different?
CG: One of the reasons I prefer game music to film music is the diversity in terms of genre. There tends to be more freedom in creating sound palettes and even with orchestration choices for the world of games than what will typically work for a movie. That said, like many composers in that arena I tend to enjoy tackling a new genre with almost every new project.
However, game music still needs to accompany something. A title screen, background music for a level, a battle or boss fight, etc. Despite the versatility, it’s still – on some level – a form of accompaniment. The big difference with Words and Verses is that the music will be standalone.

JN: I like that you’re choosing to communicate these feelings, themes and ideas through music without words. However, tackling the job of expressing ideas without words would be daunting for most. How do you approach it?
CG: It’s going to vary per track, based on the context and theme that is represented. For example, Genesis 1:2 talks about the period in creation before God declared “let there be light.” Rather, it talks about the Spirit of God hovering over the waters, when the earth was formless. Musically there’s a lot to work with here. A bright presence hovering over darkness, preparing to create, but observing the emptiness first. Imagine music on the darker side, deep and empty, flowing like water, but with a presence of light getting ready to change it all.

JN: How are you picking the Bible verses you’re translating into music?
CG: For the first album in the project, I have selected twelve verses. (The number twelve has significance in the Bible.) As the first collection is going to be called “Foundation,” I have specifically chosen a group of verses that cover a broad selection of themes, authors, and books. There’s both Old and New Testament, material from each of the four gospels, and so on.

JN: Do you have a favorite verse that you’ll be doing within the project? Why does it stand out?
CG: My all-time favorite verse is actually going to be reserved for another album, however I did include a few favorites from childhood that always stuck with me. John 14:2 talks about a place in eternity for us. Romans 10:13 in a clean, concise way explains salvation. Isaiah 40:31 is the favorite of one of my closest friends, a verse that speaks of strength and power. I’ve also chosen a few iconic verses, not favorites but very well known, that deserve a place in Foundation.

JN: I think it’s amazing that music always communicates a feeling – even if there are no words or they’re in a language you don’t understand. It also seems fitting that all people can understand that musical language. Do you think of this idea as you’re creating this project? That God created this universal language and now you’re honoring him through it? It seems so fitting.
CG: That’s certainly a big part of it, and part of what makes the undertaking so daunting. I want to do the source material justice.
Another idea with this project is that I can potentially, through music, expose listeners to what the Bible says. My hope is that the music will be heard, and enjoyed to a point where a listener, one perhaps who has never opened a Bible, will be curious as to what the verse says. Then, for the first time, they may then choose to read, and to better understand both the context, and what more there is in the scripture worth discovering.

JN: How does it feel to create this kind of music, honoring the word of God?
CG: In a way, writing for God brings a profound sense of peace. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter as much what people think. I’m not composing something to please a movie director, a game developer, or a singer. I’m not trying to hit a specific genre to please a record label. I’m not confined to standards in terms of length, orchestration, or sound palette. There’s tremendous freedom (which has its own challenges), and at the same time, whatever I write will honor God in the process.
Of course, having said that, I also want it to be very good and pleasing to the ears, so it’ll be an interesting line to walk along the way.

JN: I really admire that this project seems different than anything I’ve heard of. How does it feel to be pioneering a project like this?
CG: Oddly enough, I spent a while on Google researching my idea, prior to announcing my concept. I did not find any project out there that matched. In that regard, it feels great to be helming this idea.
Interestingly, since announcing the project website, I’ve had a few composers already reach out indicating that they, at one point, had done something similar. Upon further inquiry, yes, they had made music based on scripture, but in each case it had been a singular, one-off piece. At no point had they started an entire album-length (or beyond) project based on the idea. So, this is a new concept and in that regard, very exciting.

JN: What is your goal for this project?
CG: Worst case scenario, I release a single album of electronic/classical music based on Bible verses, the album makes its way to the standard distribution platforms (Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, etc.), and that’s the end of it.
Best-case scenario, the ideal takes hold among multiple composers worldwide, who represent a diverse spectrum of genres and abilities, and this concept ends up developing several albums across a variety of themes. Words and Verses is then no longer just an idea, but a sub-genre and even a record label, channeling the idea of Bible-based music into production and publication across countless albums, representing multiple composers, and bringing endless ideals via music to the global public.

JN: When it comes to creating the actual music, who will be performing it?
CG: Admittedly, I was personally mixed as to the caliber and quality of the recordings that I received back from my soloists (in the past). I had expressed as much as possible via sheet music and notation, but in the realms where interpretation and improvisation were key, I do wish that I had had a more personal involvement in the smaller details.
That said, I’m hoping that, for the production of Foundation, I can rely on local talent for much of the performance needed, but I’m certainly not opposed to external recordings.

JN: When will you launch your Kickstarter for the project?
CG: Currently we’re looking at late October, but we’d rather not pose an official date at this point.

JN: If people want to donate now or following along with the project’s progress, how can they do so?
CG: Options to donate and/or pre-order are currently available via the official Words and Verses website, or, to simply stay up to date all are welcome to like the project on Facebook.
Website: www.wordsandversesproject.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Words-and-Verses-a-Biblical-Music-Project-113182900391305/

JN: Anything else you’d like to add?
CG: Word of mouth is going to be key. The scope of the project will depend largely on how many people are aware of it and how much support the Kickstarter receives. So, please – spread the word!

To hear what Getman has done in the past, visit www.mazedude.com.
To support some of his official releases, visit mazedude.bandcamp.com/