Welcome to TortoiseClimbing's™ new website.
NOTE. This new website currently, hosted under the URL TortiseClimbing.net, will eventually migrate to the .com website, replacing the website built in 2004, becomming TortoiseClimbing's™ new permanant website URL. When migrated, it will automatically redirect to the .com URL. So, any references you establish to this post-Beta version URL will continue to access this information after it is migrated.
Audio marketplace is Online. Click on Online Store Access page to see available and coming products, and links to them in the Online marketplace.
Currently available Audio products -
(We are empowered to provide this free, because score became public domain beginning of 2023.)
Near-term additional New Products:
By Fall we will add the following to our online marketplace:
Statuses:
Now available.
Several streaming numbers from the standard vocal performance version of Hymns and Songs of My Mother (on the annotated playlist of the 27 numbers of the almost 78 min. album). See Annotated Playlist. (If you only want to know which hymns and songs included on album, see Simple Playlist.)
Released 6/20/2024.
Digital download of standard vocal performance version of Hymns and Songs of My Mother from our online marketplace.
9/15/2024.
Songs being finalized
Coming later this year
TortoiseClimbing Audio™ is providing Free downloads of this recording from both this website and from its online marketplace. This is a digitally mastered and restored version from the unmixed and unmastered historic, amateur, monaural, private LP recording from 1959. We can finally do this because the score for The Crucifixion became public domain the beginning of 2023.
(FYI, this vintage album contains the first recordings of David as a high school soloist.)
The original vintage, historic, monaural, private LP record was made in 1959 by editing together the best of from the amateur raw tapes of two 1959 live spring performances by the 3 Annapolis High School choirs in the then AHS (now Maryland Hall) auditorium. The performances are a unique presentation, achieved by using 2 womens choirs to sing the recitatives and arias of John Stainer's The Crucifixion, achieving a dramatically choral presence. (Hymns in the score are omitted. About 41 minutes in length.)
NOTES
TortoiseClimbing Audio™ digitized, mastered and restored the monaural, private LP record of those live performances.
While the recording fidelity is subject to limitations of 1959 consumer quality audio equipment technology, this recording preserves a truly wonderful and uncommon arrangement, created by the choral director, Robert Kunkle.
Available free from this website are both:
Note. The Online Marketplace includes a download copy of the lyrics, but it does Not include a copy of the score. The score is only available from this website.
For more details, click on The Crucifixion.
This is an extensive (almost 78 minutes in length), very high-quality collection of 27 classic, traditional, nostalgic, congregational hymns and other songs, jointly selected with his mother from David's parents' favorites. A number of outstanding trained singers join David in various combinations and accompaniments. He sings lead on all but one hymn, where he provides accented harmony to an original arrangement of "Were You There" by the Phase I Producer, Ms. Heidi Gerber-Salins.
To only see titles included and their order (see Simple Playlist).
The collection is composed of 21 traditional, congregational hymns, and 6 religious songs. The hymns were selected from hymnals of his parents, with the religious songs drawn from a variety of sources, including: church service songs from back of the hymnals; a couple baroque settings of songs used for weddings; an art song on the 23rd psalm from his voice studies; and a folk-Contemporary Christian song written by a relative.
Except for lyrics to "Morning Has Broken," all hymns are now public domain, i.e., out-of-copyright, and no longer included in many church hymnals. Lyrics to the wedding song "Be Thou with Them," are similarly still under copyright. We will be copyrighting the original folk-Contemporary Christian song for the author/composer, Kathy Brigman Haupt.
This album provides an opportunity to re-live your memory of these hymns and songs. Their Congregational hymn origin is honored by singing them as printed in the hymnals, but in a variety of vocal combinations and different accompaniments:
-- Status --
Selected hymns from the vocal performance version available for streaming from this website (see Annotated Playlist)
Streaming of all tracks of vocal performance version available from online marketplace product page (see Hymns and Songs of My Mother). You can purchase and 1) digitally download the album, and 2) shortly thereafter you will be able to place an order for the forthcoming CD.
Lyrics for all hymns and songs are available both from this website and the online store for all hymns and songs. (See Lyrics.)
-- Future Projected Schedule --
The plan is to make 3 additional versions of this album available this summer:
This Fall we will be releasing several early, previously unreleased songs recorded with friends from around 1991, before TortoiseClimbing™ was established in 1993. The recordings are upgraded so their quality conforms with our revised mission. (They were post production processed, remixed, and remastered. Initial versions of some are available on this website for streaming from Duets with Terry.)
These songs will be released for sale and digital download in Fall 2024. They may become part of an EP with additional songs subsequently.
This song was recorded likely in 1991-1992, prior to beginning work on the Solo Collection, which preceded recording the Hymns and Songs of My Mother album. "And So It Goes" includes a multi-part trio harmony version of this wonderful romantic song with friends Terry (Duets with Terry) and the Phase I Producer of Hymns and Songs of My Mother, Ms. Heidi Gerber-Salins (see Heidi Gerber-Salins - Producer, Phase I). This song will be offered, both as:
This lovely, poignant, romantic song of love lost was initially published as a solo number by Billy Joel in ©1989 (about 3:40 in length). This trio version illustrates yet another dimension of TortoiseClimbing™'s repertoire.
Like the poignant, romantic song "And So It Goes" above, this song was also likely recorded in 1990-1991 before beginning Solo Collection or the unfinished Romantic Duets. Similar to "And So It Goes", this song will be offered, both as:
This is a dramatic baritone and tenor duet, with synthesized orchestra, bass guitar and piano accompaniment. It is a strong motivational number from the 2nd act of the musical, Starlight Express. It is between the protagonist, Rusty, and the mythical Starlight Express, where Starlight gives Rusty the advice that the Starlight Express is within Rusty. Just believe in yourself and you can do anything!
This is available for streaming from Duets with Terry.
This romantic song was also likely recorded in 1991-1992. It begins with with thoughts that some may say about the difficulties of love, but ends with a pronouncement that love is what brings meaning into life, and that the seed for love can always spring forth anew. This song was a major hit from end credits of the 1979 movie The Rose staring Bette Midler. Although the choral arrangement used for making this recording included multiple parts throughout, the final mix we created is modeled more after the the Bette Midler version, which begins and ends as a solo.
This is available for streaming from Duets with Terry, and subsequently will be available for purchase and download from our online marketplace.
This is the only Contemporary Christian song on the album Hymns and Songs of My Mother. It is also provided separately because of its appeal as a CCM song. My mother loved this song written for her sister's funeral by her sister's grandchild.
This is available for streaming from Annotated Playlist, (scroll down to hymn 25) and from our online marketplace via Hymns and Songs of My Mother, (scroll down to hymn 25).
Working draft of companion history book in editing.
When released, ebook will be offered as part of a discounted bundle. (Note. It appears that to sell eBook separately we will have to establish a separate Publications online store. When established that site will also be accessible from this Store's Access page.)
This website. Provides information about every artist involved in creation of both the Hymns and Songs of My Mother recording and the History Through 27 Hymns and Songs eBook.
(Note. There remain 3 vocalists who participated in recording Hymns and Songs of My Mother who have not provided bio materials. Additionally, the draft bio for the trumpeter is drawn from materials found on the internet, but are not yet commented on by the artist.)
Variations on the above are planned beginning in early 2024. Examples:
Check out considerable information about these projects, including detailed credits for each of the many persons involved in helping create each of the projects. The most expansive details are about making the album Hymns and Songs of My Mother recording.
Major categories are accessed by clicking the appropriate category in Top/master menu atop each webpage. Burrow deeper by clicking on dropdown submenu top left under master menu, then click on subtopic that interests you. Deepest details are under Recordings.
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