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A. J. Higgins

@ajhigginscomposer

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Co-composer of God's Servant Job: A Children's Musical | Composer | Author | Hymnwriter | Classical Tenor | Shape Note Enthusiast | Cedarville alum 🐝

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The premiere of God's Servant Job: A Children's Musical was a success! So incredibly thankful for @bondbooks and P&R Publishing for allowing us to use this material and adapt it for the Bach's Literacy Series at @cedarville We had many children interested in the instruments and the performance aspect of the musical, and I hope that the story of Job will make a timeless impact on our audience. by @ajhigginscomposer

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10 days ago

Tomorrow will be the premiere of God's Servant Job: A Children's Musical, and we are so excited to present! Here are a few sneak peeks from the rehearsal process. by @ajhigginscomposer

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12 days ago

When @willwhim approached me about an interview, I was more than happy to oblige! I have loved reading his articles on Sacred Harp texts and tunes. His work has been a great inspiration to my own. Check out this interview, and while you're at it, check out his posts! They are stellar.

https://vitalsparks.beehiiv.com/p/interview-with-a-j-higgins

#sacredharp #shapenote #civilwar #campmeeting #hymns #churchmusic #poetry by @ajhigginscomposer

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23 days ago

🎉I have a new publication through Musical Offerings, the premier undergraduate music journal. It is a continuation piece to my previous article on Early American Hymnody. Here's what you can expect:

▶️ 𝗜'𝗺 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗺 𝗛𝘆𝗺𝗻𝗼𝗱𝘆:

The language of the Antebellum hymn produced a new idiom through the camp-meeting culture. Revivalist theology, African-American influence, and cross-cultural relations with the Northern states produced textual correlation in Northern and Southern hymnody. Camp-meeting catchphrases such as “Hallelujah,” “Amen,” and “Glory to God," were used to create an environment of ecstasy, along with phrases such as "I am bound for the kingdom, will you go to glory with me,” “Will stem the storm, it won’t be long,” “Religion is a fortune and heaven is a home.” This analysis of the frequency of these phrases is in conjunction with the concept of a “mother hymn,” or a pre-set strophic framework by which the Antebellum composer worked with. The Christian frontiersmen of Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Missouri may have seen themselves as carrying a divine message and goal in a largely caste-dominated system, and so used the language of the early Israelites in their music. A second mode of cultural inspiration, that of the slave spirituals, was also a reinterpretation of the Exodus narrative, highlighting aspects of freedom from slavery, the jubilee being a source of religious and ceremonial freedom. Alongside of this, Northern cultural exchange impacted both regions, resulting in hymns such as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Wayfaring Stranger."

Read more at the link in bio!

#sacredharp #shapenote #musicology #music #folk #civilwarsongs #hymnody #churchmusic #academic #academia by @ajhigginscomposer

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a month ago

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹?

In April 2025, two composition students from @cedarville University met to discuss writing a short children’s drama that involved an element of redemption.

After discussion, it was decided that this project would be a collaborative venture between multiple student composers. The Bach’s Literacy Concert, a yearly Music and Worship Department event specifically meant for a younger audience, seemed like the perfect venue for such a work. Carol and I decided to adapt a children's book by Douglas Bond, based on the life of Job.

✅Drafts were composed, emails were sent, and agreements were signed.

✅Ten collaborators were involved in composition process.

✅Music was drafted, edited, and revised over 7 month period.

✅Directors, a conductor, and performers were chosen.

The result? A 35 minute children's musical drama that is set to be premiered on October 6th.

This is the first time a multi-composer, collaborative project to this scale has made it this far at Cedarville. This project included contributions from freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This is the first time Cedarville Music Composition students have even secured the rights to adapt a work while at Cedarville.

All because of an idea. All because of the entrepreneurial spirit Cedarville University strives for. All because of the motto the Music and Worship Department holds fast to: Soli Deo Gloria.
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Follow for more about God's Servant Job: A Children's Musical. by @ajhigginscomposer

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a month ago

The older gentleman in plain clothes begins to lead people into the hollow square by sounding out these syllables: Fa, la, sol, la, fa. The “sol” is slightly out of tune with the “fa,” causing my friends with perfect pitch to cringe at the various splotches of microtonality that just begun to emerge. I don’t think anyone else minds it, though. Stragglers who have just arrived trail in as we begin beating to the rhythm of a tune like “Fairfield” (29t) or “Cusseta” (73t) And then the magic starts when we all join in the words. “Are not Thy mercies large and free? / May not a sinner trust in Thee?”

After a brief prayer, the cycle starts over with a new song leader and a different song from The Sacred Harp or Shenandoah Harmony. Maybe even The Missouri Harmony or The Dayton Harmonist if people are so inclined. We break for potluck for about an hour then resume the singing, before we close with “Christian’s Farewell” (347t).

This is Sacred Harp singing (also known as shape note music, due to the pitches having unique shapes), one of the oldest forms of American folk hymnody. Or at least how its done in Dayton, OH.

The music is chilling, the food is great, and the people are wonderful.

Through highs and lows, singers of this music have persevered since B. F. White and E. J. King published the eponymous tune-book in 1844. There is at least one singing group in each state. In the Indiana-Ohio area, there are enough singing groups to where you could realistically sing Sacred Harp music about every week if you wanted to or had the means.

There are many resources to look at if you want to learn more about Sacred Harp music. This blog post isn’t necessarily about that. It’s not even meant to be a long diatribe on conventions of the music, tradition, etc. There are YouTube videos that I would recommend for the history and practices of Sacred Harp singing. But I do want to discuss what Sacred Harp represents in our current era.

Read more at the link in bio!

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When was the first time you encountered Sacred Harp music? What are ways you are practicing upstreaming and counterliturgy in this new digital era? Let me know in the comments!

#sacredharp #shapenotesinging by @ajhigginscomposer

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3 months ago

🎺Sampler of Hymns - TRUMPET Fanfare for Church | A. J. Higgins, Composer

This trumpet quartet is a perfect fanfare for preludes, postludes, and offertories. It will soon be available to order, so watch this space for more details!

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Hymnody has always been my first love when it comes to congregational music. The breadth and depth of the texts themselves have always invited me to sense the truth of God fuller and richer. And the heritage we find in hymnody goes all the way back to the Scripture, with the Psalms being referred to as the Old Testament hymnal. The church has always attempted to illuminate the doctrines of the faith through poetry, and to give us the words to describe our relationship with God and the world. The music too, grants so much potential to be applied in so many contexts. That is what I have attempted to do here in this trumpet quartet. Stately Anglican hymns like “Abide with Me” and “This is My Father’s World” are right beside the rugged American tradition, with “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” and tunes from The Sacred Harp such as “Lenox,” “Jewett,” and “Religion is a Fortune.” Also included are two European classics “Now Thank We All Our God” and the “Doxology.” As the tunes spring the words into your minds, let them form your heart to better things and better dreams.

So thankful for my trumpet players, Grant Criss, Isaac Dillon, David Botkin, and Johanna Brunsberg!

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#trumpet #fanfare #hymns #churchmusic #arrangement #trumpetvideos #churchmusic #cedarville #musiccomposition by @ajhigginscomposer

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5 months ago

"Investigation" from Act 1, Scene 1 of L'étoile by Emmanuel Chabrier | Opera Scenes Spring 2026

It was a privilege to join in Opera Scenes as the last performance for my senior year! A capstone experience for sure. I have always loved the art songs of Chabrier, so it was a delight to sing a selection from his operatic works. It was a blessing to work with these men and our directors on this!

Video by @erinleigh_79

#opera #vocal #aria #classical #cedarville by @ajhigginscomposer

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5 months ago

Who knew a hen could be so interesting...

"So Much Depends on Moonlight and Magnolia" from Three Agrarian Songs

I've attempted to capture the sounds of Ives and Floyd with this one. The poetry is by Marion Montgomery, one of the Southern Agrarians of the twentieth century. My academic imagination was sparked when I encountered Marion Montgomery’s essays collected in On Matters Southern. While his book focused on many things, this one idea stuck out to me regarding the way in which we view art as Christians in the 21st century, that “we have no abiding city here, not even in art.” I had read that line in a time when I was struggling with my role and calling as a person who enjoyed and wanted to create music. Was God truly calling me to this abstract and potentially challenging field and lifestyle? But through my time at Cedarville, God has shown me that He does in fact bring about the good to those who love Him, and has brought me a boon of friendships, a loving group of mentor-teachers, and the reassurance that He has called me into the arts.

So grateful to have @creativepianist4jesus accompanying me on this and all my other repertoire for the past 2 1/2 years! You have been a great friend and support in my journey here.

Art included: Nestled in the Valley by Jennifer Young (https://www.jenniferyoung.com/shop-fo...) (This video is not monetized)

#newmusic #voice #artsong #aria #opera #musiccompositionmajor by @ajhigginscomposer

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5 months ago

🍂 Be transported to an autumn afternoon in your childhood when the tunes from your favorite Nintendo games were the only things on your mind, and there was not a care in the world...

"Nostalgia of a Thousand Memories" mvmt. II - Tranquility in Autumn

So incredibly thankful for @mikeyonkeys for this touching performance of my piano suite, Nostalgia of A Thousand Memories. Mikey, you have been such a dear friend, collaborator, and brother in Christ to me during my time at Cedarville!

Check out "Nostalgia of a Thousand Memories" at the link in bio!

#newmusic #piano #pianomusic #pianosolo #cedarville by @ajhigginscomposer

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5 months ago

So thankful for this premiere performance of "Divertissement" for saxophone quartet! Incredible musicianship from @jonny.jams, @rustonkinion, Cody, and Luke!

For more music and program notes, watch the full performance at the link in bio!

Audio: @heraldzan
Video: @kreativenamer by @ajhigginscomposer

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6 months ago

(2/2) Graduation and Senior Recognition pictures! Thank you to all my friends, professors, and peers that have impacted me during my four years! by @ajhigginscomposer

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5 months ago