Recordings: Overview



Summaries of our recordings are provided in order by when available, and then in Alphabetical order within when available.

Greater details about individual recording are available by clicking on the dropdown submemu in the upper left, then clicking on the recording you want to know more about.




Released

ALBUM: Hymns & Songs of My Mother
- Vocal version (Digital - released 6-20-2024; CD - 9-20-2024)

ALBUM: The Crucifixion, by John Stainer. (1959 performance by combined AHS choirs.) (Version 1 released Jan 2023. Version 2, with upgraded mastering and separation into individual tracks, released Fall 2024.)


Target for release by end of 2024

SONG: "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel. (Multi-part harmony version of this haunting song.) ©1989 (Fall 2024)

SONG: "I Am the Starlight", by Andrew Lloyd Weber ©1984, (Fall 2024)

SONG: "The Rose", by Amanda McBroom, (Multi-part harmony version of this romantic song.) © 1979 (Fall 2024)

SONG: "Welcome Home", by Kathy Brigman Haupt, (Solo, duet, and multi-part harmony of this Contemporary Christian song.) © 2024 (Fall 2024)


Future

ALBUMS: Other versions of Hymns & Songs of My Mother

  1. Augmented instrumental, easy listening version, without vocals (As soon as life events allow);
  2. Backup accompaniment version for singing with, minus just lead vocal (Shortly after Instrumental version); and
  3. Backup accompaniment version for singing with, minus all vocals (Shortly after Instrumental version).

SONGS:

  1. All I Have to Do Is Dream - Everly Brothers
  2. In the Ghetto - Elvis Presley
  3. Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens version
  4. The Twelfth of Never - Johnny Mathis
  5. Till I Kissed Ya - Everly Brothers

Advanced PODCASTS of chapters from eBook (Working title) History Through 27 Hymns and Songs (companion to album Hymns and Songs of My Mother) (Beginning as soon as completion of editing of eBook.)

AUDIOBOOK Following completion of the Podcast series of chapters, the completed Audiobook

ALBUM: Nostolgic Solos (As soon as life's events allow)

ALBUM: Romantic Duets (TBD)



Released

Album: Hymns & Songs of My Mother - Vocal version

Digital files and CD for Vocal Performance Version are available!
(Other versions to follow)


Hymns and Songs of My Mother (vocal version) is the 2nd public album produced (digital files released 6-20-2024, CD released 9-20-2024). (While this is the 4th album TortoiseClimbing Audio™ has produced, it is the 2nd album Publicly released.) For more details about this album see Hymns and Songs. Several final selections are available for streaming from the Annotated Playlist, and all selections are also available for limited streaming and purchase from the online Marketplace. Easy access link is found on Store Access.

The impetus for creation the Hymns and Songs album indirectly was David's father's death in late 1996. Subsequently, in Spring of 1998, (some months before his mother also would die that August) she requested TortoiseClimbing Audio™ create a quality recording of selections from their favorite hymns and religious songs. David and his mother jointly selected the wide ranging list included on this album. It is a homage to both of them, and includes 27 selections:

  1. There are 21 widely ranging hymns selected from hymnals his parents collected over their lives as their respective churches replaced older hymnals with newer hymnals, plus
  2. There are 6 religious songs selected from several sources:

A number of professional musicians were involved, both instrumental and vocal, bringing a wealth of experiences and skills to this magnificent recording. Credits for each participant musician and vocalist are included on individual webpages, grouped by the recording phase they participated in.

NOTE. Work on creation of the Hymns and Songs of My Mother album took place over many years. As a result, credits on this website for those involved in making of this recording are grouped by when they occurred in the 2 widely separated 2 Phases. To aid in finding specific pages of interest, an Artists' Cross-reference is also provided to facilitate easily locating information about specific artists or instruments.


All 21 hymns, except lyrics for "Morning Has Broken" are now public domain. Lyrics for 1 song ("Be Thou with Them") are also still under copyright, plus there is the unpublished Contemporary Christian song ("Welcome Home"), written and composed by Ms. Kathy Haupt. (She gave TortoiseClimbing Audio™ permission to arrange and make this 1st recording of her song.)

The growth in popularity of newer Praise and Worship hymns has caused these hymns to largely disappear from many commercially sold hymnals, and from the hymns many churches choose for singing during services.


Phase I

Phase I of the recording began immediately after David's mother's request, in Spring 1998, to make the recording. Ms. Gerber-Salins was the producer, vocal arranger for several hymns, audio engineer, and a significant duet partner on many numbers. Her creativity as producer significantly shaped what became the final product. (Ms. Gerber-Salins sings lead and harmony parts on her original arrangement of "Were You There.") Vocals on this album are a mix of solo, duet, and multi-part harmonies, some a cappella.

After his mother's death, work on this recording slowed. Then in about 2004, because of other competing events in the lives of both David and Ms. Gerber-Salins, TortoiseClimbing Audio™ put this project on hold for a number of years.

Hiatus

Fortunately, during the long hiatus between Phases I and II, David and Ms. Gerber-Salins shared a number of brainstorming sessions analyzing needed future work, enabling development of extensive notes. Those notes enabled David to take on the Producer's rule in Phase II implementing both their notes, and other improvements.

Phase II

Beginning in 2019, David again had time to devote to this project. So, TortoiseClimbing Audio™ began Phase II to complete this project. At that time, Ms. Gerber-Salins' life was still wrapped into other life endevors, so someone else was needed as audio engineer and Associate Producer. That person is Mr. Bill McElroy, who contributed production ideas as the work progressed.

This is the same Mr. Bill McElroy, who engineered David's 1st Private recording, Solo Collection. In 1993 Bill left Bias Recording Studio and the recording industry. However, several years later he returned to the recording business, first as a mastering studio in Richmond,VA, and then in 2000 a new studio in Ashland, VA. Thus, he was again available, and replaced Ms. Gerber-Salins. It was sort of a homecoming to be able to return to working with Bill to complete this project at his new enterprise, SlippedDisc™, as Associate Producer and audio recording engineer.


Phase II added various augmentations to the overall project, including:

In addition, other subsidiaries of TortoiseClimbing™ took on the related efforts to:

In 2022 & 24, Ms. Gerber-Salins again became available for limited advice in completing Phase II. That included:

-- End of Accordian Window on evolution of "Hymns and Songs of My Mother" --



Album: The Crucifixion, Annapolis High School Choirs, 1959

Version 1 of the restored and mastered album was initially released 1/20/2023;
Version 2 is further mastered and for easier reference seperated into the 15 numbers in Stainer's score, released 10/6/2024 - FREE
for download to your computer. (NOTE - If you want access to unlimited mp3 streaming of this album from the online Marketplace, they charge $1.00.)


This is TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s first Publicly released album. (Previous recordings by TortoiseClimbing Audio™ were Private releases for friends and family.) This restoration and first ever mastering of the 1959 AHS recording is the 4th production TortoiseClimbing Audio™ worked on. For details about The Crucifixion see The Crucifixion. To order, click on Store Access

(Note. The 2nd production for Public release by TortoiseClimbing Audio™, Hymns and Songs of My Mother, was released digitally 6-20-2024, and CD 9-20-2024, see details above.)


The Crucifixion's score became Public Domain beginning of 2023, allowing TortoiseClimbing Audio™ to provide Free audio file downloads of the digitally restored and mastered version of this distinctive, vintage private recording made from the historic 1959 performances.

The original 1959 monaural LP record made of The Crucifixion was pressed from the consumer quality monaural tape recordings of 2 performances given by the Annapolis High School choirs in spring 1959, Robert F. Kunkle choral music director. Participating were Mr. Kunkle's: mixed chorus; two women's choruses; and limited soloists from the mixed chorus. Members of the choirs were in graduating classes of 1959, 1960 and 1961. This 2023 digitally restored and mastered file is developed from the 1959 private, limited edition, monaural LP made and sold to choir members and families.

This performance is a unique, much more choral arrangement than specified in the score. (The score uses soloists to sing perhaps half of the performance.) In this production, women's choirs sing almost all the numbers scored as recitatives and arias for soloists, thus creating a dramatically more choral performance, in place of the usual, limited quality church soloists. As a result, you are treated to the wonderful sound of womens' choirs on those recitatives and arias.

As indicated in the score, Mr. Kunkle included the few limited, short solos Stainer's score shows as coming from members of the choir, plus several short recitatives. They are sung by student members of the mixed choir. (David is one of those student soloists, singing parts of Christ, including one of the Recitiatves. FYI - This is the earliest recording of a young David.)

In addition to the version 1 2023 mastered and restored audio file being available for download from this website, version 2 is available from the online music store via Bandcamp.

You can obtain your free copy of version 1 of the mastered and restored digital audio file from this website by:

  1. Accessing the Download process on this website at: Download mastered and restored audio file from 1959 combined AHS Choirs' The Crucifixion.


  2. OR - You can also obtain your free download of version 2 of the separated numbers and further mastered and restored monarual audio file from TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s online Marketplace at Bandcamp, by clicking on The Crucifixion. If you want ulimited streaming of the mp3 from our online Marketplace, Bandcamp charges $1.00)

Comming Soon

Song: "And So It Goes"


Multi-part harmony version of this haunting © 1989 song by Billy Joel, recorded with friends Terry and Heidi Gerber-Salins (who also produced Phase I of Hymns and Songs of My Mother and sings duets on many of the hymns) . This poignant love song was recorded at Bias studio, likely in 1991-92. It's simple accompaniment emphasizes both the poignacy and the vocal harmonies. It will become available Spring, 2024, for download and streaming from the Online Music Store. For more details about this song see "And So It Goes".

Song: "I Am the Starlight"


Like the poignant, romantic song "And So It Goes" above, this song was also likely recorded in 1991-1992 before beginning Solo Collection and the unfinished Romantic Duets. It will become available Spring, 2024, for download and streaming from the Online Music Store as:

This is a dramatic baritone and tenor duet in a Rock Broadway Musical style, with synthesized orchestra, bass guitar and piano accompaniment. It is the strong motivational number from the 2nd act of the musical, Starlight Express. This duet takes place between the protagonist, Rusty, and the mythical Starlight Express. Starlight gives Rusty the advice that the Starlight Express is within Rusty. Just believe in yourself and you can do anything! For more details about this song see "I Am the Starlight."


Song: "The Rose"


This song by Amanda McBroom is about what is the meaning of love and its importance in life. It was used in the 1979 movie The Rose starring Bette Midler, and was a successful single release.

David recorded this song with colleagues, likely in 1992 at Bias. It's accompaniment is mostly by my friend Terry on his guitars, with a touch of synthesizer. As part of remixing and remastering, this became a substantial revision in the interpretation of on how this song is mixed. It will become available Spring, 2024, for download and streaming from the Online Music Store. For more details about this song see "The Rose."

Song: Welcome Home


Many thanks to Ms. Kathy Brigman Haupt, the composer and writer of "Welcome Home" for granting Tortoise Climbing Audio™ permission to create an arrangement and make the 1st public recording of her song, "Welcome Home".

This song became a favorite of David's mother when Kathy wrote and performed this original Contemporary Christian song for the funeral of Kathy's grandmother. As a result, David's mother wanted this song included as part of this collection. With Kathy's permission, TortoiseClimbing Audio™ facilitated creation of an arrangement for:

Note. Previously in her youth, Ms. Haupt wrote several other contemporary christian songs. TortoiseClimbing Audio™ proposed creating arrangements for each and recording a small album containing Kathy's other songs. To date, Ms. Haupt is reluctant to have that done.


Future

Albums: Other Versions of Hymns and Songs of My Mother (In Process)


Several additional versions of the album Hymns and Songs of My Mother will become available later in 2024. The first is intended for relaxing listening to just instrumentals of the hymns. The next 2 are intended for use as background accompaniments in churches:

  1. An easy listening instrumental version of the hymns (as soon as life's events allow).
  2. Accompaniment for soloists, sometimes referred to as a "minus 1," meaning the lead vocal is removed so a church soloist can sing along with the recorded accompaniment,
  3. Accompaniment for choirs, with all harmony vocals, except descants, removed so church choirs could use the accompaniment. The descant harmonies are left in the mix because music scores for the descants are not included in most hymnals, plus churches may not have sopranos in their choir who can sing that high.

Songs


Several additional songs:

  1. All I Have to Do Is Dream - Everly Brothers
  2. In the Ghetto - Elvis Presley
  3. Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens version
  4. The Twelfth of Never - Johnny Mathis
  5. Till I Kissed Ya - Everly Brothers

eBook


History Through 27 Hymns and Songs eBook (Target 2025): Publication as eBook

Note. The ebook publication, History Through 27 Hymns and Songs is the companion to the album Hymns and Songs of My Mother. (See Publications for details about this eBook.) The ebook will become available in the music store as part of an optional bundle with its companion hymns' album recording. The ebook will also be available alone for download from a different online publications store. Links to both online stores are easily accessible from this website's Store Access page.


Audio files from The Companion eBook Publication

Two recording products will be created from the companion ebook. The following audio recordings will be made from the companion eBook:

Advanced Podcasts (Shortly after completing eBook)

When the publication History Through 27 Hymns and Songs is finalized, TortoiseCimbing Audio™ will begin recording a series of advance audio podcasts of the chapters from that book. Those advance chapter podcasts will be available as:

Audiobook (Target Late 2025)

When the series of podcasts are completed, the complete audiobook will be assembled and made available. Target is 2025.


Album: Nostalgic Solos (Target, as soon as life's events allow)


Note. An earlier version of this album was the 1st album produced by TortoiseClimbing Audio™ in 1993, titled Solo Collection. It was Privately released on cassette for family and friends. The plan is to revisit the songs on that recording and upgrade using post production processing, remixing and remastering, in accordance with TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s evolved mission of high quality products. We are also evaluating whether to augment the accompaniments. It will be re-released as a Public offering under the new title Nostolgic Solos. That will make it TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s 3rd Publically released album.


This is a collection of ballads from the 1940's through WWII and a few decades afterward about values that make life worth living. It includes songs about: love; loss; sorrow; bereavement, dedication; and needed social change. The original acompaniment for most songs on that album was solo piano. TortoiseClimbing Audio™ is investigating augmenting the piano only accompaniments.

Additionally, we have to replace the few karaoke accompaniments:

  1. Use of karaoke tracks as accompaniments is no longer compatible with the evolution of TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s mission to only produce high quality recordings; plus
  2. Using them would create the additional issue of needing to obtain a Master Use License for the right to use those accompaniment recordings.

Thus, for the planned upgrade and public release of that album, TortoiseCliming Audio™ is investigating options for replacing the Karaoke accomplaniments, and augmenting the piano accompaniments. All of those will require getting arrangements created, plus recording the new arrangements.

The plan is to revisit and publically re-release the upgraded version of that album, plus write a companion history publication. Work on that project is anticipated to be concurrent with production of the advance podcast series from the eBook History Through 27 Hymns and Songs. Completion of that series is projected for at least late 2024.

Note. Since all songs on the Nostolgic Solos album are still under copyright, there is the cost of getting mechanial licenses for all songs, and paying royalty fees for each copy of the album.



Album: Romantic Duets (TBD)


Note. Following the private release of Solo Collection in 1993, TortoiseClimbing Audio™ began production of another album with the working title of Romantic Duets. That album was put on hold to produce Hymns and Songs of My Mother.


Work on the Romantic Duets album began in 1993 after Mr. McElroy left Bias and Ms. Gerber-Salins became TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s lead audio engineer and co-producer. The duets included on the album are a selection of popular romantic songs, primarily from the 1970's through the early 1990's, largely in the style of ballads. (All accompaniments were prerecored Karaoke tracks.

Note. Use of karaoke tracks as accompaniments is no longer compatible with how TortoiseClimbing Audio™'s mission has evolved to only produce high quality recordings, so that is a challenge to be addressed.)


For the next 4 years TortoiseClimbing Audio™ gradually recorded materials for that project. Thus, production of that album was ongoing at the time David's mother requested TortoiseClimbing Audio™ produce the quality recording of Hymns and Songs of My Mother for public release. (As noted above, work on Romantic Duets was put on hold in 1998 to focus on the Hymns and Songs of My Mother.)

The analogue materials from the master tapes for the Romantic Duets album have been decoded from Dolby A and converted to digital. However, no decision has been made about completing those draft recordings and public release.


That recording would also have to deal with copyright royalty requirements plus the Master Use License requirement for the karaoke accompaniment tracks.


Note. Any work on this album presumably would take place after completion of:




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