About the songs
Most of the songs are written with congregational singing in mind, although a few are perhaps more suited to performance by an individual or band in the context of a service. I hope you will use them for private worship and entertainment as well.
The audio and MIDI files on the site are provided in a range of styles. These are to demo the songs and are not intended to imply that the songs should be performed only in those styles.
The MIDI files use the ‘nearest’ General MIDI sounds to those on my keyboard. Due to the limitations of General MIDI, some of them may not sound particularly inspiring. So, appropriate re-patching for the particular digital instrument may be needed before these are suitable for use in public worship.
I would be very grateful for any feedback, please send it to: carvelmusic@btinternet.com.
About me
I was born in Edinburgh into a large Christian family, and was privileged to grow up under the evangelical ministry of James Philip, who significantly influenced my lyric writing. I played the piano from an early age, and have been writing songs ever since I wrote my first worship lyric at a Crusader camp in 1972. I've also played in worship bands at various churches, while pursuing my career in the Civil Service.
I finished work at the end of 2016, but my retirement turned out very different from anything I might have expected. My wife, Carol, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2017 and the underlying pancreatic cancer was confirmed in 2018. After bearing the illness with astonishing bravery, patience and grace, she went home to Jesus in February 2019.
Now I spend a lot of time writing and arranging songs at my home in East Lothian, and I play keyboards with the worship band at North Berwick Christian Fellowship. I also enjoy prose writing, hillwalking and spending time with my five grandchildren and three sons and their wives.