What is this?

I’m Jonathon Landell, Jr. I record musical soundtracks for spoken-word narrations of the Bible, primarily Psalms. You can memorize the Scriptures effortlessly just by listening.

Christians generally want to learn God’s word - by heart. But this involves more drudgery than most of us have overcome so far through willpower alone. Staring silently at a page of Scripture at 6am, with nothing to help except a cold cup of coffee is… tough.

Sound familiar?

A great soundtrack makes memorizing Scripture not awful, and not time-intensive. Music lubricates your mental process, so you’ll get more memorized in the course of a year, with much less time spent every day. How great is that?

Even better, truly great music from the great composers transcends our diet of commercial drivel - and avoids insulting the passage’s delicacy and seriousness. We carefully select classical music that fits a passage - really good stuff, recorded professionally and performed by musicians you would be happy to support.

Joy and peace are deepened by a good musical setting; like a fine wine or a verse from Handel’s ‘Messiah’ which leaps from the page when we stumble across it, passages come to vivid life when paired tastefully to a musical arrangement. Music settles the text into nooks and crannies in the subconscious and lodges it seamlessly into long-term memory.

Isn’t that what we’re after?

Is the text rhymed or sung, or something?

No. It’s read quite straight, with a natural cadence.

What translations do you use?

The King James version (KJV) only, thanks to the glories of copyright.

Why only classical music?

Returning to the wine analogy, “classical” is shorthand for music which has aged gracefully. It’s the ribeye steak you could never tire of, the dress that never goes out of style, the Shelby Cobra which will always be a “classic car”. Great music is crafted with skill, passion and transcendental understanding; it stands the test of time. Why not use the best?

Besides, it’s royalty-free.

How much does memorization material cost?

If you see it available for download - help yourself. But see below…

Do you sell records?

Not exactly. Congregations get most excited about musicians they know, so if we can arrange a recording session with their talent pool, using arrangements tailored to their talents, we get the best results. Recordings are healthy for culture building; they encourage the musicians and inspire a proper and natural pride and sense of satisfaction. High production values are good, but the personal connection is too valuable to sacrifice for unrealistic, high standards. A recording of even moderate quality can be a source of long lasting enjoyment.

Who narrates the Biblical text?

It’s best for a member of the local congregation to volunteer as a narrator.

I’m a musician/pastor. Can you work with me/my church musicians?

Send in an email with details! scripture.audio@gmail.com

Why do you do this?

It’s fun! This started as a way to teach my own kids the Psalms in a radically efficient, engaging way. It was enjoyable and so effective I started looking for an opportunity to share tracks with others. Recording, performance and composition are skills I can apply to helping the church; I hope to give opportunity to more semi-professional or amateur musicians who want to serve the body of Christ.

I’m curious about your studio. What do you use to make recordings?

Ears make records, not equipment. But I enjoy using KRK monitors. Microphones are from Neumann, DPA, Beyerdynamic and custom active ribbon microphones from Mark Fouxman of Samar Audio in Salt Lake City (VL37a serial #77 and #78). Preamplification and A/D/A bit wrangling is by Audient (UK) and AppSys Pro Audio (Switzerland).