Church Music

Entrance: Christ be Our Light  (Farrell) AOV 2/3

Psalm 4 (McKenna)

Lord, let your face shine on us.

Lord, let your face shine on us.

Gifts: Open My Eyes  (Manibusan) AOV 1/166

Communion: Bread Broken, Wine Shared Bread  (Horner) AOV 2/155

Recessional: Go Make a Difference  (Angrisano/Tomaszek) AOV NG 52

Entrance: Jesus Is Risen Today (O’Brien- Ogilvie) AOV NG 82

Psalm 117 (McKenna)

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.

Gifts: Now the Green Blade Rises aka Love Is Come Again (Crum, NOEL NOUVELET) AOV 2/131

Communion: Bread of Heaven  (Manibusan-Hart)

Recessional: Alleluia! Love is Alive (Angrisano, Manibusan, Hart)

Those choosing music for this joint mass here have sent the music list:

Offertory: Holy Darkness (AOV 2-24)

Communion: Bread Broken, Wine Shared (AOV 2-155)

After Communion: Alleluia! Love is Alive

Recessional: Lord of the Dance (AOV 1-18)

This is (obviously) the title track of John Burland‘s album Arise. It is another collaboration with Gary Pinto, and is in a P&W mode, yet could be great for the Easter season or for Baptism and Confirmation.

The sheet music costs only $A15 for the whole collection and can be purchased at his website.

For assembly use I’d bring this down from E to D at least.

My backing is a little different to Burland’s arrangement:

Arise, arise see the glory of the Lord.
Arise, arise for the light of the world.

1 The Light has come to us shining bright,
and the glory of the Lord lights up the night.
Arise, behold the Lord has come us,
Arise and know the glory of the Lord.

Chorus
Arise, arise see the glory of the Lord,
Arise, arise for the light of the world.

Arise, arise see the glory of the Lord
Arise, arise for the light of the world.

2 Faith has made you whole precious child,
God’s favour is upon the meek and mild.
A witness to God’s presence you will be,
to a world that’s crying out for love and mercy.

Chorus

© 2020 John Burland /Gary Pinto. Published by Ovation Music Services. All rights reserved.
Words & Music John Burland, Gary Pinto.

John Burland has pursued many fruitful collaborations in his music and this song is great one with the very impressive Gen Bryant. It is from Burland’s collection, Arise, which is available as sheet music from his site for $A15.

It is a sung prayer that would find a place at school retreats. The text is based on Psalm 3:3. I don’t even have to change the key to sing it this time.

I’ll get sick of saying it, but this is how you promote your music – You-tube clips, including backings, text available on the site for Powerpoints, licencing options for schools, reasonably priced downloadable sheet music … He is thinking liking a time poor, flustered teacher, not a confident musician who can sight read.

BIAB likes electronica so that’s how I’ve done my backing, but I’m sure minimal backing with guitar or piano in a retreat would work great too:

I come to you broken, broken and alone,
Lost, going nowhere, afraid of the unknown.
In the silence of the darkness,
In the stillness of my heart,
There’s a hope that lies within us,
and a voice that calls me home.

Chorus

Lift me up, only you can take me higher,
Lift me up for I am Yours.
Lift me up, it’s you that I desire,
Lift me up, lift me up,
For I am Yours.

I come to you searching, searching for a home,
A place to dwell in the mystery, without the shadows of my shame
To your light I will surrender,
to the glory of Your name.
There’s a voice that I remember,
and a love that leads me home.

Chorus

Chorus

© 2019 John Burland, Genevieve Bryant. Published by Ovation Music Services. All rights reserved.
Words and Music John Burland, Genevieve Bryant

I’m looking at John Burland‘s album, Awake. You can buy the whole collection of sheet music for just $A15 at his site.

It is a rather reflective praise and worship song, so suitable for when the roof does not require lifting and it would slot neatly as a reflection in liturgies. The text is based in John 8:20. This time the words and music are a collaboration of Burland and John Pinto. Please look at his music clips, instrumental and commentary below. His website also provides access to his lyrics to assist with Powerpoints etc. This is immensely useful for teachers and parish liturgists alike.

For parish purposes I would drop this at least from the key of D to C, maybe more.

I made a conventional sensible backing on BIAB:

I also made one that is less useful but more fun.

Chorus

Jesus Light of the world,
Jesus Light of the world,
You gave your life to set us free
now the heavens are open wide.

Jesus Light of the world,
Jesus Light of the world,
You died for us so we could be
in the arms of our loving God.

OOO Hear the angels,
OOO Praise your name.

Walking amongst us to show all people the way,
bringing your hope and love to the thief and saint.
Jesus shine for us to light the darkest days,
for You are with us as we acclaim.

OOO Hear the angels,
OOO Praise your name.

Chorus

OOO Hear the angels,
OOO Praise your name.
OOO Hear the angels,
OOO Praise your name.

By your cross on Calvary every age will see,
the sacrifice, your love for us, the Promise came to be.

Chorus

OOO Hear the angels,
OOO Praise your name.
OOO Hear the angels,
OOO Praise your name.

© 2020 John Burland /Gary Pinto. Published by Ovation Music Services. All rights reserved.
Words & Music John Burland, Gary Pinto.

As I have often mentioned here, the only flourishing area of Catholic music in Australia comes out of schools, because that is where the funding is, and then permeates the rest of the Church as the artists branch out.

John Burland is a good example, in that he is well established song writer for school aged children, but also does more generally applicable liturgical music as well as praise and worship music. He also sets the standard for professional presentation and music production. I suspect his slickness irks some people and his music isn’t for everyone, but I can only applaud his attention to detail and his drive.

I’ll have a look at his collection Arise, which is available for $A15 at his website.

“Arise and Go Out” is a recessional from a P&W perspective and in its original key a solo piece really. Burland wrote the music and the text is by Burland and his frequent collaborator, Philippe-Marc Anquetil. The text is inspired by Luke 7:14.

If you dropped the key from C down to A (capo 2 in G for us lazy guitarists!) it would be more singable, but still with a fair range. If you are not in a setting where “Whoa’s” come naturally that part could just be an instrumental. It would not be as sparkly as Burland’s arrangement, but it might be a singable recessional for an assembly.

BIAB had fun with the horns for this backing:

Lord with my life,
I surrender to you.
All that I have,
and all that I do.
I’m burning with your love,
a fire’s raging to proclaim,
I’m ready to go out in Your name.

Chorus

Arise and go out in God’s name,
Arise and go out in God’s name.
Tell everyone you meet,
they’re worthy of God’s love.
Arise and go out in God’s name…today.

Lord day by day,
I’ll give witness to You.
Living Your way,
in all that I do.
I’m burning with your love,
a fire’s raging to proclaim,
I’m ready to go out in your name.

Chorus

I’m burning with your love,
a fire’s raging to proclaim,
I’m ready to go out in your name.

Chorus

© 2020 John Burland and Philippe-Marc Anquetil. Published by Ovation Music Services. All rights reserved.
Words John Burland
Music John Burland, Philippe-Marc Anquetil.

Locally, we have split the Easter services amongst our musical resources. We got Good Friday, which locally is very nearly a quiet celebration with just some music for the veneration. That doesn’t take very long here, so we might sing “Holy Darkness” quietly and leave it at that.

The Vigil will be a joint mass here for the musicians.

Thinking about what to play for the Tridium, the songs from ten years ago at St Peter’s Rochedale are still a good selection, with Alonso’s Exultet if you are game.

I am always interested in what other parishes are using and would invite comments and suggestions. The good news about comments here, is that they are used for many years by people looking for ideas for music for mass.

While I am looking at songs by James Maher msc, this Marian hymn is one of his best known songs. I have struggled to find hymns about Mary that weren’t overly sentimental, so this is a good option for me, tying Mary to the earth and her humanity.

The sheet music is available at Willow but an assembly version is in this MSC hymn book.

It’s great there are some many clips of this song, but sad that one is from his own thanksgiving mass.

I used one of BIAB’s other tricks to work out the chords for my backing:

In you our flesh he had to come
You grounded him upon our earth
Your feet that walked, your womb that held
Your pain that brought this love to birth.
The Sacred Heart of him you held
can grieve and grow within the space,
of patient love and listening;
a mother’s choice a mystic’s grace.

In your delight, in your despair,
The smallest choices of each day;
The cost to you, your hope-filled yes,
Your courage lived shows us the way.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
Eternal sign of God surprise,
In you we know the poor as blessed,
This world transformed before our eyes.

O Woman of the Sacred Heart,
You heard the words of Gabriel.
Pray we may hear the call of God
and come to meet Emmanuel
His truth is witnessed in your face,
that he became and was and is
The Sacred Heart, the resting place;
Our hearts forever held in his.

© 2002 James Maher msc, administered by Willow Publishing

I am looking at the songs that I haven’t blogged before, from Monica O’Brien’s recent newsletter on Willow songs of a contemporary or up-tempo nature.

This is another from James Maher msc. It is a prayer for strength to be a mission oriented church. It would work for gathering, communion or sending in a liturgical context. It does suggest end of school celebrations and it is also clearly a local Australian song.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow, and an assembly version is in this msc hymnal (page 14).

1 We are a pilgrim people, of many tribes and tongues,

Scattered far in a wide and thirsty land.

We gather to remember, to be nourished by your song.

We come to touch the living heart, in whom we all belong.

Chorus

Renew us in Your Spirit, anoint us with your love.

Lead us on to living water, fulfil your plans for us.

Strengthen us together, to proclaim your loving Word.

Renew us in our mission, may we be, may we be your heart on earth.

2 We thank you, God of wonder, for your witnesses in faith,

For the ones who’ve walked beside us through the years.

May their faith inspire courage. May we hear the call they heard.

Awaken in our lives today, the power of your Word.

Chorus

3 Like a tree surviving fire, like a town after a storm,

By the Cross and by your love we are reborn.

As we share the bread of healing, your own body we become.

In our world we are your presence, in your presence we are one,

We are one!

Chorus (key change)

May we be your heart on earth.

May we be your heart on earth.

© 2006 James Maher administered by Willow Publishing