Church Music

This is a hymn by an actual Australian, in this case Richard Connolly who wrote both the words and the music. This is dated 1971, so his usual text writer James McAuley was still alive at that stage, but Connolly did do his own lyrics at times.

This appears to be intended to introduce the Liturgy of the Word, but in these days of always doing as we are told it wouldn’t be allowed. Otherwise it is a song of praise to God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. If used in Lent the alleluias in the refrain are replaced with, “Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.”

I made up chords for a backing, which only does three verses but will give you the idea. The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

Refrain

Alleluia x3

1 Light of our darkness, Word of God,

Sent to illumine our earthly night,

You we salute with singing hearts,

Bathed in the splendour of your light.

2 Sword that can pierce the inmost soul,’

Stripping whatever thoughts are there,

Cut to the marrow of our minds,

Enter our hearts and lay them bear.

3 Vessel of God’s abundant life,

Bearer of truth that sets us free

Breaking the deadly grasp of sin,

Work in our hearts your mystery.

4 Word that has overcome the world,

Seed of immortal destiny,

Grow in our hearts that we may live

Sharing your deathles victory.

While I am finding the occasional Australian hymn in the New Living Parish Hymn Book, I am more finding the sort of hymns still being suggested to be played in the 1980s in Australian Catholic churches.

I’ve done this rather militaristic hymn before here and also Shirley Erena Murray’s thoughtful rewrite. (The text for that is at Hope.)

The text here is Michael Newbolt‘s revision of George Kitchin‘s original words and set to CRUCIFER by Sydney Nicholson. The verse modulates up from C to D, which allows for the big return to the chorus.

I have seen many variants in the text with many different verses – up to twelve in all – the words below are from this hymnal.

I made a more stirring organ backing on BIAB:

Refrain:
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim,
Till all the world adore his sacred name.

1. Come, people, follow where our captain trod,
   Our King victorious, Christ the Son of God:
2. Led on their way by this triumphant sign,
   The hosts of God in conquering ranks combine:
3. Each newborn soldier of the Crucified bears
   On his brow the seal of him who died:
4. From north and south, from east and west they raise
   In growing unison their song of praise:
5. O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
   As thou hast promised, draw us unto thee:
6. From farthest regions let them homage bring,
   And on his cross adore their Saviour King:
7. So shall our song of triumph ever be:
   “Praise to the Crucified for victory”.

A suitably victorious Anglican version:

Catholics are more modest:

The congregational choir and assembly are great, as is their organist:

Presbyterian:

Evangelical:

I think the Anglicans win for the most triumphalist version – brass seems the kicker for this one.

I haven’t seen a hymnal with a Christian warfare section before:

This is described here as a “Negro Spiritual”, as arranged by Sister Luanne Durst, but then then the hymnal says it is from The Australian Hymn Book where it is noted to be arranged by Charles Cleal.

I’m not sure we should be singing spirituals in Australia. Maybe if your pianist can handle the style and the assembly sings it well enough, it’s OK, but syncopation frequently defeats us and for most of us it isn’t our culture.

Interestingly the AHB suggests “other verses may be suggested by the congregation.” I can just imagine the spirit taking a Catholic parishioner who then starts extemporising mid song.

My backing is more 12/8 than 4/4.

1 Let us break bread together with the Lord!
Let us break bread together with the Lord!

Refrain:
As we travel through this land,
all God’s children hand in hand,
Lord, fill all our living with your life.

2 Let us drink wine together with the Lord!
Let us drink wine together with the Lord!

3 Let us sing songs together with the Lord!
Let us sing songs together with the Lord!

4 Let us all work together for the Lord!
Let us all work together for the Lord!

These would seem to be the more common lyrics:

1. Let us break bread together on our knees.
   Let us break bread together on our knees.
   Refrain:
   When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
   O Lord, have mercy on me.
2. Let us drink the cup together on our knees.
   Let us drink the cup together on our knees.
3. Let us praise God together on our knees.
   Let us praise God together on our knees.

I had never yet heard of this hymn of praise, with a text by George Herbert – yes that poet – here set to the very stirring LUCKINGTON by Basil Harwood. I suspect it is in high rotation in Anglican circles.

“Thither” is a great word.

I think I got the chords from Together In Song for a fake organ BIAB backing:

1 Let all the world in every corner sing:
My God and King!
The heavens are not too high,
His praise may thither fly;
The earth is not too low,
His praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing:
My God and King!

2 Let all the world in every corner sing:
My God and King!
The church with psalms must shout,
No door can keep them out,
But, above all, the heart
Must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing:
My God and King!

I have looked at this before, but am greatly informed by the editor of this hymnal, John de Luca, that the text is from the C5 Liturgy of St James – so now you now. This translation is by Gerard Moultrie. Two “descendeth”s in one song is a bit much.

It is set to the moving tune PICARDY, which is here called a French Noel as arranged for the English Hymnal. It is an atypical Christmas song.

It’s a good excuse for a fake organ BIAB backing.

1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessings in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

2 King of kings yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood,
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.

3 Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

4 At his feet the six-winged seraphs,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, Lord Most High!”

It looks like I’ve only ever done modern adaptations of this one in the past.

For this version of John Henry Cardinal Newman‘s text, the editor chose SANDON by Charles H. Purday as the setting. It makes for a very moving hymn.

The words are better left with archaic language – there are modernisations out there but the text below is from this hymnal.

I got the chords from Together In Song to make a backing:

1. Lead, kindly light, amid th’ encircling gloom,
   Lead thou me on;
   The night is dark, and I am far from home,
   Lead thou me on.
   Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
   The distant scene; one step enough for me.
2. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
   Shouldst lead me on;
   I loved to choose and see my path; but now
   Lead thou me on.
   I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
   Pride ruled my will; remember not past years.
3. So long thy power has blessed me, sure it still
   Will lead me on,
   O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
   The night is gone;
   And with the morn those angel faces smile,
   Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

This is very much old school Roman Catholic. It is a Lenten hymn with a text by St Gregory the Great translated by Ronald Knox and set to SONG 5 by Orlando Gibbons.

I got the chords from Liturgyshare for a backing:

1 Keep we the fast that men of old
Learned from on high in mystic ways,
Till yonder sun hath duly told his hallowed
tale of forty days.

2 This covenant, long since revealed
To patriarchs and ardent seers,
Christ by His own example sealed,
Author of time, and Lord of years.

3 More wisely therefore let us walk,
Sparing food and wine and sleep;
Over trifles and our talk more jealous
be the watch we keep.

4 Still by our sins, O Lord, we grieve thy love,
So full of pardon free: Author of mercy,
Still reprieve the souls that turn again to thee.

5 Remember whence our fashion came,
Frail creatures; yet thy creatures still,
Crush for the glory of thy name,
the murmurings of our stubborn will.

6 The guilt that dooms us put away,
With larger grace our prayers requite;
At last, and ever from this day,
teach us to live as in thy sight.

7 Hear us, O Trinity sublime, and undivided Unity;
So let this consecrated time bring forth
thy fruits abundantly.

This is the official theme song for WYD 2027 in Seoul. It is a fine composition centred on the the phrase, “Take courage; I have conquered the world.” It was written by Kim Jiyoon Francis who was looking for a composition with “a sense of liturgical dignity.” Aren’t we all?

… and I thought they were all Presbyterians in South Korea.

The text in International, English and Korean versions, as well as the sheet music is available here.

There is a pop version:

… and a “classic” version:

There wasn’t a version to jump up and down to, which is necessary at WYD so I made one.

There are other versions out there:

There is even an AI enhanced version here if anyone asked for that.

This Lucien Deiss piece is in AOV as well, so I covered it then but the chords in the chorus in the AOV version have been simplified a little compared to this version.

It is made more clear here than in AOV, that the refrain comes after singing verses one and two together, three and four together, and five and six together.

Here is an appreciation of Lucien Deiss. Is this one still sung anywhere?

The text is very prosaic, so I suppose it sounded better in French. It has many changes in time signature and the tune is not consistent over the verses and yet somehow was a much loved hymn.

The sheet music is still available at OCP after all these years and the text is here.

That’s quite odd that this is a WLP/GIA copyright but is available at OCP, presumably because it is in Breaking Bread I suppose. Oh, I see it is available at GIA as well. What I took to be a sign of the end times turned out to be not so.

I made a new backing:

English

French

While I did this one may years ago in a job lot of Christmas songs from AOV, this is a good excuse to do a BIAB organ backing.

The tune, ANTIOCH, is by George Frederick Handel and in this hymnal is the usual arrangement by Lowell Mason. The text is by Isaac Watts with liberal helpings of “alt” over the years, but you know them anyway.

1. Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
   Let earth receive her King;
   Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
   And heav’n and nature sing.(x3)
2. Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
   Let all our songs employ,
   While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
   Repeat the sounding joy.(x3)
3. He rules the world with truth and grace,
   And makes the nations prove
   The glories of his righteousness,
   And wonders of his love.(x3)

Overdone?