Church Music

This is a typical Christopher Willcock setting, this time of Psalm 26 (27). The refrain is singable, if too high, but the cantor doing the verses has odd notes and time changes to contend with.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow. I already looked at it while doing AOV, but have redone it in fake BIAB organ.

Refrain

Do not be afraid, I am with you.

I have called you by your name, you are mine.

I have called you by your name, you are mine.

1 The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?

2 There is one thing I asked of the Lord; for this I long:

to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

3 I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

Hope in Him! Hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord.

I’ve never covered this Christmas carol before, I suppose we have plenty of others. In the form presented here the words are kind of gnarly to sing.

It is a C16 French Carol with a surprisingly recent text by George Radcliffe Woodward (1848-1934). Interestly, Hymnary notes that his rather rigid translation style “did not always produce singable hymns.”

NLPHB provided chords for this one, which made a backing easier. While the sheet music is John de Luca’s arrangement, I just let BIAB loose with the chords. I did not repeat the chorus each time in my backing, although I know it is customary to do so.

1 Ding dong, merrily on high!
In heav’n the bells are ringing;
ding dong, verily the sky
is riv’n with angel singing.
Gloria, hosannah in excelsis!
Gloria, hosannah in excelsis!

2 E’en so here below, below,
let steeple bells be swungen,
And io, io, io,
by priest and people sungen.
Gloria, hosannah in excelsis!
Gloria, hosannah in excelsis!

3 Pray ye dutifully prime
your matin chime, ye ringers;
may ye beautifully rhyme
your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, hosannah in excelsis!
Gloria, hosannah in excelsis!

It has been usefully partially modernised, eg:

1 Ding, dong, merrily on high,
In heaven the bells are ringing.
Ding, dong, verily the sky
Is filled with angels singing: etc.

2 And so here below, below
Sing out in jubilation.
Give a merry, merry toast
To all of God’s creation. etc.

3 Hey, now dutifully chime
To hail the King, ye ringers.
May you beautifully rhyme
Your evetime song, ye singers.

The Wiggles fixed the song by omitting most of the lyrics, although they left the sungen/swungen rhyme:

This is another Gelineau psalm, this time Psalm 42 (43) by Joseph Gelineau.

Verse six isn’t part of a psalm at all really.

I note The Australian Hymn Book gives two alternative antiphons, written by Anthony Gregory Murray, who we have come across before as 3/4 of the Wiggles.

GIA still sells the unrevised Gelineau Grail Psalms — well the verses at least are the original. (I’m told that including an M dash is a tell that this was written by AI.)

I was going to skip thesepsalms, but I’ve had a go at a backing. I’m pretty sure the tempo between the verses and the refrain is a little off but it’s an attempt.

Antiphon

I will go to the altar of God: praise the God of my joy.

1 Defend me, O God, and plead my cause
against a godless nation.
From deceitful and cunning men
rescue me, O God.

2 Since you, O God, are my stronghold,
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go mourning
oppressed by the foe?

3 O send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

4 And I will come to the altar of God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God!

5 Why are you cast down my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God, I will praise him still,
my Saviour and my God.

6 Praise the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit,
both now and forever,
The God who is, who was, and who will be,
world without end.

This is a pretty obscure hymn. The text is inspired by Psalm 42 and is by Sister Marie Anne Lynch OCD and is set to INVOCATION by the editor of the hymnal John de Luca. It is obviously suitable for Pentecost.

I can find no trace of this anywhere, but would value anyone’s experience of using this hymn. It is way out of print so I’ll post the sheet music. My chords are my fault.

Refrain

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waters.

1 Spirit breathing where you will, stoop to our pleading:

Come with your healing breath, and fill hearts that are bleeding.

2 Spirit breathing where you will. eager Love burning,

Come with your breath of flame, and fill hearts that are yearning.

3 Spirit breathing where you will, Love’s exultation:

Come: and, as once on Calvary’s hill, fire this oblation.

This is Psalm 99 (100) by Joseph Gelineau.

The verses are free chant so I only will do backings for the two antiphons.

Arise, come to your God, sing him your songs of rejoicing.

Alelluia x3

The full text is in the samples at Hymnary.

I suppose if they were to be used these days you would need the revised Grail texts which can purchased at GIA.

STOP PRESS

Thank God for Chris Wroblewski who runs the LiturgyShare site, where I have been spending a lot of time lately. He has sent some commentary on this one and Gelineau psalms in general. He notes that this is a necessarily brief and incomplete exposition:

I don’t believe “free chant” is a good description for a Gelineau psalm, as they have a fixed (so-called “sprung”) rhythm. You could make a backing with the verses because each measure has a fixed length as shown in the score: it’s the cantor’s job to fit the words into each pulse, which makes them very difficult for those of us who don’t have good timing skills, but much easier for the accompanist as they can just play normally. The notes in parentheses at the start of each phrase are always played, but the downbeat notes are for the singers, who have to work out where to start so that the finish of that measure allows them to smoothly transition into the next measure. In some later Gelineau psalms you will see brackets in some cantors lines: they indicate measures not to be played in that particular verse.

I have a copy of the GIA book you reference at the end of your post. The revised text does not give any consideration to Gelineau, whereas the original translation was written with Gelineau at the forefront. This results in it not fitting the Gelineau tones as well and seriously damages his most famous setting – Psalm 23 (22) (The Lord is my Shepherd / My Shepherd Is the Lord, #248 in NLPHB). There is no reasons the original Grail versions can’t be used as, say, a Communion hymn with those in the procession still able to sing the refrain, but the current Australian rubrics do allow previously approved psalm texts to still be used for the responsorial psalm.

He also sent some music files for learning purposes:

Antiphon

Arise, come to your God, sing him your songs of rejoicing.

1 Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

2 Know that he the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

3 Go within his gates giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

4 Indeed, how good is the Lord,
Eternal his merciful love;
He is faithful from age to age.

5 Give glory to the Father Almighty,
To the Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord,
To the Spirit who dwells in hearts.

On a different note looking at our collective futures, this isn’t a Gelineau psalm, it is a Suno Psalm 100. It is AI and technically soulless soul music:

This is a hymn for Christ the King set to DIADEMATA by George Job Elvey with a text by Matthew Bridges, except for verse four by Godfrey Thring.

The New Living Parish Hymnal gives you the six verses below, but I’ve seen at least nine and frequent variations of the text. They don’t use the stanza with the memorable designation of God as the “Potentate of time” but you can’t have everything. It is a stirring hymn nonethless, that I had a go at already here.

My backing this time is just fake BIAB organ:

1 Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns all music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,
And hail him as Thy matchless King through all eternity.

2 Crown him, the Virgin’s Son, the God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows, the babe of Bethlehem.

3 Crown Him the Lord of love: behold His hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above in beauty glorified:
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.

4 Crown him, the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious o’er the strife for those He came to save:
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high;
Who died, eternal life to bring, and lives, that death may die.

5 Crown him, the Lord of peace, whose power a sceptre sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise:
His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.

6 Crown him, the Lord of heaven, one with the Father known,
And the blest Spirit through him given from yonder triune throne:
All hail, Redeemer, hail, for thou hast died for me;
Thy praise shall never,never fail throughout eternity.

John de Luca has provided his arrangement of the plainsong version of this C7 Latin Advent hymn in the New Living Parish Hymn Book.

I made a backing but don’t blame him:

The Latin text:

Creator alme siderum,
aeterna lux credentium
Jesu Redemptor omnium,
intende votis supplicum.

Qui daemonis ne fraudibus
periret orbit, impetu
amoris actus, languidi
mundi medela factus es.

Commune qui mundi nefas
ut expiares; ad crucem
e Virginis sacrario
intacta prodis victima.

Cujus potestas gloriae,
nomenque cum primum sonat
et coelites et inferi
tremente curvantur genu.

Te deprecamur ultimae
magnum diei Judicem,
armis supemae gratia;
defende nos ab hostibus.

Virtus, honor, laus, gloria
Deo Patri cum Filio,
sancto simul Paraclito,
in saeculorum saecula.

His English text – loosely based on James Mason Neale’s translation but with much “alt” going on:

Creator of the stars of night
Your people’s everlasting light,
Jesus, Redeemer, save us all
And hear your servants when they call.

Now grieving that the ancient curse
Should doom to death a universe,
You heal all those who need your grace,
And come to save our fallen race.

You came when old world drew t’wards night,
Appearing not in princely might;
But, born of Mary mother mild,
Became the victim undefiled.

At your great name, majestic now,
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
And things in heav’n and earth adore,
And own you King for evermore.

Great judge of all in that last day,
Be present then with us we pray;
Your scattered people, Lord, unite,
In vict’ry over Satan’s might..

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Praise, honor, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally.

O covered this in the new (!) music for 2020 at OCP.

This is John Mason Neale’s translation of a C8 text by St John Damascene based on Exodus 15. The tune is GAUDEAMUS PARITER, also known here as AVE VIRGO VIRGINIUM, a C16 tune by Jan Roh. It is rather grand, but “unmoistened foot” is a hilarious turn of phrase.

The lyrics below vary from some other versions I’ve seen. Most archaisms are intact but “hath” hath become “has”. I tarted up the organ backing:

1 Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God has brought his Israel
Into joy from sadness;
Loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters;
Led them with unmoistened foot
Through the Red Sea waters.

2 ‘Tis the Spring of souls today;
Christ has burst his prison,
and from three days’ sleep in death
As a sun hath risen;
All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From his light, to whom we give
laud and praise undying.

3 This the best of seasons, bright
With the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts,
Comes its joy to render;
Comes to glad Jerusalem,
Who with true affection
Welcomes in unwearied strains
Jesus’ resurrection.

4 Neither might the gates of death,
Nor the tomb’s dark portal,
Nor the watchers, nor the seal
Hold thee as a mortal;
But today amidst the twelve
Thou didst stand, bestowing
That true peace, which evermore
Passeth human knowing.

5 “Alleluia!” now we cry
To our King immortal,
Who, triumphant, burst the bars
Of the tomb’s dark portal;
“Alleluia!” with the Son,
God the Father praising;
“Alleluia!” yet again
To the Spirit raising.

You know you wanted it in ukelele tab:

This isn’t in the New Living Parish Hymn Book, but Gio mentioned it in a comment and I thought I should follow up on it.

This hymn by Jeanette Palmiter is from the 1800s and fades out of hymnals by the 1930s. There are several versions and settings but I used one I found at Hymnary with three verses.

It’s not as bad a song as I feared and I made a backing:

1 O God, my heart doth long for Thee,
Let me die, let me die;
Now set my soul at liberty,
Let me die, let me die;
To all the trifling things of earth,
They’re now to me of little worth,
My Saviour calls, I must go forth,
Let me die, let me die.

2 The slaying power in me display,
Let me die, let me die;
I must be dead from day to day,
Let me die, let me die;
Unto the world and its applause,
To all the customs, fashions, laws,
Of those who hate the humbling cross,
Let me die, let me die.

3 My friends may say, “I’ll ruined be,”
Let me die, let me die;
But all I leave and follow Thee,
Let me die, let me die;
Their arguments will never weigh,
Nor stand the trying judgment day,
Help me to cast them all away,
Let me die, let me die.

Hymntime has six verses if you need that many!

I have covered this Eucharistic hymn already with a modernised text as provided in CWB II. To make those changes rhyme, quite a lot of other changes needed to made and there are other alternative lines in CWB II that vary a lot from this version.

The New Living Parish Hymnal has the more archiac words and John de Luca’s arrangement of MISNEACH.

It was in Percy Jones’s Pius X hymnal as well:

Let’s see what changed:

His arrangement didn’t help me much as I think this backing is worse than my last effort:

1. “Come to me, all ye who labour, come, and I will give you rest”:

Such, dear Lord, thine invitation to each soul to be your guest;

and we answer with deep longing, while our sinfulness we see,

Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy, yet in mercy come to me.

2. Here, upon this altar lowly is the food you make your home,

While we hail thee Lord and Master, reigning from thy heavenly throne;

Life without thee would be lonely, so our hearts still cry to thee:

Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy, yet in mercy come to me.

3. All is joy when thou art near us; earth can never bliss impart

Like the peace and heavenly sweetness of thy visit to each heart;

All unfelt are grief and sorrow, as with trust we cry to thee,

“Jesus, Lord, I am not worthy, yet in mercy come to me.”