Monthly Archives: June 2026

My Presbyterian upbringing gives me two issues with Catholic music. I struggle when hymns stray off metrical and some Marian hymnody can be a problem to me. I don’t know about this one. Does this veer towards sickly? I’m probably … Continue reading →

I had a brief look at this some years ago because it turned up at Ryan’s parish for All Saints, appropriately enough. The text is by William Walshaw How and here runs to eight verses. It is set to Ralph … Continue reading →

This was in CWB II so I looked at it there. The text is by John Henry Cardinal Newman and it is set to Elgar’s DRAKES BROUGHTON. The text below differs from CWB II – the alt was less back … Continue reading →

This is Peter Kearney’s very popular song all around the world, which I found out when I looked at in the Praise to God Parish Hymn Book. This is another of the folk style songs that John de Luca rearranged … Continue reading →

I covered this one in CWB I, but repeat it here so I can do an organ backing. This is all Richard Connelly‘s work, text included. He called the tune SANDY BAY. The original sources are out of print but … Continue reading →

This Trinitarian hymn is new to me though rather old. I like the fact that it at least does say something about the Trinity. The text (with some alt) is by Edward Cooper (1770-1833) and it is set to SONG … Continue reading →

This is Frank Andersen‘s “Trinity Song”, but the first line rules in this hymnal. Father Frank is a beloved Australian composer of songs for the Mass. The sheet music for this song can be purchased in the Eagle’s Wings collection … Continue reading →

This is the venerable hymn text by Frederick William Faber here set to SAWSTON. When I blogged it for CWB I, I thought it was an idiosyncratic choice, but here we have John de Luca making the same choice, so … Continue reading →

This Eucharistic hymn survived to CWB II as “Draw Near and Take” with the same setting of GUSTATE. It is John Mason Neale’s translation of the C7 hymn from the Antiphonary of Bennchar. That said there has been a lot … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →