Original Catholic Liturgical Music in the Creative Commons

This is a bit different. A couple of years ago a lyricist from the USA, Pam Bowen, sent me a couple of texts to see if I could set them to music. Now Pam likes to keep working on things until they are perfect and the original text she sent me had further work done on it, but I really liked the initial draft myself. I did write some music for the bridge she added but I went a little operatic so the simplicity of the original idea probably got lost.

I can’t put up the sheet music for this one because it isn’t in the commons, but I made a backing and Pam got a friend to record a vocal track over it.

This is the original text she sent:

Abba, here I am

Lying in the dark

Lost in my despair,

Fearing you’re not there.

 

Abba, here I am

Kneeling by my bed,

Crying in the blanket,

Feeling so alone.

 

Abba, here I am

Silent in my room,

Listening for your voice

Drowning out the noise.

 

Abba, here I am

Empty hands wide open,

Ready to receive

The grace you send to me.

 

Abba, here I am

Standing in your love,

Shining like a star

Reflecting who you are.

 

Abba, here I am

In you as you in me.

Lord, I’m ready to

Do what you’d have me do.

© 2014 words by Pamela Bowen (BMI) music by Geoffrey Madden

I wrote this with my wife a long time ago. It’s kind of rambling but was meant to be a gathering song of sorts.

I’ve made a new backing for it.

1. We have gathered in this place.

We are here to see God’s face

We see Jesus in each other

When we try to love our brother.

Life is hard, it’s no joke.

We find rest in God’s yoke.

Bound together we can see,

Your burdens lighter when you share it with me.

 

CH. This is the Kingdom feast

Where the first will be least

We are the Kingdom feast.

 

2. It doesn’t matter ’bout your real estate.

It doesn’t matter how much money you make.

It doesn’t matter who’s heard your name.

We are the blind, the poor, the lame.

But if we’re here then it’s God’s will.

We’d love to see God’s house filled.

The tables set and the invites are out.

Get in the streets and start to shout.

Download sheet music: Kingdom Feast

Kingdom Feast by Geoffrey and Robyn Madden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This is an old song of mine and is short and simple. It is based in part on passages from the Didache.

I’ve made a new backing for it;

1. We are broken bread

Scattered upon the hills,

But when we gather in Your name

We can become one still.

 

2. We are the branches

Of God’s holy vine.

Pressed to each other,

When we drink Your wine.

 

3. We will find the fish

To feed the poor,

And as we freely give

we shall receive more.

 

Rpt 1. We are broken bread

Scattered upon the hills,

But when we gather in Your name

We can become one still.

Download Sheet Music: Eucharist

Eucharist by Geoffrey Madden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This song is what it says.

1. We gather as Word become flesh

As Gospel thrust into our time.

Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.

We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.

2. We gather as Church here at home.

Our parish is here as a sign.

Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.

We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.

3. We gather as Church in this world.

Where your God is as big as mine.

Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.

We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.

4. We gather as Church here and now.

A stream that will run for all time.

Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.

We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.

5. So Eucharist means you are loved.

Means all of your troubles are mine.

Life can’t be stale and wafer thin.

We are formed in the Word, Bread and Wine.

Gathering Song

Gathering Song by Geoffrey Madden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

I wrote this song to use for the Presentation of the Gifts in the original version of the Pocket Mass an awful long time ago.  I’ve recently rewritten the verses to be more suitable from a liturgical perspective but I’m not sure it makes it more usable. It really goes a bit high but perhaps a soloist could give it a go.

1. Are we the poor in spirit?

Are we with those who grieve?

Are we the gentle? Are we the meek?

Can we be people who hunger and thirst for justice,

the pure in heart, the peacemakers.

Chorus

We give bread, we give wine, we give what we’re able.

But we are the gifts we bring to this table.

2. Within the reign of heaven, can we bring God’s peace?

Are we a fam’ly for times to come?

Sat at table spread for all of God’s righteousness,

Unbounded love… the face of God.

Chorus

Vision of the Gifts

Vision of the Gifts by Geoffrey Madden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

I have some songs I have written scattered over my blog that I use to learn new songs called Church Music. This new blog is somewhere I can collate songs and put up some music that has been lying around for years and also that I have written lately.

I’ll see how it goes.