This is an old Shaker hymn by Mary Hazard that found it’s way in to Never Too Young. Their arrangement features prominent percussion including shaker, so I hope that wasn’t a misunderstanding.
You can hear their arrangement here. While you need this collection to get OCP’s arrangement, other arrangements are available and the tune is PD in any case.
I made a backing of the OCP arrangment.
OCP lyrics:
I will bow and be simple, I will bow and be free, I will bow and be simple, Yea, bow like the willow tree.
I will bow and not be broken, I will bear the easy yoke, Yes I’ll bow this is my token, Lean my back against the rock.
Original lyrics:
I will bow and be simple, I will bow and be free, I will bow and be humble, Yea, bow like the willow tree.
I will bow, this is the token, I will wear the easy yoke, I will bow and will be broken, Yea, I’ll fall upon the rock.
This is the title track from this collection. Written by Carey Landry it is a rockabilly song about youth discipleship.
I think most music genres could have a place in liturgy in their appropriate culture, but I think I have reached my limits with rockabilly. Maybe I’ve been just been looking at too many American hymns.
The text, available in the sample at OCP, starts with “Never too young to preach the Gospel”, which doesn’t sound like the Catholic church I know – for all women and all laity at least, but I suppose Landry means preach the Gospel but don’t try it in church. The rest of the text is fair enough. The bridge changes key and can be call and response if desired.
If you can use a rockabilly song encouraging youth to service, the sheet music can be purchased at OCP.
This is a song from Never Too Young for evangelisation by Curtis Stephan, Jess Manibusan and Sarah Hart. It seems most suited as a solo despite the bridge suggesting call and response between a choir and a soloist.
I know Vogt and Friedman’s songs are often designed for children but this is lovely uplifting and encouraging recessional that has merit beyond young people. The refrain is singable and the verses are meant to be call and response, but I don’t think it’s essential. The text takes inspiration from St Theresa’s Prayer and the Breastplate of St Patrick.
Years ago when my parish did this for Easter Vigil we used the ICEL chant version, which was odd, because we never did chant, apart from TAIZE at times. It went fine though, and the music is here at the ICEL website, although I think we were using a previous version of the words. I think you are meant to substitute locally applicable saints in any case.
Rex in Queensland asked for a backing for the version by John Becker, which is more metrical chant and probably what we should have been doing. It starts with the Kyrie and then cycles though 6 verses consisting of eight lines of saints (+ response) followed each time by “All you holy men and women”. It is a wonderful attempt to tame the beast for the metrically minded.
I have seen two sets of lists of saints for this setting so I think there is an old version and a new one – possibly the old one starts with “Mary and Joseph” and the newer “Holy Mary, mother of God”. OCP sell the setting here. What makes me think the words have changed is that OCP appear to be providing an updated version here. If anyone knows what’s going on I’m all ears.
I did make a backing but I just left spaces for the saints names, so you can practice with whichever version you want to sing. I noticed I actually called the file “Litany of the Saint”, which would make it a lot shorter – just pick one.
I’m not playing for the Tridium this year so I don’t have to select music. Thinking about what I would have selected, I was always very happy with the songs chosen for Easter at Rochedale where I played until recently.
They have stayed much the same so this post from 2014 has the backbone of their choices.
Dan Schutte’s collection “Glory in the Cross” is a great place to start with “As I Have Done for You”, “Holy Darkness” and the title track in its various iterations probably the pinnacle of Schutte’s creative endeavors.
“Jesus Is Risen” is a great Easter song by Monica O’Brien and Gina Ogilvie. It is upbeat but has dynamics, acknowledging the pain we have travelled through to get to the hope of Easter. You can purchase the sheet music at Willow.
“Alleluia, Love is Alive” was added at Rochedale in recent years. It is by the combo of Angrisano, Hart and Manibusan and it is a song full of the joy of the resurrection. OCP will sell you the sheet music here.
Looking at songs I have blogged here (just using the search function) turned up some other selections:
Holy Thursday
This is My Example (O’Brien)
At the Supper Christ the Lord (Mowbray)
An Upper Room Did the Lord Prepare (Green)
So You Must Do (Haugen)
Good Friday:
Song for the Veneration of the Cross (Freeburg/Walker)
I also covered some Good Friday songs from CWB II here.
Easter Vigil
Service of Light Procession (Wood)
Out of Darkness (Kendzia)
Send Forth Your Spirit O Lord (Warner)
Alleluia! Alleluia! Let the Holy Anthem Rise (Smith)
Christ is Light (Miffleton)
The Light of Christ (Fishel)
Light of Christ (Zaragosa)
I looked at what was in CWB II in these posts here and here.
Easter Sunday:
Go Forth (Manalo)
Roll Away the Stone (Conroy)
Alleluia Festivale (Whittaker)
I covered the songs in CWB II in this post and the ones after it if you want to look there.
For those still tinkering with the selections for Easter I hope you find music that rides the Tridium rollercoaster. By all means post ideas here for music liturgists, now and in the future.
This song from Never Too Young was the theme song for the 2002 North American Vocation Congress. It was written by Julie Lafontaine and Bernie Cossentino and has English, French and Spanish lyrics. The verses will need a cantor.
I have been skipping most of the songs in Never Too Young that can’t be purchased directly from OCP, but this is nice simple song from Janet Vogt that appealed to me and has obvious liturgical uses.
You can buy an MP3 at OCP. The text is here. Apart from this book it appears to be available in the collection, “God Shines on You“.
At my new parish, I select music for when I play on Saturday nights. Since we are having only one combined mass for Palm Sunday and I am not playing I won’t be making any selections.
If I had been, I would have faced my usual dilemma over an entrance, which was usually a pick between “Blessings on the King” (Lynch) and “The King of Glory” (Jabusch), neither of which is really great. It may just be that at one parish for many years we did a very long entrance walk and had to play the guitar for far too many verses of them.
I think we used “Prepare Ye” from Godspell years ago but I doubt that would be covered by OneLicence. John Angotti’s song, “Sing Hosanna to Our King” would be worth a try, perhaps shorn of some excess embellishment but with an enthusiastic cantor. The refrain is no challenge for the assembly at the very least. I should note that since WLP was swallowed up by GIA you have to buy the sheet music there.
There are always good traditional entrance songs, by the way, for example: All Glory, Laud, and Honour [Neale / SAINT THEODULH].
A theoretical selection, mainly for future reference:
Sing Hosanna to Our King (Angotti) VAO 2/342
Tree of Life (Thompson) AOV NG138
Jesus, Remember Me (Berthier) AOV1/152.
Holy Darkness (Schutte) AOV 2/24
My previous parish in Queensland is always worth getting suggestions from and they are using these selections:
I’m skipping a lot of songs in Never Too Young that are specifically for very young children, so it’s not a surprise that that leaves a few praise and worship songs.
This is another Matt Maher song that isn’t going to fit into a liturgy but is fine for other purposes. The arrangement at OCP has every one of Maher’s vocal inflections so, as written, it is a solo piece except for the chorus. It has the inevitable bridge and coda.
I've worked my way through the As One Voice books and other collections making backings on Band in a Box to help me (& you if you're interested) learn new songs for church. This is aimed at churches and musicians that own the collections but haven't exploited them fully. If you don't have them they are certainly worth buying. This site is educational, nonprofit and designed to enhance the commercial prospects of songwriters. This site does not distribute copyrighted sheet music.
Disclaimer
Any opinions expressed here are personal views and not the responsibility of any Church.
All music backings posted are created by myself and the intention is for them to be used to learn the songs. If any copyright holder wishes me to cease publicising and promoting their wares and directing people to where sheet music can be legally purchased please let me know.
Mason’s “Mass of Glory and Praise”
To access my backings for Paul Mason's mass go to Feb 2011 in the archive.
