Church Music

Entrance: Angels We Have Heard on High

Psalm 71 (McKenna)

Lord every nation on earth will adore you,

Will adore you.

Gifts: We Three Kings

Communion: Born in the Night (Ainger) AOV 2/101

Recessional: Shout to the Lord (Zschech) AOV NG 114

Entrance: Joy to the World

Psalm 104 (McKenna)

The Lord remembers his covenant forever.

Gifts: What Child Is This

Communion: The Aye Carol (Bell) G3 456

Recessional: Angels We Have Heard On High

Further to my pretty random survey of recent GIA releases, this is a song for Pentecost with a text by David Bjorlin set to AE FOND KISS, a Scottish traditional song in the arrangement from the Iona Community. I like that his text uses flame and breath as symbols of the Spirit, but also the cloud of uncertainty:

Cloud of God, come dwell around us

when we grow too sure or proud;

in our certainty confound us

with your mystifying cloud.

You can buy the sheet music at GIA, where the text is in the preview.

Listening to the original song, I think my tempo here is OK.

The song Ae Fond Kiss:

This is another new song from GIA. This is a sung prayer with a challenging text from Hannah C Brown, set by Benjamin Brody. The tune starts conventionally then goes to interesting places.

The pattern I see so far is more thoughtful texts than OCP, but with tunes whose range will test most assemblies. We shall see if that continues.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA where the text is in their preview.

I’m looking at a selection of recently released GIA offerings.

This is a 2023 publication with two texts by Hannah C Brown, one with a general application and one for funerals. The tune is by Adam Tice and Benjamin Brody is appropriately restful and I think it is lovely. I would bring it down from Eb to C though.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA, where the texts are in their preview.

As far as I can tell GIA does not have an equivalent to OCP’s Breaking Bread in which they decide what’s in and out. They have started a new planning page that leads to GIA/WLP resources that might be worth a look.

They also have their “Unbound” section that can be used to find recent releases. I’m going to look at some of these to see if there is anything interesting. Unfortunately, being so new (largely 2023), they generally have no You-Tube clips and GIA hasn’t got sound samples for these yet.

I am therefore looking at the text, my backing and their liturgical place.

The one has a text by Laurie Klein that started as a meditative prayer, which has been set by Benjamin Brody. It could be used in Trinitarian settings in addition to its use with themes of discipleship. The tune is interesting, going from 3/4 to 4/4 and does has a large range so beware.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA where you will find the text in their preview.

Before I leave OCP songs, Sarah Hart played us this new song at the APMN conference in Brisbane in September. It is a gentle waltz time song for Eucharist with an insistent hook – “remember me” – that takes the last Supper into the world in us.

I suspect it will be in OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2025.

The sheet music is at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

To tidy up a couple of other songs of hers that she used at the conference:

I Got the Joy

I couldn’t find sheet music for this song but I suppose there isn’t much to it. Still, it’s might be fun to busk to and liven things up.

We are his people the sheep of his flock:

She played this psalm as well from the collection Spirit and Psalm.

This is Sarah at the conference teaching the psalm. Note how an assembly of musicians attend and respond instantly! Does it come in a spray can?

That site has a few more videos of her at the conference, so I will link them as well:

This is the last of the songs added to Breaking Bread by OCP for 2014. Consider me underwhelmed by their selections. In the past OCP has had its critics for being at odds with tradition and too uptempo, especially the Spirit and Song collections, but that is long past. While all the titles are perfectly functional songs for liturgy, the overall impression is blandness and of a tame collection. Maybe doing Australian songs, where there is a lot more variety, has poisoned me against their house style. I found nothing uplifting like say, “Anthem”, that has been “retired”. I might have a look at whether GIA has anything more adventurous before I return to Australian songs in the new year.

There is nothing wrong with this song by Christopher Walker either per se. He based it on Psalm 91 and it is suitable for many situations when comfort is needed such as Lent or funerals. It has a far old range so beware.

The sheet music is available at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

My backing adds drum and bass that may not be needed but I have had a lot of polite backings to do lately.

Chris Brunelle makes everything alright:

This song for the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday has a text by Bob Hurd and Ken Canedo. The refrain melody is PICARDY and the verse tune is by Hurd. It has been added to OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024.

Having a familiar tune for the refrain encourages participation and a cantor or choir can do the verses while the assembly moves during veneration.

The sheet music is at OCP where the text is in their preview.

Sarah Hart’s “Prayers of the Faithful” song has been added to OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024.

The petitions are generic enough to cover many circumstances but you probably would want to write your own to her tune – pastorally apt but a possible copyright issue.

The sheet music is at OCP, where the text is in their preview and in their YouTube clip as well.

Hart has two entries this year, which is lovely.

I must admit that OCP are pushing very similar songs the last few years with nothing to suit uplifting celebrations – everything is very restrained indeed. Maybe “Canticle of the Free” breaks the mold a little in this year’s selections.

That didn’t stop me making a restrained backing. It sounds like BIAB channeling “Don’t Dream It’s Over”: