This is the psalm for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Unlike most of Mason’s psalms, I don’t think it has general use a hymn elsewhere, it’s text is too specific to its situation.
The sheet music is available in Paul Mason’s collection Psalms for All Time. If you don’t have the text in your missal, it’s the same as in Kate Keefe’s setting.
I’m sure this backing is much use except for listening to the tune.
This psalm from Paul Mason’s Psalms for All Time is for the fourth Sunday in Lent Year C (first three verses) and the nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary time Year B (all four verses).
Mason always over delivers content-wise. Apart from the useful commentary on the psalm, he notes an alternative response (I will bless the Lord at all times. I will bless the Lord) and an expanded two line response of “Taste and See” to use as a chorus when this is the Communion song.
He notes its use in baptisms and weddings, as a common psalm in Ordinary time and for Gifts and Eucharist.
The sheet music can be purchased as a single sheet at Liturgical Song.
There is no music to listen to there for this psalm, so I had to make a backing to get the idea.
This is the psalm for Good Friday set by Paul Mason and available in Psalms for All Time.
It has more universal uses in times where we ask for God’s mercy in difficult situations.
The text is in your missal but has also been set by the one woman industry, Kate Keefe, so the text is the same. That is except Mason sneaks in an “O” before “Father”.
My backing is at the speed in the sheet music:
Happily you can ignore that and listen to this much slower version with acapella solo verses and SATB refrain.
There is a crackle near the beginning that I thought was going to turn into a cool back beat but it was artifact after all. It doesn’t need one.
I am going though Paul Mason’s Psalms for All Time, which has become volume one of three.
This is his fine setting of the psalm for the second Sunday in Lent Year C and as a common psalm in Ordinary Time, but for those of us who will look upon this more as a liturgical song he notes its suitability for Baptism, Anointing and funerals.
I can’t find a single sheet for download for this one so you will need to buy the whole book (A$28.95). The text is in your missal but is the same as set by Kate Keefe. There are also no recordings to listen to anywhere so you can sing along with my backing.
In the absence of any YouTube clips of this setting that I may as well post John Bell’s setting. The text is different and the verses are for a choir, but nonetheless thrilling. It is in the collection I Will Not Sing Alone, which I could get around to doing – since I am now concentrating on local songwriters, I might make him an honorary Australian for the duration.
While I have been taking years to fully appreciate Paul Mason’s psalms in Psalms For All Times, it has become Volume One of a three volume set. I’ve just bought my copy of volume two and I will get around to that in the future (… and volume three eventually).
Some psalms are available for individual purchase at his site, but not this one, so you will have to purchase the collection to get it. Some psalms have wonderful recordings for our listening pleasure there, but by no means all. His YouTube channel only has a few of his psalms up, unfortunately. For me that means, only really knowing “Our Blessing Cup” because we did it at my previous parish, and having no skills on a keyboard, I am having to make my usual backing to hear most of these songs.
I suspect Mason forgot he was setting psalms for church and just wrote good songs instead, happy to do a little tinkering with some repetitions and minor rearrangements here and there.
This psalm is for the First Sunday in Advent year C and a common psalm for that season in any case. He also suggest it for gifts or an entrance. I don’t have the resources to use this as a proper psalm but for my local purposes I think these songs fit will fit better just as hymns and good songs generally.
The text is probably in your missal but surprisingly hard to find on the web. The text is the same one Kate Keefe set and do check out her amazing site while you are there.
Mason says the syncopation expresses the urgency of anticipation in Advent. I just hear a bossa.
Setting this psalm must be daunting, but Paul Mason’s setting from Psalms for All Time is a fine one indeed. It is for the fourth Sunday in Lent Year A.
If you don’t need the whole book, but you do you know, you can buy the individual sheet music for download at Liturgical Song, where you can hear two lovely versions of the psalm and see a list of the masses for which it is suitable.
The text is here at Kate Keefe’s site where she sets the Grail’s four verse version. Mason opts for a three verse version with verse one ending with “he is true to his name,” and verse two ending with,” my cup is overflowing, overflowing.”
This is the Psalm for Palm/Passion Sunday by Paul Mason from Psalms For All Time. As usual for his music, it works as a stand alone song, which he recommends in Holy Week, during communion processions or for liturgies in times of trial – did I mention that his background notes would be worth the cost of the book even without the music.
If you pay attention he goes from F#minor to A major in the fourth verse to demonstrate a more hopeful feeling.
For this psalm he provides a piano arrangement, an organ arrangement and a choral arrangement for the fourth verse.
I’ve just found that if you don’t want to buy the whole collection, individual songs can be purchased for download from his website. You can also listen to three versions of the psalm there.
The text is the same as found in Kate Keefe’s setting here, but if you buy his collection they are all there.
My backing is, as directed, a mournful lament.
This is Paul Mason’s setting for the Psalm for the third week in Lent Year B from Psalms For All Time. His notes list its uses in the Easter Vigil liturgy, during Lent, during Offertory or in some Ordinary time situations. The book is worthwhile just for the background notes.
The words are the same as in Kate Keefe’s setting but obviously the music is different.
I made a backing:
You can listen to it done properly at his site.
I’ve had this book for some time and find his settings a bit much for use as Responsorial Psalms, having no cantors, but they are great songs nonetheless and suitable for use in other situations. Of course, if you have the resources these are wonderful for cantors/singers to use as Responsorial Psalms, its just that I look at them as great music.
When you hear his songs you simply forget they are psalm settings.
I have the original volume, which is now called Volume One in its updated second edition, which you can purchase here. I have purchased Volume Two and it is on the way.
One difficulty I have is that the text for Australia from the Grail is copyright, and the public domain lyrics on the internet are just wrong for us. To get around that I will provide links to Kate Keefe‘s site where she has the lyrics, but obviously her music is different to Paul Mason’s. You may find yourself using her settings, as I suspect Kate’s are actually better as simple responses, but Paul’s settings are just something else.
This is the last in this little collection from Emmanuel Worship called “Banquet”. It really is a fine piece of work and worthy of our attention.
This song is by Madeleine Luciani and would fit in as an entrance, Gifts or Eucharist, although it will need to be abridged for some uses.
The chord sheet is freely available at Emmanuel as are the lyrics.
My backing regularises the gaps between sections of the song. My backing also has a lot of BIAB harp and cello, but that’s OK. My usual disclaimer says that if I only have a chord sheet the melody line will be fake book approximate.
