Church Music

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.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP and they provide the text in their preview.

My backing is a bit less subtle than his arrangement.

This is a song that is listed as for Exposition/Adoration in Never Too Young by Matt Maher. There must be churches that do Adoration regularly that need a praise and worship style song for the purpose, but that is outside my experience. All the syncopation should make this a solo vehicle but they sing this style en masse at Hillsong so who knows.

It follows the p&w template – verse/verse/prechorus/ chorus (all twice) then bridge chorus coda.

It is available to purchase for download at OCP, where they provide the text in their preview.

This Owen Alstott song from Never Too Young is very suitable for children but simplicity does not rule out use by adults. It fits all over the place liturgically: Gathering, Gifts, Eucharist – a very adaptable piece.

The sheet music is for sale at OCP and they provide the text in the preview.

This Janet Vogt song from Never Too Young is another song primarily for a second Rite of Reconciliation. The verses would be for a cantor and the assembly would sing along to the refrain to the tune of O WALY WALY. It has an interesting verse/verse/chorus/chorus/verse/coda arrangement.

You can purchase this a single sheet downloaded from OCP where the text is provided in their preview.

This is an interesting one from Never Too Young. It is by Jaime Rickert and the refrain would be useful as part of a second rite of reconciliation. It refers to “we” being made whole. The verses are more like a private prayer and revert to “I”s. I suppose that means a cantor for the verses.

You can purchase the sheet music (min 5) at OCP where the text is in their preview.

This is a country style version of the Magnificat completely suitable for solo performance. It was written by Jackie Francois and while lovely, the melody is very fiddly, and I don’t think even the refrain is that suitable for an assembly.

OCP will sell you the sheet music and the text is in their preview.

This song by Mark Friedman from Never Too Young is suitable for Lent, RCIA, Reconciliation and Anointing. The text, based on psalm 91, is to the point and the tune simple and singable. There are harmony lines if needed.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP who provide the text in their preview.

With a few week’s to go to Good Friday, here is an option for that liturgy from Never Too Young. By Paule Freeburg and Christopher Walker, it is a mantra suitable for all ages.

If you look at the sample at OCP, apart from the text, they have several instrumental interludes. You can purchase the octavo on line (min 5) there.

I used two of the instrumental interludes for my BIAB backing.

Never Too Young provides yet another Ash Wednesday offering, this time with a text by Mary Hochman and set by Gerard Chiusano. The text is fine for young and old and this song is worthy of consideration. While it is new to me, going by the number of You-Tube clips it appears to be in high rotation.

The sheet music can be purchased for download at OCP and this time it is available as a single purchase unless you want the octavo, for which five is the minimum. They provide the text in their preview.