Church Music

Because I have already covered a ludicrous number of hymns sung in Catholic churches from other collections, my survey of this behemoth, the Guitar Accompaniment Book from OCP, skips the familiar songs. I am picking up the deep tracks that didn’t make it to these shores and I am still finding old texts and old hymns tunes that not even CWB II resurrected.

This one is an oddly stirring hymn that has gone through umpteen permutations since the 1700s. The text has the same source as Ricky Manalo’s song (GAB 374). By truncating the lyrics, OCP has delivered a 3 verse Trinitarian hymn for morning prayer set to LUBECK (aka GOTT SEI DANK).

1 On this day, the first of days,
God the Father’s name we praise;
Who, creation’s Lord and Spring,
Did the world from darkness bring.

2 On this day th’eternal Son
Over death his triumph won;
On this day the Spirit came
With the gifts of living flame.

3 Father, who did fashion me
Image of thyself to be,
Fill us with that love divine,
And conform our wills to thine.

Words of this vintage have been tweaked and translated variously over the centuries, so there are always choices to be made. This is another form of the text, which calls into question some of the decisions shown above – “font” is so much better, keep the last verse, why “thyself”, why prefer “confirming wills” to “grace”, etc:

1 On this day, the first of days,
God the Father’s name we praise;
Who, creation’s Font and Spring,
Did the world from darkness bring.

2 On this day th’eternal Son
Over death his triumph won;
On this day the Spirit came
With the gifts of living flame.

3 O that fervent love today
May in ev’ry heart have sway,
Teaching us to praise aright
God the source of life and light.

4 Father, who created me
Image of yourself to be,
May your grace be ever mine,
Fill me with your love divine.

5 Holy Word, all praises be!
You, from sin have set me free;
And, upon love’s flame, arise
Unto you a sacrifice.

6 Holy Spirit, you impart
Gifts to shine in ev’ry heart;
Best of gifts, yourself bestow;
Dwell in me your love to know.

7 God, the blessed Three in One,
Father, Spirit with the Son;
One in you with all above,
We send forth our hearts of love.

This is a sentimental song to the BVM. The text has unintentional humour, as I doubt “near thee, Madonna, fondly we hover,” would be visualised the quite same way now as in the 1800s.

GAB omits the last verse, but I can’t see it is any worse than the rest of the text. The tune is BEAUTIFUL MOTHER by Louis Lambilotte.

On this day, O beautiful Mother,
On this day we give thee our love.
Near thee, Madonna, fondly we hover,
Trusting thy gentle care to prove.

1 On this day we ask to share,
Dearest Mother, thy sweet care;
Aid us ere our feet astray
Wander from thy guiding way.

2 Queen of angels, deign to hear
Lisping children’s humble prayer;
Young hearts gain, O virgin pure,
Sweetly to thyself allure.

3 Rose of Sharon, Lovely flow’r,
Beauteous bud of Eden’s bow’r;
Cherished lily of the vale,
Virgin Mother’ Queen we hail.

The third verse of this version is blunt. It is also in an impossible key – OCP brings it down to C from F – thanks be to God.

Thou could, if thou wished, purchase the sheet music from OCP.

This is an interesting song by Ricky Manalo that looks useful for Easter or liturgies celebrating the Trinity. The text of the verses is a translation of Die parente temporum from the Breviary of Le Mans. Manalo claims copyright on the brief chorus consisting of several words in Latin and English.

The lovely tune is his and worth claiming copyright on.

OCP sell the sheet music and the words are in their preview.

This is the over the top original:

This is better:

More tympani:

This is a fairly recent text (1981) set to an old tune (1693). The author is Jane Parker Huber and it is set to MUNICH. If that tune is one with which your assembly has some familiarity, then singing this once a year on Pentecost would make sense.

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

My backing is more fake organ from BIAB.

Fernan asked for this Rory Cooney song, which is based on Psalm 95. It also has Spanish lyrics by Jaime Cortez. It is not one that I am familiar with, but it is a charming Latin influenced call and response hymn.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA. The preview there doesn’t have the lyrics but some are available at sheetmusicplus.

I made a backing although I don’t have the sheet music so it may be somewhat approximate.

Better still listen to the original:

I shall return to my Augean stables, the massive copy of OCP’s Guitar Accompaniment Book c2005 that I bought second hand some years ago. The more well known songs have generally already appeared from other collections but I am pressing on with those I have not yet come across.

Genevieve Glen wrote this worthy song of praise and perspective. It is set to MORNING SONG.

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

This is a notional music list I put together as the team is in abeyance while Mass has no assembly.

Entrance: Gather As One  (McKenna) AOV NG 48

Gifts: Shepherd Me O God (Haugen) AOV 1/33

Communion: In the Breaking of the Bread (Hurd) AOV 1/58

Thanksgiving: Like a Shepherd (Dufford) AOV 1/26

Recessional: Alleluia! Love Is Alive (Angrisano, Manibusan, Hart)

Many thanks to Holy Spirit Cranborn where I was present virtually this morning for mass. They began with Amanda McKenna’s uplifting “One Body In Christ”.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2630443177235512&external_log_id=4c719cef077087dbd423981763e4ae64

I’ll leave the CWB II volume 1 here as the rest are chanted blessings that I can’t do much with, and my intent in going through this volume was to find the songs hidden in the liturgical section.

I did find some of these but what became increasingly obvious was that CWB II has an indispensable liturgical resource as a first volume and a poorly designed disappointing hymn book as a second volume. I’m glad I bought it for the first volume and I’ll accept the second for what it is.

This, then, is the third Nunc dimittis in CWB II and this time the text from Luke has been worked on enough to make a song that is worth copyrighting (see CWB II 226).

The paraphrase is by Frank Quinn OP, but I can’t find the text online. The first verse was used as the choral response for lighting the Advent candle in this service.

The hymn is here set to the c18 tune BANGOR. I got the chords from Together In Song, since as usual CWB II didn’t supply them, to make my BIAB backing.

CWB II brings the tune down from Eb to D.

The second Nunc dimittis in CWB II is by Rae E Whitney and here set to SONG 1.

The text, which really is just Luke 2:29-32 and yet somehow is copyright, is here.