Church Music

For the season of creation I am blogging the songs of “God, Caring and Creation” from Heaven Shall Not Wait. Buy the collection at Wild Goose.

This song is by John Bell and Graham Maule and is meant to be danced to unaccompanied singing.

The text is below this YouTube clip, although it is a bit slow for dancing.

The tune is PULLING BRACKEN (Scottish Trad.) I found some chords from the internet to make my backing.

The music is PD of course and never forget to access the amazing small church music site where the sheet music has been made available. He also has backing tracks in various forms for this and thousands of other public domain tunes.

PULLING BRACKEN is the tune for Faerie’s Lament.

I am looking at songs of creation from the Iona Community’s book Heaven Shall Not Wait, that can be purchased at Wild Goose Publications. This is more sung poetry from John Bell and Graham Maule set to Bell’s music SHAKE UP.

The text is here (scroll down). Hymnary have a preview of the sheet music because it turned up in Gather Comprehensive.

This amazing song of creation from the Iona community mates the joy of the world to the imperative of mission. The tune, GOODNESS, was by John Bell and he created music that sounded like an old Scottish tune, except it was new. The text was attributed to the Iona Community and so was by John Bell and Graham Maule. I’ve been trying to figure out what is so attractive about their lyrics and the closest I can come to is that it is as if Wisdom literature was set to music.

The sheet music is available very cheaply with 61 other fantastic songs in Heaven Shall Not Wait at Wild Goose Publications.

I had to make up chords again and strip my backing back to just strummed guitars. I’m not sure if should be a little slower… probably.

1 The goodness of God is the source of our gladness,

Surrounding the world with a harness of care,

Enabling surprise and allowing for sadness,

The hope of recovery, present as air.

2 The life of the world is a heavenly treasure,

A pleasure to ponder, a summons to move,

A radical bias of God in creation

Assuring the small and weakest of love.

3 The song of the earth has an infinite chorus,

Resounding from birth through the silence of death,

Expressive of anguish, frustration and laughter,

It praises the Lord of music and breath.

4 The gifts of the poor are the means of our mending,

As, touching their need, we are healed by their pain:

The almost forgotten are meant by their Maker

To challenge the rich to forfeit their gain.

5 In Jesus the goodness of God was incarnate,

The life of the world was redeemed and restored,

The song of the earth found the key to its meaning,

The gifts of the poor were never ignored.

6 And Jesus is present in word and in Spirit

Where all that is greatest belongs to the least,

Where sign matches song in complete correspondence

And those who were low sit high at the feast.

© 1987 WGRG, Iona Community, Glasgow G2 3DH, Scotland.

Continuing the songs of creation from the Iona Community’s Heaven Shall Not Wait, this time they sing the week of the creation myth.

Again this is credited to the Iona Community, but the tune is SEVEN DAYS by John Bell and you can take it that he wrote the text assisted by Graham Maule. It made a mistake yesterday – it will cost ₤14.99 to purchase the book from Wild Goose, but do it anyway.

The text is here. I find their lyrics refreshingly direct, yet lyrical and not eschewing intelligence. A lot of hymn texts seem afraid of those qualities. The nice people at midiforworship also made this MIDI file.

The chords were provided this time, which makes my backing easier to do, but he is a challenge for me on BIAB because you always feel for his tunes that the less you leave in the better and that isn’t my style. I’m trying.

I need a break from the OCP/GIA axis and the Season of Creation we are currently celebrating suggested a section from the Iona Community’s book Heaven Shall Not Wait, called “God, Caring and Creating”. The songs are attributed to The Iona Community but are written by John Bell and Graham Maule before being fine tuned by use in the community.

I have blogged their work from collections from AOV and Gather and some of their songs are indeed available to download at Gather and Willow. These songs are perhaps lesser known (around here anyway) and are available in the book, which is still available for ₤14 at Wild Goose. I suggest you purchase it.

This song is their paraphrase of the prologue to the Gospel of John. The tune is INCARNATION by Bell. Mary at Godsongs notes it is in Song’s of God’s People a supplement to the Church Hymnal (3rd ed.) so it will be better known in Scotland.

In my edition of Heaven Shall Not Wait, some songs have chords and some, like this one, do not, so I made them up for my backing. I didn’t find the You Tube clips below until I realised it was better known by its alternate name, so I was flying blind on the style for my backing.

The text is here – scroll down, it’s the last song listed. Hymnary have some previews of the sheet music.

Peter Grant sent me this lovely hymn. It is based on Psalm 5:1-3 and it is a prayerful song with many situations where it would be useful.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow Publishing. Peter has many songs that can be previewed and purchased at the site.

My backing is over fussy as usual.

Lord, in your mercy hear my plea,

Turn your ear to my sighs.

Listen to my cry for help,

My King and my God.

In prayer I turn to you , O Lord;

In the stillness you listen for my voice,

And I wait to hear the gentle whisper of your word.

I watch for you. I watch for you.

© Peter Grant 2012

This recording is better:

Finishing up the additions to Breaking Bread in 2018 is this song for Good Friday, with a text by Genevieve Glen set by Randall DeBruyn.

The stirring text is in OCP’s preview. OCP sell the sheet music here.

I’m nearing the end of the songs that OCP chose for Breaking Bread in 2018.

This restrained, lyrical song for Eucharist is by Sarah Hart and Robert Feduccia. As a singable communion song it is most welcome.

The text is in the preview at OCP where they will sell you the sheet music.

This is an old song that was added to Breaking Bread in 2018. The text is a translation of Praecursor altus luminus by St Bede the Venerable from the sixth century translated by John M Neale c19. It is a song for Advent or to celebrate John the Baptist.

It is set to WINCHESTER NEW.

OCP sell their arrangement here.

1 The great forerunner of the morn,
The herald of the Word, is born;
And faithful hearts shall never fail
With thanks and praise his light to hail.

2 With heav’nly message Gabriel came,
That John should be that herald’s name,
And with prophetic utt’rance told
His actions great and manifold.

3 His mighty deeds exalt his fame
To greater than a prophet’s name;
Of woman born shall never be 
A greater prophet than was he.

Paul Inwood’s fine recessional was selected for Breaking Bread in 2018 by OCP.

The refrain for the assembly is singable, sweet and predictable – in a nice way. The musical interest is in the key change for the verses with lots of little variations between verses that we’ll leave to a choir or a cantor. He directed the singing to be strong and vigorous and why not.

The text is here. OCP can sell you the sheet music.