Church Music

With Covid 19 pretty much under control in Australia, we have been allowed to double our numbers, which really should get us back to normal. There is still social distancing and extra cleaning measures after Mass, and we still have to register to attend in case of needing to trace contacts if there is a further outbreak.

For Advent this year we will use “Like a Candle” (AOV NG 91) written by Monica O’Brien and Gina Ogilvie for the candle rite. We will use the Hope verse the first week, then Peace, Joy and Love in the subsequent weeks of Advent. We will also use “To You Our God I Lift Up My Soul” by Bob Hurd (AOV 2/14) as a seasonal psalm. We are switching to Paul Taylor’s Mass of St Francis and continuing to use the Celtic Alleluia. We will use “Christ Light, Shining in the Darkness” as a thanksgiving hymn throughout Advent. This is a lovely song by Peter Grant and is in CWB II 468.

That only leaves:

Entrance: Emmanuel (Angrisano)

Gifts: A Trusting Psalm (Bates) AOV 1/115

Communion:  Bread of Life  (Farrell) AOV 1/164

Recessional: Sing Out Earth and Skies (Haugen) AOV 2/32    

When Willow shut down its physical store I got a copy of GIA’s three volume Gather 3rd Ed for Guitar at half price. Each volume is still hefty but manageable on a strong music stand. It has a proper spiral binding that I hope is more durable than As One Voice for guitar. I have two copies of that – the first fell apart and it is now a two volume set.

Volume One is liturgical music and since it was published in 2011 has updated mass parts. I may get around to that one day. I’m starting a few pages into Volume Two where the service music finishes and the hymns start. They are categorised by season or feast and after that thematically.

With Advent here next week, I’m starting there. After all these years doing this, many of the songs have been blogged here already and can be skipped. I have lots of OCP material to look at still, so I will probably alternate between the two big players left in the US. When AOV goes fully digital with their new site next year I’m hoping to look at new material from there as well.

Kathy Powell based this Advent song on the “O” antiphons so pick which verses suit your liturgies. I like the singable range – long held notes should always be an A! She wrote a harmony line that kicks in after three verses. The number of YouTube videos suggests it is well known in the USA.

GIA will sell you the sheet music and you can click on their preview for the text.

My backing lacks the harmony line but I did put in some tubular bells.

I have blogged this M.D. Ridge Easter text as set to THAXTED here, but this is the setting by Casey McKinley that has been added to Breaking Bread for 2021.

It is a fine tune giving the text a very different feel to Holst, but still worthy.

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

Maureen Braire wrote this lovely prayerful song based on Micah 6 in 2016. It has been added for Breaking Bread in 2021. OCP recommend it for Lent but the first four verses sound great for Advent as well.

As always, OCP will sell you the sheet music and provide the text in their preview.

They suggest embellishing the tune with a cello, handbells or solo instrument. For some reason I took that to mean an authentically ropey recorder part.

This Barbara Bridge song fills a lot of liturgical uses and will be a useful addition to Breaking Bread for 2021.

The refrain has extra versions for Advent and for Evening Prayer. The eight verses allow selections for healing, justice, Eucharist, entrance and recessing, so mix and match to your hearts content to fulfill your liturgical needs.

OCP sell the sheet music and they make the text available in their preview.

I’m still looking at songs that are new to Breaking Bread for 2021.

This is Scot Crandal‘s recent stirring setting of James Quinn’s paraphrase of Psalm 100.

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

Breaking Bread have added this song by Sarah Hart and Dwight Liles for 2021.

The text covers a lot of ground from Christmas to Easter to emphasise the love of God and will work for Gifts, Eucharist and as a gentle Recessional.

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

Entrance: All You Works of God (Haugen) AOV 1/19

Psalm 22 (McKenna)

The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

Gifts:   The Lord is My Shepherd (Boniwell) AOV 1/26

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

Thanksgiving:  Hymn to Christ the King (Hart et al)

Recessional: Lord, the Light of Your Love (Kendrick) AOV 2/59

Pedro Rubalcava wrote this gentle hopeful song for anointing and the world’s current state. It has been added to Breaking Bread for 2021, although it is nearly twenty years old.

It goes from 9/8 to 6/8 and back again in a natural slow lilt.

The text is in the preview at OCP where you can purchase the sheet music.

With all the time changes it was such fun to make a backing in Band in a Box.

Luke Rosen set this text by James Quinn in 2018 and it was included in Breaking Bread for 2021. It is, unsurprisingly, a hymn for morning prayer.

The text is here. The setting is really is quite lovely and the sheet music can be purchased at OCP.