This is theologian and hymn writer, Mary Louise Bringles‘s valiant attempt to sing meaning into the Trinity with her poetry. Hymn lyrics capture an aspect of lived faith but unless you find a way to sing the catechism, the failure to achieve “truth” will make you a target. I don’t think the text will confuse any assembly, nor do I expect anyone to start a conga line.
The text is here followed by commentary of various sorts.
GIA have their other setting (by William Rowan) for sale but only a handbell arrangement for this one.
Hymnary have a copy of the preview page that was once on the GIA site in the kinder key of Eb (Gather has it in F). You may need to find one of the hymnals noted at Hymnary to find the music otherwise.
This lovely song for Trinity Sunday in Gather 3rd ed. has a text by Brian Wren and is set to a delightful old tune called PROSPECT. It was originally a shape note song so is designed for acapella use.
The text and sheet music are available from my favourite people on the the internet, Hope Publications. GIA only appear to have handbell arrangements to purchase for download. Gather 3rd ed. has Marty Haugen’s arrangement.
This is from the Southern Harmony book that is a source of tunes like this one and BEACH SPRING.
This is a c18 Trinitarian hymn with an unknown author and set to ITALIAN HYMN by Felice de Giardini. I’ve already blogged this under it’s other title “Come, Thou Almighty King”, but I improved the backing somewhat so I thought I’d repost.
Also, Gather has removed the archaic language and some violent imagery, but I don’t think it helps. If you really want to sing something from three hundred years ago the text from the time either works or it doesn’t. I’m not sure this sort of song can be sung these days anyway – the remote past is another country with a foreign and strange mind set that is a big issue for participation. The music has a triumphalist nature like a national anthem that is distracting – a lot of “Christ the King” songs have the same problem. Of course, that’s probably my problem rather than anything else.
That obviously doesn’t stop it being used well if your assembly is still singing and joining in such hymnody. I particularly recommend the congregation, choir and organist in the clip below because the organist stops playing for a verse to let everyone sing – lovely.
Here is a new fake BIAB organ backing to sing along to.
1 Come now, almighty King, Help us your name to sing, Help us to praise. Father, all glorious, Ever victorious, Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days. 2 Come now, incarnate Word, Merciful mighty Lord, Our prayer attend. Come and your people bless, And give your word success; Grant us your holiness, Saviour and friend. 3 Come, holy Comforter, Your sacred witness bear In this glad hour: Your grace to us impart, Now rule in every heart, Never from us depart, Spirit of power. 4 To the great One in Three, Eternal praises be For evermore. Your sov’reign majesty May we in glory see, And, to eternity Love and adore.
This is probably more original, although the text in the sheet music is even more bloodthirsty.:
1 Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing, Help us to praise. Father, all glorious, O’er all victorious, Come, and reign over us, Ancient of Days. 2 Come, Thou incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend: Come, and Thy people bless, And give Thy word success; Spirit of holiness, On us descend. 3 Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour: Thou who Almighty art, Now rule in every heart, And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of power. 4 To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be Hence evermore. Thy sov’reign majesty May we in glory see, And to eternity Love and adore.
I’m in Gather 3rd ed. blogging music for specific feasts and celebrations that I haven’t already covered in the years of blogging hymns. I’m up to Trinity Sunday and this song whose c19 text by John Marriott was adapted by Paul Melley who wrote the music.
It is a joyous song that has a harmony line from the second chorus and through the third verse. Paul Melley’s clip below will give you the idea of how the harmony line works. It veers into call and response there so if you aren’t using the second melody line I would sing the whole song to the arrangement in the first two verses. In that form I think it worth learning if you need something uplifting for Trinity Sunday.
The verses have staccato sections that will trip the unwary, but if nailed should increase the excitement quotient.
GIA will sell you the sheet music and the text is in the preview there.
My backing does only the main melody line, which leaves odd gaps in the third verse for the reasons noted above.
This is a song based on Psalm 104 for Pentecost by Scott Soper. The refrain is singable but the verse has some fiendish pushes and odd intervals to trip up the unwary, so enlist a cantor.
GIA will sell you the sheet music and they provide the text in their preview.
When going through large collections of hymns these days I find all the ones that for some reason never got taken up in the churches I’ve played in Australia. The common categories are, female songwriters, otherwise inculturated (Spanish and African American), and James E. Moore. He has lots of songs in Gather 3rd ed. none of which I have heard previously. The YouTube clip index suggests he well used in the US and Europe.
This song he wrote for Pentecost has a singable refrain and a show tune verse that has to be for a cantor. I fear the vocal swoops and triplets are for a performance rather then a liturgy but maybe it could survive if done without histrionics.
The sheet music can be purchased at GIA where the text is in the preview. It is also worth checking for things like tempos and introductions that aren’t in the guitar edition I have.
My backing sounded fine when I did it but I can now hear a bum note in the second verse, which I will leave in for your amusement.
There are an awful lot of Pentecost songs in Gather 3rd ed. and, surprisingly, a few that haven’t been blogged here yet.
This is Veni Creator Spiritus by Rabanaus Maurus (c9) in a translation by John Webster Grant. The tune is chant mode VIII and here arranged by Richard Wojcik.
More than you will ever want to now about this hymn text is here, including two of the stanzas of Grant’s translation right at the end of the article. A few more verses set to a different tune are here.
If you are wondering how to keep ancient tunes copyrighted you may wish to purchase Steven Janco’s further arrangement of Richard Wojcik’s adaptation of a chant mode at GIA.
Nonetheless, Wojcik has my thanks for a metrical setting of chant, which helps BIAB a lot. I’ll even forgive the triplets.
I've worked my way through the As One Voice books and other collections making backings on Band in a Box to help me (& you if you're interested) learn new songs for church. This is aimed at churches and musicians that own the collections but haven't exploited them fully. If you don't have them they are certainly worth buying. This site is educational, nonprofit and designed to enhance the commercial prospects of songwriters. This site does not distribute copyrighted sheet music.
Disclaimer
Any opinions expressed here are personal views and not the responsibility of any Church.
All music backings posted are created by myself and the intention is for them to be used to learn the songs. If any copyright holder wishes me to cease publicising and promoting their wares and directing people to where sheet music can be legally purchased please let me know.
Mason’s “Mass of Glory and Praise”
To access my backings for Paul Mason's mass go to Feb 2011 in the archive.
