This is, unsurprisingly, a song for gathering. Theodore Baker translated the Dutch original Wilt heden nu treden using all sorts of flourishes with clever internal rhymes and alliteration. I wonder if the original is as much fun. It is set to KREMSER.

OCP sell the sheet music.

This is one version of the text:

1 We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.

2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning;
thou, Lord, wast at our side: all glory be thine!

3 We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation endure through tribulation:
thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

The spoilsports at OCP use this version, destroying the internal rhyme in the second line of the second stanza to make the rhyme with “yours” work:

1 We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.

2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
whose kingdom calls all to love which endures.
so from the beginning the fight we were winning;
you, Lord, were at our side: all glory be yours!

3 We all do extol you, our leader triumphant,
and pray that you still our defender will be.
Let your congregation escape tribulation:
your name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

I have already looked at other translations of this text by Philipp Nicolai here. OCP has used Christopher Idles’s translation.

The wonderful people at Jubilate have provided the text. You can purchase the sheet music at OCP. The tune WACHET AUF is public domain.

This sheet music is in C, but OCP bring it down to Bb (thanks be to God).

This is an ongoing survey of hymns from OCP’s Guitar Accompaniment Book c2005, that I purchased second hand. It is a loose leaf monster of a tome and the more popular and well known songs are also present in other collections, especially As One Voice, so I have covered them already. I am finding old hymns that CWB II didn’t use, Spanish songs that are more useful in the US than here, and songs heavy on the cantoring that our assembly tends to avoid so we can all sing together.

This is none of those, however, it is a Dan Schutte song that I haven’t seen before. I have already gone through Gather Comprehensive for David Haas and Marty Haugen songs that I hadn’t blogged, but I haven’t chased up Dan Schutte’s deeper cuts, so I am still finding unfamiliar material.

This is singable Christmas song if you are looking for a contrast to traditional carols. It has an interlude between each verse for a solo instrument.

The text is available here. OCP sell the sheet music.

Mass with an Assembly is cancelled in many parishes in the Logan area, as we have had four cases of Covid 19 in the area and our priest is being laudably cautious. So we are not playing at mass as planned this morning.

Next week is also cancelled and so these selections I am putting up but will not be used here.

Entrance: We Walk By Faith (Haugen) AOV 1/63

Psalm 84 (McKenna)

Lord show us your mercy and love, and grant us your salvation

Gifts: As Gentle As Silence (White) CWB II 580

Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat  (Westendorf/Kreutz) CWB II 651

Thanksgiving: Be Not Afraid (Dufford) AOV 1/114

Recessional: Though the Mountains May Fall  (Schutte)  AOV 1/182

M.D. Ridge took the refrain and tune of the spiritual “Wade in the Water” and replaced its verses with her own pertaining to Baptism.

Her text is provided by OCP in their sample. They also sell the sheet music.

My backing tries to show the Ostinato Refrain in one ear and the verse melody in the other but I’m not sure it is that easy to follow.

The original lyrics:

This is Christopher Walker‘s take on the Pentecost Sequence with the Ostinato refrain. I still prefer Taize.

OCP have usual deal – the text is in their preview and they are happy to sell you the sheet music.

There are a lot of Sancte’s about and this is Carey Landry‘s one.

I don’t think it will displace the majestic Taize version but it is still a fine setting of this prayer.

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

My backing is a bit basic but the refrain is in one channel and the verses that are sung over it are in the other.

This song is in Spanish and English and as we have no Spanish speaking component in our assembly is not needed here. That does mean I won’t have come across songs like this from other sources so I get to do them in this survey.

Jaime Cortez and Bob Hurd wrote the text based on Psalm 96 and the song is an obvious recessional. Jaime Cortez write the music.

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

I made a BIAB backing:

This is an interesting song by Harry Hagan based on Genesis 1 and Psalm 127. OCP suggest it for dedicating a Church, but it also sounds like a good reflection song.

The text is in the sample at OCP where they sell the sheet music.

We use Bernadette Farrell’s song of this name, so this Bob Hurd version is new to me.

He not only uses John 12:24 but sources George Herbert’s “Love Bade Me Welcome”. It is a charming tune that I would play without the capo to bring it down a notch,

You can purchase the sheet music at OCP where the text is in their preview.

Love (III) 

BY GEORGE HERBERT

Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
                              Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
                             From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
                             If I lacked any thing.

A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
                             Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
                             I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
                             Who made the eyes but I?

Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
                             Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
                             My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
                             So I did sit and eat.