Church Music

Entrance: Pilgrims of Hope (Herry)

Psalm 89 (Whittaker)

Gifts: This Blessing Cup (Andersen)

Communion: In Every Age (Whittaker) AOV NG 77

Recessional: Be Hope (Bryant, Jorna, McNally, Madden)

Erwin Cabucos also sent me his lovely setting of the Hail Mary.

The sheet music is available at Sheet Music Plus.

I made a backing, with some subtle chord embellishments:

He used that to make another vocal version:

I covered as many Jubilee songs as I could find earlier in the year, but Erwin Cabucos has just sent me his contribution, so I will interrupt my slog through CWB I to look at it.

He has taken the salutory path of writing a song with all the elements needed for the Jubilee of Hope, without crippling its long term use by saying the J word. It is joyful yet restrained. I also may never have to play “Companions on a Journey” again – apologies to Carey Landry fans.

The sheet music can be purchased at Sheet Music Plus.

It is pitched high enough that I would sing it down the octave.

I couldn’t resist some embellishment with his chords for my backing:

1 We are a people of joy on a journey to hope

Enlightened by the Word of the Lord.

We embark patiently, walk on tenderly,

May we care for each other in love.

Refrain

We are companions in this journey of hope,

Together in this pilgrimage of life.

Small and big steps on this unstraightened path

May take us to our destination

Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

2 We are a people of faith on a journey to hope,

Blessed by the love of the Lord.

We walk with his Word, His wisdom and truth.

May we embrace the call to renew.

Refrain

3 We are a people of love on this journey of hope,

Anointed as children of God.

We grow charity in his fields of mercy,

To reap justice, freedom and peace.

Refrain

Refrain

© 2025 Erwin Cabucos

He also made a recording with the backing I made on Band in a Box.

While a lot of the songs I am finding in Australia’s Catholic Worship Book are not Australian, just what was suggested for Australian Catholic Churches largely from England, Europe and the United States, this one has a very Australian pedigree.

It is from the Hymnal of St Pius X from 1952, which can be downloaded as a pdf here. Dr Percy Jones, who assembled the hymn book, wrote the setting called O MARY OF GRACES for this Irish poem translated from the Gaelic (A Mhuire na nGras) by Douglas Hyde. For a Marian hymn of that vintage and with Irish descent, it is laudably free of sentiment.

I derived the chords from the organ music in the St Pius X Hymnal for this backing.

1 O Mary of Graces and Mother of God,

May I tread the paths that the righteous have trod.

And mayest thou save me from evil’s control,

And mayest thou save me in body and soul.

2 And mayest thou save me by land and by sea,

And mayest thou save me from tortures to be.

May the guard of the angels above me abide,

May God be before me and God at my side.

There are more verses here, but CWB has only two.

This tune appears unique to Australia, and Godsongs notes the more usual setting, which is Irish traditional.

This is to the Irish tune.

This song from the Morning Office survived into CWB II with a different setting that I blogged here. CWB II used SPLENDOUR, but CWB I chose the traditional tune, DANBY.

James Quinn’s text is here. CWB I leaves the second stanza in, while CWB II leaves it out.

It looks like I derived the chords for my backing from organ music, likely from Hymnary.

CWB goes into a series of “Oh God” prayer/hymns here including this Frederick Herman Kaan text, here set to George Clement Martin‘s CHILTON FOLIAT… not the Beatles’ George Martin.

The wonderful people at Hope Publishing provide the text. It is a lovely wedding sentiment.

The tune is in TIS from where I cribbed the chords for a backing:

This another song that survived in CWB II with a different setting – actually chant, which I blogged here.

In CWB I, Frederick Pratt Green’s text for anointing was set to DISTRESS, from W. Walker’s Southern Harmony. The words are at Hope Publishing although CWB I leaves out verse three.

I derived the chords from the organ music at Hymnary for my backing, which I prefer to the CWB II because it is metrical.

This is great but I doubt you could sing to it:

This is less flashy and more useful:

Quartet:

This is the chant setting, JESU DULCIS MEMORIA from CWB II from Liturgy Share, who shows it’s not that hard:

I have already looked at this text when covering OCP’s Guitar Accompaniment Book, but in CWB it is set to DAY OF PRAISE instead of the commoner setting of ST THOMAS, and the text has been altered by the editors – really just modernised but not condensed and rearranged like at OCP. The words are by, or attributed, to James Montgomery and are based on Psalm 102 (103).

DAY OF PRAISE is by Charles Steggall. I got chords from TIS for my backing. I think this tune does a very good job of saving the text from the risk of bland versifying.

This is the CWB text:

1 O bless the Lord, my soul, his saving grace proclaim,

And all that is within me join to bless his holy name.

2 O bless the Lord, my soul, his mercies bear in mind,

Forget not all his benefits: the Lord to me is kind.

3 He will not always chide; He will with patience wait;

His wrath is ever slow to rise, and ready to abate.

4 He pardons all my sins, prolongs my feeble breath,

He heals all my infirmities, and ransoms me from death.

5 He clothes me his love, upholds me with his truth,

And like an eagle he renews the vigour of my youth.

6 Then bless his holy name whose grace has made me whole,

Whose loving kindness crowns my days, O bless the Lord , my soul.

I had high hopes this might be a replacement for “How Great Thou Art”, to which I have an illogical aversion – it screams kitsch to me but is much loved by many.

This text is by Michael Saward, based on Luke 1:46-55. Saward had an interesting life with many trials. The words are set to JERUSALEM by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry – goodness CWB did not use a songwriter’s full name this time.

… and what a fine tune it is, except that the range is severe and it has become associated with jingoistic Englishmen. Consider it a stirring choir piece.

A lot of Saward’s songs are at Jubilate, but not this one. CWB says the copyright is to Michael Parry, which may be a mistake because it has the first name of the lyricist and the last name of the composer. It is more likely Michael Perry the editor of the book Carols for Today, in which this song appears. I can find no other trace of it, apart from CWB.

I made a backing based on the chords in TIS.

1 Now sing my soul, “How great the Lord!” Rejoice my spirit, in your God.

My Saviour who has looked on me, a humble servant in his sight.

Forever after, I’ll be known as happiest of the human race;

The mighty one has dealt with me and holy, holy is his name.

2 Throughout all ages, those who fear his majesty shall know his grace;

His powerful works disclose his might, he routs the the arrogant of heart.

From thrones great rulers have been torn yet humble men are raised on high;

the hungry have been satisfied while rich men lack and creep away.

3 To Israel, servant of the Lord, comes yet again the promised hope:

In Abraham and all his sons, God’s mercy ever shall endure.

Give glory then to God above, give praise to Christ, his only Son;

Give thanks for all the Spirit’s power, both now and through eternity!

This clip on Facebook credits the tunesmith but not the wordsmith:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=831877254243390

Fred Kaan‘s recessional text (actually Frederick Herman Kaan, thank you CWB) did survive into CWB II, but CWB used the commonly associated backing NIAGARA, which was replaced in CWB II with WINCHESTER NEW.

Hymnary lists 157 texts set to WINCHESTER NEW, none of which is this one, so now maybe CWB II’s editors are being creative – I know, Kaan was active in England and therefore should not exist in Hymnary’s orbit and although they do list many of his songs, they don’t have this one. Still, my brilliant theory that CWB’s odd choices were being smoothed out in CWB II has been shown to be untrue. New theory: maybe all editors of hymnals are organists who use the tunes they like and are familar with.

NIAGARA was written by Robert Jackson, who must not have had a middle name or they would have put it in. The version below is in Ab but CWB brought it down to G, thanks be to God.

The text is at Hope Publishing, where they suggest six settings none of which are either of these.

I cribbed the chords from the organ music at Hymnary for a backing:

Of course, now I can find a clip of the WINCHESTER NEW version from a CWB II parish in Brisbane – well done Good Samaritans.