Church Music

These are the songs the music liturgy team chose for next week.

I have found that having gone round the cycle, between our previous selections and those from correspondents over the years, I’m getting a good resource for music selections by patience and bloody minded persistence. I’ve always though there should be a wiki-liturgy page for people to put up their independently arrived at music selections for each week. While there are many online resources and I’ve linked to some of these, I’ve never seen a central gathering place for suggestions.

Entrance: All the Ends of the Earth  (Dufford) AOV 1/76

Psalm 97 (McKenna)

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gifts: You Are Mine   (Haas)  AOV 2/2

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

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

Recessional: Lift Up Your Hearts  (O’Connor) AOV 1/156

This is one for the other sort of Latin mass. It is a samba, which unless your assembly is expert in Latin rhythms and syncopation, is for soloist and choir.

It is by John Angotti and Noelle Garcia and has English and Spanish and rap. It is also a hoot.

The sheet music can be purchased at WLP where the text is in their sample pages.

I leave space for the rap in my backing.

I can’t see this being other than a solo vehicle. It is written by Paul A. Tate and Paul L. Berrell, and because of the latter has been wiped from WLP.

The sheet music can however be purchased at sheetmusicplus where the text is in the preview.

This is a John Flaherty song with lots of Pauline sources. It is singable despite the syncopation and was a nice song to come across that was new to me.

The text is here. WLP don’t seem to have it on sale online but you can down load it from them if you have an annual licence.

The sheet music for this song has been wiped from WLP because the composer is Paul L. Berrell.

On the off chance anyone has Voices as One Vol 2 and want to use it I made a backing.

This song from Voices As One Vol 2 is by Joseph Vogels and I’m struggling to think what it is for.

The call and response text is here and I worry about the triumphal tone here as much as in some of the traditional repertoire. Are we really happy with “conquer in your name” in a post colonial world?

On the other hand I don’t think I’ve used a punk rock backing in BIAB for a hymn before.

This is a solo vehicle from John Angotti, or if stretched perhaps an assembly could participate in the refrain.

The first and third verse are a private cry to God in a time of trouble with the second giving Christ at Gethsemane as a model of coping with suffering. The verses have very fiddly triplets and a challenging range.

The sheet music can be purchased at WLP where the text is in their sample. I note the sample takes the key up from Dm to Fm so good luck with that as the high note is then up to Ab – F is bad enough!

Entrance: Gather Your People  (Hurd) AOV 1/71

Psalm 94 (McKenna)

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Gifts: We Walk by Faith   (Haugen) AOV 1/63

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

Thanksgiving: O Sacred Flame (Marshall)

Recessional: Hearts on Fire  (Mangan) AOV NG 62

While I have a think about new projects, I’m back in WLP’s Voices As One Vol 2.

This song was written by Melody Green and popularised by Keith Green. The text is here. It is a ballad that would lend itself to slow burn p&w.

Keith Green:

I worried it was a solo vehicle, but this crowd is doing OK.

I have been blogging songs from this collection on and off for nearly a year. I can now make less annoying organ backings for traditional repertoire and have heard an awful lot of old hymn tunes. I have benefitted.

The problems of this collection are pretty clear. It is too cumbersome for practical use by musicians and its song choice is skinny outside traditional hymnody. The deliberate decision to avoid guitar chords is a scandalous lack of hospitality and pastoral thinking.

If you are a parish that has money to spare, needs new hymnals and wants a largely traditional repertoire this is the collection for you. If you don’t have money to spare use the free online resources for the public domain music (eg The Open Hymnal) and don’t forget small church music for backings.

If you have a more mixed palate stick to your As One Voice or Gather Australia and if you find a song you like from CWB II purchase it online to supplement them. You could plug gaps better than CWB by purchasing The Year of Grace Music Book for the McAuley/Connolly repertoire and This is the Time and Setting Hearts on Fire from Litmus for Michael Mangan.

Don’t forget Michael Herry’s free music and check out Hope Publishing.

I’m happy to have looked at these songs and the liturgical scholarship and editorial skill that has gone into the collection is immense, but if it ever intended to be a suburban parish hymnal it has failed. Just my opinion of course.