I sometimes think that Catholic Worship Book II is never ending, but my survey continues with this song with a Eucharistic text by Omar Westendorf, of “Gifts of Finest Wheat” fame, which is here set to NEUMARK by Georg Neumark. Westendorf founded WLP.
CWB II has 6 verses and you will find the first three verses of the text on this page. Godsongs give some background as does Breviary Hymns.
I got the chords from Together In Song to make a backing.
This is another is wonderful treasure that is the combination of the poet James McAuley with the composer Richard Connolly with which Australia has been blessed. I am one of those dreadful strummers who are uncomfortable with traditional hymnody, but I always find their songs distinctive in both text and tune.
The text is here and AOV have a sample of the music . You can purchase the sheet music for download at As One Voice.
Entrance: As a Fire is Meant for Burning (Duck) GA 881
Psalm 39 (McKenna)
Lord, come to my aid! Lord, come to my aid!
Gifts: Blessed be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13
Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat (Westendorf/Kreutz) CWB II 651
Thanksgiving: Be With Me Lord (Haugen)
Recessional: Send Down the Fire (Haugen) AOV 2/164
Continuing my survey of the songs in Catholic Worship Book II, that I haven’t already blogged when doing As One Voice and other sources, I find a song for Eucharist by John Greally. The third verse was never going to get into a Catholic hymnal and is omitted here. It is another text that reads rather poorly and sings surprisingly well in the clips I have heard.
It is set to DRAKE’S BROUGHTON by Elgar. Since there are no chords in CWB II for this song, you can get them in TIS (527).
See us, Lord about your altar,
Though so many we are one;
Many souls by love united
In the heart of Christ, your Son.Hear our prayers, O loving Father,
Hear in them your Son our Lord;
Hear him speak our love and worship
As we sing with one accord.[ Once were seen the blood and water:
Now are seen but bread and wine;
Once in human form he suffered,
Now his form is but a sign.]Wheat and grape contain the meaning:
Food and drink he is to all;
One in him, we kneel adoring,
Gathered by his loving call.Hear us yet: so much is needful
In our frail, disordered life;
Stay with us and tend our weakness
Till that day of no more strife.Members of his Mystic Body
Now we know our prayer is heard,
Heard by you because your children
Have received the eternal Word.
James Quinn SJ wrote the text of the Trinitarian hymn for peace and it is set to SONG 46 by Orland Gibbons.
The text is on page 5 of this bulletin.
I got the chords from TIS as usual.
This is much the same as yesterday’s really. This one has a text by Geoffrey Cox set to Richard Connolly’s SANCTA SOPHIA.
I can’t find the text anywhere so you’ll have to sing along from CWB II.
Lucien Deiss wrote this song of praise with the antiphon based on 1 Peter 2:9.
I’ve seen up to seventeen potential verses and CWB II picks seven.
I’ve found a text here but they pick a different six. The sheet music can be purchased for US$1 at WLP.
Back in Catholic Worship Book II, we have this fine song of praise with a text by Rusty Edwards and here set to NETTLETON.
The text and sheet music are available from the wonderful people at Hope Publishing.
You could also sing it to BEACH SPRING.
Entrance: All Are Welcome (Haugen)
Psalm 32 (McKenna)
Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Gifts: We Walk By Faith (Haugen) AOV 1/63
Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat (Westendorf/Kreutz) CWB II 651
Thanksgiving: Without Seeing You (Haas) AOV 2/158
Recessional: Sing of the Lord’s Goodness (Sands) AOV 1/131
This is an anonymous c18 text based on Psalm 148, although the third verse is by Edward Osler.
The triumphant nature of texts like this give me pause. The Psalms rarely come from a position of power, so they work there. When Christianity is a persecuted sect they make sense as an apocalyptic statement. When they originate in Christendom or empire they are problematic.
Further, when set to Haydn’s AUSTRIA, it is a major concern. I know this was a hymn tune used for this text before it was associated with Nazi Germany, but you can understand why for some years post WW2 it was set to HYFRYDOL and HYMN TO JOY instead. This post covers some of the issues of AUSTRIA as a hymn tune.
The text below is the version from CWB II, where “ye” is modernised and a few textual tweaks are introduced. It may be that the editors of CWB II just picked idiosyncratic texts for a lot of these old hymns, but I suspect their new editorial influence from the frequency with which there are small variants on the most commonly available versions. This is probably a good thing.
Praise the Lord: you heav’ns, adore him;
Praise him, angels in the height;
Sun and moon, rejoice before him;
praise him, all you stars and light.
Praise the Lord, for he has spoken;
worlds his mighty voice obeyed.
Laws which never shall be broken
for their guidance he has made.
Praise the Lord, for he is glorious;
never shall his promise fail.
God has made his saints victorious;
sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation.
hosts on high, his pow’r proclaim.
Heav’n and earth and all creation
praise and glorify his name.
Worship, honour, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer as our gift.
Young and old, your praise expressing,
Our glad songs to you we lift.
All the saints in heav’n adore You;
we would join their glad acclaim;
As your angels serve before you,
so on earth we praise your name.
