This is what I wanted CWB II to be – lots of new songs by Australian songwriters. It isn’t.
This song, written by Peter Grant, is at least from this millennium and has an uplifting tune to carry his hopeful text. You can purchase this song at As One Voice.
Since this song is not well known I have put up Peter’s text so you can sing along with my backing to learn the piece.
Refrain
Christ Light, shining in the darkness.
Christ Light, drive away our fears.
Christ Light, lead us to our home, safe harbour.
Christ Light, shine on us we pray.
1. Let the light of the Lord blaze out in the night:
let the love of the Lord be our guide.
With the Word of the Lord as our beacon light,
We’ll go forth with the Lord at our side.
2. Let the Word of the Lord be light for our way
and we’ll walk in the darkness no more.
With the light of the Lord turning night into day,
Luke’s Gospel is full of hospitality and meals and this is where it was all heading. The Lucan community experienced the presence of Christ, and hence his Resurrection, in their meals together, which became their recapitulation of Jesus’ life and mission. The Emmaus story emphasises this with the resurrected Christ only being recognised when they broke bread (Luke 24:31). Until then the apostles thought that story the women brought back was nonsense. (24:11) He next appears at a gathering where he is given a meal. (24:42) The readings from Luke and Acts today tell much the same story with incompatible time management, so we know we are in Kairos time here, with the more obviously liturgical reading in Acts once again siting his appearance to tell them to wait in Jerusalem for the arrival of the Spirit “at table”. (1:4) Whatever timing or cosmology you give to the Ascension stories they tell of a community that fully understands Jesus’s absence after his sacrificial death, and the Hebrews reading connects that story to Eucharist in today’s scripture, but also that they clearly felt the real presence of Christ in the breaking, blessing and giving meals that brought them together and fueled with that their mission began.
Entrance: Lift Up Your Hearts (O’Connor) AOV 1/156
Psalm 46 (McKenna)
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
Gifts: The Fullness of God (Andersen) AOV 2/62
Communion: In the Breaking of the Bread (Hurd) AOV 1/58
Thanksgiving: Lord, the Light of Your Love (Kendrick) AOV 2/59
Recessional: Go Make a Difference (Angrisano/Tomaszek) AOV NG 52
This is a rather lovely text emphasising unity in the Eucharist by Timothy Rees. It would work as a communion and entrance hymn.
The tune is a C17 Viennese melody called SOLL’S SEIN that I hadn’t heard of and, for a traditional style tune, is quite wonderful too.
1 Christ is the heav’nly food that gives to every famished soul new life and strength, new joy and hope, and faith to make them whole. We all are made for God alone, without whom we are dead; no food suffices for the soul but Christ, the living bread.
2 Christ is the unity that binds in one the near and far; for we who share his life divine, his living body are: On earth, and in the realms beyond, one fellowship are we; and at his table we are knit in mystic unity.
This is a translation of a C7 Latin text Urbs beata Hierusalem by John Chandler. I’ve used the variant translation found in CWB II. It is set to Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s HAREWOOD.
1 Christ is our corner-stone, on whom alone we build; with his true saints alone the courts of heav’n are filled: on his great love our hopes we place of present grace and joys above.
2 With psalms and hymns of praise this holy place shall ring; our voices we will raise the Three in One to sing; and thus proclaim in joyful song, both loud and long, that glorious name.
3 Here, gracious God, draw near and move among us now; receive each fervent prayer, accept each faithful vow; and more and more on all who pray each holy day thy blessings pour.
4 Here may we gain from heav’n the grace which we implore; and may that grace, once giv’n, be with us evermore, until that day when all the blest to endless rest are called away.
Bread of the world in mercy broken, wine of the soul in mercy shed, by whom the words of life were spoken, and in whose death our sins are dead. Look on the heart by sorrow broken, look on the tears by sinners shed; and make your feast to us the token that by thy grace our souls are fed.
This song in Latin is by Marty Haugen and based on the antiphon from the Good Friday liturgy:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
The text is at Hymnary. Haugen’s setting is very like a Taize chant with a repeated refrain and verses sung over them. The refrain is meant for a 3 part canon, which will be 4 parts while the cantor is doing the verses.
I am up to the general hymn section of CWB II. I have already blogged so many of these it is pointless to list those I have, so I’ll just stick to the songs that are new to me.
That said, I have actually blogged this song already here but CWB II makes some significant changes.
The key is dropped from Eb to D in the hope that some people might hit the high notes. The duration of notes for “other” is changed as well from my original music that is possibly due to the Lawrence Francis Bartlett arrangement in the Australian Hymn Book. “All men” is changed to “others” as well.
While this is noted as composer unknown in TAHB and TIS and CWB II, other sources are pretty sure it is by Roy Crabtree. The song is noted to be CCLI 46238, although I can find no mention of it on CCLI now. Some sources say copyright Make Way Music 1988, but this song is much older than that. This is all most odd.
I made a new backing in their key and arrangement. My current parish sings it verse/chorus/verse.
A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you love one another as I have loved you. By this shall others know you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. By this shall others know you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you love one another as I have loved you.
The editors of CWB II have made the seemingly sensible decision, for the songs selected for liturgies that only occur once a year, to mate them with tunes that should be familiar from traditional hymnody. The problem is that many churches have not used these tunes for decades and will find them unfamiliar tunes rather than known tunes.
I’d like to get to the general hymns, even though they are fairly traditional as well and not what parishes I’ve played at would use. To do that means ripping through these songs for Solemnities.
425/426 Presentation of the Lord
CWB II uses Chant mode VIII adapted by the editors so it is different to other versions and you’ll have to learn it from their book. The NPM versions are here.
Their version sound like this.
427 In the Temple Now Behold Him
This text for the Presentation of the Lord is by Henry John Pye (vs 1-3) and William Cooke v.4. Here it is set to LAUDA ANIMA, although other settings are more commonly used.
In His Temple now behold Him, See the long-expected Lord; Ancient prophets had foretold Him, — God has now fulfilled His word. Now, to praise Him, His redeemed Shall break forth with one accord.
In the arms of her who bore Him, Virgin pure, behold Him lie, While His aged saints adore Him Ere in faith and hope they die. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Lo! the incarnate God most high.
Jesus, by Thy presentation, Thou, who didst for us endure, Make us see our great salvation, Seal us with Thy promise sure, And present us in Thy glory To Thy Father, cleansed and pure.
Prince and Author of salvation, Be Thy boundless love our theme! Jesus, praise to Thee be given By the world Thou didst redeem, With the Father and the Spirit, Lord of majesty supreme!
The text is here, although CWB II commendably gets rid of the “thy”s.
429 Help of Christians, Guard This Land
This is for “Mary, Help of Christians” with a text by James Phillip McAuley and music by Richard Connolly. I suspend my concerns for traditional stylings where they are concerned.
This is for the Birth of John the Baptist and set to ST ANNE. The text from Stanbrooke Abbey is in in this book at Google books.
431 On This High Feast Day
This is also for JBap, translated from a C8 Latin text Ut queant laxis by Paul the Deacon. CWB II uses ISTE CONFESSOR here. The text used is at Google books but I note much grumbling on the blogs about the translation used from Hymns Ancient and Modern.
432 Give Thanks for Christ’s Apostles
This is selected to be used for Saints Peter and Paul by CWB II. This is also a text from Stanbrooke Abbey and set to AURELIA. The text is here on page 14 of this bulletin.
433 Jesus on the Mountain Peak
A song for the Transfiguration by Brian Wren and set, here, to CHRISTUS IST ERSTANDEN. The text is here.
434 O Raise Your Eyes on High and See
More for the Transfiguration by Ralph Wright and set to TALLIS ORDINAL. The text is here.
435 “Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here
This song is also for the Transfiguration and by Joseph Armitage Robinson. It is set to CARLISLE by Charles Lockhart. I note that Together in Song dispensed with the ‘Tis business but CWB II brought it back. They did however dispense with the “fain”s and “thy”s.
1 ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here, your glory fills the night; Your face and garments, like the sun, shine with unborrowed light. 2 ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here, your beauty to behold, where Moses and Elijah stand, your messengers of old. 3 Fulfiller of the past, our hope of things to be, we hail your body glorified, and our redemption see. 4 Before we taste of death, we see your kingdom come; we long to hold the vision bright, and make this hill our home. 5 ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here, yet we may not remain; but since you bid us leave the mount, come with us to the plain.
436 If I could Tell the Love of God
I really shouldn’t bury anything by Christopher Willcock in a post like this, should I? Nonetheless, this is for the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and is Willcock in a restrained mode. The text is here (page 8).
All Souls. Text by Fred Kaan. Set to ISTE CONFESSOR. The text is at Hymnary.
441 Remember Those, O Lord
This is another hymn for All Souls, this time with a text by James Quinn and set to FRANCONIA. The text is here.
442 Holy Light on Earth’s Horizon
This hymn is for the Immaculate Conception. Edward Caswall write the words and CWB II uses STUTTGART.
Holy light on earth’s horizon, Star of hope to those who fall, Light amid a world of shadows, Dawn of God’s design for all, Chosen from eternal ages, You alone of all our race, By your Son’s atoning merits Were conceived in perfect grace.
Mother of the world’s Redeemer, Promised from the dawn of time: How could one so highly favored Share the guilt of Adam’s crime? Sun and moon and stars adorn you, Sinless Eve, triumphant sign; You it is who crushed the serpent, Mary, pledge of life divine.
Earth below and highest heaven, Praise the splendour of your state, You who now are crowned in glory Were conceived immaculate. Hail, beloved of the Father, Mother of his only Son, Mystic bride of Love eternal, Hail, O fair and spotless one!
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.
