Church Music

A prayer for unity in hymn form with a text by Olive W Spearman, who died last year aged 102 or so. According to CWB II it is based on Phillipians 2:1-18, but I can’t see any relationship. Other sources suggest Acts 10:34-35, which fits better.

The text is here, although CWB II only has the first three verses (the fourth and fifth verses appear harmless enough to me and I’m not sure of the reason for their excision) and a variant text for the 3rd and 4th lines of the first verse:

to see each mortal as I ought, my kindred, whom you love has bought.

It gets rid of a “thee”, but is clumsy as all hell. Godsongs goes through other textual variants.

It is set to various tunes in the references overseas but never to DANIEL as used by CWB II.

Amanda McKenna’s popular psalm antiphon settings are quite accessible to the average parish, and have been designed to be used with spoken verses.  The verses can, however, easily be sung by using chant tones, and it’s much easier than using contemporary style settings with all the variations normally found between verses.  They maintain the simplicity of Amanda’s compositions.

A good starting point are the popular St Meinrad Archabbey psalm tones which are legally free to use (non-commercially) and can be found at
https://www.saintmeinrad.org/the-monastery/liturgical-music/downloads/
Go down near the bottom to number 5 in the “Other” section.  There you will find music for the eight Gregorian modes, so there are only eight tunes to choose from for the verses.  The one to use depends on mood and matching the key to that of Amanda’s antiphon, which may require some compromise.  The tunes to use depend on the emotion of the text; from Kevin Vogel’s YouTube examples:  1 – serious; 2 – sad; 3 – vehement; 4 – harmonious; 5 – happy; 6 – devout; 7 – angelic; 8 – very happy.

I’ve attached an example of how to use them from the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time where the Psalm is 65 (66) and the response is “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.” 

The music for the psalm verses is attached without the antiphon for copyright reasons.  For the audio, please note that for some reason Amanda left out “all”, so I added a two beat C at the beginning to correct this and also raised the melody a step.  There is a file with music alone, and another file where I’ve added vocals which are not great.  I believe the tones work well with Amanda’s score, are not boring or stodgy, and are pleasing to the ear even if my vocals aren’t!

Chant is sung speech, so the goal is to make the diction sound natural with the exception of the last syllable in each phrase, which is hung on to a little bit.  This means, however, that it’s impossible to create an audio backing file with the right timings of the notes for the verses.  There are plenty of examples on YouTube of well-sung “parish-style” chant psalms, and any of Chris Brunelle’s weekly guitar-led responsorial psalm demos are a great starting point.

Readings: Isaiah 66:10-14

Galatians 6:14-18

Luke 10:1-12,17-20

We only need talk of peace when there is none. Paul talking about his only boast, is in contrast to those who will boast that they made people submit to their way of practicing religion. He wishes peace because he finds discord rather than accepting love.

The peace of the reign of God is indeed very near when you can go into the world knowing that you will find that acceptance in community as in Luke’s gospel. Yet, as always with the Kingdom, it is near but not yet, and so living as if it is a reality remains a challenge.

Isaiah is writing to a community struggling after returning from exile. The peace described is a maybe in the future – or maybe not – but if it is at least conceivable then rejoice.

Entrance: Gather As One (McKenna) AOV NG 48

Psalm 65 (McKenna)

Let the earth cry out to God with joy.

Gifts: Isaiah 49(Landry) AOV 1/89

Communion: In the Breaking of the Bread (Hurd) AOV 1/58

Thanksgiving: Prayer for Peace  (Haas) AOV 1/91

Recessional: We Are Called (Haas) AOV 2/60

I’m working through Catholic Worship Book II’s hymn section and finding I have blogged most of them already, so I’m really just picking up scraps of repertoire.

Still Christopher Willcock is always a thrill and a challenge. His setting of Psalm 122 sounded familiar because I had blogged the antiphon when it was used as a response locally some years ago. The text is here (click on 122).

The music is an OCP copyright but it is not on their website, probably because they have umpteen other settings. I got the chords from Gather Australia, but CWB II didn’t bother. The cantor has the usual fun with Willcock’s key and signature changes but if yours is up for that, why not?

I’ve skipped lots of previously blogged hymns to get to this one by Christopher Idle. This is a gathering song with a delightful text – you have to love “Jesus come! surprise our dullness.” Maybe I just prefer an English sensibility.

The text is at Jubilate where they suggest WESTMINSTER ABBEY. CWB II sets it to PICARDY.

I have previously blogged this set to MCKEE and include it here from CWB II because they set it to ST BERNARD. The text is by William Arthur Dunkley.

In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love
Throughout the whole wide earth.

In Him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord,
Close binding humankind.

Join hands, then, members of the faith,
Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child
Is surely kin to me.

In Christ now meet both East and West,
In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him
Throughout the whole wide earth

I suppose it is no coincidence for an Australian Catholic Hymn book, that many of these old songs are set to Irish melodies. This one is set in CWB II to DANIEL, although other settings appear more common overseas.

I love you, O my Lord most high,
for first your love has captured me;
I seek no other liberty:
bound by your love, I shall be free.

May memory no thought suggest
but shall to your pure glory tend,
may understanding find no rest,
except in you, its only end.

All mine is yours: say but the word,
say what you will, it shall be done;
I know your love, most gracious Lord,
I know you seek my good alone.

Apart from you, nothing can be,
so grant me this, my only wish,
to love you, Lord, eternally,
you give me all in giving this.

– St Ignatius of Loyola
tr. Edward Caswall

This song’s text is attributed to St Patrick and translated by Cecil Frances Alexander.

It is set to the Irish tune ST PATRICK. oddly the first verse stops half way through.

The text in CWB II is:

1. I bind unto myself today
   the strong name of the Trinity,
   by invocation of the same,
   the Three in One, and One in Three.
2. I bind myself to God forever
   to Jesus in his incarnation
   baptised for me in the Jordan river,
   and crucified for my salvation;
   he burst the prison of his tomb,
   ascended to the heavenly throne,
   returning at the day of doom
   by faith I make his life my own.
3. I bind myself to God today
   to his great power to hold and lead,
   his eye to watch me on my way,
   his ear to listen to my need,
   the wisdom of my God to teach,
   his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
   the word of God to give me speech,
   his heavenly host to be my guard.
4. I bind myself to God today,
   the strong and holy Trinity,
   to know the name and make it known,
   the Three in One, the One in Three,
   from whom all nature has creation,
   eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
   praise God my strength and my salvation;
   praise in the Spirit through Christ the Lord!

This variation seems more widespread and includes the “Breastplate”. I prefer the language even with the archaisms eg “bursting from the spiced tomb”.

1. I bind unto myself today
the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.

2. I bind this day to me forever
by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation
his baptism in the Jordan river,
his death on Cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spiced tomb,
his riding up the heavenly way,
his coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

3. I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.

4. I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay,
God’s ear to hearken to my need,
the wisdom of my God to teach,
God’s hand to guide, God’s shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
the heavenly host to be my guard.

5. Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

6. I bind unto myself the name,
the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, the One in Three,
of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
salvation is of Christ the Lord!

We are actually celebrating the feast day of St Peter this Sunday as he is our patron saint. We would usually use Psalm 15 (You are my inheritance, O Lord) for the Thirteenth Sunday but it has been replaced, as have the readings.

Entrance: Christ be Our Light  (Farrell) AOV 2/3

Psalm 33 (McKenna)

The Lord has set me free from all my fears.

Gifts: Do You Really Love Me (Landry)

Communion: Seed, Scattered and Sown (Feiten) GA 195

Thanksgiving: The Summons  (Maule-Bell) AOV NG 149

Recessional: You Are My Rock (Chinn)

This Brian Wren text covers gathering, communion and recessing so pick your verses and the whole service is covered.

The text is provided by the wonderful people at Hope Publishing. They give an extra verse for funerals there.

CWB II chose to set it to ST FLAVIAN rather than the music preferred at Hope (DOVE OF PEACE), which has more of a lilt to it.