Church Music

This is a translation of Deus, creator omnium, from the Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal. It is a hymn for Lent from the Divine Office.

It is here set to ERHALT UNS, HERR.

The text is here.

This is one of the wonderful songs by the team of James Phillip McAuley the poet and Richard Connolly the tunesmith.

I can grouch about the over abundance of traditional hymnody in this collection but I always enjoy Connolly’s tunes. McAuley’s texts are direct and apposite and not a word is out of place.

It was in CWB I and also Together In Song, where I got he chords for my backing.

The text is in the sample at AOV.

It can be purchased as part of the collection Year of Grace Music Book at As One Voice

Entrance: O Come O Come Emmanuel (Neale) AOV 1/174

Wreath: Christ Circle Round Us (Schutte)

Psalm: To You O God, I Lift Up My Soul (Hurd) AOV 2/14

Gifts: Praise To You O Christ (Farrell) AOV 1/28

Communion: Bread Broken, Wine Shared (Horner) AOV 2/155

Thanksgiving: O Emmanuel (Mangan)

Recessional: God of Day and God of Darkness (Haugen) AOV 1/56

I have done a lot of the Lent songs in CWB II already:

288 Forty Days and Forty Nights

289 From Ashes to the Living Font

290 God of Mercy and Compassion

291 Grant to Us, O Lord

292 Hear Us, Almighty Lord

293 A Trusting Psalm

This is another fine text by Ralph Wright OSB, who seems to be a favourite of CWB II editors.

You can find the lyrics in the free download St Michael Hymnal (no 620).

Here it is set to ST BERNARD.

I had to get the chords from Together in Song, which reminds me that its melody line edition has many advantages over the accompaniment edition of CWB II – size, price, chords, etc. I got the bass notes from CWB II to make the backing better, but I could have got them from Hymnary as well.

I thought I’d done every Lent song in Christendom, but CWB II has a few that are new to me.

I’ve done:

285 Again We Keep This Solemn Fast

286 Be With Me, Lord

This is a tricky one because it is a French song by Jean-Paul Lécot (and Sr Licia Fay –  she may have assisted with the translation because she is not mentioned on any French sites) called Fais nous revenir à toi. The music is by Paul Décha.

I guessed the chords based on the French version below.

I can’t find the text anywhere in English or French, but it sounds great in French.

I’ll use the change from “Baptism of the Lord” to Lent in CWB II to slip in this song from Voices As One Volume 2.

This is James Marchionda’s setting of the Hail Mary.

The sheet music is at WLP.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you.
Blest are you among women,
and blest is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus. Jesus.
Blest is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us
Pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with you.
Blest are you among women,
and blest is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus. Jesus
Blest is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
Hail Mary

I like this text by Timothy Dudley-Smith for its directness and it is, of course, a song for the celebrations of the Baptism of the Lord.

It is set to RENDEZ A DIEU, which may be familiar to an assembly from other uses, and so good for a song done only once a year.

The text is available from the wonderful people at Hope Publications, where the sheet music can be obtained. It is also at Hymnary and OCP.

CWB II has got to songs for the “Baptism of the Lord”.

I’ve done:

282 When Jesus Comes to be Baptised

already.

“When Jesus to the Jordan Came” is chant – text by Ralph Wright OSB and set to JESU DULCIS MEMORIA (Chant Mode 1).

As I may have mentioned before BIAB CAN’T DO CHANT!

So this time I just had some fun.

This is a text that is copyright to GIA (1989), so I won’t reproduce it here, however there is no sign of it on the GIA website and I can find no other source for the text, so it’s CWB II or nothing for now. If anyone knows a way to purchase the words and sheet music outside of CWB II please let me know.

If you want to know how the tune of this chant really sounds, it’s like this:

Stepping back into Voices As One Vol 2 for a break from the traditional hymnody of CWB II takes me to this setting of Psalm 27.  There are plenty of settings of this psalm out there but this is a relaxed, nicely laid back one by Ed Bolduc if that is what is needed.

The verses have significant differences in their tunes, especially the third, and will definitely need a cantor.

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

Taylor’s “Mass of St Francis” is being used for Advent, and the assembly changed gears today without a hitch.  There is merit in only having two settings.

Entrance: Prepare the Way of the Lord (Boniwell) CWB II 250

Wreath: Christ Circle Round Us (Schutte)

Psalm: To You O God, I Lift Up My Soul (Hurd) AOV 2/14

Gifts: Blessed be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: Bread of Life (Farrell) AOV 1/164

Thanksgiving: Emmanuel (Angrisano)

Recessional: A Voice in the Wilderness  (Robinson) AOV 1/60