Church Music

This is a translation of St Ambrose’s Aeterna Christi munera translated by John Mason Neale and here set to the tradional tune AGINCOURT. I blogged this as part of a group of songs in CWB II, but I’ll give it a post of its own.

Is the answer to my quest for a better hymn for ‘Christ the King”? – I fear not, without lutes and recorders for the medieval touch.

This well put commentary is from one of the clips below:

The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King is a 1851 John Mason Neale (1818-1866) translation of the Ambrosian hymn, Ae­ter­na Christi Mu­nera by St. Ambrose of Milan (340-397). Originally it was sung on Feast Days of Martyrs. In the Roman Breviary it was revised for use during Matins on Feast Days of the Apostles and Evangelists. The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King is set to the 15th century melody, Deo Gratias (Agincourt Carol) attributed to the English composer, John Dunstable (c.1390-1453). In the Liturgy of the Hours, it is used in the Commons of the Apostles.

The text from CWB removes archiac language. I’ve seen some variations in words of the second verse.

1 Th’eternal gifts of Christ the King,
th’apostles’ glory, let us sing;
and all, with hearts of gladness, raise
due hymns of thankful love and praise.

2 Their faith in Christ, the Lord, prevailed,
their hope, a light that never failed;
their love ablaze o’er pathways trod
to lead them to the’e-ternal God.

3 In them the Father’s glory shone,
in them the will of God the Son,
in them exults the Holy Ghost,
through them rejoice the heav’nly host.

4 To you, Redeemer, now we cry,
that you would join to them on high
your servants, who this grace implore,
for ever and for evermore.

This is another of the songs CWB sourced from the Resource Collection of Hymns and Service Music for the Liturgy from ICEL, which can still be purchased at GIA.

The text for Advent and Christmas is by Omar Westendorf based on Isaiah 40:1-11, and is set to Robert Edward Kreutz‘s FIDDLERS GREEN. Since Westendorf founded WLP, I suppose he is owned by GIA now.

I couldn’t find the text anywhere but it does show up in Worship 3rd ed. if you have that, or you could listen to the clip below.

Father Brian Foley based this hymn on the suffering servant passages in Isaiah 53, so it has a special use for Good Friday.

CWB sourced this hymn for the New Catholic Hymnal and followed them by setting the text to FELINFOEL by Michael Dawney.

Hymnary notes the other hymnals that have this song and its other settings, but hasn’t heard of the New Catholic Hymnal because it was not American. The text is here.

My backing appears to be based on chords that I guessed at and the slightly odd thought that this song needed accordian.

This is a terrific arrangement – but not for an assembly:

I have somehow never come across this joyous Marty Haugen Christmas song from back in 1983, but it did appear in Australia’s Catholic Worship Book in 1985.

It’s still available at GIA with arrangements for brass quintet and 2 octave handbells, so knock yourself out. Looking at the performance notes in the preview there, it is suggested that organ, piano or guitar will also work.

The text is at Cantus Mundi. The plethora of You Tube clips suggest it is beloved of American Lutherans.

You can hear the handbells and brass in his original. There is also the slightly weird choral sound that always seems odd to my ears on his recordings. It almost sounds like prehistoric AI.

Some lovely Lutheran handbells and a technically less good choir that sounds more human.

Organ blasting…

This is glorious with strings etc:

Organ plus soloist:

Piano, guitar, vocal:

Jazz organ:

Backing with tuned percussion:

The Allen digital computer organ and assembly…

The editors of CWB picked another James Montgomery (1771-1854) text and this time rather than attaching “alt” they say “adapted”, so I suspect greater changes. It could be for Pentecost but is especially for Ordination.

Here , it is set to SONG 34 by Orlando Gibbons.

I recycled an old backing:

Using the compare text feature in Hymnary, I entered the oldest and the youngest and got this result.

CWB is almost what TIS landed on with some small differences.

1 Pour out your Spirit from on high;
Lord, your assembled servants bless:
graces and gifts to each supply,
and clothe your priests with holiness.

2 Within your temple when we stand
to celebrate your liturgy,
Saviour, like stars in your right hand
may pastors of the churches be.

3 Wisdom and zeal and faith impart,
firmness with meekness from above,
to bear your people on their heart
and love their souls with your strong love;

4 To watch and pray and never fear,
by day and night strict guard to keep;
to pardon sinners, saints to cheer,
to nourish lambs, and feed your sheep;

5 Then, when their work is finished here,
in humble hope their tasks resign,
when the chief Shepherd shall appear,
may they in glory ever shine.

I can find lots of clips of this text but none to this setting.

In between the venerable hymn tunes with aged texts in CWB, there is the occasional folk mass era song that I somehow have managed not to find from other sources.

This is a Joe Wise folk song from the sixties that I’ve never heard of. It was originally from an album called Hand in Hand.

That collection is still available from GIA if you decide you need it after hearing the clip below.

I made up simple chords for my backing:

This clip on You Tube preserves the authentic crackle and hum of old records.

This is a Eucharistic text by Australian priest and theologian, David Michael Coffey, who died recently.

CWB got it from the New Catholic Hymnal and set it to TALLIS’ CANON. Godsongs notes its use in NZ in the 1970s set to this tune and with “dear Father” replaced by “O Father” as in CWB.

I have recycled an old backing for this:

1 Receive, O Father, God of might,

This host unblemished in your sight:

Unworthy servants though we be,

We come before you trustingly.

2 This saving chalice too we bring,

Receive it graciously, O King;

With fragrant odour may it rise

To your high throne above the skies.

3 For all the living and the dead,

For our poor lives so badly led,

we raise these gifts to you above,

And join to them ourselves in love.

4 And being pleased your gift bestow

The life of grace in us below;

Not just to us this blessing send,

To all the world let it extend.

I am on a voyage through the songs recommended for Australian Catholic Churches in the 1980s by their publication in the Catholic Worship Book. Many have been covered from other collections on this blog, so what I am finding are some that survived into CWB II with different settings, some English and Australian obscurities and venerable hymns that had their texts modernised for the late twentieth century.

This is one such text from James Montgomery (1771-1854) whose text has the dreaded “alt” next to his attribition in CWB. Here it is set to GONFALEN ROYAL, by Percy Carter Buck (1871-1947).

The chords are in TIS so I could make a backing – must have tired of fake organ when I was making this backing:

The words in Hymnary from Ancient and Modern are:

1 O Spirit of the living God,
in all the fullness of your grace,
wherever human feet have trod,
descend upon our fallen race.

2 Give tongues of fire and hearts of love
to preach the reconciling word;
anoint with power from heaven above
whenever gospel truth is heard.

3 Let darkness turn to radiant light,
confusion vanish from your path;
those who are weak inspire with might:
let mercy triumph over wrath!

4 O Spirit of our God, prepare
the whole wide world the Lord to meet;
breathe out new life, like morning air,
till hearts of stone begin to beat.

5 Baptize the nations; far and near
the triumphs of the cross record;
till Christ in glory shall appear
and every race declare him Lord! Amen.

The amended version in CWB goes thusly, amended either for the era or Catholicism:

1 O Spirit of the living God,
in all the fullness of your grace,
wherever human feet have trod,
descend on our rebellious race.

2 Give tongues of fire and hearts of love
to preach the reconciling Word;
give power and unction from above
wherer e’er this blessed sound is heard.

3 Be darkness, at your coming, light,
confusion, order in your path;
souls without strength inspire with might:
let mercy triumph over wrath.

4 O Spirit of the Lord, prepare
a sinful world its God to meet;
and breathe abroad like morning air,
till hearts of stone begin to beat.

5 Proclaim the Gospel far and wide
the triumphs of the cross record;
the name of Christ be glorified;
and ev’ery race’ry people call him Lord!

With these traditional hymn tunes, I have been remiss not to mention the usefulness of Small Church Music made by Clyde McLennan (1941-2022). The good work is being carried on and there are very nice organ backings for hymns like this one.

This is a wedding hymn written by Dorothy Frances Gurney for her sister’s wedding that wound up in hundreds of hymnals.

CWB set it to HIGHWOOD by Richard Runciman Terry.

Hymnary has more blurb than usual about this song.

The text has been altered by the editors with modernisation of language and some garbling of sense in the last two lines. The CWB text is below.

I got chords from TIS for a backing:

1 O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
lowly we kneel in prayer before your throne,
that theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
whom you for evermore now join in one.

2 O perfect Life, be you their full assurance
of tender charity and steadfast faith,
of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
with childlike trust that fears not pain or death.

3 Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife;
and to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
that draws upon eternal love and life.

This is evening prayer from the Divine Office with a text by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. It survived into CWB II with a different setting, but here it is set to O LIGHT SERENE by Howard Hughes.

The text is here.

Breviary Hymns has some background, but I can find no source other than CWB for this tune.

None of the clips on YouTube seem to be this setting.