Church Music

This is a peaceful chant written by Sr Marianne Misetich SNJM with an obvious liturgical use.

The sheet music can be purchased from OCP where the text is in their preview.

My backing adds the descant after the first time through.

I can skip a few songs already blogged from the Guitar Accompaniment Book from OCP   (c 2015) and get to this song.

The text is nineteenth century American by an unknown lyricist and set to the delightful tune PLEADING SAVIOUR by Joshua Levitt.

Hymnary has the text here and the public domain tune here.

You can purchase OCP’s version here, where they not only claim copyright on their arrangement but fail to acknowledge the actual songwriter.

I have avoided the fake organ this time and have just done a gentle backing.

This is a Tom Conry song for Lent.

I like the invention in the verses both lyrically and musically.

OCP have the sheet music where the text is in their preview.

My backing is, in retrospect, lousy.

This is more listenable.

Joe also sent this song by Leo Watt that one correspondent has mentioned as their favourite Leo song.

If you are after sheet music or other Leo Watt material you should contact him through his website.

1. Here around this altar Lord, though many we are one.

Here to offer you our lives, the work that we have done.

Chorus

With each day we start again to help your kingdom come.

Give strength and courage to our soul, though many we are one.

2. From a grain of golden wheat that ripens in the sun

Comes to us the bread of life to help us live as one.

3. Young in heart and full of hope we gather here as one.

Christian people here to serve as Christ himself has done.

© Leo Watt

As usual Joe has made a sensible usable backing:

Mine, on the other hand, may have too much banjo and accordion and a nasty cheap clarinet sound for the melody:

The Leo Watt renaissance continues with people asking big money for his albums on E-bay. 

Joe has saved me from the mind numbing extent of the OCP Guitar Accompaniment Book by sending me a couple of his excellent backings.

Joe is from rural Queensland and can actual play, so he makes his backings properly using a keyboard.

He sent me this offertory song by Kevin Nichols that was new to me, but seems very popular, especially in England where it was written.

The text is here. Mary at Godsongs has lots of information about the song. It is in the 20th Century Folk Hymnal Volume 2.

Joe’s backing is in D, to be kind to us groaners, and his arrangement has interesting minor chords. You can hear the nuance of a real person behind the backing, starting simply and building up nicely.

My backing has been brought back up to F but the chords are dumbed down. BIAB made up the intro and I added the melody as mine is to help me learn it whereas Joe’s needs the vocalists to add the melody. I only run through the two verses as written.

There are lots of YouTube clips of assemblies singing this one. Here is just one of them:

Entrance: Canticle of Creation (Watts-O’Brien) AOV NG 20

Psalm 64 (McKenna)

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia (O’Carroll/Walker) AOV 1/13

Gifts: Open My Eyes   (Manibusan) AOV 1/166

Communion: Unless a Grain of Wheat (Farrell) AOV 1/35

Seed, Scattered and Sown (Feiten) GA 195

Thanksgiving: All You Works of God (Haugen) AOV 1/19

Recessional: Bring Forth the Kingdom (Haugen) AOV 2/4

If you see a jump in the blogging of OCP’s Guitar Accompaniment Book it is because I have covered the songs already.

This is a song based on Psalm 25 written by Huub Oosterhuis and translated from Dutch, by David Smith and Forrest Ingram. The tune is by Bernard Huijbers.

It is a very singable hymn even in translation and suggested for RCIA but with more broad liturgical applicability.

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

This is a lovely song by Bob Hurd that would be fine for both entrance and recessional. It has a specific use for a liturgy concerning the Sacred Heart.

The sheet music is at OCP where the text is in their preview. You can also find the lyrics on their site here along with some background from the songwriter.

I can skip a couple of already addressed songs and look at a Lutheran wedding song mainly written by Harry N. Huxhold set to HYFRYDOL. Verse three was written by John Newton.

The text is at Hymnary.

The sentiments are fine and being a familiar tune a hospitable choice that would encourage participation by many of the assembled.

I blogged a backing to this tune already here.

It can be purchased at OCP.

A wedding:

Like wow…

I’m wading through OCP’s Guitar Accompaniment Book (c2005) and have arrived at a song with a text translated from a sixth century Latin text by Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, who sounds like a spell from Harry Potter. It is set to a tune called SALVA FESTA DIES by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

Hymnary have the text and public domain sheet music. There is a text for Easter, Ascension and Pentecost.

OCP’s version can be purchased here.

Whether I should be allowed to unleash BIAB on Vaughn Williams is an interesting point, but here it is:

I almost wish we had a pipe organ: