Church Music

Frenzy Cool requested this song with a text by Thomas Aquinas and set, in this case, by Anthony Werner.

The sheet music is at Hymnary.

Entrance: Blessings on the King (Lynch) AOV 1/104

Psalm 21 (McKenna)

My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?

Gifts: Tree of Life (Thompson) AOV NG 138

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

Bread of Life (Farrell) AOV 1/164

Thanksgiving: Holy Darkness (Schutte) AOV 2/24

Recessional: Jesus Remember Me (Berthier) AOV 1/152

I picked up two Lenten songs from our correspondents that are both set to the tune ST FLAVIAN. It must a particularly penitential tune.

Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days:words by Claudia Frances Hernamen.

From Ashes to the Living Font: words by Alan J. Hommerding.

Now you may well be using the chant version of the Exsultet, as revised in 2010, or you may want a more metrical version, in which case Tony Alonso’s setting is worth a look.

The text is here. I bought the guitar version at WLP and while the piano part is listed as not downloadable a colleague on the music team was allowed to do just that. There are also parts for flute oboe and cello. I think it beautiful enough to warrant the effort to put this in an Easter liturgy.

Make no mistake, this is still a challenge, and will take at least nine minutes, and may need a relay of cantors. It also has many many time signature changes and BIAB could not cope with them all so when it has a stray bar of 7/8 or 5/8, I had to insert sneaky little rests. In my backing I left out the parts that are only for a Priest or a Deacon, so this is the version for a cantor. I also have not done the introductory pieces (The Light of Christ etc).

These clips might give a better idea of the piece.

This Lenten song was used as an entrance at RS’s parish recently.

The text is by Gregory the Great (ie sixth century) and translated by Maurice F. Bell in 1906.  It is set to ERHALT UNS, HERR, a sixteenth century German tune with an eighteenth century harmonisation by J.S. Bach.

The text and sheet music are at Hymnary.

Ryan’s parish used this song as a prelude to Mass earlier in Lent. Also known as “Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here” the text is by Joseph Armitage Robinson based on Luke 9:32-33, and it is set to SWABIA by Johann M. Spiess.

Hymnary have the text and sheet music, and cite the hymnals in which it can be found.

While I’ve been away the Lenten music choices from correspondents have included many songs that are new to me. A couple are chants I just can’t sort out but I’ll try to work out some of the others before Lent is over.

Ming’s parish do this song from the old Catholic Worship Book 692.  This has a text by Michael Hodgetts and is set to the French tune AU SANG QU’UN DIEU. It is actually a rewrite of a hymn of the same name by Edmund Vaughan.

The Hodgetts text is here and the Vaughan here. The sheet music is here courtesy of Godsongs.

These clips all have the Vaughan text.

Entrance: A New Heart for a New World (O’Brien/Watts) AOV 1/158

Psalm: Be With Me, Lord (Haugen)

Gifts: God of Second Chances (Haas)

Communion: One Bread One Body (Foley) AOV 1/129

Come to Me (Norbet) AOV 1/37

Thanksgiving: Be Merciful (Haugen)

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

This is an adaptation of Luke 1:68-79 (ie the Canticle of Zachary) by James D. Quinn set by Michael Joncas.

I don’t think it is one of his best – it sounds like a nursery rhyme – I keep hearing “fiddle- dee-dees”.

OCP have a sound sample and  will let you purchase the sheet music there. The text is in their preview.

This appears to be the last backing I made before my holiday and it suggests I needed a holiday.

For some reason I thought BIAB should give it a Big Band arrangement:

Yeah, the holiday was overdue.

I wrote an essay on the Lukan Canticles in a past life:

The Lukan Canticles

The English language mass at Kyoto today was interesting but I forgot to note the songs sung by a mainly Filipino group with guitars. I did note some Frank Andersen songs in their song book, though.

I don’t know what we will be using next week and won’t until I am back in the country later in the week, but I thought I’d put up a place for those who know their liturgies to put them up should they wish.

added 3/3/2016

Entrance: All Are Welcome (Haugen)

Psalm: Be With Me Lord (Haugen)

Gifts: A Trusting Psalm (Bates)

Communion: Come to the Table (Burland)

Our Supper Invitation (Bates)

Recessional: Lift Up Your Hearts (O’Connor)