Church Music

This was a request for a Marty Haugen song for Eucharist. I have it in Gather Australia 197 where it has optional refrains for Advent and Lent.

I’m always after good Eucharist songs but this one has a fair old vocal range and five different tunes over six verses, which is a bit much, so I suppose it is meant for cantors.  The refrain is singable (if too high) and suitable as a canon if you are game.

The text is here (scroll down). The sheet music can be purchased at GIA.

I’ve guessed and simplified the chords somewhat in my backing.

This song has a text adapted from the Constitution of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and a tune by Steven C. Warner of the Notre Dane Folk Choir.  I would be very pleased to hear this choir piece as an accompaniment to veneration of the Cross on Good Friday.

The text is available in the sample at WLP where the sheet music can be purchased. It appears to be an improvement of the text in translation noted here.

John Michael Talbot has written some beautiful songs.  This setting of Psalm 95 isn’t his best as the verses ramble a bit and I don’t really think they suit usual cantoring styles. The refrain is gentle and singable if that’s all you need.

The text is here. You can purchase the sheet music for download at OCP.

This sounds a fine celebratory song by Paul A. Tate suitable for Easter or other celebratory liturgies. The chorus has overlapping song lines for cantor and the echoing assembly and the verses are listed for a cantor.  That is not a lot of participation so I’d just have the assembly do the cantor line and just have an echoing voice in the chorus. It’s a nice tune that has hints of “Calypso” by John Denver. It’s fine to play on guitar with capo on the first fret and ignoring some of the fancier chords.

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

My backing puts the two melody lines at opposite ends of the stereo spectrum.

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

Psalm 19 (O’Brien)

Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

Gifts: Heal Me O God (Norbet) AOV 2/52

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

Open My Eyes (Manibusan) AOV 1/166

Recessional: Holy Darkness (Schutte) AOV 2/24

Joe Mattingly has written a song that would suit the reading of the prodigal son as well as Lenten and penitential liturgies. This church used it for distribution of ashes, which would be a nice change from “Ashes”.

You can find the text in the sample at WLP, where the sheet music can be purchased.

The music I have in VAO guitar edition confuses the bracketed subtitle with the directions for playing the song! In the sample it is suggested as moderato rather than to be played “softly and tenderly”.

I detected a whiff of Bacharach in the tune so I pressed that button on BIAB and added a gratuitous sax line – sorry.

I can’t find a version by Mattingly’s choir but these young people have a good try:

This is a lovely song by Ed Bolduc that is recommended for Advent and Easter, but I’m sure you can think of other joyful liturgies to which it is suited.

The text is available in the sample at WLP where the sheet music can be purchased and a snippet of the tune can be reviewed.

It is meant to be flowing and lilting but when I see 6/8 I go all sea shanty sing-along so I sped it up a bit.

This video is much better:

This is a setting of the Lorica of St Patrick to the traditional Irish folk tune “Garten” arranged by Gerard Gillen. I think it lovely and liturgically useful to boot.

The text is here with more verses than the three in VAO. You can listen to a snippet and purchase the sheet music from WLP. An arrangement in the public domain is at musicasacra.

My backing is Irish and spirited.

As is this version:

This is more sedate but still nice:

This is definitely not a Lenten song but it is a gospel acclamation that Yola’s parish used as an entrance hymn before Lent started. It is by Bernadette Farrell and is part of the Mass of Hope.

The text is in the sample available at OCP where you can purchase the sheet music for download. You an hear a snippet here.

This is a setting of Psalm 137 and coincidentally comes up in a couple of weeks (4th week of Lent Year B).  It is by Paul A. Tate and has a singable refrain for the assembly and good verses for the cantors to proclaim.

You can hear a snippet, read the text in the sample pages and buy the sheet music at WLP. You can hear the whole song here with all its harmonies. If you are using the guitar edition of Voices As One like me, there are chords missing on the bottom line of the second page of the music – G(add2) & E/G#.