Entrance: Prepare the Way (Boniwell)
Advent Wreath: All is Wonder (Watts) AOV NG 4
Psalm: To You O God I Lift Up My Soul (Hurd) AOV 2/14
Gifts: Emmanuel (Angrisano) SAS 2/290
Communion: Shepherd Me O God (Haugen) AOV 1/33
One Bread One Body (Foley) AOV 1/129
Thanksgiving: Advent Chant (Porter/Kirkland) AOV 2/123
Recessional: Sing Out Earth and Sky (Haugen) AOV 2/32
This is an especially lovely song by Steve Angrisano for Eucharist that, like many in this collection, seems to have been written with a solo performance rather than an assembly in mind. There are many people who just can’t sing a song permanently suspended in syncopation like this one so if participation is to be strived for above all else this song is hard to recommend. The verses have enough little quirks to further complicate things, for while the chord progression is the same in each the tune meanders off in different directions for each verse.
The text, which is very serviceable, is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.
My backing is as written not as performed by Mr Angrisano.
This is Steve Angrisano not singing what he wrote:
Tom Booth wrote this excellent pop song. I don’t think it is a communion song for an assembly however, but it’s great as a solo vehicle.
Some of the lyrics are in this reflection at spiritandsong, but the link to the lyrics in the article is dead. You can listen to the original here. I can’t find a purchase for download version of the sheet music so you have to use Spirit & Song Vol 2 I suppose.
I spent far too long on this backing:
Refrain
Lord, help us to live in the present moment.
Help us to pray in the light of this day.
Lord, help us to live in the present moment,
For we know not the time. so we give our lives,
Placing our trust in you in the present moment.
1. May I not dwell on the failures of the past,
Drowning in sin that you have set free.
May I just be with you and be who I’m meant to be.
2. May I not dream of the glories of the future,
Things that may never come to be.
May I just be with you and be who I’m meant to be.
© Tom Booth 2004.
I really like this gentle song for Eucharist by Sarah Hart. It does has a bit of Broadway show tune about it with the occasional octave leap and I’m not sure it would survive congregational singing.
The text is here (bottom of the page) and it is used as part of a reflection at spiritandsong. I can’t find a place to purchase for download for the sheet music. You can listen to original here.
Brian Boniwell has written songs that are used in parishes all around Australia and overseas and is much loved. I get many hits on this site from people looking for his sheet music.
Just so you know, you can buy Brian’s sheet music direct from the song writer:
I have two song books available, “People of the Resurrection” and “Spirit of Love”. These are words, melody line and chord editions only, not full accompaniment.
People can email me boniwell@aapt.net.au or phone 07 5520 7581 to arrange for copies to be posted to them.
I have listed the songs in each album below.
People of the Resurrection
1 Christ is risen
2 Candle song
3 We are your people
4 In memory of me
5 No greater love
6 Where there is joy
7 People of the resurrection
8 The Lord is my shepherd
9 Paul’s prayer
10 Walk upon the water
11 He came as a servant
12 Wherever you go
13 Like a cedar of Lebanon
14 Love is the giftSpirit of love
1 Spirit of love
2 The sower
3 Will you love me?
4 Let your light shine
5 Keep me safe
6 Mission song
7 The body of Christ
8 Prepare the road of justice
9 Baptism song
10 Let us be as one
11 Holy family
12 Holy Lord
13 Gather together
14 BeatitudesWith blessings and thanks
Brian Boniwell
After Advent housekeeping I’m back in the communion section of Spirit & Song Vol 2. This is another committee song by Bobby Fisher, Greg Less, Craig Aven and Ken Canedo.
The refrain is singable by an assembly but gets a bit high after the key change. The verses have enough difference in tune to cause confusion and are really just too syncopated for assembly use. That said the bridge (also too high) is a neat transition to the key change in the final refrain. Altogether a clever pop song with a gentle Latin lilt that would be better as a solo vehicle.
I’m not a fan of the word “fam’ly”.
The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.
This is the original:
A professional looking video with a fine vocalist:
A fine cover version from an empty church:
This is another nice version with some idiosyncratic piano.
Some young people keeping it together surprisingly well in the verses:
Chris’s parish are going all Bernadette Farrell for Advent including her litany.
The text and a recording are at OCP, where you can buy the sheet music.
It’s powerful chant for cantor and assembly that benefits from mixing up the voices, instruments and tempos.
…unlike my backing of all sixteen verses.
I pushed for Angrisano’s “Emmanuel” as a new song for advent this year locally, but only just noticed this free trial from Marty Haugen for Advent 2014. It is really very good – a stately piece of music for advent.
The sheet music is here. (I expect the link to be dead by 2015)
This is his request:
New Advent Song–Abide with Us, Emmanuel
You are invited to preview a new unpublished Advent song I have written. If you wish, you may share it with your own community this coming season (only one community, please). All I am asking is that
1) if you use it, you destroy all copies (except one reference copy) as of December 25th, 2014, and
2) if you use it, you give me feedback about the piece (text, music, whatever),
3) if you use it (and are able) please make a donation to an organization working for peace and reconciliation (such as
Oxfam or Doctors without Borders) or to Southside Family Nurturing Center (www.ssfnc.org) a therapeutic preschool working with families at risk.
This is my backing:
Unsurprisingly, nothing on YouTube yet.
I noticed Yola’s parish used this song, and someone did ask for a backing years ago.
The text is at Hymnary. The refrain is by Satish Kumar inspired by the Upanishads. The text of the verses and the tune is by Marty Haugen. The sheet music can be purchased at various places on the net including sheetmusicplus and GIA.
I’m not sure my backing really does the song justice and is somewhat approximate.
This appears to be the original and while it may seem churlish when compared to the problem of world peace, the style of singing in the refrain is the strange church choir sound that I can’t stand that you often hear on recordings like this. If you go to You Tube the lyrics are there as well and the song is also attributed to Marc Anderson as well, but Hymnary is sticking with Satish Kumar and GIA credits no-one other than Haugen.
Entrance: Come to Set Us Free (Farrell) AOV 1/39
Advent Wreath: All is Wonder (Watts) AOV NG 4
Psalm: To You O God I Lift Up My Soul (Hurd) AOV 2/14
Gifts: Emmanuel (Angrisano) SAS 2/290
Communion: Seed, Scattered and Sown (Feiten) GA 195
A Trusting Psalm (Bates) AOV 1/115
Thanksgiving: Into the Darkness (Dawn) from “Songs of Fellowship” Book Five (No 70)
Recessional: Christ Be Our Light (Farrell) AOV 2/3
