Church Music

This song isn’t from Spirit & Song but I noted Chris’s parish use it as a recessional.  The tune is by the ever reliable Christopher Walker setting a text by James Harrison. I suspect it may have been meant for children but it still a lovely song for sending forth. Much of the refrain is the same tune as I’ve Never Been In Love from Guys and Dolls for what it’s worth.

The text is at spiritandsong. You can listen to a sample and purchase the sheet music for download at OCP.

I love the enthusiastic guitar ministry here:

More parishes:

This is an enthusiastic choir and assembly belting it out.

Listen to other versions here and here.

This is a pretty song for Eucharist written by Greg Walton. By some miracle the range is fine and the syncopation gentle so I think it is suitable for assembly singing for a change.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

I got carried away with strings in my backing:

This is Greg Walton’s version:

This group demonstrate the singability and have nice percussion.

Entrance: All Are Welcome (Haugen)

Psalm 127 (McKenna)

Happy are those who fear the Lord

Gifts: Our Supper Invitation (Bates) AOV 1/185

Communion: Table of Plenty (Schutte) AOV 2/20

One Body (O’Brien- Watts) AOV 2/146

Thanksgiving: God of Day and God of Darkness (Haugen) AOV 1/56

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

Janet Sullivan Whitaker and Max Whitaker have written a song for Eucharist that is at least designed for an assembly.  There a some notes held for a long time in the verses that might cause consternation and the 3rd and 5th verse share a different tune to the 1st, 2nd and 4th verses but it may be doable. It is slow 6/8 and is very long.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

Tom Tomaszek wrote this song in the Eucharist section of Spirit and Song Vol 2.

I don’t think it is suitable as a communion song for assemblies as it has odd timings and syncopations and has “yeah, yeah, yeah” and “na, na, na” in the lyrics. At most the refrain is singable and a cantor is needed for the verses. I like the way interlude works toward the key change for the last refrain.

I think it would be better thought of as a gentle P&W song. You can listen to the original here.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

Tom Tomaszek and Sarah Hart with pretty pictures:

This is a song for Eucharist by Craig Colson.

It is a gentle 6/8 and singable with a key change for the final refrain to add interest.

The text is here. (scroll down in the window)

You can listen to the original here.

My backing increases the tempo just a little.

I’ve got through the rather disappointing section of songs for gathering and sending forth in Spirit & Song Vol 2 and arrived at the Communion songs. Too many of those songs were P&W songs unsuitable for assembly use.

This, however, is a great song for Eucharist by Jaime Cortez. A pleasantly singable 6/8 tune with a refrain in English and Spanish and two verses in each language. It has a lovely counter-melody and the only caveat is whether your church finds bilingual Spanish/English songs enhance participation.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download. There is also a snippet of the original to listen to there.

I didn’t add the harmony line to my backing.

This choir director will teach you both:

A Nicaraguan choir:

I’ve already blogged “Trading My Sorrows” so I’m up to a reggae recessional by Dan Brennan, Ken Canedo and Jesse Manibusan. It is actually fairly singable if your assembly can cope with reggae. You can hear the gentle reggae original here.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

My backing’s not as relaxed.

This is a praise and worship song associated with the Christian vocal group “Avalon”. Despite being another committee song (written by Paul Field, Henk Pool, Ralph Van Manen and Robert Riekerk0) there is nothing special in the text. It is in the Gathering and Sending Forth section of Spirit &  Song, however it is not suitable for an assembly to sing at all.

The text is available here.

My backing gets noisy in the refrain as it should.

Avalon’s original is pure pop:

Avalon live:

Wynonna Judd does the country version:

New Hope Christian Fellowship:

This is sweet:

There seem to be an awful lot of dancing going on with this song, for example:

This is a terrific pop song by Joshua Blakesley and Cooper Ray but I’m not sure it is a gathering song.  Spirit & Song seem to be putting a lot of praise & worship songs into this category.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

My backing shows what several glasses of wine can achieve with BIAB.