Church Music

This is another Canticle where CWB II decided to use the more usual setting, in this case KINGSFOLD, which I blogged here, instead of the more out there choice of David Clark Isele‘s setting for the Benedictus. Hymnary has suggestions for this text but none are this one.

The text is here, and written by James Quinn this time, rather than Frank who wrote yesterday’s canticle.

I had no luck finding this sheet music anywhere and it looks like I made up the chords for this backing

This was also in CWB II set to BANGOR, but the earlier edition used CONSOLATION aka MORNING SONG. This tune is more likely by Elkanah Dare than “Mr Dean” – see Hymnary.

The text is by Frank Quinn, which is perplexing because James Quinn’s text is more well known and gets in the way of research.

I’m not sure where I got the chords for my backing from as they are different to what is in Together in Song – probably from Hymnary.

1 My master, see, the time has come to give your servant leave to go in peace,

Long waited for your promise now fulfilled.

2 For I have seen salvation, Lord, and this may all men see:

That light which is your Israel’s boast enlightening every land.

4 Almighty Father, hear out cry through Christ the only son,

Whom in the Spirit we adore for ages withour end.

© Frank Quinn

If you are happy to use Scribd the music is there.

…but this is the sheet music with a different text.

This has the same Michael Joncas tune MAGNIFICAT that I blogged here, but the text is listed as written by John Theodore Mueller, based on Luke 1:46-55.

Except that it is actually his translation of Hermann Bonuss’s text as noted at Hymnary. I sometimes wonder if some sections of the Church have ever read this passage.

1 My soul gives glory to the Lord,
In God my Saviour I rejoice.
My lowliness he did regard,
Exalting me by his own choice.
From this day all shall call me blest,
For he has done great things for me,
Of all great names his is the best,
For it is holy; strong is he.

2 His mercy goes to all who fear,
From age to age and to all parts.
His arm of strength to all is near;
He scatters those who have proud hearts.
He casts the mighty from their throne
And raises those of low degree;
He feeds the hungry as his own,
The rich depart in poverty.

3 He raised his servant Israel,
Rememb’ring his eternal grace,
As from of old he did foretell
To Abraham and all his race.
O Father, Son and Spirit blest,
In threefold Name are you adored,
To you be ev’ry prayer addressed,
From age to age the only Lord.

CWB II set this to RENDEZ A DIEU, which I blogged here, but CWB I chose WEISSE (GOTTOB, ES GEHT).

Hymnary lists ten possible settings for this text but none are this tune. They list 26 texts linked to this tune but none are this text. Were the editors of CWB I just being kind of obscure, or what?

The text is by Reginald Weber. I suppose a “mercy shed” is a place to store our “wine of the soul”.

The tune might be by Johann G. Wagner or Johann S. Bach or they may have just collected the tune from another German with a middle initial.

1 Bread of the world in mercy broken,
wine of the soul in mercy shed,
by whom the words of life were spoken,
and in whose death our sins are dead.

2 Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
look on the tears by sinners shed;
and make your feast to us the token
that by thy grace our souls are fed.

This is the tune:

This is a c17 translation by Walter Kirkham Blount of Victimae paschali laudes, attributed to Wipo of Burgundy c11 and set here to LASST UNS ERFREUEN, so you know the tune. It is an Easter hymn in Catholic Worship Book I.

Am I allowed to say the text rambles a bit – maybe it worked better in Latin.

Breviary Hymns has useful background. The sheet music of the tune is at Hymnary.

Gio will be upset, as the editors have got rid of the archiac language and rearranged some lines to fit that. They also replaced “napkin” with “shroud”, presumably to accomodate changes in language.

1. Bring, all you dear-bought nations,
   bring your richest praises to the king,
   Alleluia, Alleluia,
   That spotless Lamb, who more than due,
   paid for his sheep, and those sheep you,
   Alleluia.
2. The guiltless Son, who bought your peace,
   and made his Father’s anger cease,
   Alleluia, Alleluia,
   Then, life and death together fought,
   each to a strange extreme were brought.
   Alleluia.
3. Life died, but soon revived again,
   and even death by it was slain.
   Alleluia, Alleluia,
   Say, happy Magdalen, oh say,
   what did you see there by the way?
   Alleluia.
4. ‘I saw the tomb of my dear lord,
   I saw himself and him adored,
   Alleluia, Alleluia,
   I saw the shroud and saw the sheet,
   that bound his head and wrapt his feet.’
   Alleluia.
5. ‘I heard the angels witness bear,
   Jesus is ris’n; he is not here;
   Alleluia, Alleluia,
   Go, tell his followers they shall see,
   your hope and theirs in Galilee.’
   Alleluia.
6. We, Lord, with faithful hearts and voice,
   on this your rising day rejoice.
   Alleluia, Alleluia,
   O you, whose power o’ercame the grave,
   by grace and love, us sinners save,
   Alleluia.

This is something special. This is a fairly early work by Christopher Willcock SJ. It has all his hallmarks – gorgeous off kilter melodies, modulations all over the place and suitable texts – what’s not to like if you are up for it.

I can find no sign of this one anywhere except CWB I. If you want to use it you might have to find him through the local Jesuits, as it it not on One Licence.

This one has a call and response between the choir and the assembly during the refrain, with all singing the verses. With no idea what it is meant to sound like and no sheet music beyond my melody line edition I just monumentally fudged chords and timing. It appears to go 4/4, 7/8 in the refrain, which I smoothed out.

I suspect it was originally a commissioning hymn but made more accessible in this way, maybe it could be resurrected as a welcoming entrance or challenging recessional. The pilgrim reference suits this year’s Jubilee.

Refrain

Be in the midst of us, we who believe.

Gather and shepherd us, we who believe.

Tell out God’s word to us, we who believe.

Worship and pray with us, we who believe.

1 You are Christ’s servant now, bearer of God’s good news,

Worker for unity, pilgrim with those you guide.

2 May God the Father’s Son, Christ our redeeming Lord,

Be through your ministry praised, honoured and adored.

This is a song from Tom Parker, initially released in the 1960s in the collection, Let All the Earth Sing His Praise. It is a waltz time song for Advent, based on Isaiah 40. It found its way into the Catholic Worship Book in Australia.

Breviary Hymns has some background. Like a lot of folk era WLP material, it is out of print, but I note you can get the sheet music on SCRIBD if you log in.

I made up the chords for this, but have since seen the real ones and I was pretty close – a few C vs Am chord selections but nothing fatal.

I couldn’t help myself straightening out the words below – I put coming for comin’, for example. I am channelling Mr Tweedley – see the Stan Freberg clip.

Refrain

Be consoled, my people; take courage, O fair Jerusalem,

For your slavery has come to an end.

1 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her slavery has ended,

Her sin is forgiven and her punishment over and done.

2 A voice cries “Prepare in the wilderness a way for our God

And make a straight highway for the Lord,

‘Cause he’s coming to rescue our desert land.”

3 Let every valley be filled in, every mountain made low

And let every cliff become a plain, let nothing hinder our God.

4 Then the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it

It is your God who has spoken.

The first song from CWB I to look at is this Christmas song for children by Pam Conn. It was in a collection called Happy Are the Children of the Lord from 1975 by Joe Dailey and Friends.

I had no luck looking for the sheet music apart from CWB I. I made up the chords for my backing.

Chorus

A light will shine on us this day,

The Lord is born for us.

The Lord is born for us.

The Lord is born for us.

1 Now arise, show your gladness, praise the Son of God.

He is life, he is mercy.

Joyfully shout to all the world,

The Lord is come.

2 Have no fears, raise your voices, sing with all your might

Of his love, of his glory.

Joyfully shout to all the world,

The Lord is come.

3 Yes, arise, look around you, his light has filled the earth.

It will shine for all generations.

We bow our heads, we lift our hearts.

The Lord has come.

© 1975 Alba House Communications

This is only Catholic Worship Book 1, because there has since been a CWB 2.

It was a Collins/EJ Dwyer publication in 1985 under the auspices of the Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and was approved for use in the dioceses of Australia. There was a Full Music Edition and a People’s Book.

The preface by Archbishop TF Little noted:

Full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations: the Church sets its sights on that target. The very nature of liturgy calls for it. The celebration of the paschal mystery demands it. By baptism it becomes a right and duty for all Christian people. It is the aim underlying all reform and promotion of the liturgy…

The Catholic Church does not have a long history of singing a wide range of Engish hymns… By offering hymns for all types of celebrations a repetoire will be developed and the diverse needs of the liturgy in English be better served.

There were settings for the Mass, now redundant, Psalms and Gospel Acclamations and music for the Sacraments and other Rites.

For now, I’m just going to look at the hymns section, looking for songs that haven’t been covered here from other sources. There are a surprising number of songs that I haven’t come across before.

I have been unsuccessfully looking to buy a Full Music Edition for some years, so I am working from a People’s Book, which is melody line only. Many have hymn tunes also found in Together In Song, which has chords so I could use them to make backings on BIAB. Others had hymn tunes I could find music for at Hymnary and derive the chords from the organ music. When that failed I just did my best to come up with my own chords for the melodies and got by.

This collection is, of course, out of print, however the People’s Book at least is available on second hand sites.

Before I dive back into Hymnal Archeology with the 1985 Catholic Worship Book, there is a new song from Erwin Cabucos to be looked at.

He based the text on Matt 6:25-36.

The sheet music can be purchased at Sheet Music Direct.

I kept my backing simple … and a little country:

1 Don’t worry about your looks, nor what you’ll wear.
Don’t worry bout your food, nor what you’ll drink.
Life is more than food and the body’s more than clothes.
You know you’re worth much more than them.

2 Look at the birds in the air.
They neither sow, reap, nor store away in barns
And yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
You know you’re worth much more than them.

Refrain

Don’t worry, God sees and hears.
Indeed, He knows your need.
Don’t worry, about tomorrow
Tomorrow will worry about itself. Have faith.

3 See how the flowers of the field
Grow, yet neither toil nor spin.
God tends the grass but tomorrow its thrown;
Surely, He’ll tend you as His own.

Refrain

4 Strive first for the kingdom of God;
Seek His righteousness at hand,
And all these things to you shall be given;
Your other needs will be as well

Refrain

© 2025 Erwin Cabucos