This blog allows me to learn new hymns that other parishes are using and this is one from Chris’s parish by Ruth Duck.
The text is all kinds of wonderful (here) and the old tune Beach Spring is the same as “God of Day and God of Darkness” so nothing new to learn if you know that one.
It is 481 in Gather Australia and while I couldn’t find a purchase for download Hymnary lists the many hymnals it graces.
This is another of Suzanne Toolan‘s Taizé style chants. Each verse sung over the ostinato refrain has a different tune. It also has Spanish lyrics – “Tu Voluntad.”
You can purchase the sheet music for download and hear a snippet at OCP.
As usual my backings for chants lack a little subtlety, but it should be OK for learning purposes.
Ostinato Refrain
The will of your love, the will of your love
Be done on earth as it is in heaven.
1. Blessed are you, blessed and holy.
Teach me your way, the way of your love.
2. Open my eyes that I may know your wonders,
The wonders of your way, the wonders of your love.
3. O God, teach me wisdom;
O God, the wisdom of your love.
4. A lamp to my feet, a light to my path
Is your word, your word of truth.
5. Happy are you who follow the path of your God,
Who live in God’s love as it is in heaven.
6. Happy are you who walk in truth;
In you there is no darkness, in you there is light.
© Suazanne Toolan RSM 1995.
This is another song for solo prayer in a circumstance where it makes sense to the singer. I don’t think it is one that has general applicability really. It is by Tom Franzak and the text is at spiritandsong. If you don’t want to get the sheet music in Spirit & Song Vol 1 it is also in the collection ” Never Too Young” available to purchase at OCP, where you can hear a snippet of the song. You can hear another version here.
…or you could sing along with my backing.
This is a solo version:
Entrance: All Are Welcome (Haugen)
Psalm 145 ( O’Brien)
I will praise your Name forever, my King and my God.
Gifts: Come to Me (Norbet) AOV 1/37
Communion: Come to the Table (Burland) AOV NG 33
Seed Scattered and Sown (Feiten) GA 195
Thanksgiving: Holy Spirit Come (Mangan) AOV NG 67
Recessional: Shout to the Lord (Zschech) AOV NG 114
This is another fine song for solo use by Rich Mullins in the praise genre. I’m not sure about songs that say “O God, you are my God” but I suppose that is sorta psalmlike.
The text is at spiritandsong and the sheet music can be purchased for download at several sites including musicnotes.
This is a bouncy song by Amy Grant and Wes King that would be best as a childrens’s song.
The text is based on Matt 6:33 and can be found here. I couldn’t find downloadable sheet music so you’ll just have to use Spirit and Song Vol 1 unless you find it elsewhere.
My backing keeps things light:
This song by Jesse Manibusan is more suited as a prayer for the assembly than most of the songs in the Spirit and Song Vol 1, Prayer and Praise section. I am bit worried by lots of D notes to hit in a row but perhaps it could transposed down if needed.
The lovely text of this prayer is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.
This is the original:
Tom Booth‘s setting of Br Charles de Foucauld’s prayer is a reflective song for private prayer.
The text is at spiritandsong. For background on the prayer see here. The sheet music is available in several collections at OCP. You can hear the original at this site.
This is Faith Factor’s version, where they have fun in the wordless bridge with interesting harmonies:
This is a choral version:
This is a nice sparse version:
This song by Leonard E. Smith Jnr is based on Isaiah 52:7.
The text is at spiritandsong and the sheet music can be purchased for download at musicnotes.
My backing is a bit bluegrass:
Lenny Smith’s laid back country version of this song is very likable:
This is a Rory Cooney song that is a modern chant that can be done a cappella or with bass and drums only.
Because of this the arrangement in Spirit and Song Vol 1 has no chords but if you play Fm 4bars Bb 2 bars Fm 2bars you’ve got the whole thing really.
The text (which is great) is at Cooney’s blog, where he describes the heartburn it gives some people. Their are several blog posts you can easily find on Google that demonstrate the apoplexy but I decided not to link them. The sheet music can be purchased at GIA. It can be heard here.
My backing is electronic pop. The refrain is repeated each time and in my backing I do that twice at the beginning (ie 4 times before the first verse).
