Church Music

In my survey of songs from Australia’s original Catholic Worship Book, I am looking at songs I haven’t already covered from other collections. I am therefore coming across songs that have slipped out of use or were too traditional for the repetoire of the churches I have played at. Since I have already done CWB II, they are also the ones that were not selected for the newer collection.

This is a confirmation song based in part on Psalm 133, according to Google’s AI (eckk). The text is by Scottish congregational minister and academic John Brownlow Geyer. It is here set to Colin Mawby‘s STAFFORD PLACE.

I could not find any source for this sheet music even though it is from an ICEL resource. Picking useful songs from Great Britain made sense to the editors of CWB, but it makes it harder to track resources down all these years later.

(4/8/25: It is actually available from GIA in ICEL’s, Resource Collection of Hymns and Service Music for the Liturgy.)

It looks like I made up some very basic chords for this one.

1 How good and pleasant that we live by power that only God can give.

Our arms are ready to embrace the sons and daughters of God’s grace.

2 With oil of gladness God anoints the chosen servants he appoints:

His Holy Spirit comes in peace, and wisdom, truth, and joy increase.

3 In times of doubt, Lord, be their guide; in times of strength, be at their side:

To those they meet let them impart the faithful goodness of your heart.

4 Send out your servants, God most high, to speak good news no wealth can buy;

Let them return to sing your praise and tell the splendour of your ways.

I am finding some interesting obscurities in CWB.

This is a song for Eucharist with a text by James McMullen. I can find nothing about him, except that this song appeared in three hymnals other than CWB, but even then there is no mention of the music. Something about the words makes me think it is a translation, or does a chant setting just make me think the original text must have been Latin.

Here it is set to JESU DULCIS MEMORIA (Plainchant melody mode 1), which usually means I won’t touch it with BIAB, but this time I put in the intervals to make it metrical.

1 How blest are we who share this bread.

The flesh and blood of Christ our Lord;

May love unite us gratefully

As sons of God who live in peace.

2 O Lord, we eat this bread of life,

The bread you give your faithful sons,

The peace of Christ, your Son, is ours,

Uniting us to do your will.

3 Our fathers fed on heavenly food:

The manna gathered in the wild.

Your God sent bread we now receive,

Our daily food of lasting strength.

4 This banquet gives eternal life,

A life of love and unity,

For we now live in Jesus Christ

And share with him his risen might.

5 Give thanks to Jesus, saving Lord,

Our Paschal Victim, newly slain.

He shares his Father’s love with us,

He makes us worthy sons of God.

6 Lord Jesus Christ, we beg your grace,

We turn to you, our hope and guide.

This bread unites us, faithful sons,

Awaiting prfect unity.

7 Give praise to God for he is good,

To him who made us like himself,

To Christ, his Son, who set us free,

To God’s great Gift, our source of life.

This clip is a very different setting of the same text with no mention of McMullen.

This song was carried through to CWB II where a pretty setting by Richard Connolly was used, but in the original CWB, it was set to the Irish tune MISNEACH, which is also lovely. This was also the choice in the Canadian CBW III, while Hymnary notes seventeen other settings.

The text is by William Dalrymple MacLagan and is an obvious choice for Pentecost.

Holy Spirit, Lord of love,
Wisdom coming from above,
Gifts of blessing to bestow
On your waiting Church below.

Once again in love draw near
To your people gathered here;
Since our great baptismal day,
You have led us on our way.

You have been our constant guide,
Ever watching by our side.
May we now till life shall end,
Choose and know you as our friend.

Give us life to live for you;
Give us love, for ever new;
Come, then Holy Spirit, come;
Make each heart your happy home.

Since I am going through CWB I looking for songs not already covered on my blog to date, I am basically looking at songs that didn’t become popular enough to be collected in CWB II and AOV etc.

That may be why I’m seeing a lot of translations from French hymns, as they may not have particularly resonated in suburban Australia – just a thought. This one will be tough without an organ and choir.

This is a translation of Didier Rimbuad’s text by Ronald Johnson and Brian Wren. The tune is DIEU, NOUS AVONS VU TA GLOIRE by Jean Anglais.

There is further background here.

The text is available at Hymnary courtesy of Hope Publications, although I can’t find it on their site. You can also find them here.

It is an Easter song that covers a lot of aspects of the celebration.

This hymn is also in Together In Song (461), where I got the chords for my backing.

This clip attributes the translation to Anthony G. Petti, but it is the same words.

This is a recessional in CWB, which notes a text by J. Clifford Evers as set to SCHONSTER HERR JESU. It is neither.

On the other hand Hymnary notes it appears in One In Faith with a text by Omar Westendorf and is set to ST ELIZABETH. As an old WLP copyright the sheet music can still be purchased at GIA with those details. This tune is also known as CRUSADER’S HYMN.

Mary at Godsongs confirms the Evers attribution to be false, and I suppose CWB probably copied the mistake from The Veritas Hymnal.

The text is here.

I’m back from a family wedding interstate so this early Paul Inwood marriage song is a happy coincidence for me. It is set to NETTLETON.

The first line is repeated in each verse like a chorus and may help people sing along. The last line of the song lets things down a bit, rhyming grace with place, making for a mechanical finish. That said, the best I could come up with is “seeing Christ in each one’s face.” In America you could use “vase” according to this rhyming dictionary.

Having a new text set to a familiar tune is always a great idea for occasional celebrations, which is why I suspect such a good tunesmith is using an old folk tune. It is inspired somewhat by 1 John 4:16.

Apart from CWB, I can’t find this one anywhere, so I’d be grateful if anyone knows other sources. I suppose contacting the songwriter if you wanted to use it is an option.

This is an old backing of NETTLETON that I have recycled. I should go back and add some bass runs.

1 God is love, the source of goodness: if we love we live in him.

Of his love, God gives us freely; loving, God’s gift we return.

Lord, we see your love made manifest in these two now joined as one;

Let their life become a witness in the Church of Christ your son.

2 God is love, the source of goodness: if we love we live in him.

In his love we find God’s pathway, daily growing in his truth.

May their union bring them peacefulness, strength and joy in sharing life.

Hearts united in the Spirit closely binding man and wife.

3 God is love the source of goodness: if we love we live in him;

And his love means self renouncing when we listen to his call.

May their sharing in this sacrament be a lasting source of grace,

leading onwards to fulfillment as they go forth from this place.

Usually you can count on wedding songs to be on YouTube with the whole video the wedding thing, but maybe this is played at sacramental weddings with no video, so no luck.

This is Pamela Stotter’s translation of a Joseph Gelineau SJ song. The text is credited to AELF, which I gather is the Association Épiscopale Liturgique pour les pays Francophones.

It is in CWB and Alleluia! Amen! but I can’t find other sources. I can’t even find it on One Licence but I figure it’s got to be there, after all, it is on the recommended list from the Australian Bishops. Maybe my correspondents know more.

I made up some chords and made a backing:

I’m not sure I want agents of the AELF after me, so I’ll let you find the text in CWB I.

This is a song very useful for Reconciliation and Lent – I like the text written by Rosamund E. Herklots lots.

I have blogged two setting of this before. CWB II went with BELMONT, which I covered here. Gather 3rd ed used a more common setting, DETROIT and I looked at that here.

CWB I used ST NICHOLAS, which is at least noted at Hymnary as an uncommon setting for this text. This time CWB II has gone for the outlier because, while BELMONT is a common hymn tune, using it for this text appears rare.

Liturgyshare has sheet music and resources for all these setting and throws in TALLIS’ ORDINAL for good measure.

I got chords from TIS and bass suggestion from Hymnary for my fake BIAB organ backing.

1. ‘Forgive our sins as we forgive,’
you taught us, Lord, to pray,
but you alone can grant us grace
to live the words we say.

2. How can your pardon reach and bless
the unforgiving heart,
that broods on wrongs and will not let
old bitterness depart?

3. In blazing light your cross reveals
the truth we dimly knew:
what trivial debts are owed to us,
how great our debt to you!

4. Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls,
and bid resentment cease;
then, bound to all in bonds of love,
our lives will spread your peace.

This is an all purpose sung hymn of praise to God, suitable as an entrance. It is also known as “Now to Your Altar, In Answer to Your Call.” It was originally published in 1959 in We Offer the Mass, now very out of print.

This is one of those rare Richard Connolly sings where he sets his own text rather than one by James McAuley. The music is called SANDY BAY.

I made up some very basic chords for the backing as I only have the melody line version. I could have used the organ backing in the New Living Parish Hymn Book (62) to derive the chords, but I had already made the backing by the time I found the better music and decided it would do. It is also in the Australian Hymn Book.

Antiphon

Father, we praise You,

We your trusting people;

Father, we thank You,

Ruler and Creator,

Giver of all our joy.

1 Now to your altar, in answer to your call,

We come to give thanks to you and praise you.

2 Send forth the light of your truth to be our guide

And show us the way to our eternal home.

3 Lord, we are sinners, unworthy of your love,

And You are the Father who can pardon us.

4 Mary, our mother, and all your saints of God,

Remember us, pray for us before his throne.

This is a text for infant or child baptism by Canadian hymn writer, Water Henry Farquharson.

CWB I set this to OMNI DIE DIC MARIAE (aka SUNRISE). This one appears to have been a Catholic tune taken over by Protestants and given the name SUNRISE, which is the opposite of the usual trick of giving Lutheran hymns Latin names and claiming then as Catholic.

The words in Hymnary may be the original, as they are from the Canadian Catholic Book of Worship III, but it is also possible CWB in Australia stayed with original and CBW III made the song less gendered.

I think I got the chords for my backing from the organ music in Hymnary.

1 Father of the human family,
Claiming each to be his own,
Let this act be the beginning
Of a life in Christ full-grown.
Grace and strength grant these young parents;
Of their call keep them aware:
With your love surround these children,
They your life of joy to share.

2 As the Church we live your praises,
Marked for service in your name;
With your Spirit born within us,
We our worlds for Christ reclaim.
And from us, your gathered people,
Prayer and praise is offered new:
By your grace we have been strengthened,
Greater works in faith to do.