Church Music

This song with a text by Isaac Watts was used at RS’s parish a few weeks ago. It has been set to many tunes but in Together in Song they use LONDON NEW. It is originally from the Scottish Psalter and reminds of the songs we  sang in the Presbyterian church so I’ve done a backing for that, although I don’t know what RS’s parish sang it to.

There are a few versions of the text at Hymnary. They also have sheet music there for LONDON NEW.

All the many versions of this song on Youtube are for different settings but this song is the right tune at least.

This Rory and Claire Cooney song sounds a solo performance piece to me.  With the line “the stranger on the seashore” I was expecting Acker Bilk. I’m scratching for a liturgical use but WLP suggests Mission and Pentecost.

The text is in the sample at WLP where the sheet music can be purchased. There is a snippet of the song as there but I’m afraid it has a lot of saxophone rather than clarinet.

Yola’s parish used this Fr Frank Andersen song recently. It has a fair old range for a groaner like me but is a lovely relaxing song based on John 15. It refrain is in the voice of Jesus but that was allowed back then.

The text is here (on page 4) and I have the sheet music in my copy of Scripture in Song: The Music of Frank Andersen msc. You can get your copy here.

This is another text by Frederick W. Faber, this time used at RS’s parish. It is set to ST CATHERINE by Henry F. Hemy.

The text is at Hymnary as is the sheet music. Some texts substitute martyrs and/or Mothers for Fathers.

As it looks back to the religious strife at the reformation in England, I hope we can sing it to honour the Anglican martyrs as well as Catholic martyrs these days.

Ryan says his parish loves HYFRYDOL, a tune by Rowland H. Prichard.  The long list of texts sung to this tune at Hymnary doesn’t even include these two.

Recently they have sung “There’s Wideness in God’s Mercy” by Frederick W Faber. This can be sung to other tunes but Ryan’s parish uses HYFRYDOL.  The text is at Hymnary.

They also have sung “God Has Spoken By The Prophets” by George W Briggs. The text is at hymntime. It can also be sung to Beethoven’s  Hymn to Joy amongst other tunes.

This is another request by Frenzy Cool for a song written by Phill McHugh.  It would be best for solo use or perhaps a choir. It seems too much of a performance piece for an assembly, but perhaps Steve Green’s overblown arrangement has given me the wrong impression. It must be popular based on the shear number of You-tube posts – I haven’t even scratched the surface below.

The sheet music is available in various arrangements all over the net including jwpepper.

The text is at Steve Green’s site.

I don’t have the sheet music so my backing is based on hints from the internet and guesswork. There is no key change in my backing and it goes V1, V2, Chorus, V3, Chorus. If you intend using it, buy the sheet music and you can see whether I got close or not.

Steve Green:

This is Steven C. Warner’s setting of the Lord’s Prayer.

It is simple, singable and has a gap for the embolus, so practice with your PP to see if he can get the timing right. I’ve been interested in having one setting for the Lord’s Prayer rather than changing with each mass setting so I’ll get the other’s on the liturgy team to look at this one.

You know the words.

The sheet music can be purchased for download at WLP.

The Notre Dame Folk Choir 1997:

The Notre Dame Folk Choir 2011:

Entrance: Summoned by Love (O’Brien/Watts) AOV 2/18

Psalm 85 (O’Brien)

Lord show us your mercy and love and grant us your salvation

Gifts: A Trusting Psalm (Bates) AOV 1/115

Communion: Table Song (Haas)

One Bread One Body (Foley) AOV 1/129

Thanksgiving: God Has Chosen Me (Farrell) AOV 1/21

Recessional: We Are Called (Haas) AOV 2/60

This is another lovely Tom Kendzia song in use at RS’s parish. It has some alarming octave leaps waiting for the unwary and the verse goes into what is essentially another key, but is a delightful tune if you’re up for it. It may be better as a solo or choir piece.

The text is here and the sheet music can be purchased for download from OCP.

It must be popular judging from the surfeit of versions on You tube – most are solo versions however.

This is beautiful, but the arrangement is too much for an assembly and no-one will really attempt that introduction:

Wow – these guys did try the introduction and harmonise beautifully:

Frenzy Cool requested this Ray Repp song. It’s a gentle folk song with the refrain based on Psalm 30 and the verses from Psalm 21.

My version is in The New Living Parish Hymn Book that I bought recently at the Lifeline book sale and has six verses, which is going to take forever to sing.

This link has the first three verses of the text, which is probably enough.

OCP has links to purchase MP3s and CDs of this song but I can’t find sheet music there. Hymnary has details of the hymnals in which it can be found.

There is the feel of Bob Lind’s “Elusive Butterfly” in this song I think.