Church Music

Once again the editors of CWB II thought better of the less common setting of a text in the original CWB and replaced it with the more usual hymn tune.

For Frederick Faber’s famous hymn text, CWB I used SAWSTON (aka CROWN OF JESUS and very like NAZARETH), while CWB II went for ST CATHERINE, which I blogged here.

The sheet music is here. I mostly derived the chords from the organ music. The text below is from CWB I – you will see all sorts of variants and adaptations of these words. I’m not sure I’d sing any of them. In this setting the last line of the Refrain is sung twice.

1
Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death! (Rpt)
2
The martyrs, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
And truly blest would be our fate,
If we, like them should die for thee:
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death! (Rpt)
3
Faith of our fathers, faith and prayer
Shall win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then indeed be free.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death! (Rpt)
4
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death! (Rpt)

I’m beginning to see a pattern here.

The editors of CWB I tended to select the most obscure setting for any text and their successors working on CWB II reverted to the more commonly used setting.

I have blogged this James Quinn SJ text as set to LLANFAIR in CWB II, but true to form CWB I selected the less used tune GWALCHMIA, by Joseph David Jones.

The words for all eight verses are here in this preview of Paul Inwood’s setting. Funnily enough it is for Easter Sunday.

I got the chords from TIS for my fake organ backing, but I only did three verses – I’d pick 1, 2 and 8:

Don’t forget to use Liturgyshare.org when looking at traditional hymns. He brings it down from G to F in his sheet music, thanks be to God.

This is a Trinitarian hymn with a text by James Quinn SJ.

It has four settings noted in Hymnary, but CWB I chose none of these, going for HEALING by Douglas Mews instead.

The text is here.

The chords were in Together In Song, which helped with the backing:

I am working my way through Australia’s Catholic Worship Book, to look for songs that I haven’t covered from other sources.

This one is C7 Latin, Sancti venite, Christi corpus sumite, translated by John Mason Neale in the 1800s.

It is obviously for Eucharist and set here to DECREE. Hymnary lists twenty-four settings for this text – none were DECREE.

CWB II set it to GUSTATE instead, which I blogged here.

Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord;
And drink the holy blood for you outpoured.
Saved by his body and his precious blood,
Our souls refreshed, we offer thanks to God.

Our true Redeemer, Christ the only Son,
By cross and blood a mighty victory won.
Offering himself for greatest and for least,
Himself the victim, and Himself the priest.

The victims offered by the law of old,
As signs from God, eternal mysteries told.
Now Christ our light, the ransom of our race,
Gives to his own this endless source of grace.

Let us approach with loving hearts sincere,
And take the pledge of our salvation here.
Christ, who his faithful servants rules and shields,
To all believers life eternal yields.

With bread of life he makes the hungry whole,
Gives living waters to each thirsty soul,
Christ Jesus, first and last, is with us now,
To him at end of time we all shall bow.

This is a paraphrase by Anthony G. Petti of Verbum supernum prodiens by St Thomas Aquinas.

In CWB I it is set to MELCOMBE by Samuel Webbe. This tune has been used to set dozens of texts, but I can’t find anywhere apart from CWB I using it for this text.

1 Dear Saviour, victim for our sins, to lead us to eternal life:

Protect and guard us in your grace, and keep us from all earthly strife.

2 To your great name be endless praise, O ever blessed Trinity,

We pray you, grant us perfect life with you throughout eternity.

This is an example of organ music that is impossible to sing with:

This is an early Marty Haugen song based on Psalm 50 (51). I always surprised to come across one of his that I haven’t already heard. It isn’t suitable for use as the psalm but is fine as a hymn.

He has done other settings since, but this one is still available in the collection, I Send My Light, from GIA – still only $US 5.95.

There is a preview of the whole collection at GIA, so you can check the text and sheet music to see if you would like a physical copy. At least it isn’t out of print, like many of the the songs in CWB I.

This is an amazing text by Donald Wynn Hughes that is still relevant in our current violent world, with our “monuments of folly” and the “wreckage of our hatred”. Read it here.

CWB I sets it to AGINCOURT (aka DEO GRACIAS), which is at least a recognised setting of the words for a change.

This is why the tune is called AGINCOURT:

This is a Lutheran hymn for baptising children that found it’s way into the Catholic Worship Book in Australia.

The text is C19 by Nikolai F.S. Grundtvig, translated by Johannes H.V. Knudsen. Then again, other sources claim it is by Jacob Freidrich.

The tune is noted by CWB I to be AVE VIRGO VIRGINUM from Johann Leisentritt’s Catholicum Hymnologium Germanicum. Hymnary calls it GAUDEAMUS PARITER by Jan Roh. It is attributed elsewhere to Johann Horn, but I gather that is the same person. The sheet music is here.

My backing is fake BIAB organ with chords derived from sources on Hymnary.

Cradling children in his arm
Jesus gave his blessing.
To our babes a welcome warm
He is yet addressing.
Take them, Lord, give life anew,
In the living waters!
Keep them always near to you
As your sons and daughters!

Jazz!

Quartet!

Big band style on the organ!

From a Catholic hymnal that supposedly doesn’t mimic Protestant hymnody we have:

This is Ralph Vaughn Williams setting called THE CALL of a George Herbert text that found its way into the Catholic Worship Book.

It’s in every hymnal known to man. Not even CWB I would change “killeth” or set it to something else.

I got the chords from TIS 552 where they have it in Cm rather than Eb.

1. Come, my way, my truth, my life:
   such a way as gives us breath;
   such a truth as ends all strife;
   such a life as killeth death.
2. Come, my light, my feast, my strength:
   such a light as shows a feast;
   such a feast as mends in length;
   such a strength as makes his guest.
3. Come, my joy, my love, my heart:
   such a joy as none can move;
   such a love as none can part;
   such a heart as joys in love.

This is Ernest Sand’s sung prayer to the Holy Spirit.

The range of the antiphon looks a struggle but maybe taking the key down a few semitones might help. The verses are chant but my metrical soul couldn’t handle that so I have made them fit to 4/4 strict time.

The antiphon is indeed a prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And light up in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

I’m not sure why “light up” was preferred to “kindle”. I couldn’t find any sheet music to download but it is in other collections if you are looking on the second hand market.

The verses are selections from Psalm 104 in the Grail translation:

Stanza 1 – Verses 1ff

Stanza 2 – Verses 24ff

Stana 3 – Verses 29ff

Stanza 4 – Vereses 33ff

I did these backing some time ago and I’m not sure why I picked this style.