Church Music

This is a song suggested by the nice people at St Mary’s Warwick with lyrics by Sr Deidre Browne set to a tune by Jane Wood. This is an important text because it sets Advent in our summer space rather than within the inappropriate Northern hemisphere winter motifs that ring so hollow in Australia.  The tune is quite dark in places but with a call and response with the cantor – the assembly only sings “prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord” in the verses – it should be doable. The fourth verse goes of into a different tune for the cantor to learn.

You can find it in Gather Australia 281.

Refrain

Gather in hope, people of God.

Sing the Advent song!

Song of faith, song of trust,

a song to welcome the Christ.

Verse 1

Let the warmth of our love, like the long summer days,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let our will for justice, as strong as the sun,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 2

Let our thirst for truth, like the dry, parched earth,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let our dream for peace, as bright as the sky,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 3

Let the prophet be heard, like the blaze of fire:

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let the poor and the rich as the lamb and the lion,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 4

Stand alert and be ready to welcome the Christ.

Prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let this be our pray’r as we lift up our hearts:

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

© Text: Dierdre Browne 1993, Tune: Jane Wood 1993.

Throughout Advent we are running the same psalm, “To You O God” and Trish Watts’s “All is Wonder” for lighting the advent candle and Amanda McKenna’s “Blessed be our God” for Gifts. We also have the “Advent Chant” as a second communion song. The Mass parts are Paul Taylor’s Mass of St Francis with the Celtic Alleluia for the gospel acclamation.

Entrance: Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)  (Schwartz)  from Godspell

Communion: Table of Plenty (Schutte) AOV 2/20

Recessional: A Voice in the Wilderness (Robinson) AOV 1/60

I was out of the country last week and didn’t get around to putting the music for last Sunday, but the music liturgy team (of which I am part) picked some interesting music, and since advent music is used across the four weeks I thought I’d put it up late anyway.

The parts of the mass have changed to the Mass of St Francis by Paul Taylor.

Entrance: Praise to You O Christ Our Saviour (Farrell) AOV 1/28

Lighting the Candle: All is Wonder (Watts) AOV NG 4

Psalm: To You O God I Lift Up My Soul (Hurd) AOV 2/14 (to be used throughout Advent)

Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia alt verse 8 (O’Carroll/Walker) AOV 1/13

Offertory: Blessed Be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: Bread Broken, Wine Shared (Horner) AOV 2/155

Advent Chant (Porter/Kirkland) AOV 2/123

Thanksgiving: Into the Darkness (Dawn) Songs of Fellowship Book 5 No70

Recessional: Christ Be Out Light (Farrell) AOV 2/3

Entrance: The King of Glory (Jabusch – trad)

Psalm 122 Response “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”

from Gather Australia (Willcock)

Offertory: Blessed Be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: We Remember (Haugen) AOV 1/81

Jesus Remember Me (Berthier) AOV 1/152

Thanksgiving: Hail, Redeemer, King Divine (Brennan- Flood) GA 390

Recessional: Lord the Light of Your Love (Kendrick) AOV 2/59

The liturgy team for music have selected these songs for this week:

Entrance: Send Down the Fire (Haugen) AOV 2/164

Psalm Response: Ps 97 “The Lord comes, comes to rule the earth with justice.”

Paul Johnstone from the Catholic Worship Book

Offertory: Blessed Be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: Come to the Table (Burland) AOV NG 33

Song of the Body of Christ (Haas) AOV 1/27

Thanksgiving: Enemy of Apathy (Bell-Maule) AOV 2/75

Recessional: Go Make a Difference (Angrisano-Tomaszek) AOV NG 52

Amongst the reasons I have been blogging infrequently this year (work,travel etc) is that I have been busy doing the GCTS(Liturgy) at ACU. It is a four unit course (I only did three as I had already done the Sacraments unit) that aims to give a firm basis in liturgy and then look for applications in celebrations, sacraments and music. It is an online course, although the music component was done as an intensive this year, which meant your correspondent briefly had to be a full time student for the first time in thirty years and that was a challenge.

A new cohort is to start in 2014 if there is sufficient numbers. I would be horrified if the course does not continue. It is run by Dr Clare Johnson who is the only person in Australian Catholic academia with the necessary expertise in both Liturgy and music to run such a course (correct me if I’m wrong) and considering the patchy assistance given to parishes and schools in this very important area of our church life, this course is vital. Having spoken the APREs and teachers doing the course the need is great in school liturgies and I’m hard pressed to see how a school’s music and liturgy budget would not include sponsoring likely candidates to become involved.

For parishes too, there is a need for this input to develop our parishes towards more beautiful and formative liturgy and encouraging education in this area is a necessary part of a parish’s commitment to health of their church.

I would certainly recommend the course to anyone working with school or parish liturgies.

The music liturgy team selected these songs for this week. We are currently using the revised Mass of Freedom by Maggie Russell.

Entrance: Table of Plenty (Schutte) AOV 2/20
Psalm 16 response “Lord when your glory appears, my joy will be full”
David Isle from the Catholic Worship Book

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

Communion: Shepherd Me O God (Haugen) AOV 1/33

Take and Eat – Mantra (Russell) AOV 2/162

Thanksgiving: On Eagles Wings (Joncas) AOV 1/153

Recessional: You Are Mine (Haas) AOV 2/2

I’ll be out of circulation for a few weeks so I won’t be able to approve comments.

Geoff

I have recently been asked to make backings for this Mass and it is being used at the parish I am now attending so I thought I’d have another look at it. It was written and recently revised by Maggie Russell.

You can buy the sheet music and CDs here.

I have played the old version so often it is hard to adapt to the changes. Everything other than the Gloria has survived without too much trauma, but this is a very syncopated Mass and that may cause difficulties in some places.

The Gloria is going to take to some time.  I think she just about gets away with changes in the chorus (“people” is very quick) and the first verse but the second verse introduces what sounds to me an alien motif to cover the new words and repetitions. Others are more adventurous than I, and this Mass is being used, so have a go at singing along to learn the new bits. She indicates some of the pieces are rock music and others joyous so it is not meant to be restrained.  Outside the waltzes the syncopation fits a Latin beat if you are up for that.

Her Amen used to have alleluias in it but they have gone, but the extra hosannas are still in the Holy Holy.

Glory to God

Gospel Acclamation

Lenten Gospel Acclamation

Holy Holy Holy

We Proclaim Your Death

When We Eat This Bread

Save Us Saviour

Amen

Lamb of God

*14/2/2014

Odd things happen.

It turns out it is very easy to no longer be a parish musician.

We have a new priest who for reasons I won’t be going into here has made it impossible to continue at the parish I’ve been attending since 1987.

I’d just started writing liturgies on my own and I’ll continue my studies in that area at ACU in case they are ever needed. I have the luxury that there are other parishes ten minutes drive north, west and south of here. South is out as the Neocats are taking over there. West is fine, but we have started attending north where there is a very pastoral priest.

I’m afraid I haven’t sorted the copyright issues properly here. I suspect they are unable to be solved quite frankly. A few companies have not responded to enquiries and I haven’t finished things with OCP yet, but enjoy the backings while they are up and best of luck.

Geoff