Church Music

A psalm-like sung prayer by Matt Maher suitable for solo use or adoration.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

Matt Maher:

Live with others joining in:

A cover:

A prayer from Cardinal Newman:

Tom Booth is heard here coping with the dilemma of prayer as performance:

This prayer by Ken Canedo is a chant in the snippet at spiritandsong, but Ken Canedo’s version is less obviously so.

The text from 2 Cor 5:15, 12:7-10 is at the spiritandsong link above where the sheet music can be purchased for download. It has a counter-melody in the refrain, which I have not attempted. The third verse is more a bridge with a totally different melody to the first two verses. The metre is regular enough for assembly use if desired.

My backing gives it a beat.

A couple of neat covers:

This song by Sarah Hart and Kevin B. Hipp is a gentle prayer that could conceivably be sung by an assembly.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download. You can listen to the original here.

A church choir:

Entrance: We Three Kings

Psalm 71 (Fort)

Lord, Ev’ry nation on earth will adore you.

Gifts: Open My Eyes (Manibusan) AOV 1/166

Communion: The First Noel

Take and Eat (Russell) AOV 2/162

Thanksgiving: Star Child (Shirley Erina Murray – Carlton R. Young) AOV 2/43

Recessional: All the Ends of the Earth (Dufford) AOV 1/76)

This song by Sarah Hart and Bob Halligan Jnr is based on a hymn attributed to St Patrick.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

Sarah Hart’s pretty version:

The wonderful Arch Street Band:

A sweet cover:

There are many other settings that are more traditional &/or Irish. It is also known as “The Deer’s Cry”.

For example:

I’d classify this song with a text by Victoria Thomson and music by Trevor Thomson as more P&W but in a prayer form. The verses have quite a few differences and despite the singalong chorus it is a solo vehicle.

The text is at spiritandsong but I haven’t found anywhere to purchase the sheet music other than in Spirit and Song Volume Two. You can listen to Trevor Thomson’s version here.

This is a lovely prayer for peace by Janet Sullivan Whitaker. I can think of lots of situations in and out of liturgies where this would be very useful. I love the realistic yet hopeful text “your day is not today. And yet…” and “let us all work and pray.” You know, I reckon Whitaker is almost as good a songwriter as Trish Watts.

The text is at spiritandsong were the sheet music can be purchased for download. Y0u can listen to the original here.

Impressive covers:

I’m blogging the songs in Spirit And Song Volume Two and I’ve come to the section called “Prayer and Devotion Songs”.

The first one is by Tom Booth and Kathy Troccoli. It seems this genre shares the individualistic perspective of Praise & Worship and I wonder what the context of their use will be. Adoration or private devotion I suppose, but for listening purposes only?

This song has a bit of Broadway about it.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased. The original song can be heard here.

Ignore the shaky camera work and enjoy this solo performance:

Since I’ve already blogged the next song in Spirit & Song Vol 2, “Your Grace is Enough”, this is the last P&W song from this collection. I’m OK with that

“With All Your Strength” is by Chris Muglia and Jeff Thomas and is a rocked up “psalm” with a natty singalong chorus.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheetmusic can be purchased for download. You can listen to the original here.

My backing is fiddling with one of the older BIAB styles.

ChannelviewPete cleverly plays it capo 3 in D (rather than capo 1 in E as written).