Church Music

From Christmas to Lent is a big step in Spirit and Song Vol 2’s Seasonal Songs, but it takes us to Tom Kendzia’s arrangement of a traditional spiritual. Lent should involve change so I suppose it fits, although I don’t know if a down and dirty blues is appropriate for our assembly.

The text is at Licensing. (click the preview for the whole text – I suppose available because it is traditional)

Kenzia’s original is at his MySpace page, with the world’s gentlest, least bluesy blues I’ve ever heard.

My backing is the blues BIAB style.

It is the basis of a reflection on how we identify with Christ here.

This choir is much bluesier but relies a lot on the soloist:

This is Tom Kenzia’s choir and the whole choir swings better than the one on My Space.:

I’m in the Christmas songs in Spirit & Song Vol 2 and this one has words by Mary Hochman with a tune by Gerard Chiusano. It has a sweet tune and could be a restrained solo or choir piece in a Christmas service.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download. You can hear the somewhat overwrought original here. This one is even more so and changes the lyrics.

My backing keeps things simpler.

This is a Christmas song by Bob Halligan Jnr and Rick Modlin. It is actually singable, but is also pretty bland and I can’t really think why it would be sung instead of a carol that was known by the assembly.  As a solo vehicle others are preferred.

For some reason spiritandsong don’t have the lyrics up but at least the first verse is at  CCLI and of course available in full if you are a songselect subscriber. I can’t find the sheet music to  purchase for download so if you really want it you’ll have to hunt down a copy of Spirit & Song Vol 2.

You can hear the original here.

My backing tries to be gentle and reverent, although the flute sound is a bit annoying.

This is rather an odd song in the Christmas section from Chris Muglia in that it is a fairly standard mid tempo rock song and that is not what you expect at Christmas. Looking at the lyrics it isn’t very specific to Christmas and could be used as a thanksgiving song when appropriate.

The text is at spiritandsong. You can hear the original here. I can’t find anywhere to purchase and download the sheet music, so I guess you’ll just have to buy Spirit and Song Vol 2 to get it.

This is a Christmas song for the brave and ridiculously talented. It is by Matt Maher and is a triumph but I hurt my hand trying to play it on guitar and it took a lot longer than usual to get into Band in a Box. 12/8 time + 2 key changes + intricate instrumental passages are enough to defeat most of us I think but hey if you’re game give a go.

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

My backing uses the wonderful Irish styles in BIAB:

This is explosive original and note the comments from music directors:

This parish has a red hot go and does a terrific job, but even they can’t quite get the rhythm spot on and consequently the singing is a bit stiff until near the end when they have loosened up. They use a flute for the trills. Then again I wouldn’t even attempt this at a reasonable hour and this was midnight mass.

This blog has an appreciation of the song and embeds a much more laid back version.

This song by Jesse Manibusan and Sarah Hart is not in Spirit and Song Vol 1 nor 2 but is in the the new Spirit and Song Hymnal. Yola’s parish are using it and it was praised in Pray Tell’s review of the hymnal so I though I’d have a listen.

I like it a lot. It’s gentle syncopation sings naturally and I can’t see it being a problem. I bought the downloadable version of the sheet music with both guitar and piano parts and got all the other instruments thrown in for $US6.00.

You can do the same at spiritandsong and you can see a video of the songwriters presenting the song here.

My backing includes the instrumental interlude after the bridge:

Entrance: A New Heart for a New World  (O’Brien/Watts) AOV 1/158

Psalm 77 (McKenna)

Do not forget the works of the Lord

Gifts: Tree of Life (Thompson) AOV NG 138

Communion: We Remember (Haugen) AOV 1/81

Bread of Life (Farrell) AOV 1/164

Thanksgiving: We Walk By Faith (Haugen) AOV 1/63.

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

In music liturgy news this week:

As One Voice have got their music liturgy planning page up and running. It ‘s only a few weeks ahead so those of us who’ve already selected songs to the end of the month miss out, but I’m hoping that it will be very useful in the future, since As One Voice form the bedrock of our music selections. The Diocese of Wollongong also has suggestions here.

Spirit and Song have consolidated their collections into a hymnal with selections from Vol 1 & 2 plus more recent compositions. It is reviewed at Pray Tell. Some of the comments mention the need to have OCP, WLP and GIA products to cover all the material a parish might need. To a certain extent AOV do that for us in Australia. (No I don’t work for As One Voice, nor is this paid advertising.)

Also in Pray Tell there is an interesting article on the Asian Institute of Liturgy and Music. Their site has Psalm settings and other liturgical music and some of it is in English.

Not really news, but if anyone’s parish or school subscribes to Liturgy News, I have an article in the June 2014 edition. Unfortunately, and somewhat infuriatingly, in the current era, it is not available on-line.

That’s all the news for now.

The Christmas songs in this collection are going to have the usual problem — the assembly wants to sing songs it knows at Christmas. These will have to be solos or choir efforts I fear.

Ken Canedo’s “Born This Day” is a lovely Christmas song based on Isaiah 9 and noted as gospel swing in the instructions. The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

My backing is more jazz swing and the I think his choice of chords favours a jazz style.

This is a fine solo performance that builds as it goes:

Another (largely) solo:

All I could manage this week was a jazz style chant based on the reading from Romans 13:8-10.

Love can’t hurt a neighbour

Love’s never a threat

If debt’s mutual love

Go deeper in debt.

© 2014 Geoffrey Madden

Download Sheet Music: Deeper in Debt