Church Music

A recent text by Brian Wren (1981) set to a familiar old tune by John Darwell from the 1700s, as you can tell from the sample at AOV. It is a setting of Ps 140.

Listen to it played on church bells here. (He’s cheating! – he is playing it in C)

My backing is more fake church organ.

1 Let all creation dance
in energies sublime,
as order turns with chance,
unfolding space and time,
for nature’s art
in glory grows,
and newly shows
God’s mind and heart.

2 God’s breath each force unfurls,

igniting from a spark

expanding starry swirls,

with whirlpools dense and dark.

Though moon and sun

seem mindless things,

each orbit sings:

“Your will be done.”

3 Our own amazing earth,
with sunlight, cloud and storms
and life’s abundant growth
in lovely shapes and forms,
is made for praise,
a fragile whole,
and from its soul
heaven’s music plays.

4 Lift heart and soul and voice:
in Christ all praises meet
and nature shall rejoice
as all is made complete.
In hope be strong.
all life befriend
and kindly tend
creation’s song.

© Hope Publishing Company, 1983

This is a request from Frenzy Cool in the Phillipines. It isn’t one we’ve ever used – we use the Bernadette Farrell tune instead.  It is by Cyprian Consiglio who appears very prolific.

I’ve worked this out from the sample pages at OCP, so if you are going to use this song, go there and buy the music. You can hear a short sample here.

Refrain

Unless a grain of wheat shall fall onto the ground and die

It shall remain a single grain and never bear new life;

But if it dies it will yield a great harvest.

Verse 1

When every haughty head bends low,

The salt will flavour the earth,

The yeast will raise the dough,

And death will yield new birth.

Refrain

Verse 2

And when the pains of life persist,

We know the healing art,

For love cannot resist

A broken, humbled heart.

Refrain

Verse 3

So may we never dare to boast

Except in death like this;

And may we desire the most

To live a life like his.

Refrain

© Cyprian Consiglio 1996, 2007.

My wife, who is a cradle catholic, knows all these old songs. Attributed to Ignaz Franz, translated by Clarence Walworth and a couple of hundred years old it comes from an old Viennese songbook. An excerpt at AOV plays it fairly straight.

There are more verses and variations on the web, these are the lyrics according to AOV.

The are many versions on the net and this is one of them.

My backing is all fake organ.

1.	Holy God, we praise thy name; 
	Lord of all, we bow before thee; 
	all on earth thy scepter claim; 
	all in heav'n above adore thee.  
	Infinite thy vast domain; 
	everlasting is thy reign.

2.	Hark the loud celestial hymn 
	angel choirs above are raising; 
	cherubim and seraphim, 
	in unceasing chorus praising, 
	fill the heavens with sweet accord:  
	Holy, holy, holy Lord!

3.	Holy Father, Holy Son, 
	Holy Spirit: three we name thee, 
	while in essence only One; 
	undivided God we claim thee, 
	and adoring bend the knee 
	while we own the mystery.

Words: Henry Francis Lyle

Music: William Henry Monk

Extra points for singing it without bursting into tears.

The excerpt at AOV is lovely. YouTube is full of versions: here, here, here, etc.

There are more verses, but I’ve stuck with the five in AOV.

We are in a run of traditional, or traditional style hymns, which means BIAB will struggle. Here I have attempted a brass band.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

This song is nearly ninety years old and is our priest’s favourite song.  It is by Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan and when sung well by an enthusiastic assembly is something special – or to put it another way, I’m learning to like it.

The snippet on AOV is too MOR for me. This version is very laid back, but this one goes all out. This choir slows things down and lays on the harmonies.

My backing goes a bit country.

Verse 1

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever will be.
Refrain:

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided;
great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Verse 2

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Verse 3

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

© Hope Publishing Company 1923

Sebastian Temple has set the words of St Francis in this song. The excerpt at AOV shows it can be sung sensitively, but this is a song that can suffer under the hands of the assembly. It is very simple song that is difficult to sing well. This is a good try.

Sarah McLachlan’s setting is much nicer but only as a solo version.

My backing has Band in a Box take us back around the campfire.

Verse 1:
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Verse 2:
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light,
And where there’s sadness ever joy.

Bridge:
Oh Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Verse 3:
Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

© OCP Publications 1968.

This song, also known as “Anna’s Song”, has a gorgeous tune by Robin Mann and some striking lyrics by Norman Habel. Listen to a sample at AOV to get the idea. Robin Mann explains the origin of this strange Christmas song here.

My backing is at 96 bpm.

1. Lift this child to the sun, raise this child to the sky,

God has come from above, come to earth from on high.

Lift this child, lift this child to the sun.

 2. Lay this child on the ground, one with us, one with earth;

Let God know in his Son, human clay, human birth.

Lay this child, lay this child on the ground.

 3. Place this child in the shade, hang this child ‘neath a tree;

With his hand on the wood may this child set us free.

Place this child, place this child in the shade.

4. Give this child to the world, let him be common folk;

God has come to be born as an ordin’ry bloke.

Give this child, give this child to the world.

 5. Send this child down the road, let him ride hard the track;

To be king of the bush and the harsh world outback.

Send this child, send this child down the road.

 6. Lift this child to the night, to the silence of God;

Let this child cry for us and the silence be heard.

Lift this child, lift this child to the night.

© Robin Mann and Norman Habel 1981.

A Christmas song by Kathy Poelker that is randomly placed here, possibly as a children’s song. We have used it for its calypso lightness and it works well. Lazy guitarists (like me) will do it capo 1. Some uninterested children sing it in the sample here.

Refrain

Sing we sing we Noel, Noel!

Born is Jesus Emmanuel.

Sing we sing we Noel, Noel!

Born is Jesus Emmanuel.

Verse 1

The Holy child is born today:

Sing we, sing we Noel, Noel!

Alleluia we sing in praise:

Sing we, sing we Noel, Noel!

Refrain

Verse 2

Alleluia to God above:

Sing we, Sing we Noel, Noel!

Born today is God’s gift of love:

Sing we, sing we Noel, Noel!

Refrain

© Kathy Poelker and Look at Me Co. 1984.

A chant that is what it says by Phil Porter and Elaine Kirkland.  We’ve used it quite a lot over the years and it is a very useful piece, especially when done as the two part round as suggested. Listen to a sample at AOV.

The guitar version of AOV that I have is missing an Em in the last bar of the top line.

Twilight then darkness, night falls and candles glow.

Gently surrounding us a new birth of hope.

Watching, waiting,

Awakening a new birth of hope.

© Phil Porter and Elaine Kirkland 1992.

This is a three part chant written by Cheryl Reid.  The third part is added to the first after the second, if you get my drift. There is an excerpt to listen to at AOV.

My backing is just to learn the tune and I’ve done Verse 1, verse 2 and verse 1&3 together. I think unaccompanied would be best.

 Part One

Do not worry, do not fear.

Do not worry, Jesus is here.

Ev’ry moment, ev’ry day,

Trust in Jesus. Don’t be afraid.

Part Two

Peace, Peace, perfect peace,

Never doubt or fear.

Peace, peace, perfect peace,

Knowing Jesus is near.

Part Three

Peace, peace, perfect peace.

Peace, peace, perfect peace.

Peace, peace, perfect peace.

Peace, peace, perfect peace.

© Beacon Media 1994.