Church Music

This a very usable “Ubi Caritas” from Bob Hurd. I’ve used the Taize one in the past but this has five well written verses as a bonus, three based on the original prayer and two new ones from Hurd.  There is no syncopation and no variation in tune between the verses so it is designed for assembly singing for a change. It would be great for Holy Thursday.

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

My backing overdoes the strings again:

This is a fine version:

There are several less than wonderful clips of this song on You Tube but I love this one:

This is a nice instrumental:

This one is to show that it can be sung by an assembly. I haven’t put in the ones that were extemely slow, but this one might even be a little fast.

This song by Steven Angrisano could be a Eucharist song as stated by Spirit & Song, but it will work best as a solo vehicle and that may not fit plans for a participatory assembly. On the other hand it is a serviceable laid back P&W vehicle. The refrain has a harmony line/counter melody that might lift it above average. The verses have enough differences in the tune to cause difficulty.

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

This is Angrisano’s version:

This is the ever reliable Arch Street Band:

This song by Kathryn Scott is in the Eucharist section of Spirit & Song Vol 2 and is really quite a lovely devotional song. I’m not convinced of its use for an assembly due to the near constant syncopation and a few tricky timings. Again it appears to me that SAS are putting P&W songs where their liturgical fit is not obvious.

She is interviewed about the song here:

The text is here. You can purchase sheet music for download on the net but this link appears to be from the author herself to a piano arrangement in C. (Spirit & Song have it in D)

I suspect this is the original by Vineyard:

Kathryn’s solo version:

A gentler cover by Joy Williams.

Brian Wahl’s acoustic version:

A nice instrumental take on the song:

I’m back in the Eucharist songs from Spirit & Song Vol 2 with another song by John Michael Talbot.

His songs are very delicate and can be squashed by an unsympathetic assembly but this is a lovely tune and has obvious liturgical uses.

The text is here, although the first verse is missing. If you don’t have Spirit & Song Vol 2 you can get the sheet music for this song in the collection “Our Blessing Cup” from Talbots’s site.

My backing is unusually restrained:

I don’t know who this version is by but the vocal style is less so.

This is the man himself:

Some cover versions:

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

Psalm 22 (Mason)

The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want.

Gifts: The Lord is My Shepherd (Boniwell) AOV 1/26

Communion: One Body (O’Brien- Watts) AOV 2/146

Lord to Whom Shall We Go? (Herry) AOV 1/6

Thanksgiving: Like a Shepherd (Dufford) AOV 1/160

Recessional: Hail Redeemer (Brennan – Elvey)

This song was used by Yola’s parish for the Procession of the Gifts recently and it fits that well. It is by John Michael Talbot.

The text is here but the first verse precedes the refrain. It can be purchased for download at OCP.

This appears to be the original:

JMT live:

Covers:

This song isn’t from Spirit & Song but I noted Chris’s parish use it as a recessional.  The tune is by the ever reliable Christopher Walker setting a text by James Harrison. I suspect it may have been meant for children but it still a lovely song for sending forth. Much of the refrain is the same tune as I’ve Never Been In Love from Guys and Dolls for what it’s worth.

The text is at spiritandsong. You can listen to a sample and purchase the sheet music for download at OCP.

I love the enthusiastic guitar ministry here:

More parishes:

This is an enthusiastic choir and assembly belting it out.

Listen to other versions here and here.

This is a pretty song for Eucharist written by Greg Walton. By some miracle the range is fine and the syncopation gentle so I think it is suitable for assembly singing for a change.

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

I got carried away with strings in my backing:

This is Greg Walton’s version:

This group demonstrate the singability and have nice percussion.

Entrance: All Are Welcome (Haugen)

Psalm 127 (McKenna)

Happy are those who fear the Lord

Gifts: Our Supper Invitation (Bates) AOV 1/185

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

One Body (O’Brien- Watts) AOV 2/146

Thanksgiving: God of Day and God of Darkness (Haugen) AOV 1/56

Recessional: Bring Forth the Kingdom (Haugen) AOV 2/4

Janet Sullivan Whitaker and Max Whitaker have written a song for Eucharist that is at least designed for an assembly.  There a some notes held for a long time in the verses that might cause consternation and the 3rd and 5th verse share a different tune to the 1st, 2nd and 4th verses but it may be doable. It is slow 6/8 and is very long.

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