Church Music

This is another of the collection “Table Songs” that we have never used locally.

It has ten verses but everything is short and to the point. The tune is simple (?too simple) in the refrain, but some time changes in the verse and a more adventurous melody help there.

The text is here (scroll down). Some people love it, some hate it.  I’m fine with the text, but would have liked more lines emphasising the commitment a shared cup symbolises.

Haas states the obvious when he says this song can’t be used if the cup is not offered, it would be ridiculous. I fear that means it has been sucked up into the liturgy wars and those who are not comfortable with the cup being widely available will despise the song on principle. Then again, Haas is hardly a poster boy in those circles.

I’ve challenged myself to look at the readings for the following Sunday and write a song inspired by them to be ready in that week. I’m hoping to get practice with BIAB and my version of Finale, so I don’t have to relearn everything from scratch when I need to make some sheet music.

The plan is for short, singable songs with allusive texts. Where appropriate, images will reflect an Australian origin.

My first effort based on the readings for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary time Year A,  is called “Red Dust.” It starts too low and it goes to high, for some reason it changes key for the chorus and it’s a country waltz. …other than that its fine.

Verse 1

Red dust and drought here.

Creation is groaning.

Our dry land is waiting

for God’s Word to come down.

Refrain

May Your Word come down like rain

to grow the seed, flower our deeds.

Will the seed grow into the first fruits of the Spirit?

Verse 2

Scorched earth we live in.

Creation is waiting.

In the Kingdom of Heaven

wild flowers will grow.

Refrain

© 2014 Geoffrey Madden

Sheet Music: Red Dust

No I’m not going to do Bach’s mass on Band in a Box – what a thought!

No blogging today because I’ve been out seeing this mass done at City Hall, Brisbane as part of the Intervarsity Choral Festival – it was magnificent.

There is more next Saturday July 19th at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane with a program called “Out of Darkness”:

Fauré  Requiem
Taverner  Two Hymns to the Mother of God
Whitacre  When David Heard – Sainte Chapelle
Sisask  Benedictio
O’Regan  Threshold of Night

Ticketing details are here.

This song from David Haas’s “Table Songs” has music by Kate Cuddy setting a text by David Haas.

The refrain has an interesting tune with enough variation to be memorable. The verses are marked for a cantor but are quite suitable for an assembly.  The tune of the verse has elements of Henry Mancini’s “The Sweetheart Tree” that are a bit off putting.

The text is here (page 4) and you can hear the song at Haas’s MySpace page. It can be purchased as a single sheet at GIA or sheetmusicplus but the collection is so inexpensive it is hard to justify not buying the whole lot.

This is another communion song from David Haas’s “Table Songs.”

It has eight verses, which gives the liturgists a chance to pick the most appropriate ones.

You can listen to the song at Haas’s Myspace site where you will hear the singable chorus and the held D at the end of the verse that suggests a cantor. I can’t find the text anywhere on the net but the whole book is $5.95 at GIA and the single sheet is available at various sites for $1.20.

This is another song from David Haas’s “Table Songs”. It was originally written for a wedding but is certainly fine as a general communion song.

The text is here. You can hear it at his Myspace page, which will give you an idea how the cantors sing different lines for the verse.  You need the full music version for that.

My backing is based on the simpler guitar music and has just the one vocal line and is consequently less interesting but more feasible for the assembly.

To commence the songs from “Table Songs”, this is a gentle communion song based on the Emmaus pericope (Luke 24:13-35) written by David Haas. This is a very engaging tune, but the verses need a cantor.

The text is here. You can listen to the original on David Haas’s MySpace page.

This collection from GIA was published in 1991. I bought both the guitar version for me ($5.95) and the full music for pianists ($19.95 + postage from the US).  These collections are very cheap and can be purchased at GIA.

After doing so many P&W songs it will be good to do songs designed for liturgy. I’m making backings so I can get a feel for the songs and learn them.

I have already blogged Table Song, Now We Remain, and Song of the Body of Christ from this collection.

GIA do not put up the texts of their songs on the net, unlike OCP, so when I can’t find the lyrics elsewhere I won’t be typing them out.

Entrance: Canticle of Creation (Watts-O’Brien) AOV NG 20

Psalm 65 (O’Brien)

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

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

Communion: Seed, Scattered and Sown (Feiten)

Unless a Grain of Wheat (Farrell) AOV 1/35

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

Recessional: City of God (Schutte) AOV 1/57

This is a rock song that is certainly in the P&W genre but has potential for liturgical use, in that is singable and emphasises that “we” are coming together. It could easily have been in the gathering song section. The bridge allows everyone to catch their breath before plunging back into the singalong chorus.

It was either written by Steve Angrisano with a little help from his friends or was written by a committee – lyrics by Steve Angrisano, Tom Tomaszek and Christi Smith with the music by Steve Angrisano and Pat Smith.

The text is at spiritandsong where it can be purchased for download. There is a snippet at OCP that shows his funk stylings.

My backing is more straight rock than funk and has some fun with guitar solos as written for a change.