Revive Us, O God SAS 1/200

This song by Jesse Manibusan is more suited as a prayer for the assembly than most of the songs in the Spirit and Song Vol 1, Prayer and Praise section. I am bit worried by lots of D notes  to hit in a row but perhaps it could transposed down if needed.

The lovely text of this prayer is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased for download.

This is the original:

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Prayer of Abandonment SAS 1/198

Tom Booth‘s setting of Br Charles de Foucauld’s prayer is a reflective song for private prayer.

The text is at spiritandsong. For background on the prayer see here. The sheet music is available in several collections at OCP. You can hear the original at this site.

This is Faith Factor’s version, where they have fun in the wordless bridge with interesting harmonies:

This is a choral version:

This is a nice sparse version:

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Our God Reigns SAS 1/197

This song by Leonard E. Smith Jnr is based on Isaiah 52:7.

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

My backing is a bit bluegrass:

Lenny Smith’s laid back country version of this song is very likable:

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Now SAS 1/194

This is a Rory Cooney song that is a modern chant that can be done a cappella or with bass and drums only.

Because of this the arrangement in Spirit and Song Vol 1 has no chords but if you play Fm 4bars Bb 2 bars Fm 2bars you’ve got the whole thing really.

The text (which is great) is at Cooney’s blog, where he describes the heartburn it gives some people. Their are several blog posts you can easily find on Google that demonstrate the apoplexy but I decided not to link them. The sheet music can be purchased at GIA. It can be heard here.

My backing is electronic pop. The refrain is repeated each time and in my backing I do that twice at the beginning (ie 4 times before the first verse).

 

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Nothing Is Beyond You SAS 1/193

This song was a collaboration between Rich Mullins, Tom Booth and Mitch McVicker. It is definitely a solo vehicle.  It’s in the key of F# for a start (6 sharps – count them) and the tune goes down to a very low f#.  Guitarists are advised to play it with the capo on 4 in D. I like the tune but I don’t think I could sing it.

The text is at spiritandsong and is quite good in a confessional sort of way. The sheet music can be purchased for download at musicnotes, where their arrangement is very sensibly in G.

My backing has fun with BIAB’s strings.

This is Mullins demo version:

This is a professional cover:

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Music for the Feast of St Peter and St Paul Year A June 28th/29th

Entrance: Christ Be Our Light (Farrell) AOV 2/3

Psalm 33:

The Lord set me free from all my fears (Bishop / Fort)

(ie Rita and Elizabeth didn’t like any of the suggested tunes and wrote one themselves)

Gifts: You Are My Rock

Communion: Do You Really Love Me? (Landry)

Seed Scattered and Sown (Feiten) GA 195

Thanksgiving: The Summons (Maule / Bell) AOV NG 149

Recessional: Celebrate (Brown) AOV 1/44

 

I don’t know any details about “You are My Rock” and “Do You Love Me (Peter Feed My Sheep)”, but I gather they are important to the community of St Peter’s where I am attending mass and I’m looking forward to hearing them.

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Mountain of God SAS 1/192

More P&W goodness from Spirit and Song Vol 1. It is based on Psalm 121 and is by Marc Cavallero, Dan Brennan and Ken Canedo.

This is quite singable and has an echo part in the refrain, and while songs full of “I”s are not the best for an assembly this one might be one that you could get away with.

The text is at spiritandsong where the sheet music can be purchased. You can hear the original here.

My backing is just rock and, for clarity, I didn’t bother with the echo parts:

 

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My Life is In Your Hands SAS 1/191

This is another song unsuitable for liturgies but fine for other settings. Kathy Troccoli wrote the lyrics and wrote the music with Bill Montvilo. The sheet music can be purchased for download at sheetmusicplus.

The text is available here and doesn’t start well but the words become less hackneyed as they go along. The ballad format used requires great self-control to avoid being maudlin.

My backing tries to avoid that:

I’m not sure if the original does:

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My Heart Belongs to You SAS 1/190

Working through the prayer and praise songs in Spirit and Song Vol 1, I have arrived at Tom Booth‘s “My Heart Belongs to You.”

It is a pretty prayer of a song that seems best for private devotional use. There is a lot going on – 2 verses, a bridge swelling to a key change and a third verse with an echo effect. The music suggests putting a capo on for the key change, which has always struck me as weird.

The text is at spiritandsong, where the sheet music can be purchased for download. You can hear the original here, a duet arrangement unsuitable for a participatory liturgy.

My backing leaves out the extra melody line from the third verse for clarities sake.

These videos are fine performances but emphasise that this is not the sort of song that encourages participation.

 

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Lord, I Lift Your Name on High SAS 1/189

This is a fine P&W song from Rick Founds.

The text is at spiritandsong. You can purchase the sheet music for download at Musicnotes or get a choral arrangement at Hope Publishing.

The snippet at spiritandsong is a fast latin arrangement, which I find a bit odd.

My version is guitar rock.

 

This version is a little tame:

Petra’s is more like it:

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