Church Music

Another Bob Dufford song from the seventies still in high rotation nearly forty years later. The original can be heard here. Obviously a candidate for any liturgy needing shepherd songs and an alternative to all the Ps 23 settings – this one draws on Isaiah, Ezekiel and Matthew.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

It is meant to be at a tempo of 100 for the refrain and 104 for the verses.  I can’t be that precise so I do it about 110 all the way through. I also only have ever done a four bar intro rather than the five (!) bar intro as written.

After all these years, I don’t think anyone notices how odd the verses are – the first two start on a “wrong” note and the third is completely different again and has a prolonged note on “shoul-DERS.”  This is a recipe for everyone to come back in whenever they want to and I simply ignore it.

This church gives you more of an idea what it sounds like with an assembly singing and the violin is kind of wild.

Refrain

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock,
And gathers the lambs in his arms.
Holding them carefully close to his heart,
Leading them home.

Verse 1

Say to the cities of Judah prepare the way of the Lord
Go to the mountain top lift your voice
Jerusalem here is your God.

Refrain

Verse 2

I myself will shepherd them
For others have led them astray.
The lost I will rescue and heal their wounds
And pasture them giving them rest.

Refrain

Verse 3

Come unto me if you are heavily burdened
And take my yoke upon your shoulders,
I will give you rest..

Refrain

…leading them home.

© Robert Dufford SJ and New Dawn Music 1976.

A hymn from Christopher Willcock, that has a lot going for it, although I dislike the style of singing in the snippet at AOV. It has a lot of words with extra notes in that might prove a bit fiddly. He has really stretched and cajoled John 15:9-15 to fit the tune.

It can purchased at jwpepper and for download at OCP.

I’ve set the tempo to 95 and hope this fulfills the instruction “without dragging.”

 Verse 1

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Remain in my love.

Refrain

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.

Remain in my love, remain in my love.

Verse 2

I have told you this that my joy may be in you,

And that your joy be complete.

Refrain

Verse 3

There can be no greater love than to lay your life down for your friends;

I call you my friends.

Refrain

Verse 4

You did not choose me. No, I chose you.

Go out and bear much fruit.

Refrain

Verse 5

Keep in mind what I told you. You bear witness to myself.

A slave is not above the master.

Refrain

© Christopher Willcock 1991.

This song is extremely popular (& justly so) at our church and sung a lot with great gusto.  It is by Trish Watts and Monica O’Brien. We use it for everything but it works especially well as a gathering song and a recessional. Listen to a snippet here.

It is available to purchase for download at As One Voice.

When I was making a new backing of this I noticed the last note of the chorus in my old guitar AOV is a G and we have always sung an E.  I’m not sure if we’ve always sung it wrong or whether the G is the harmony note but I’ve used what we always sing in this case. I’ve also upped the tempo to 132 bpm.

Refrain

Create a new heart, holy Lord,

Beckon our lives through your word,

Open our eyes to your call,

United as one for your world.

Heighten our minds to your thoughts,

Heal us of pride and of hurt,

May we go forth in your name,

We pray our hearts change.

Verse 1

The heart of the cross lowly and poor, calls us on.

Lord, it is you promising hope, promising truth.

Refrain

Verse 2

Restless the hearts who yearn for your peace in this land.

Deepen the dream, justice brings life, justice redeems.

Refrain

© Willow Connection

PS

My late mother was a huge fan of Englebert Humperdink, so when I first heard this song at mass when I become a catholic I thought, this sounds like “Les Bicyclettes De Belsize”.  I have even seen this song printed with acknowledgement that the tune is adapted from that song and noting the Albert and Sons hold the copywrite. (Incidentally, I wonder if Willow could do a deal to get Kearney’s “Beatitudes” off Alberts.)

To be fair I went back and looked at that song. This backing is the same key, tempo and style as the hymn.

Turning and turning
The world goes on.
We can’t change it, my friend.
Let us go riding all through the days,
Together to the end, to the end.

Les bicyclettes de Belsize
Carry us side by side
And hand in hand we will ride,
Over Belsize.
Turn your magical eyes.
Round and around,
Looking at all we found.
Carry us through the skies,
Les bicyclettes de Belsize.

It really is a very different song isn’t it.  The verse is in a minor key and obviously different. The chorus is only similar for the first three lines really and there isn’t a complete note by note correspondence even there. I doubt it matters to the people who love this song, to whom the hymn evokes a need for openness to God and living in that restless yearning of uncertainty. Englebert’s song is OK too.

This is a terrific song from Monica Brown except its in the key of B.  She suggests capo 1 but capo 4 would cheer up the guitarists more I think. I’ve done it at 98 bpm.

It would be a nice reflection I suppose but I’d love to think of it as something to use for gifts as well.  She has a whole kit at her site of Mother Earth resources if you are looking at environmental themes. Listen to a snippet here.

Refrain

It’s your time, Mother Earth to receive from us.

For so long we have taken so thoughtlessly from you.

It’s your time.

Verse 1

Time to give your barren land a million trees,

To your rivers and seas, water that’s clean.

To your breath of air a chance to be fresh and clear;

‘Cause it’s your time, Mother earth, to receive.

Refrain

Verse 2

Time to give back to you what you’ve given to us

From your womb, Mother Earth, such beauty and grace

In your rhythm of life. God looked upon you and saw you were good,

So it’s your time, Mother Earth, to receive.

Refrain

© Monica Brown and Emmaus Productions 1990.

This song is in AOV Next Gen (No 91) and I blogged about it here last year. Why not spend the next seven and a half minutes not being busy.

Find out more about the nice people at Willow here.

Donna Pena wrote “Digo ‘Si’ Senor” and AOV has the English version. As a recessional it would cap a service with a justice theme very well. I suspect the original language fits the tune better and the tune varies a little from verse to verse to accomodate the extra English words.

The – I say “Yes”, my Lord – is echoed throughout the song and has a stirring build into the chorus.

You can hear a snippet of the original here. This is a nice version although what is going on the video is interesting to say the least – great hats.

The text is at Cantus Mundi and the sheet music can be purchased at GIA.

This is a South African hymn so naturally you’d want to listen to it in this video from Holland. For a bigger sound this choir from the West Indies does their arrangement here. You can find lots of other versions on Youtube, which is an indication of some popularity. It would be a great recessional in the right hands, but I’m not sure how you would know when to stop.

The AOV version has three english verses before switching to Zulu. The leader’s part starts at the last note of the unison part and in my backing they are separated to help you learn the piece.

Verse 1

Leader: Send me, Lord.

           All: Send me, Jesus,  send me, Jesus,
send me, Jesus,  send me, Lord.

Verse 2

Leader: Lead me, Lord.

           All: Lead me, Jesus,  lead me, Jesus,
lead me, Jesus,  lead me, Lord.

Verse 3

Leader: Fill me, Lord.

           All: Fill me, Jesus,  fill me, Jesus,
fill me, Jesus,  fill me, Lord.

Verse 4

Leader: Thu-ma  mi-na.
All: Thu-ma  mi-na,  thu-ma  mi-na
thu-ma  mi-na,   so-man-dla

English text © Utryck Publishing

A wildly popular song by Michael Joncas based on Ps 91.  Sometimes called the “Yoohoo” song because of its startling and inventive opening two notes it is rightly lauded as a beautiful and subtle tune but also the cause of a few disasters if you don’t pitch the first note correctly. Each verse has minor variations in the tune to watch out for.

You can hear the original here. I’ve noted that a lot of the versions on Youtube start with the refrain, which robs the song of a lot of its interest.

Verse 1

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
who abide in His shadow for life,
say to the Lord: “My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!”

Refrain:  And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of His hand.

Verse 2

The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
and famine will bring you no fear:
under His wings your refuge, His faithfulness your shield.

Refrain

Verse 3

You need not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day;
though thousands fall about you, near you it shall not come.

Refrain

Verse 4

For to His angels He’s given a command
to guard you in all of your ways;
upon their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Refrain

And hold you, hold you in the palm…

of his hand.

© New Dawn Music 1979.

PS This is a render of a very old MIDI file from a long time ago:

A Taize chant for Good Friday by Jacques Berthier.  Best done with little or no backing and repeated until all are suitable drained, teary and upset. Listen here.

Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

© Ateliers Et Presses De Taizé

This is another Marty Haugen song that I’ve never heard sung, except in the sample at AOV and the sample from GIA. We use Dan Schutte’s “Table of Plenty” instead, which is in AOV 2.

It can be purchased at GIA and you can hear the whole song at Haugen’s MySpace page.

It is very long and as written is a solo piece with the assembly singing responses.  I see no reason why the assembly couldn’t sing the whole thing but I suspect you would have to pick and choose the verses to sing and possibly dispense with the key change since I doubt you’ll make it to the fifth verse. That is unless you are baptising an awful lot of people at once, in which case, knock yourself out.

The text is here – scroll down to page twelve.