Church Music

Our parish has so far used the new Mass of Creation for 2 months; Paul Mason’s Mass of Glory and Praise for two months and now we have just started using Mason’s revision of the Mass Shalom. The consensus at a liturgy teams meeting recently was NO MORE. So I think we will be cycling through them for a while.  I’m not convinced about the revised masses (I know Mass of Glory and Praise is a revised mass, but as we had never done it, we don’t need to unlearn it.) so I am still looking at other masses.  With the USA starting this journey soon, the flood gates have well and truly opened – this site will give a taste of it.

I’ve seen lots of good comments about Ed Bolduc’s Mass of St Ann, and enough grumbling from the usual suspects to think it worth a look.  You can hear it played properly here, although it has that odd American choir sound that sounds strange to me.  You can download the sheet music cheaply from WLP, or look at the sample pages to see what you think.

I think it’s really very good.  It keeps to two basic patterns and the same tunes get tossed around to help with remembering the pieces. It is joyful and apart from a few high Ds to annoy groaners like me appears singable. (The is an alto line for those in trouble.)

I’ve made some backings to help learn the pieces. The real music has a fair bit of contrast, excitement and nuance that I don’t quite capture with BIAB and I’ve kept the Lamb of God somewhat rougher than the official version, but feel free to sing along

As always, I’m omitting the very pretty Kyrie, because we never sing it at our church.

I’ve done the Gloria with refrains, although there is a sing through version. It isn’t actually that long and the chorus is probably the best bit. The text is according to Hoyle except the refrain adds an extra Glory:

Glory! Glory to God in the highest.

Glory! Glory to God in the highest.

And on earth peace to people of good will.

It is in the 6/8 motif that Bolduc uses throughout the mass, except for the Kyrie, the Memorial Acclamations and the Lamb of God.

The gospel acclamation continues the upbeat mood set by the Gloria. There are four alternative verses given and I’ve chosen the first.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

My sheep hear my voice says the Lord.

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Bolduc keeps the 6/8 uplift into the Holy, Holy and the statacco “Glory” from the Gloria is now three rapid fire shots of Holy’s. He diverges from the text by repeating Hosanna at the beginning of the last line, then repeats the whole line:

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

He reverts to a more sedate 4/4 beat for the Memorial Acclamations.  I’ve picked “When We Eat This Bread.” He repeats the last line here as well.

The Great Amen – there are 6 amens –  is back in the joyful 6/8 rhythm.

The Lamb of God completes the mass and has only one token minor chord at the start of the last verse, which is a bit unusual for the Agnes Dei, which is often written in a minor key.

I suspect this one will be popular in Australia as well as the US and is probably coming to a parish near you.

I can hardly claim to be teaching anyone this song on this blog, but it is there in As One Voice, so for what it is worth I’ll include it.  A traditional gaelic melody with words by Eleanor Farjeon and made famous by Cat Stevens. In his version he has “from the world” rather than “Word”, which is an interesting change.

My backing keeps things simple.

Morning has broken like the first morning,

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.

Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!

Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!

 

Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven,

Like the first dewfall on the first grass.

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,

Sprung in completeness where his feet pass.

 

Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning.

Born of the one light Eden saw play!

Praise with elation, praise every morning,

God’s recreation of the new day!

© Eleanor Farjeon 1957.

PS  Many years ago I MIDI’d the Cat Stevens arrangement including the piano part by hand.  This gives a piano roll effect like this:

This is a huge song by Christopher Walker that will need all your resources to pull off. Listen to the massed choir, brass and pipe organ perform the piece at this site … and a lovely job they do too, the questions is, can it by done in the suburbs with minimal resources?

Probably not… This church has a go and get a bit ragged and race the song somewhat. There are other youtube versions that appear to be massive occasions and I suspect that is where this hymn belongs, as a magnificent processional when you have the resources.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

My backing is an attempt at the orchestral with BIAB that has to fail.

 Refrain

Out of darkness God has called us,

Claimed by Christ as God’s own people.

Holy nation, royal priesthood,

Walking in God’s marv’lous light. (Rpt 1st time)

Verse 1

Let us take the words you give,

Strong and faithful words to live.

Words that in our hearts are sown;

Words that bind us as your own.

Refrain

Verse 2

Let us take the Christ you give,

Broken body Christ we live.

Christ the risen from the tomb;

Christ who calls us as your own.

Refrain

Verse 3

Let us take the love you give,

That the way of love we live.

Love to bring your people home;

Love to make us all your own.

Refrain

© Christopher Walker 1989.

I’m afraid I’ve always found this song by Carey Landry on the dreary side, but someone must like it because it turns up a lot in liturgies.

It can purchased for download at OCP.

The original can be heard here and I must admit is sounds better than anything we’ve ever done with it. An Irish lady, Maureen Hegarty sings it here and I think she’s enjoying herself.

Verse 1

The love we have for you, O Lord,

Is only a shadow of your love for us;

Only a shadow of your love for us,

Your deep abiding love.

Verse 2

The bread we take and eat, O Lord,

Is your body broken and shared with us;

Your body broken and shared with us,

The gift of your great love.

Refrain

Our lives are in your hands,

Our lives are in your hands;

Our love for you will grow, O Lord;

Your light in us will shine.

Verse 3

Our own belief in you, O Lord,

Is only a shadow of your faith in us,

Only a shadow of your faith in us;

Your deep and lasting faith.

Verse 4

The dreams we share today, O Lord,

Are only a shadow of your dreams for us;

Only a shadow of your dreams for us;

If we but follow you.

Refrain

Verse 5

The joy we share today, O Lord,

Is only a shadow of your joys for us;

Only a shadow of your joys for us;

When we meet face to face.

Refrain

© Carey Landry and NALR, 1971.

A traditional Dutch hymn of anabaptist origin apparently. Not surprisingly, there some Catholic buzz on the net saying it is heretical. Considering Catholics used to drown anabaptists (hows that for baptism) its hardly surprising, but set decorators aren’t going to like an earthen floor, or being told we “are each other’s bread and wine.” I’d be happy to just see it pointing towards the real presence myself, but I’m probably a heretic too.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

Even the short snippet at AOV gives you an idea what a stirring hymn it is. My backing – not so much.

Verse 1

What is this place, where we are meeting?

Only a house, the earth its floor.

Walls and a roof, sheltering people,

Windows for light, an open door.

Yet it becomes a body that lives

When we are gathered here,

And know our God is near.

Verse 2

Words from afar, stars that are falling.

Sparks that are sown in us like seed;

Names for our God, dreams, signs and wonders

Sent from the past are all we need.

We in this place remember and speak

Again what we have heard:

God’s free redeeming word.

Verse 3

And we accept bread at his table,

Broken and shared, a living sign.

Here in this world, dying and living,

We are each other’s bread and wine.

This is the place where we can receive

What we need to increase:

Our justice and God’s peace.

© TEAM Publications 1984.

I am astonished that we use this song by Ernest Sands so much. Not that it isn’t good, but 5/4 time is not for the faint hearted. Fans of Take 5 by Dave Brubeck will be right at home.

This choir give it a red hot go even if the balance in the recording is no good. This guitar group also have a good time with the song.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

I’ve never tried to do this on BIAB. I did do a backing on Jammer a long time ago for it so I just did an MP3 render of that.

Verse 1

Sing of the Lord’s goodness Father of all wisdom,
come to him and bless his name.
Mercy he has shown us, his love is forever,
faithful to the end of days.

Refrain:
Come, then, all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness,
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.

Verse 2

Power he has wielded, honor is his garment
risen from the snares of death.
His word he has spoken, one bread he has broken,
new life he now gives to all.

Refrain

Verse 3

Courage in our darkness, comfort in our sorrow,
Spirit of our God most high;
solace for the weary, pardon for the sinner,
splendor of the living God.

Refrain

Verse 4

Praise him with your singing, praise him with the trumpet
praise God with the lute and harp;
praise him with the cymbals, praise him with your dancing,
praise God till the end of days.

Refrain

© Ernest Sands 1981.

This song by the late Peter Scholtes is one of very few songs that I sang as a young person in the Presbyterian church that turns up these days being sung in the Catholic church.

You can hear Jars of Clay do it here.  This is a nice folky version by a church. My backing is a little rocked up.

Verse 1

We are one in the Spirit,
we are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit
we are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity
may one day be restored:

Chorus

And they’ll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love.

Verse 2

We will walk with each other
we will walk hand in hand
we will walk with each other
we will walk hand in hand
and together we’ll spread the news
that God is in our land:

Chorus

Verse 3

We will work with each other
we will work side by side
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity
and save each man’s pride:

Chorus

Verse 4

All Praise to the Father
from whom all things come,
And all praise to Christ Jesus
His only Son,
and all praise to the Spirit
who makes us all one:

Refrain

© FEL Publications 1966.

This is probably the most well known of John Foley’s songs. It is a good Eucharist song and so will always be in demand.  I had to learn to sing it slowly as I tended to race it, although I can’t do it quite a slowly as the original. Nor can I do the chorus at 69bpm and only go up to 72 bpm to indicate excitement (!) and then go back to 69 bpm.

Nonetheless it is a perrenial favourite. The verse sounds a bit like “Nights in White Satin” to me. Foley also gets points for using the Didache as a source for Eucharistic imagery.

This church is racing a bit and you can see how it isn’t tranquil at all. (I’m sure done it even faster myself and made a worse job of it.) This one has the tempo under control and wants you to sing along with what sounds like a great computer backing, but has evened out the intervals in the chorus, which is annoying.

It can be purchased for download from OCP.

My backing imagines us sharing Eucharist around a campfire.

Refrain
One bread, one body,
one Lord of all,
one cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many,
throughout the earth,
we are one body in this one Lord.

Verse 1

Gentile or Jew,
servant or free,
woman or man, no more.

Refrain

Verse 2

Many the gifts,
many the works,
one in the Lord of all.

Refrain

Verse 3

Grain for the fields,
scattered and grown,
gathered to one, for all.

Refrain

© John Foley SJ and New Dawn Music 1978.

PS I’ve found the offending backing which is very fast, very MIDI, very old and very bad.

I never did get around to more excruciating lapses in taste as promised, but this fail backing is pretty grotesque. Now you know this song by Richard Gillard is respectful and sedate and dignified, but that didn’t stop me making this as a backing for it many years ago. It doesn’t sound like BIAB, so I suspect I made it with a free version of Jammer I used to use occasionally.

1. Brother, let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.

2. We are pilgrims on a journey.

We are brothers on the road.

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

3. I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night time of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you;
Speak the peace you long to hear.

4. I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I’ll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we’ve seen this journey through.

5. When we sing to God in heaven,
We shall find such harmony
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.

(Repeat Verse #1)

 

Someone must have told me that wasn’t right and I came up with this MIDI version that sounds more like it. I’ll try and make a better one when I get to it in As One Voice Volume 2 sometime next year.

This is yet another song in As One Voice from the very prolific Bob Hurd. It is a setting of Ps 136 with additions from the Magnificat for good measure. You can hear it sung here with the usual infuriating choral sound – the verses are solos and duets and sound better.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

For some reason this song reminds me of “100 000 Fireflies” by the Magnetic Fields. I think that means they are both good songs. I can’t find any Youtube clips of churches doing the song, which might mean it isn’t screamingly popular, but there are far worse songs doing the rounds and if you need a setting for that Psalm it is worth consideration.

My backing adds jangly guitar to the mix.

Refrain

Everlasting your love.

Everlasting your love.

From age to age your covenant endures.  (Rpt 1st time only)

Verse 1

Who alone does wonders with compassion and mercy?

The God above ev’ry other pow’r: to you alone give glory!

Refrain

Verse 2

Who created the heavens, planting earth on the waters?

Who made the moon to rule over night;

Who made the sun to rule the day?

Refrain

Verse 3

Who exalts the lowly; who releases the captive,

So those oppressed find justice at last,

And those in chains find liberty?

Refrain x2 (key change)

© Bob Hurd 1988.