Church Music

These are the songs chosen by the music liturgy team for this week.

 

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

Psalm 112 (Jenny O’Brien)

A light rises in the darkness for the upright

[audio:https://www.sixmaddens.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Ps112.mp3|titles=Psalm 112]

Offertory: Blessed Be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: Bread Broken Wine Shared (Horner) AOV 2/155

Take and Eat (Russell) AOV 2/162

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

Recessional: Go Make a Difference (Angrisano/Tomaszek) AOV NG 52

 

I’m playing Sunday morning and will be blessed by the Tongan community choir singing the Offertory and Communion songs, which we will be their choice and language. That means I get off easy.

 

The shorter responses for the mass are quite tricky to set – the words being the same and all.

This one is successful as it continues the 6/8 dance of the Gloria with an inventive and memorable tune.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening;

You have the words of everlasting life

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

I’ve been looking the the accompaniment version of Gather Australia for some time.  I found a melody line edition at the the Lifeline Book sale but I could use the one with proper music.  If anyone has a copy surplus to their requirements I’d be interested in making a purchase.

This mass was written by Liam Lawton, a priest from Ireland. You can order the mass from his website or you can download it from GIA.

One day I’ll get around to doing the Kyrie of a mass, probably when a church I go to finally gets around to singing it, but for now I’ll start with the Gloria.

Fr Lawton’s Gloria is in 6/8 time and is meant to be “moderately fast, with abundant joy!”

He has played around with the refrain, which is repeated rather than being a sing through Gloria.

Refrain

Glory to God in the highest,

Glory to God in the highest,

Glory to God, glory to God,
and on earth peace to people of goodwill

 

We praise you, we bless you,

We adore you, we glorify you,

We give you thanks for your great glory,

Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.

 

Refrain

 

Lord Jesus Christ, only  Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us;

You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.

 

Refrain

 

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

Refrain

 

Firstly, I can never quite get the light dancing 6/8 quality I want into my backings, but it will give you an idea of the tune.

There is much to applaud in this melody. The notes rise and fall memorably and pleasantly and the few leaps in the melody fit well enough.  There are phrases that are echoed throughout the verses that I’m sure will become quickly familiar. It is certainly joyful with a delightful Irish lilt.

It has a fairly wide range and the high E’s in the third line of the refrain might be a challenge.  The music splits and adds a lower harmony at that point and the groaners like me might be able to be taught that part. Mercifully the high parts are never held notes and I think that might allow them to get through.

The unhurried first line of the first verse is masterful. The descent from B to C# is like a relaxed sigh after that energetic refrain and the trick is repeated in the second verse to similar effect. On the down side I struggle with an amen followed by a last refrain, although the descant might make it worthwhile. Getting this text to fit music is a struggle which perhaps justifies both the amen to round out the third verse and the repetitions in the refrain.

This is a good start if you are brave enough to tackle a few high notes. The music does suggest the verses are for a cantor or section, but participation by the assembly is a given where I attend and that is not going to happen.  The piece has to be singable by the assembly and I’d love to hear it sung with gusto. This parish has a go, and even has a crack at the descant:

 

 

I have the music for some more masses that I thought I should blog.  I’ll be starting with the Glendalough mass.  A friend from church heard it at the recent conference in Wollongong and was very impressed. I’ve paid my US$8.50 to download it from GIA and I’ll put up some comments soon.

Entrance: Gather Us In  (Haugen) AOV 1/12

Psalm 23 by Andrew Kooi An Di

Who is the king of glory?

It is the Lord, it is the Lord. x2

[audio:https://www.sixmaddens.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Ps-23-Presentation-of-the-Lord.mp3|titles=Ps23 Presentation of the Lord]

Offertory: Blessed Be Our God (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: Gather Your People (Hurd) AOV 1/71

Table of Plenty (Schutte) AOV 2/20

Thanksgiving: Come To Set Us Free (Farrell) AOV 1/39

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

The music this week retains the elements being used throughout Advent except:

Entrance: O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Neale/Helmore) AOV 1/174

Communion: Holy Is Your Name (Haas) Tune :Wild Mountain Thyme

Recessional: Into the Darkness (Dawn) from “Songs of Fellowship” Book Five (No 70)

 

Entrance: Prepare the Way (Boniwell)

Communion: Come to the Table (Burland) AOV NG 33

Recessional: A Voice in the Wilderness (Robinson) AOV 1/60

… otherwise as for the rest of advent.

 

This is a song suggested by the nice people at St Mary’s Warwick with lyrics by Sr Deidre Browne set to a tune by Jane Wood. This is an important text because it sets Advent in our summer space rather than within the inappropriate Northern hemisphere winter motifs that ring so hollow in Australia.  The tune is quite dark in places but with a call and response with the cantor – the assembly only sings “prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord” in the verses – it should be doable. The fourth verse goes of into a different tune for the cantor to learn.

You can find it in Gather Australia 281.

Refrain

Gather in hope, people of God.

Sing the Advent song!

Song of faith, song of trust,

a song to welcome the Christ.

Verse 1

Let the warmth of our love, like the long summer days,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let our will for justice, as strong as the sun,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 2

Let our thirst for truth, like the dry, parched earth,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let our dream for peace, as bright as the sky,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 3

Let the prophet be heard, like the blaze of fire:

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let the poor and the rich as the lamb and the lion,

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 4

Stand alert and be ready to welcome the Christ.

Prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Let this be our pray’r as we lift up our hearts:

prepare the way of the Lord, prepare the way of the Lord.

Refrain

© Text: Dierdre Browne 1993, Tune: Jane Wood 1993.

Throughout Advent we are running the same psalm, “To You O God” and Trish Watts’s “All is Wonder” for lighting the advent candle and Amanda McKenna’s “Blessed be our God” for Gifts. We also have the “Advent Chant” as a second communion song. The Mass parts are Paul Taylor’s Mass of St Francis with the Celtic Alleluia for the gospel acclamation.

Entrance: Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)  (Schwartz)  from Godspell

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

Recessional: A Voice in the Wilderness (Robinson) AOV 1/60