Church Music

I’d never come across this song by Peter Kearney before. It sounds dated because of the folk idiom and the optimism of a song that says with hope, ‘ “Where to now?” is surely our concern.’ Listen to him sing it here and ignore the pictures if you wish.

Visit his website. Peter has put the lyrics up here.

My backing folks things up a bit too.

This one turns up very occasionally in our liturgies.  It is written by Bob Dufford whose mass I’m already missing. He based it on Ps 118, but I’m not sure why the Sanctus winds up in the second verse.  It sounds a bit like the Star Wars theme in waltz time, but it is singable enough I suppose. The original in all its seventies glory can be heard here.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

My backing goes all string band on us I’m afraid.

Refrain

Sing to the mountains,
sing to the sea.
Raise your voices,
lift your hearts.
This is the day
the Lord has made.
Let all the earth rejoice.

Verse 1
I will give thanks to you, my Lord.
You have answered my plea.
You have saved my soul from death.
You are my strength and song.
Refrain

Verse 2
Holy, holy,
holy Lord.
Heaven and earth
are full of your glory.
Refrain

Verse 3
This is the day that the Lord has made.
let us be glad and rejoice.
He has turned all death to life.
Sing of the glory of God.
Refrain

© Robert Dufford and NALR 1975.

David Haas wrote this simple tune based on a Navaho Indian prayer. It is serviceable and so has been used a lot where such a prayer has been needed. It isn’t a great song but he does it simply and well here with added peaceable pictures.

Guitarists should be warned that 6 verses of a barred F will be unpleasant and capo 3 would ease the burden.

The text is available here. It can purchased at GIA.

My backing does it no favours but should be fine for learning the song.

It has occured to me that the point of making backings to learn new songs that was so relevant for As One Voice: the Next Generation, which I completed some time ago and can be searched for on this blog, is somewhat less relevant for the older AOV collections and especially songs like this one by Dan Schutte. There may be someone in a Catholic Church somewhere who doesn’t know this song, but I seriously doubt it. In fact he rates his own category of dismissal at Orthometer, where merely being composed by this man is grounds for dismissal. So Schutte is up there with Haas and Haugen in the loathing stakes for whatever reason. (The blogs say he is a gay ex-priest which whips up certain bloggers loathing for his music with a new and unnatural passion.)

You can hear his version here, complete with lots of prochoice photos for some reason.

I have posted a backing for this as an incidental note to a posting here. A little too bossa to use really.

Since I don’t think I can teach anyone this song, perhaps I can comment on it, with my only qualification being having played it inumerable times.  It is a guitarists’ song that should be sped up to 108-120 and use jangly sounds when fiddling with the runs around the D chord and the interludes from chorus back to verse.  Even better, do the bass run in the middle of the verses if you can (too hard for me). Done at the original speed it becomes a dirge. It is a song that is incredibly special to many people, especially those called through the RCIA. God (as sung by the assembly) calls in the verse and the people (singing for themselves) respond in the chorus. I would not want to minimise the obvious feeling this song can generate and the fact that it is despised by many is neither here nor there (as is the sexuality of the composer for that matter).

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

Have another backing instead of the bossa one.

Verse 1

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Refrain
Here I am, Lord.
Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord,
if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

Verse 2

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send?

Refrain

Verse 3

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?

Refrain

© Daniel Schutte and NALR 1981.

This song is by Carey Landry and not my favourite piece of music in the world. He cops a lot of criticism for his a) folk style of music and b) leaving the priesthood and marrying.  I’m not slightly worried by either of those things, but I still think the song is a bit soppy. The link suggests the demonic things he’s been doing since he left the priesthood – shame on you doing good works like that. You can hear the original here. Lots of people like the song here and hate Carey Landry here, although in between the vitriol poor innocent souls are asking for details for getting his music.

It is available to purchase for download at OCP.

My backing replaces soppy with country.

Verse 1

I will never forget you my people,
I have carved you on the palm of My hand,
I will never forget you,
I will not leave you orphaned,
I will never forget my own…

Verse 2

Does a mother forget her baby,
Or a woman the child within her womb,
Yet even if these forget,
Yes even if these forget,
I will never forget my own.

Rpt Verse 1

 

© Carey Landry and NALR 1975.

Stephen Robinson’s setting of Ps 34 has been used frequently at our church, but mostly just the refrain as a response.  That’s a pity because the verse is more singable than the chorus with its jump from F to D to scare the groaners like myself.  Listen to the snippet from AOV here to get an idea of the light touch that they use for this psalm. Stephen Robinson wrote the Mass for Moderns that we used a lot until very recently.  I haven’t seen a revised edition of it about, which is sad.

Refrain

Taste and see, taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Taste and see, taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Verse 1

I will bless the Lord, at all times,

His praise always on my lips.

In the Lord my soul shall make its boast.

The humble shall hear and be glad.

Refrain

Verse 2

Revere the Lord, you his saints.

They lack nothing, those who revere him.

Strong lions suffer want and go hungry,

But God’s children have every blesssing.

Refrain

Verse 3

Come, children, listen to my words,

For I will teach you my ways.

You who long for life with many days

Must know how to please the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 4

Keep your tongue from speaking evil things

And let no lies be on your lips.

Turn aside from doing evil deeds.

Do good and seek after my peace.

Refrain

© Stephen Robinson

This is another song by David Haas. Done sympathetically, it would be fine for a wedding, but could find its place within an ordinary mass as well. We’ve never done this song, probably due to the chorus being mostly 4/4 and the verses mostly 3/4.  The verses also also go rather high, so you’d need a cantor or soloist for them.

It can purchased for download at OCP.

I’ve put two backings up for this song, the first being MIDI based and the second with more realtracks.

Refrain

Where there is love, there is God.
The love of God has gathered us together: Alleluia

(Rpt refrain first time only)

Verse 1

Love is patient, love is kind,
Never jealous, never proud,
Never seeking for one’s self,
Love never leads to anger.

Refrain

Verse 2

Love is gracious and forgiving
Taking no delight in wrong
Love rejoices in the truth
Love will endure

Refrain

Verse 3

Many things will pass away,
There are but three things that last;
Faith, Hope and Love;
The greatest of these is Love.

Refrain

© David Haas 1985.

This is another extremely frequently sung song in these parts written by Marty Haugen. This song can be used just about anywhere – gathering, sending, gifts, communion – it fits. This is a nice slower version. I like better at this speed.

The text is here – scroll down to the bottom of the page. It can be purchased at GIA.

This delicate flower of a song by Christopher Walker might easily be overwhelmed by the assembly and so might be one for cantoring the verses. It is a setting of Ps 131, which you can hear here. It does go 3/4 to 4/4 throughout the song but it is reasonably smooth with the time changes.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

Refrain
Like a child rests in its mother’s arms,
so will I rest in you. (Rpt)

Verse 1

My God, I am not proud.
I do not look for things too great.

Refrain

Verse 2

My God, I trust in you.
You care for me, you give me peace.

Refrain

Verse 3

O Israel, trust in God,
now and always trust in God.

Refrain

© Christopher Walker 1988.

This is song by Tom Conroy  based on Ps 63. His rewriting of the Psalm had me thinking the that his enemies lie strewn and broken, which isn’t what it says but the construction allows for misinterpretation.  The recording, which you can listen to here, leaves out the first verse.  This makes things simpler, as it has a different tune to the second and third verses.  The fourth verse is different again and brings in your tympani and brass (surely available at the sparsely attended Sunday night mass). It is very “choiry” and has such a quiet (and beautiful) ending to the verses that you really could only have the assembly singing the refrain.

If you have the same old guitar edition of AOV that I got very cheaply many years ago, you may have noticed that the second page of this song is another one with the wrong music. I used my pew version and the previews at OCP to fill in the missing chords for my backing.

Refrain

I will lift up my eyes at his name to the one who knows me well (rpt)

Verse 1

You are my God, whom I seek with my life;

For you I thirst, as the dry earth for water.

Lifeless and parched, without you I am nowhere,

No-one at all.

Refrain

Verse 2

Thus have I seen you in your holy house,

With my own eyes, how faithful and sure.

More than my life, your mercy endures

Longer than time.

Refrain

Verse 3

Thus shall I bless you while I am alive;

Calling on you, my breath and my bread.

And with a song through day and the darkness

Clinging to you.

Refrain

Verse 4

And I shall see that day when God’s justice and power

Will break the chains that bind me.

And mine enemies’ lies strewn broken and empty:

God’s mighty hand, that awful grace.

Refrain

© TEAM publications 1984.