I’m working my way through the gathering and sending forth songs from Spirit & Song Vol 1 and on Good Friday I’m up to “Go Tell It on the Mountain”, which I suppose is here as a Christmas recessional. The text by John W Work Jnr is here and the tune is a traditional spiritual.
For some of us, the original lyric is unfamiliar as our first exposure was its use as a civil rights song with the “let my people go” phrase inserted and the verse rewritten using the exodus story. That text is here.
This is a more reflective and subtle recessional written by Chris Rice.
The text is at spiritandsong. This is another song with a key change that recommends guitarist take a capo off, which I think is impractical — just accept that the key change makes life hard and play the barred chords.
There are lots of different versions to purchase for download on the net but many are in a different key to the one in Spirit and Song and be careful, many have simplified the melody. The one at sheetmusicplus matches the key I have and has all the grace notes retained.
This song by Tom Booth is an obvious choice as a recessional. It has a lively African beat, percussion breaks, a Swahili bridge and a French countermelody. It is massively syncopated so sing it while up on your feet and moving.
The text is here (without the Swahili) at spiritandsong where you can also purchase the sheet music for download.
It is a terrific song but has three key changes (D to Eb then Eb to E then E to F) that are suggested to be done by taking a capo on and off – really? Also, my copy in Spirit and Song Vol 1 has a missing Eb chord p224 second last line second bar.
This rehearsal is nice and they substitute alternate English lyrics in the bridge.
We will be singing the whole of Paul Mason’s setting of Ps115 on Holy Thursday night. It is from his “Psalms for All Time.” The octave leap in the verse should wake us all up.
Response
Our Blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ
1 How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name.
2 O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my bonds.
3 A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people.
Here goes:
Parts of the mass from Taylor’s Mass of St Francis
(+ Lenten Gospel Acclamation by Mason until Vigil)
Holy Thursday:
Table of Plenty (Schutte)
Psalm “Our Blessing Cup” (Mason)
Washing of the feet
The Lord Jesus (Norbet)
As I Have Done for You (Schutte)
Gifts -Blessed Be Our God (McKenna)
Communion – Bread Broken, Wine Shared (Horner)
A New Commandment (anon)
Procession to Altar
Holy Darkness (Schutte)
Good Friday
Response – Psalm 31
O Father I put my life, my life in Your hand. (Bonighton)
Will You Love Me (Boniwell)
Behold the Wood (Schutte)
Were You There? (trad)
Into the Darkness (Dawn)
Tree of Life (Thompson)
We Remember (Haugen)
Glory in the Cross (Schutte)
Jesus Remember Me (Berthier)
Communion
Unless a Grain of Wheat (Farrell)
I Have Loved You (Joncas)
Recessional
Jesus Remember Me (Berthier)
Easter Vigil
Exultet – Christ Our Light – tune: Christ Be Our Light (Farrell)
Response – Canticle of Creation (Watts – O’Brien)
Psalm – Behold the Glory of God (O’Connor)
Psalm – Springs of Salvation (Andersen)
Gospel Acclamation Celtic Alleluia (O’Carroll – Walker)
Baptism – River of Glory (Schutte)
Gifts – Blessed be Our God (McKenna)
Communion
Our Supper Invitation (Bates)
Gather Us In (Haugen)
Alleluia No 1 (Fishel)
Thanksgiving – Jesus Is Risen (O’Brien – Ogilvie)
Recessional – Lord the Light of Your Love (Kendrick)
Easter Sunday
Morning Has Broken (Farjeon)
Ps 118 (O’Brien)
This is the day the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad Alleluia.
Gospel Acclamation – Celtic Alleluia (O’Carroll – Walker)
Gifts – Jesus is Risen (O’Brien – Ogilvie)
Communion
Table of Plenty (Schutte)
Come to the Table (Burland)
Thanksgiving – Lord the Light of Your Love (Kendrick)
Recessional – Sing to the Mountains (Dufford)
I’m pushing into the songs from Spirit and Song for a topical choice. This song is listed for washing on the feet on Thursday and I’ve never blogged it so I thought I should at least mention it. It can be purchased for download at OCP.
It is by Gregory Norbet and has been done at my current parish forever, although new to me. We will also be introducing Schutte’s “As I Have Done for You” from my previous parishes’ liturgy this year.
Refrain
The Lord Jesus, after eating with his friends,
Washed their feet and said to them:
“Do you know what I, your Lord, have done to You?
I have given you example that you also should do.”
1 “You are my friends and you can have no greater love
than to give your life for your friends.”
2 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to all who live
with sincere love for everyone.”
3 “I am the vine and you, the branch: remain in me
and you will bear abundant fruit.”
4 “Those who come to me will never thirst nor want for food,
and I will raise them up on the last day.”
© The Benedictine Foundation of the State of Vermont 1973, 1981.
A gospel song full of good intentions from Tom Booth continues the gathering and sending forth songs from Spirit & Song Vol One.
The lyrics are at spiritandsong, where you can purchase the sheet music for download. It has some tricky triplets to negotiate and the gospel feel would be easy to lose as some versions on Youtube demonstrate.
This version keeps the gospel feel and nails the coda that I couldn’t get right in my backing.
Pedro Rubalcava wrote this joyful acclamation that can be used whenever we need to thank God — so that’s always. It would be different to live in a parish where bilingual songs made sense. Here there are small groups of lots of different ethnicities but nothing like the Spanish speaking segment of the American Catholic church.
The text is at spiritandsong, where you can hear a snippet and purchase the sheet music for download in various forms.
My backing is in a slightly manic gypsy-mexican style with no offence intended.
I’m going through Spirit and Song Vol 1 looking at their gathering songs and recessionals and I’m up to this one by John D. Becker, who is another songwriter new to me.
You can find the text, listen to a snippet and purchase the song for download at spiritandsong.
You could use this anywhere the Beatitudes are referred to in the liturgy. The verses take these thoughts from Matthew and marry them to an uplifting chorus from John (the way, the truth, the life). I think it works and not just for children.
I’m still in gathering and sending songs in Spirit & Song Vol 1. Steve Angrisano wrote this entrance song that would be best for a youth mass or gathering. I know him mainly from “Go Make A Difference.”
It is upbeat and could be very noisy and joyful. There is a key change to negotiate and it is syncopated and littered with triplets to trick people up.
The text is at spiritandsong. It is available in the collection “You are the Way” at sheetmusicplus.
My backing is gratuitously noisy with over the top guitar solos but is just for learning purposes after all.
