Church Music

I’ve had the chance to play this mass at our new parish for a while now and I think I have the hang of it now. The backings I made for it here are pretty average and the Sanctus is much too fast in my backing so just ignore that.

The music is rather subtle and I like playing it on guitar because it has lots of interesting chords and rhythmic invention. Its weakness may be that it can get stomped all over by an assembly and lose all its nuance. Perhaps this is a mass for small assemblies and minimal accompaniment.

I think these backings for the Gloria and Holy Holy are less terrible.

Having made backings to the parts of this mass, I can see why people are so impressed by Liam Lawton‘s setting. The tunes are lovely and, as with most of the masses I’ve looked at here, I’d love to listen to an enthusiastic assembly sing it.

It would be a challenge to teach with the wide vocal range of the Gloria and the timing issues in the Sanctus but if they were overcome it would be a inspiring setting to unleash on your assembly.

The guitar version that I bought here includes the SATB parts, which is great if you want them, but simple strummers like me may prefer melody line + chords and nothing else. I was surprised to find MIDI versions on the web that may be of use if you plug these files into your keyboard.

The last song from Liam Lawton’s Glendalough Mass is his Agnes Dei. This is a reverent litany in a restrained waltz time.  He has John Bell’s knack of writing music that fits so well with its idiom that it could be a classic folk tune from centuries ago.  This sounds very singable indeed. The repetition at the end serves the tune and resolves the piece neatly.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,

Grant us peace, grant us peace.

The music liturgy team has chosen these songs for mass. We are still using Paul Taylor’s Mass of St Francis, supplemented by the Celtic Alleluia as a Gospel Acclamation.

Entrance: Summoned By Love (O’Brien/Watts) AOV 2/18

Psalm 119 (Jenny O’Brien)

Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord.

Offertory: Our Supper Invitation (Bates) AOV 1/185

Communion: Lord to Whom Shall We Go (Herry) AOV 1/6

To Be Your Bread (Haas) AOV 1/65

Thanksgiving: We Walk By Faith (Haugen) AOV 1/63

Recessional: Sing a New Song (Schutte) AOV 1/80

I haven’t bothered with the Lord’s Prayer settings in the past, but one of my current aims is to get our parish singing it.  The options are to learn the Lord’s Prayer of whatever mass setting is being sung, our perhaps something like the Australian chant setting that I understand quite a few parishioners vaguely remember.  It will be a point of discussion, but I also need to convince people that this is actually meant to be sung.

Our Father’s are often almost as upbeat as the Gloria but this one is a restrained flowing piece with three recognizably similar motifs (Our Father… , Thy kingdom… , and As we forgive… ) acting as microverses and a micro bridge (Give us…) It is a thoughtful piece of composition.

In the music I have there is no music for after the embolus so assume none is intended.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Liam Lawton’s Glendalough Mass continues with the Great Amen.  I should add that there is music for the introduction to the memorial acclamations (ie “The Mystery of Faith”) if you can rouse your presider, and here the doxology also is set.

My backing is somewhat stodgy and the feel should be lighter, but as always this is merely to sing along to to help the learning process for those of us who can’t just look at the music and sing.

Amen, amen, amen,amen.

Fr Lawton’s setting is all you could hope for when singing one word four times, each in a different way and in only twenty seconds or so.

Continuing with Liam Lawton’s Glendalough Mass, I am up to the acclamations.

We proclaim your death, O Lord,

and profess your resurrection until you come again.

When we eat this bread and drink this cup,

we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.

Save us, Saviour of the world,

Save us, Saviour of the world,

for by your cross and resurrection you have set us free,

you have set us free.

They are serviceable and delicate tunes that will have no trouble with their liturgical purpose. He again adds repeated phrases to make the text easier to set.

Mary commented that the Gloria from this mass had a vocal range that was beyond even musically adept assemblies. I fear this gorgeous tune may be a problem for other reasons. The 4/4 to 3/4 shift that occurs several times sounds fine to me after about twenty listens, but I suspect it would be difficult to teach.

You will also note the added repetitions to the text, which allow the tune to fly but may not be to everyone’s preference.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,

Lord God of hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

 

This parish is having no trouble with the timings:

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

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.