Church Music

Every church musician has a folder of miscellaneous songs that are used sometimes but aren’t in the major collection their church uses. Since I’ve done backings for everything in As One Voice, I’ll put up backings from my miscellaneous folder. It is roughly alphabetical. The intent is still to learn new songs, especially for niche circumstances, and I’ll try to find where they are available to buy if you need the music. That should be interesting for those that are faded photocopies and hand scribbled music.

Firstly, this is a song by Monica Brown that I think we used for a first communion service. It was at the end and functioned as a blessing from the community to the children and I think it does that task beautifully.

It is from her Praise and Blessings collection. You can hear the song at her site and buy the sheet music or CD there as well, just scroll down until you find it.

A blessing song for you, we sing from our hearts.

We thank our God for you, for the gift that you are.

And we pray now that the seed of His love

May grow in your heart,

And as you grow may you always know

How precious you are in the eyes of our God.

May his face smile on you, bringing joy to you.

And as you grow may you always know…

How precious you are in the eyes of our God.

© Monica Brown and Emmaus Productions 1986.

I’ve finished making backing tracks to learn new songs from these collections. I may put up other versions as time goes by, but even the ropey ones are adequate to their purpose.

I’ve had some feedback from choirs who are using them to get ready for practice and some places that use the backings at Mass for lack of musicians. I can tell from the stats page that schools are using the backings as well.

I don’t use these in mass myself these days as I’m comfortable that my guitar will suffice.

I’ll put up further backings, starting with songs we commonly sing that aren’t in AOV. I’ve put a few of these up already, so it always worth searching the blog in case I’ve already done one that you are looking for. I might even get back to the original intention of the blog and look at music in the liturgy as it applies to a suburban church, who knows.

I appreciate comments and feedback and any suggestions.  I’ve been busy with work and study lately so requests for songs I haven’t heard of and for which I have no sheet music have had to wait.

Paul Inwood writes interesting tunes and this is one of them.  It is a setting of Ps 16 but can be used generally. The first three verses have enough subtle differences to trick the assembly and the fourth is really different, so it requires some work to get the benefit of his delightful psalm, or resort will have to be made to a cantor.

AOV have an excerpt to listen to. This is a very slow version. This one is done very well.

This church shows how hard it is to keep together with this song.

Refrain:

O Lord, you are the center of my life:

I will always praise you,

I will always serve you,

I will always keep you in my sight.

 

1. Keep me safe, O God, I will take refuge in you.

I say to the Lord, “You are my God.

My happiness lies in you alone;

my happiness lies in you alone.”

 

Refrain

 

2. I will bless the Lord who give me counsel,

who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight:

since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

 

Refrain

 

3. And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;

even in safety shall my body rest.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead,

nor let your beloved know decay.

 

Refrain

 

4. You will show me the path of life,

the fullness of joy in your presence,

at your right hand, at your right hand

happiness forever.

 

Refrain

 

© Paul Inwood 1985.

A gentle, lovely song about being community by Richard Gillard. The sample at AOV shows it is best with minimal or no instrumental backing.

There are some good versions on the net: here, here, and here for example. There are lots of others, including one by the man himself with his original lyrics. I’ve used the lyrics printed in AOV.

I posted a dreadful fail backing I made of this song here. I hope this is better.

Will you 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.

We are pilgrims on a journey.
We are trav’lers on the road.
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.

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.

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

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.

Will you 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.

© Scripture in Song 1977.

A song for nativity plays that allows for a lot of dressing up. It was written by Leigh Newton and you can hear a sample at AOV.

1. At Christmas time the birds all sing
The rabbits jump, the lizards crawl
At Christmas time the outback rings
All for the birth of God

Chorus

For the birth of God, the wallabies hop
For the birth of God, the cockatoos squawk
For the birth of God, the platypus swims
For the birth of God, the kookaburra laughs
For the birth of God was such exciting news
They’d never heard before
They came from all the land
To see this baby in the straw.

2. And if you were there you would have heard
The wise old kangaroo
“Oh, I’ve starved in droughts, I’ve swum the floods,
“I’ve hopped around, both up and down,
“Through hills and plains I’ve never seen
“Such a baby in the straw.”

Chorus

3. And if you were there you would have heard
The wise little bandicoot.
“Oh, I’ve snuffled and fossicked the midnight scrub
“I’ve been in logs and fogs and bogs,
“Well bless my days, I’ve never heard
“Of a baby in the straw.”

Chorus

4. And if you were there you would have heard
The wise old noisy crow.
“Oh, I’ve flown this land, seen many a baby
“Born in burrows, trees and furrows,
“Yet this one outshines them all,
“This baby in the straw.”

Chorus

© Leigh Newton 1984.

Another Taize chant from Jacques Berthier. Go to AOV for a sample in English.

Also known as La Tenebre you can hear it in French here, and AOV has it in eleven languages.

Our darkness is never darkness in your sight:

The deepest night is clear as the daylight.

© Ateliers Et Presses De Taizé

This is a socially aware text by Shirley Erena Murray set to a traditional sounding tune by Hal Hopson. Listen to the sample at AOV. You can get a copy of the sheet music, without chords, from Hope publishing.

My backing is fake organ at 90 bpm.

 1. Here in the busy city now let the Church be seen

Where lesser gods are worshipped in money and machine;

Where news is but sensation, the Good News hardly heard

Now let the Church take action in living out the Word!

2. In policies and planning the Church be there to speak

To moderate the powerful, to argue for the weak:

Where law must sit in judgment and love is little known,

There at the crisis centre the Christ concern be shown.

3. Where litter chokes the gutter and people go to waste,

Where joblessness is bitter and living lost its taste

To underleavened people the proof of rising yeast,

In lives devoid of flavour be saltiness released.

4. Here in the busy city God walks on every street

In generous or greedy, the honest or the cheat,

And daily we must offer the good that goes unpriced

With vigour and with vision the lifestyle of the Christ.

© Hope Publishing Company & Shirley Erena Murry

NB Shirley Erena Murray’s work may be accessed here at Hope Publishing and may be printed as a one off copy. Absolutely no alterations are to be made to the text. Any other use requires permission from the author.

This song comes up from time to time and I’ve never found a way of singing it that I approve of.  The text is by Damian Lundy and no-one will admit to have written the music.

The sample at AOV is about as good as it gets. Perhaps it can be saved by children singing it. This organ version sounds like a hurdy gurdy.

My version is a little Latin in desperation.

1. The Spirit lives to set us free,
walk, walk in the light.
He binds us all in unity,
walk, walk in the light.

Refrain

Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord

2. Jesus promised life to all,
walk, walk in the light.
The dead were wakened by his call,
walk, walk in the light.

Refrain

3. He died in pain on Calvary,
walk, walk in the light,
to save the lost like you and me,
walk, walk in the light.

Refrain

4. We know his death was not the end,
walk, walk in the light.
He gave his Spirit to be our friend,
walk, walk in the light.

Refrain

5. By Jesus’ love our wounds are healed,
walk, walk in the light.
The Father’s kindness is revealed,
walk, walk in the light.

Refrain

6. The Spirit lives in you and me,
walk, walk in the light.
His light will shine for all to see,
walk, walk in the light

Refrain

© Kevin Mayhew Ltd 1978.

We use this Marty Haugen song a lot. It is 3/4 in AOV but has more of a 6/8 feel and is an excellent recessional. The sample has a bored sounding children’s choir, some nice percussion and is somewhat slower than I’m used to doing it.

The text is at Cantus Mundi. It can be purchased at GIA.

You can hear it with choralography here and that is more the tempo we use.

My backing is an old MIDI file put through Pro tools.

I have a vague recollection of doing this Brian Boniwell song many years ago, but certainly not lately. It is a gentle 6/8 song with a bridge after the second refrain. The sample gives the feel of the song, but is not an especially strong performance.

Refrain

Open the heavens, Lord; come to your people.

Hide not your face, O God.

Open the heavens, Lord, come to your people.

Open the heavens and come.

Verse 1

Look on the sheep of your pasture, Lord.

Water your vineyard again.

Scattered and broken, return to our aid.

Open the heavens and come.

Refrain

Bridge

Wake, awake, O Israel;

See the light has come.

Rise and clothe yourself in strength,

Know your Lord is near

Verse 2

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, today.

Listen to hear when he comes.

Know that salvation will break like the dawn.

Open the heavens and come.

Refrain

Open the heavens and come.

Open the heavens and come.

© Brian Boniwell 1986.