Church Music

This is a gentle chant by Monica Brown. This is a sample.

 Gather us, O God.

Body, spirit, soul and mind.

Gather us, O God.

One in union now with you.

© Monica Brown and Emmaus Productions 1991.

A traditionally styled hymn, but written in the 80s, with words by Anthony Kelly and music by Christopher Willcock. Listen to the sample at AOV to get the idea.

This was the official hymn for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Australia in 1986.

My backing is all fake brass and organ.

1. Lord of life and Lord of nations,

Giving peace, you make us one,

Heart of flesh for heart of stone,

Break the walls of all divisions.

Your Kingdom come with this its sign:

Our song, this prayer: let peace now reign!

 

2. Lengths of love beyond all measure,

Heights of love which now do call,

Breadth of love as room for all,

Depths of love where hides the treasure:

Through Christ, our Way, we find true peace,

A world made whole in God’s embrace.

 

3. Visions new and ancient dreaming,

See the love beyond all death;

New the heavens new the earth,

Promise of the Kingdom coming.

Through Christ, the wounds of all this world.

In God’s own peace will then be healed.

© Anthony Kelly CSSR and Christopher Willcock SJ 1986.

A song for the prayer of the faithful from Nicaragua arranged and with English words by John Bell of the Wild Goose Resource Group. You can here an excerpt in Spanish at AOV.

 1. For the world and all its people

we address our prayers to God.

Refrain

Confidently, all can worship

in the presence of the Lord.

2. All the powerless, the hungry,

are most precious to their God.

3. For the poor God has a purpose,

for the desperate, a word.

4. Christ is here and Christ is stronger

than the strength of sin or sword.

5. God will fill the earth with justice

when our will and his accord.

©WGRG, Iona Community, 1990.

http://www.iona.org.uk/wgrg_home.php

This is a song I hadn’t heard of until a request for a backing came in today.

What is truly remarkable is that Band in a Box figured the chords out and knowing that makes it fairly easy to pick the notes out and then arrange them on BIAB until the sound is something like the recording and then you have a backing. It still took an hour or so to do, but it is Anzac Day in Australia today and I had the day off. It is obviously easier if you have the sheet music already and if you intend to use this you should go to GIA and buy the sheet music.

This is the Youtube video that I listened to get the tune. I had to ignore the embellishments from the singer and my notes are likely to be approximate.

My backing is 64 bpm and I left the extra bar that builds up to the last chorus in situ.

Refrain

We will drink the cup.

We will win the fight.

We will stand against the darkness of the night.

We will run the race

And see God’s face,

And build the Kingdom of love.

Verse 1

Do not fear for I am with you.

Be still and know that I am God.

Refrain

Verse 2

You will run and not grow weary,

For I your God will be your strength.

Refrain

Verse 3

We are the Church, we are the Body.

We are God’s great work of art.

Refrain

And build the Kingdom of love.

© 1991 GIA

We are in a run of social justice songs in the second volume of As One Voice. This is by Sydney Carter. The sample at AOV lets you know the folk styling required and also the freedom with phrasing that is used.

This is a nice choral arrangement. I’m not sure about this bar band version.

My backing is at 75 bpm and much less ambitious.

1.
When I needed a neighbour
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour
Were you there?
And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
Were you there?

2.
I was hungry and thirsty …
3.
I was cold, I was naked …
4.
When I needed a shelter …
5.
When I needed a healer …

6.

When they put me in prison…

7.
Wherever you travel
I’ll be there, I’ll be there.
Wherever you travel
I’ll be there.
And the creed and the colour
And the name won’t matter
I’ll be there.

© Stainer and Bell 1965.

I’ve had a request for a backing for this Lamb of God. We used to use this Mass but I don’t think it has been updated.  The Lamb of God doesn’t change though and this is a backing I made last millennium for it.  We usually brought this mass down two semitones but this is the original key.

This is another text by Shirley Erena Murray set to an older piece of music, this time by John Hughes. The sample at AOV demonstrates the traditional sounding tune with a radical message. Use it if you can’t sing “Who Will Speak?”

Verse 1

Sing a song for peace and justice,

Speak for those who cannot speak!

Claim the world for peace and justice:

Let the strong support the weak.

Refrain

Light a candle in the darkness;

Hope and freedom must not die!

Hope and freedom must not die!

Verse 2

You who live in happy places,

Who can laugh and speak and sing,

Listen for the other voices

Mute with fear and suffering.

Refrain

Verse 3

Thousands cry in nameless prisons,

Plead with powers who hold the key:

Plead that human rights be honoured,

That the innocent go free.

Refrain

Words © Shirley Erena Murray

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 is another recent text used on an older tune. Sr Miriam Therese Winter wrote the words and the tune is by Frederick C. Maker. It is supposed to sound like the sample at AOV.

You can read a bio of Sr Winter here.

My backing went a little strange, but should be fine for learning, if nothing else.

1 We praise You, God of all the earth,

and all Your ways we bless.

In You all love begins and ends.

Your universal love transcends our own dividedness.

2 We call to You with words we clothe

in cultures of our own.

You rise above all cultic claims

to answer to our many names, a God as yet unknown.

3 O Wisdom, wait within us, wake

our weary hearts to praise.

Empowering the powerless

and strengthening with gentleness, ’til all embrace Your ways.

4 Our many paths all lead to You

in ev’ry time and place.

Our hearts rejoice in serving You,

make all we are and all we do a channel of your grace.

5 We turn to You, O Sacred Source

of hope and harmony.

Our work on earth will not be done,

’til human hearts all beat as one in global unity.

© Medical Mission Sisters 1991.

Frenzy Cool must have a big event coming up, because she’s looking for another backing, this time for this old chestnut. It was a hit for Red Foley in 1950 and was recorded several more times in America. Frenzy Cool recommended the Aiza Seguerra version. This version is from 1950 and sounds like it.

With no music to go on, I fed the tune into Band in a Box, which found the chords easily enough and the melody was guessed, so it might be approximate. This follows the Seguerra arrangement exactly.

Our Lady of Fatima, we come on bended knee

To beg your intercession, for peace and unity.

Dear Mary, won’t you show us, the right and shining way?

We pledge you love and offer you a rosary each day.

We promised at Fatima each time that you appeared

To help us if we pray to you to banish war and fear.

Dear Lady on first Saturdays, we ask your guiding hand

For peace and guidance here on earth and protection for our land.

(key change)

Our Lady of Fatima, we come on bended knee

To beg your intercession, for peace and unity.

Dear Mary, won’t you show us, the right and shining way?

We pledge you love and offer you a rosary each day.

We pledge you love and offer you a rosary each day.

UPDATE

Mary at Godsongs has posted a link to the sheet music.

This is another newish text, this time by Shirley Erena Murray, to an old tune by David Gregof Corner (seventeenth century). A sample can be heard at AOV.

At Hope publications they have four settings, including this one, of this text. You can hear a slow organ version here.

1 Loving Spirit, loving Spirit,

you have chosen me to be–

you have drawn me to your wonder,

you have set your sign on me.

2 Like a mother, you enfold me,

hold my life within your own,

feed me with your very body,

form me of your flesh and bone.

3 Like a father, you protect me,

teach me the discerning eye,

hoist me up upon your shoulder,

let me see the world from high.

4 Friend and lover, in your closeness

I am known and held and blessed;

in your promise is my comfort,

in your presence I may rest.

5 Loving Spirit, loving Spirit,

you have chosen me to be–

you have drawn me to your wonder,

you have set your sign on me.

© Hope Publishing Company & The Hymn Society