This is another Marty Haugen song that I’ve never heard sung, except in the sample at AOV and the sample from GIA. We use Dan Schutte’s “Table of Plenty” instead, which is in AOV 2.
It is very long and as written is a solo piece with the assembly singing responses. I see no reason why the assembly couldn’t sing the whole thing but I suspect you would have to pick and choose the verses to sing and possibly dispense with the key change since I doubt you’ll make it to the fifth verse. That is unless you are baptising an awful lot of people at once, in which case, knock yourself out.
I’m still using my battered (so battered it is no longer combined) combined AOV Vol1&2 guitar book I bought years ago. I was looking around the AOV site for something else and discovered it has been reissued with the new mass settings (and Yahweh expurgated). It gives you 320 songs for $70 so if you don’t own AOV 1&2 and just want melody line and chords this is a great idea. AOV 1&2 have the cream of the overseas repertoire and Australian songs collected that are pretty much unavailable elsewhere. … and don’t forget AOV Next Gen that I blogged from last September, which has a higher proportion of Australian songs than the original AOV collections and a more contemporary feel.
They also have an increasing number of individual songs for download as sheet music. These are all Australian songs I believe, so this helps if you don’t really need the whole collection.
This song sounds very seventies from the perspective of lyrics. Writen by Gregory Norbet in the seventies when he was still a monk, there is something vaguely disturbing about a line ” and for me that’s just where it is”. We’ve sung it a lot and I suppose in fifty years it will be a shining example of the best of mid twentieth century hymnody.
You could just use the refrain as a mantra and in that form it has been combined with what I think is a sufi chant.
Christopher Walker wrote this paraphrase of the Nicene Creed back in the 80s when that was OK. I suspect it isn’t any more as “we” don’t believe anymore, “I” believe. Incredibly he manages this without ever using the word consubstantial.
It is not easy to set the creed to music, even in paraphrase, but this is not a bad piece of music at all. I can’t find much on the net about it but there is this solo guitar/vocal version.
If you don’t have AOV or have it in another collection and so need the music, the downloads of these songs are ridiculously cheap. If you scroll through the OCP site you can add this piece to the cart for about $2. The sample pdf suggests playing capo 3 and that will hurt your guitarist a lot less. (ie You can purchase this for download at OCP.)
Refrain
We believe in God the Father, we believe in God the Son,
We believe in God the Spirit, God the three and God the one.
Verse 1
God who made all there is, all of the things we see:
The earth, the sky, the land, the seas,
The flowers, the fishes, animals and trees.
God who made heaven and earth,
Mighty God who gave us birth.
Refrain
Verse 2
Jesus was born for us, Jesus, God’s only Son.
He was crucified, on the cross he died,
But then he rose again, ascended into heav’n.
Jesus, God’s only Son,
You will judge us every one.
Refrain
Verse 3
And we believe in you, Spirit of God
The Lord, who speaks God’s word through holy people,
Spirit of the Father, Spirit of the son.
Spirit of God the Lord,
Gives us life and makes us one.
Refrain
Verse 4
And we believe in one Church filled with the saints of God.
This song by David Haas has always been in high rotation at our church. You can hear it done properly here. There is no way an assembly can do the light and shade shown there and the long high notes at the end of the verse are a little hopeful really. It’s popularity suggests the words must be resonating.
Anglican Sr Sandra Sears from South Australia had a couple of her songs from the eighties turn up in As One Voice. I suppose this is a children’s song but you have to applaud creativity when applied simply and Christmas is upon us so it may have a place this year.
My heart is a stable, all lowly with animals.
My heart is a manger, all bedded with hay.
My heart is a wrapping, a mantle of swaddling bands.
My heart is a cradle where my Lord Jesus lay.
My heart kneels before him, my Jesus in a manger.
My heart pleads forgiveness for so mean a bed.
My heart offers incense and gold to this kingly child.
My heart lays these gifts at his feet and his head.
My heart is a stable he takes for his mansion.
My heart is a manger he takes for his throne.
My heart is a wrapping of thanks for his loveliness.
This is a Marty Haugen song that I don’t know at all, which I think means my thought that our church had sung everything he had ever written turns out to be an exaggeration. It goes a bit high in the verses, which might have led to it being ignored locally. The fourth verse varies the tune and the first half of the refrain is repeated as a coda.
The text is here. It can be purchased for download at GIA.
This is one of Paul Inwood’s stirring hymns. It is deceptively clever song, designed as a two part canon, with the parts one bar apart in the refrain and two bars apart in the verses. It is a bit odd discussing a hymn from the 80s, that I’m sure is well known, that I’ve never heard before. I suppose without the canon it is a lesser work and maybe that is why we have never sung it in our church.
This is another song that I am blogging for completeness rather than education. I grew up singing this song in the Presbyterian church – we did not call it Crimond then – it just was “The Lord is My Shepherd”. I find it hard not to sing “maketh” but that is just childhood imprinting.
I have added the bar after “lie” and “by” that I sang as a child. BIAB does not do 3/2 so this will have to do.
The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
Even for His own Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
Yet will I fear none ill;
For Thou art with me; and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God’s house forevermore
My dwelling place shall be.
This is a chant by Rufino Zaragoza a Franciscan brother from California. I’m thinking of the introduction to the Easter Vigil Mass as a place to use this, but a lovely simple piece like this has lots of uses.
I can’t find it at OCP and I think the original collection is out of print, so you may have to use As One Voice as your source for this song.
I've worked my way through the As One Voice books and other collections making backings on Band in a Box to help me (& you if you're interested) learn new songs for church. This is aimed at churches and musicians that own the collections but haven't exploited them fully. If you don't have them they are certainly worth buying. This site is educational, nonprofit and designed to enhance the commercial prospects of songwriters. This site does not distribute copyrighted sheet music.
Disclaimer
Any opinions expressed here are personal views and not the responsibility of any Church.
All music backings posted are created by myself and the intention is for them to be used to learn the songs. If any copyright holder wishes me to cease publicising and promoting their wares and directing people to where sheet music can be legally purchased please let me know.
Mason’s “Mass of Glory and Praise”
To access my backings for Paul Mason's mass go to Feb 2011 in the archive.
