Church Music

I’m afraid I’ve always found this song by Carey Landry on the dreary side, but someone must like it because it turns up a lot in liturgies.

It can purchased for download at OCP.

The original can be heard here and I must admit is sounds better than anything we’ve ever done with it. An Irish lady, Maureen Hegarty sings it here and I think she’s enjoying herself.

Verse 1

The love we have for you, O Lord,

Is only a shadow of your love for us;

Only a shadow of your love for us,

Your deep abiding love.

Verse 2

The bread we take and eat, O Lord,

Is your body broken and shared with us;

Your body broken and shared with us,

The gift of your great love.

Refrain

Our lives are in your hands,

Our lives are in your hands;

Our love for you will grow, O Lord;

Your light in us will shine.

Verse 3

Our own belief in you, O Lord,

Is only a shadow of your faith in us,

Only a shadow of your faith in us;

Your deep and lasting faith.

Verse 4

The dreams we share today, O Lord,

Are only a shadow of your dreams for us;

Only a shadow of your dreams for us;

If we but follow you.

Refrain

Verse 5

The joy we share today, O Lord,

Is only a shadow of your joys for us;

Only a shadow of your joys for us;

When we meet face to face.

Refrain

© Carey Landry and NALR, 1971.

A traditional Dutch hymn of anabaptist origin apparently. Not surprisingly, there some Catholic buzz on the net saying it is heretical. Considering Catholics used to drown anabaptists (hows that for baptism) its hardly surprising, but set decorators aren’t going to like an earthen floor, or being told we “are each other’s bread and wine.” I’d be happy to just see it pointing towards the real presence myself, but I’m probably a heretic too.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

Even the short snippet at AOV gives you an idea what a stirring hymn it is. My backing – not so much.

Verse 1

What is this place, where we are meeting?

Only a house, the earth its floor.

Walls and a roof, sheltering people,

Windows for light, an open door.

Yet it becomes a body that lives

When we are gathered here,

And know our God is near.

Verse 2

Words from afar, stars that are falling.

Sparks that are sown in us like seed;

Names for our God, dreams, signs and wonders

Sent from the past are all we need.

We in this place remember and speak

Again what we have heard:

God’s free redeeming word.

Verse 3

And we accept bread at his table,

Broken and shared, a living sign.

Here in this world, dying and living,

We are each other’s bread and wine.

This is the place where we can receive

What we need to increase:

Our justice and God’s peace.

© TEAM Publications 1984.

I am astonished that we use this song by Ernest Sands so much. Not that it isn’t good, but 5/4 time is not for the faint hearted. Fans of Take 5 by Dave Brubeck will be right at home.

This choir give it a red hot go even if the balance in the recording is no good. This guitar group also have a good time with the song.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

I’ve never tried to do this on BIAB. I did do a backing on Jammer a long time ago for it so I just did an MP3 render of that.

Verse 1

Sing of the Lord’s goodness Father of all wisdom,
come to him and bless his name.
Mercy he has shown us, his love is forever,
faithful to the end of days.

Refrain:
Come, then, all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness,
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.

Verse 2

Power he has wielded, honor is his garment
risen from the snares of death.
His word he has spoken, one bread he has broken,
new life he now gives to all.

Refrain

Verse 3

Courage in our darkness, comfort in our sorrow,
Spirit of our God most high;
solace for the weary, pardon for the sinner,
splendor of the living God.

Refrain

Verse 4

Praise him with your singing, praise him with the trumpet
praise God with the lute and harp;
praise him with the cymbals, praise him with your dancing,
praise God till the end of days.

Refrain

© Ernest Sands 1981.

This song by the late Peter Scholtes is one of very few songs that I sang as a young person in the Presbyterian church that turns up these days being sung in the Catholic church.

You can hear Jars of Clay do it here.  This is a nice folky version by a church. My backing is a little rocked up.

Verse 1

We are one in the Spirit,
we are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit
we are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity
may one day be restored:

Chorus

And they’ll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love.

Verse 2

We will walk with each other
we will walk hand in hand
we will walk with each other
we will walk hand in hand
and together we’ll spread the news
that God is in our land:

Chorus

Verse 3

We will work with each other
we will work side by side
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity
and save each man’s pride:

Chorus

Verse 4

All Praise to the Father
from whom all things come,
And all praise to Christ Jesus
His only Son,
and all praise to the Spirit
who makes us all one:

Refrain

© FEL Publications 1966.

This is probably the most well known of John Foley’s songs. It is a good Eucharist song and so will always be in demand.  I had to learn to sing it slowly as I tended to race it, although I can’t do it quite a slowly as the original. Nor can I do the chorus at 69bpm and only go up to 72 bpm to indicate excitement (!) and then go back to 69 bpm.

Nonetheless it is a perrenial favourite. The verse sounds a bit like “Nights in White Satin” to me. Foley also gets points for using the Didache as a source for Eucharistic imagery.

This church is racing a bit and you can see how it isn’t tranquil at all. (I’m sure done it even faster myself and made a worse job of it.) This one has the tempo under control and wants you to sing along with what sounds like a great computer backing, but has evened out the intervals in the chorus, which is annoying.

It can be purchased for download from OCP.

My backing imagines us sharing Eucharist around a campfire.

Refrain
One bread, one body,
one Lord of all,
one cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many,
throughout the earth,
we are one body in this one Lord.

Verse 1

Gentile or Jew,
servant or free,
woman or man, no more.

Refrain

Verse 2

Many the gifts,
many the works,
one in the Lord of all.

Refrain

Verse 3

Grain for the fields,
scattered and grown,
gathered to one, for all.

Refrain

© John Foley SJ and New Dawn Music 1978.

PS I’ve found the offending backing which is very fast, very MIDI, very old and very bad.

I never did get around to more excruciating lapses in taste as promised, but this fail backing is pretty grotesque. Now you know this song by Richard Gillard is respectful and sedate and dignified, but that didn’t stop me making this as a backing for it many years ago. It doesn’t sound like BIAB, so I suspect I made it with a free version of Jammer I used to use occasionally.

1. Brother, 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.

2. We are pilgrims on a journey.

We are brothers on the road.

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

(Repeat Verse #1)

 

Someone must have told me that wasn’t right and I came up with this MIDI version that sounds more like it. I’ll try and make a better one when I get to it in As One Voice Volume 2 sometime next year.

This is yet another song in As One Voice from the very prolific Bob Hurd. It is a setting of Ps 136 with additions from the Magnificat for good measure. You can hear it sung here with the usual infuriating choral sound – the verses are solos and duets and sound better.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

For some reason this song reminds me of “100 000 Fireflies” by the Magnetic Fields. I think that means they are both good songs. I can’t find any Youtube clips of churches doing the song, which might mean it isn’t screamingly popular, but there are far worse songs doing the rounds and if you need a setting for that Psalm it is worth consideration.

My backing adds jangly guitar to the mix.

Refrain

Everlasting your love.

Everlasting your love.

From age to age your covenant endures.  (Rpt 1st time only)

Verse 1

Who alone does wonders with compassion and mercy?

The God above ev’ry other pow’r: to you alone give glory!

Refrain

Verse 2

Who created the heavens, planting earth on the waters?

Who made the moon to rule over night;

Who made the sun to rule the day?

Refrain

Verse 3

Who exalts the lowly; who releases the captive,

So those oppressed find justice at last,

And those in chains find liberty?

Refrain x2 (key change)

© Bob Hurd 1988.

This song by Bernadette Farrell has a gorgeous tune and with a fair old range too. It has a touch of the show tune about it. You can listen to the original here and the choral work makes me think it would be better as a solo. This amazing uptempo and enthusiastic rendition is incoherent enough to just about confirm it as does this breathless version.

So here is a song I’ve never played that I actually think is a great song and none of the versions I’ve heard do it justice.  It would be a great tune for Easter.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

Verse 1

If you would follow me,
Follow where life will lead:
Do not look for me among the dead,
For I am hidden in pain, risen in love;
There is no harvest without sowing of grain.

Refrain:

All that is hidden will be made clear.
All that is dark now will be revealed.
What you have heard in the dark
Proclaim in the light;
What you hear in whispers
Proclaim from the housetops.

Verse 2

If you would honour me,
Honour the least of these:
You will not find me dressed in finery.
My Word cries out to be heard;
Breaks through the world:
My Word is on your lips and lives in your heart.

Refrain

Verse 3

If you would speak of me,
Live all your life in me.
My ways are not the ways that you would choose;
My thoughts are far beyond yours,
As heaven from earth:
If you believe in me my voice will be heard.

Refrain

Verse 4

If you would rise with me,
Rise through your destiny:
Do not refuse the death which brings you life,
For as the grain in the earth
Must die for rebirth,
So I have planted your life deep within mine.

Refrain

© Bernadette Farrell 1986, 1988.

Besides, “On Eagles Wings” I suspect this is Michael Joncas’ most popular song. We certainly sing it a lot although it has some challenges.  The verses are really short with the first line loud and the second soft.  The loud bit involves a jump from a low D (the last note of the chorus)to a high D (the first note of the verse).  When this fails it does so spectacularly.

Again we are singing in the voice of God so although it is scriptural from Ps 24 and Jer 31 it is very wrong, and I’m sure we’ll keep singing it.

The original can be heard here. This parish does a fine job as does this one, albeit with a few arrangement liberties.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

For some reason my backing went a bit country again.

Refrain

I have loved you with an everlasting love,
I have called you, and you are mine;
I have loved you with an everlasting love,
I have called you, and you are mine.

Verse 1

Seek the face of the lord and long for him:
He will bring you his light and his peace.

Refrain

Verse 2

Seek the face of the lord and long for him:
He will bring you his joy and his hope.

Refrain

Verse 3

Seek the face of the Lord and long for him:

He will bring you his care and his love.

Refrain

© New Dawn Music 1979.

We used to use the chorus of this as a memorial acclamation in the past, but I doubt that’s on anymore. A Taize chant by Jacques Berthier with a different tune to trip you up on each verse, it has an obvious application for Eucharist. It is a difficult song to sing gently and delicately but needs it. Listen to it as a chant here. This guitar and vocal version has different lyrics.

AOV has “come to him” but I’m sure we sing ” come to me”, which is singing in God’s voice and therefore not allowed.

Refrain
Eat this bread, drink this cup,
come to me (him) and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup,
trust in me (him) and you will not thirst.

Verse 1

I am the bread of life, the true bread sent from the Father

Refrain

Verse 2

Your ancestors ate manna in the desert,
but this is the bread come down from heaven

Refrain

Verse 3

Eat my flesh and drink my blood,
and I will raise you up on the last day

Refrain

Verse 4

Anyone who eats this bread, will live forever

Refrain

Verse 5

If you believe and eat this bread, you will have eternal life

Refrain

© Ateliers Et Presses De Taizé