This jaunty hymn of praise is by Bob Dufford. It says to do lightly but it needs at least some energy, preferably more than in the original here. I like this enthusiastic version : for all its technical faults it is much more like it.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

The first three verses have pretty much the same tune but the fourth is something else again.

Refrain
Let heaven rejoice and earth be glad;
Let all creation sing.
Let children proclaim to every land:
Hosanna to the King.

Verse 1

Sound the trumpet into the night;
The day of the Lord is near.
Wake His people, lift your voice,
Proclaim it to the world.

Refrain

Verse 2

Rise in splendor, shake off your sleep;
Put on your robes of joy.
And in the morning you shall see
The glory of the Lord.

Refrain

Verse 3

Raise your voices, be not afraid.
Proclaim it in every land.
Christ has died, but he has risen;
He will come again.

Refrain

Verse 4

Sing a new song unto the Lord,

For he has done wonderful deeds.

And praise him, thank him, dance before him,

Play before the Lord.

Refrain

There are also Christmas verses you can use:

Nations tremble, wise men amazed
A child is born this night
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Our Father, Prince of Peace

Songs of angels
Glory on High
And Peace to men on earth
I bear glad tidings
Born this day
Your Savior and Your God

© Robert Dufford SJ 1972.

An old hymn from the 1800s by Folliot S. Pierpoint and Conrad Kocher. It sounds like all the hymns I sang as a child.  The lyrics in As One Voice have had all the
“thee”s removed and I’ve seen extra verses and different wordings – these lyrics are as in As One Voice.

This is a lovely guitar and vocal version and this piano and vocal. For a modern jazz version (I kid you not) listen here. A more usual organ setting can be heard here.  Lastly a rather delicate choral version by the MTC. There are some odd settings on You tube for this one but most are the other setting of these words by Rutter.

My backing is BIAB church organ I’m afraid.

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to you we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night;
Hill and vale and tree and flow’r,
Sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to you we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child;
Friends on Earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to you we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy church that evermore,
Lifts its holy hands above;
Off’ring up on ev’ry shore,
A pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to you we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For yourself, O Gift Divine,
To our world so freely giv’n,
For that love from which will shine,
Peace on earth and joy in heav’n.
Lord of all, to you we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 

This song by Peter Kearney dates itself – it was written in 1970 – by its sheer oddness and abandon and, heaven forbid, creativity. Even just the first two lines are simple, direct and profound and it gets better. Listen to the snippet at As One Voice here.

The text is here (scroll down). You could visit his website.

My backing has real tracks finger picking guitar over a folky strumming MIDI backing..

This is a chant designed to be a round by Erica Marshall. You may recall her Mass of God’s People that I blogged recently. This could be used all over the place in many liturgies and is simple and heartfelt. The snippet here has very ominous background music and what sounds like gunfire in the background. I’m not sure it needs to quite as heavy as that even though with only one chord, some sort of drone instrument would work fine.  I’d love to hear the round without accompaniment with 3 parts starting a bar apart as suggested by the music.

Jesus, Sun of Justice, arise within our hearts;

Shine into our darkness and drive away our night.

Melt our cold and stony fear; enflesh our hearts with love.

Love will hear our people cry, and love will bring them home.

© Erica Marshall

Another Bob Hurd song that you can hear at this site. It is a lovely tune although the ensemble singing doesn’t really take off until the chorus is sung at the same time as the verse from the third verse onwards. It has a touch the Hank Mancinis about it ( a good thing). It is a setting of Psalm 42 and this site gives a nice appreciation of the piece.

This ensemble (allowing for average sound quality) probable do the tune more justice that the original.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

My backing is stripped back.

Refrain

As the deer longs for running streams,
so I long, so I long, so I long for you.

Verse 1

A-thirst my soul for you the God who is my life!
When shall I see, when shall I see,
see the face of God?

Refrain

Verse 2
Echoes meet as deep is calling unto deep,
over my head, all your mighty waters,
sweeping over me.

Refrain

Verse 3
Continually the foe delights in taunting me:
“Where is God, where is your God?”
Where, O where, are you?

Refrain

Verse 4

Defend me, God, send forth your light and your truth,
they will lead me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.

Refrain

Verse 5
Then I shall go unto the altar of my God.
Praising you, O my joy and gladness,
I shall praise your name.

Refrain

© Bob Hurd 1988.

Bob Hurd’s song “Be It Done Unto Me” is a Mary song that is gentle and subtle, flowing from major chorus to minor verse, and is another one ready for Advent. You can hear the original version here.

It can be purchased at OCP.

Refrain

Be it done unto me.

Be it done unto me.

Verse 1

How can you who encompass all things be encompassed by me?

In whose image I’m wondrously made, be made, then, of me.

Refrain

Verse 2

This my body and this my blood: take and receive.

They are you now, O child of my womb. O fruit of my tree.

Refrain

Verse 3

I will love you with an unfailing love, so wide and so deep,

That the arrow that pierces your side will surely pierce me.

Refrain

© Bob Hurd 1986

This Victorian era translation (R F Littledale) of a 15th century text (Bianco do Sienna) with a tune by Ralph Vaughn Williams is a nice old hymn.

Listen to a stirring version here.

My backing is the usual BIAB church organ sound I’m afraid.

1.	Come down, O Love divine,
	seek thou this soul of mine,
	and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
	O Comforter, draw near,
	within my heart appear,
	and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing. 

2.	O let it freely burn,
	till earthly passions turn
	to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
	and let thy glorious light
	shine ever on my sight,
	and clothe me round, the while my path illuming. 

3.	And so the yearning strong,
	with which the soul will long,
	shall far outpass the power of human telling;
	for none can guess its grace,
	till Love create a place
	wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

© Oxford University Press

Sr Sandra Sears of the Community of St Barnabas and St Cecilia wrote this Mary song that has lots of relevance for Advent, which is coming soon. There is no sample at the AOV site of this song but I think my backing will give you the idea. It sounds like a carol and though I’ve never heard of it, it may be another lost classic from AOV.

Refrain

Babe and boy, child and man.

Mary’s joy, Mary’s pain.

None so close to his heart

Than the heart of Lady Mary.

 

Verse 1

God of glory, God of grace, bending into time and space.

Shedding his majesty, clothed in humanity,

Seeking humility for his resting place.

Refrain

Verse 2

Mary, then, with wondrous delight, bears within this child of light.

Joys in his growing, pleasure bestowing,

Love overflowing, bringing love to life.

Refrain

Verse 3

Lady Mary bears with joy sorrows of the heav’nly boy.

Weeps with his crying, sighs for his sighing,

Grieves for his dying, loveliness destroyed.

Refrain

Verse 3

We, like Lady Mary mild, bring to birth the holy child.

Greet with elation Lord of salvation.

Our recreation in this babe abides

Final refrain

Babe and boy, God and man.

All our joy, all our gain.

None so close to our hearts

Than the son of Lady Mary.

© Sandra Sears CSBC

Michael Joncas is famous for his setting of Psalm 91 called “On Eagles Wings,” but he also wrote this setting, which is a more standard Psalm setting. You can hear it at this site.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

Each verse has a different tune but the first three have some congruance with a shared chord progression – the last verse is just completely different. He resorts to the word           ” ‘gainst” in verse 3 to get it to fit.

If you have the old AOV guitar version I use there is an error p201 second line, the last note of the second bar is an Eb not an E.

I’m not sure about this song.  I kept hearing “On Eagles Wings” instead. My backing is a little jazzy to try and freshen it up.

Refrain

Be with, Lord; be with me, Lord,

When I am in trouble and need.  (rpt 1^st time only)

 

Verse 1

You who dwell in the shelter of God most high,

Who abide in Almighty’s shade,

Say to the Lord: “My refuge, my stronghold,

My God, in whom I trust.”

Refrain

Verse 2

Evil shall never befall you,

Nor affliction come near to your tent.

Unto his angels he’s given command

To guard you in all your ways.

Refrain

Verse 3

On their hands the angels will bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot ‘gainst a stone.

Lion or viper might strike at your life

But you will not come to harm.

Refrain

Verse 4

Cling to the Lord and he’ll surely deliver you:

He raises up all who call on his name.

He will bring joy to your hearts

And bless you with peace all in your days.

Refrain

© Michael Joncas 1981,1982.

This is a song by Marist Priest Kevin Bates. It comes from Psalm 32 but our liturgy teams have used it at other times and also just as a response when it fitted. Listen to the snippet here to see how gently it has to be done. It is often sung these days with gender neutral terms for God, but that isn’t the text in AOV 1. This young lady does a fine job singing the altered lyrics.

It can be purchased for download at As One Voice.

My backing lacks a little subtlety.

Refrain

Lord let your mercy be on us
as we place our trust in you.

Verse 1

The word of the Lord is faithfulness and love.
His love can never be measured.

His beauty is like nothing we have ever seen,
so let us place our trust in him.

Refrain

Verse 2

The word of the Lord means a patient, gentle God.
His love can never grow weary.

His mercy is as though our sins have never been,
if we can place our trust in him.

Refrain

Verse 3

The word of the Lord is fire burning strong
His love can never grow weary.

He will seek and save the lost until we all return,
so let us place our trust in him.

Refrain

© Kevin Bates 1989.