Church Music

This song by Bob Dufford has no right to be so popular. Marrying selections from the Beatitudes with passages from Isaiah is an interesting way to link Jesus with the God of the Old Testament I suppose, but the fiddly timings should have made it unsingable.  Perhaps we sometimes need to hear the voice of God coming from our gathering telling us to stop being so anxious. In any case, I suspect the assemblies just smoothed the harsh edges off it and sang with less extreme stacatto and went with it. Sometimes they smooth things off so every note is regular 4/4 on the beat and I hope Bob Dufford never had to listen to it played like that. I think the notes as written are best left for a solo but hopefully most groups still sing it with some approximation of his spacings.

I note it is suggested as a funeral song but it turns up everywhere.  Of course as it is sung in the voice of God it is now all wrong.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

The original is here. This choir smooths things out a bit. I think the written speed is too slow – my backing takes it up a bit and I think it works.

Verse 1
You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.

Refrain
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.

Verse 2
If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow’r of hell and death is at your side, know that
I am with you through it all.

Refrain

Verse 3

Blessed are your poor, for the kingdom shall be theirs.
Blest are you that weep and mourn, for one day you shall laugh. And if wicked men insult and hate you all because of me, blessed, blessed are you!

Refrain

© Robert Dufford SJ and New Dawn Music 1975.

I like a tune with the instruction, “vigorously” written on it. Carey Landry is better known for tunes that are not at all vigorous – “Only a Shadow”, “Abba Father”, “Hail Mary Gentle Woman,” – you get the picture, so it is nice that he let his hair down for once and threw a thumper out for us.  Based on Zeph 3 it would be great for recessional use although I must admit I’ve never heard it before. All three verses have different tunes and lengths which is either odd or interesting, but the call and response chorus is worth the effort. I suppose we should substitute “the Lord” for “Yahweh” in the verses. (a good guess)

It can purchased at OCP, and the official revised text is here.

You can listen to the original after a preamble here. A little less vigorous is this version. My backing lacks the responses but you’ll get the idea.

Refrain

And the Father will dance as on the day of joy

He will exult over you and renew you by His love

And the Father will dance as on the day of joy

He will exult over you and renew you by His love

 

Verse 1

Shout for joy, all you, His people

Sing aloud and exult with all your heart,

For Yahweh, your God is in your midst.

 

Refrain

Verse 2

You have no more evil to fear

You have no more evil to fear

Do not let your hands fall limp,

For Yahweh, your God is in your midst.

 

Refrain

Verse 3

And when the time comes I will rescue the lame,

And when the time comes I will gather the strays,

And when the time comes I will be your guide.

I will gather you in and give you renown

Among all peoples.                       

Refrain

He will renew you by His love!

© NALR 1977,1978.

This is Dan Schutte’s very popular song that is now wrong because it says the “Yahweh” word. He writes perceptively about the problem here and the revised text is here. It sings better with the original text.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

You can hear it with organ and choir here and I suspect this is the original.

I think we have stopped using it although it was in high rotation for a long time. There are subtle differences in the melody between the verses, which we have always completely ignored.

Refrain

Yahweh, I know you are near,
standing always at my side.
You guard me from the foe,
and you lead me in ways ever-lasting.

Verse 1
Lord, you have searched my heart,
and you know when I sit and when I stand.
Your hand is upon me protecting me from death,
keeping me from harm.
Refrain

Verse 2
Where can I run from your love?
If I climb to the heavens you are there;
if I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea,
still I’d find you there.

Refrain

Verse 3
You know my heart and its ways,
you who formed me before I was born
in the secret of darkness before I saw the sun
in my mother’s womb.

Refrain

Verse 4
Marvelous to me are your works;
how profound are your thoughts, my Lord.
Even if I could count them, they number as the stars,
you would still be there.

Refrain

© Daniel Schutte and NALR 1971.

Owen Alstott is an OCP composer who wrote this song, which is obviously a song of gathering, but also with application for Eucharist.  He is Bernadette Farrell’s husband – isn’t it great for a man to be the less famous composer for a change.

It can be purchased for download at OCP.

You can hear an organ + voice version here.  The original can be heard here. It is quiet and reflective so if that’s what you’re after in a gathering song this is the one.

My backing starts to miss notes in the later verses so just use it for learning purposes. BIAB was misbehaving for some reason.

Refrain

Lord, Jesus Christ, gather us together.
Make us one bread, one body in your love.

VERSE 1

Gather your people, who long to be one,
One with you, O Lord, in truth and love.

Refrain

VERSE 2

We do proclaim you the Savior of all,
Lord of all the earth and sea and sky.

Refrain

VERSE 3

Forgive our failings, create us anew.
Speak your words of peace into our hearts.

Refrain

VERSE 4

Into your hands, Lord, we place all our cares,
Trusting in your name, which never fails.

Refrain

VERSE 5

Within your temple your praises we sing.
Glorious is your name o’er all the earth.

Refrain

© OCP Publications 1980.

This is a very used song by Fr Frank Andersen.  It falls foul of the Yahweh rule and the singing in God’s voice rule, but it is beloved by many and you couldn’t kill it off with a stake through its heart. This organist is really going for it but the assembly is somewhere else. This piano version is more basic and may have been easier to sing along to. In fact this song is so well known it is an excellent one to sing without musical backing for at least one verse and chorus.

Verse 1

I will be Yahweh who walks with you!

You will be always within my hand!

Take your heart and give it all to me!

Refrain

Strong and constant is my love!

Strong and constant is my love!

Verse 2

Should you wander far away from me,

I will search for you in ev-’ry  land!

Should you call, then you will truly know:

Refrain

Verse 3

When you know sorrow within your life,

I will come I will embrace your heart!

Through your pain you will discover me!

Refrain

© Frank Andersen and Chevalier Music.

These are the late Br Colin Smith’s Psalm responses for the first week of advent and the second sunday of Lent.  AOV also gives the tones for the chant of the verses. He wrote psalm settings for the whole three year cycle but is probably most famous for his Mass Shalom that Paul Mason has recently revised.

Do read the obituary he wrote for himself here. His pet joke was apparently:

Q: What’s the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist?

A: You can negotiate with a terrorist.

To you I lift my soul, O God.

 

The Lord is my light, my light and my salvation.

© Colin Smith

This setting of Ps 104 is by Christopher Walker. You can hear the original here and view a sample of the sheet music here. It’s gets high in verse 3 but there are lower harmony notes for groaners like myself helpfully included in the version of the music I have. It can be purchased for download at OCP.

I think I prefer Angotti’s setting in AOV NG and there are lots of other settings for this psalm, but see what you think.

Refrain

Send forth your Spirit, O Lord,

And renew the face of the earth. (x2)

Verse 1

Bless the Lord O my soul,
O Lord how great you are!
How many are your works, O Lord,
The earth is full of your riches!

Verse 2

You take back your Spirit, they die
Back to the dust from which they came;
You send forth your Spirit, they are created,
The whole earth is renewed!

Verse 3

Your glory will last forever,
May you rejoice in all your works.
May my thoughts be pleasing to you,
I find my joy in you Lord.

© Christopher Walker 1984, 1985.

BIAB takes on Mozart with predictable results. Better to listen to a string quartet and soloist here.  … or with these ladies as a round.

This poster took the trouble to enter each line as a round. I didn’t.

This isn’t from AOV at all, but a parishioner has found it and liked it so we are singing it this week at mass as the psalm.  Carlos Rosas who wrote it is in the OCP stable. I initially thought she wanted us to sing in Spanish but there are English lyrics as well.

This Chinese choir sing it nicely, I think in Chinese. For an accordian version follow this link. My backing is MIDI style BIAB.

Verse 1

Let’s sing unto the Lord a hymn of glad rejoicing.

Let’s sing a hymn of love, joining hearts and happy voices.

God made the sky above, the stars, the sun, the oceans.

Their goodness does proclaim the glory of God’s name.
Refrain

A – le – lu – ia!    A – le – lu – ia!

Let’s sing unto the Lord.   A – le – lu   –   ia!

 

Verse 2

Let’s sing unto the Lord a hymn of adoration,

Express unto the Lord our song of faith and hope.

Creation’s broad display proclaims the work of grandeur,

The boundless love of One who blesses us with beauty.

Refrain

Let’s sing unto the Lord.

A – le – lu   –   ia!

 

          en Español

Can – te – mos  al  Se – ñor  un  him – no  de_a – le – grí – a,

un  cán – ti – co  de_a – more  al  na – cer  el  nue – vo  dí – a.

El  hi – zo_el  cie – lo_el  mar,  el  so  y  las  es – tre – llas

y  vio_en  e – llos  bon – dad,  pues  sus o – bras  e – ran  be – llas.

Estribillo

¡A – le – lu – ia!  ¡A – le – lu – ia!

Can – te – mos  al  Se – ñor.  ¡A – le – lu   –   ia!

 

Can – te – mos  al  Se – ñor  un  him – no  de_a – la – ban – za

que_ex – pre – se  nues – tro_a – mor, nues – tra  fe_y nues – tra_es – per – ran – za.

En  to – da  la  crea – ción  pre – go – na  su  gran – de – za,

a – sí  nues – tro  can – tar  va_a – num – cian – do  su  be – lle – za.
Estribillo

 

Can – te – mos  al  Se – ñor.

¡A – le – lu      –   ia!

© Carlos Rosas

This is another of the masses that were bought by our parish in search of settings to use locally.  Peter Grant is an Australian composer and this mass is part of As One Voice’s Liturgical series.  There are samples of these masses in no particular order at the AOV site here.  There are all worth a listen but do go and hear what Peter’s mass is supposed to sound like with piano and voice.

Since if I can convince anyone locally to do this mass next year it will be on guitar, I’ve used guitar based backings on BIAB to create my backings for the mass. While the backings are all computer based I have strummed these through and they are quite playable and singable to.

I’m not doing the Kyrie nor Our Father because we don’t sing them but do listen to the Lord Have Mercy in the samples as it is quite lovely.

The Glory to God is 6/8 and starts with 2 Glory’s before the refrain, which is a nice touch. I’ve done it on Trumpet first, then the vocal line before starting the refrain the first time.  Even with a repeated refrain and a prolonged amen it clocks in under 3 minutes.  It has a memorable chorus and navigates the clumsy text with aplomb with repeating melodic motifs that link similar lines in the text. The transition from chorus to verse is a little breathless but I’m sure manageable. My backing doesn’t give you the right dynamics for the full dramatic impact but, as always, may work for learning purposes.

The Gospel Acclamation follows the style of the Gloria and allows for a chant of the appropriate verse before a repeat.  Since that can’t be done in BIAB I’ve just done the acclamation.

For the Holy, Holy, Holy, Grant switches to a 4/4 motif that goes through into the Lamb of God, and is in the Kyrie as well.  He puts in a long rising crescendo on “hosts” before his party trick, two descending triplets with the words returning (Heaven and earth) on the second triplet. The triplets are repeated for “Blessed is he” again with the words coming in on the second triplet.  I’ve put a piano line in the backing so you can hear what he is up to, but it is an original and effective device.

We use the “When We Eat This Bread” acclamation, so that’s the one I’ve done. This is 4/4 but more forceful than the Sanctus. He repeats “until you come again.”

The Great Amen returns to the 6/8 of the Gloria.

The Lamb of God is minor key version of the style of the Holy Holy with the triplet trick pulled off again.  It also manages to be long enough that it won’t need repeating for your priest to finish all the liturgical business he wants done at this time. He repeats the “have mercy”

This mass is eminently playable, even on guitar, has memorable hooks and nuance. (perhaps not noticeable in my backings) For those who were sorry the revised Mass of Freedom was such a disappointment, this mass can have the same flow but with a lighter dancing touch. This one might have legs and it is certainly worth going to the AOV site and buying a full copy to try it out yourself.