Church Music

No 143 in As One Voice: the Next Generation is Monica O’Brien and Trisha Watts’ song “We Are Travellers.”  I think this would work as a gentle entrance or recessional.  You can hear Trisha Watts, Amanda McKenna and Gina Ogilvie sing it here.  My backing is a little more countrified than their version.

Refrain

We are travellers here,

Called to embrace the world, inspired to love,

United we stand as one.

We are travellers here,

Stirred by a burning desire,

Christ offers hope, a spirited holy fire!

Verse 1

The world is in need of healing grace,

Crossing the bridges of culture and race.

With pioneer courage, make sacred this place.

We offer our lives as pilgrims of peace,

working and praying so love may increase,

a heart full of yearning that hardship may cease.

Refrain

Verse 2

Our hands are a blessing of care and concern.

We reach out to others, so others may learn

The Spirit is with us, this we believe!

No boundary, no challenge will silence our dream,

A fire of justice the world has not seen,

Christ ever shining, the life giving stream!

Refrain 

 © Trisha Watts and Monica O’Brien 2008.

This is a communion song from Chris De Silva called, “We Are One” (N0 142 AOV NG).  I think this is a pretty good song but the recording on the AOV NG CD has that whiney American church singing with no life that kills the otherwise interesting “west coast sound” arrangement.  Then to further weaken the performance a children’s chorus comes in near the end.

The sheet music has no chords at all on p446!  The sample pages at GIA fill in the details but that is a serious editing problem.  There is also an error at the top of p445 – over the word “drink”, the F does not need a flat sign in front of it.

You can find the text here at de Silva’s site, where you can download a basic MP3 to listen to as well. He also provides a guitar/vocal pdf. The full version is available at GIA.

Acappella chant – the mortal enemy of BIAB.  No 141 in AOV NG is John Angotti’s “Veni, Creator Spiritus.”  It has obvious liturgical uses but it is a brave assembly that will tackle four part, so unless John Bell is your music director, one for the choir.  Hear it done properly here.

I didn’t even attempt this on BIAB so it was back to Cakewalk and MIDI, so just for learning purposes.  I’ve put the parts in different voices and positions in the stereo spectrum but as a listening experience it leaves considerable to be desired.  As always with this sort of thing, it’s a chant – you don’t need a backing!

I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but if Jimmy Webb wrote this sort of music he would be Geoff Bullock.  I love this song.  No 140 in AOV NG is “Until We See the Cross.”  You can here it, along with lots of other Geoff Bullock songs here.

As for my backing it has none of Bullock’s inventiveness in the piano, but it is machine generated after all, and surprisingly natural.

Verse 1

Before we sing again,
before we dance again,
Let our souls be still and silent.
Let’s just stop a while,
to pause and pray awhile,
To look and hear again,
Let our songs be still till then.

Verse 2

Let our dreams be more
than building towers that fall.
All our works his cross has silenced.
And as our hearts are healed,
let our songs reveal
His grace so undeserved,
These songs can now be heard.

Chorus

Until we see the cross,
until we feel the pain
Until we see the scars
that pierced grace to our shame.
Until we see again,
let our songs be still
‘till then.

Verse 3

When we see his face,
through our broken faith:
Mercy triumphs over judgement.
Wounded hands reveal,
only love can heal
The brokeness we share,
Only wounded hearts can care.

Chorus

© Geoff Bullock 2008.

No 139 in AOV NG is an energetic gathering song called “United As One” written by Mathew Walker and performed by Dave Eason on the AOV NG CD.  I don’t much about him except that the song won a prize. Again, I can’t find a link but you can learn it from my backing.

Verse 1

What can we give, as we come here today
But stories of our lives

What can we bring, what can we give
To raise your spirit high

Chorus

Gathered here today
United in love
Your spirit is with us to share and celebrate

Gathered as God’s people
Under one cross
We are Christ’s body
United as one

Verse 2

What do we share, as we come here today
But the story of his life

How can we learn, to love as he loved
To proclaim your power and might

Chorus

Verse 3

Now that we’ve all, been renewed in your love
And felt your hand in our lives

We must all go and be saints of this day
And spread your message wide.

Chorus (rpt)

© Matthew Walker 2001.

If you wanted a song for a second rite of reconciliation, or Rome forbid, a third, this lovely song would do nicely. “Tree of Life” by Aaron Thompson  (No 138 AOV NG) has a gorgeous melody and an apposite lyric.  The piano isn’t perfect, but it is a good example of Band in a Box doodling away.

The text is available here.

No 137 in AOV NG is Darrell Evans’ “Trading My Sorrows.”  Another professional pop song to sing along with.  You can hear his version here. Apart from this collection, it is also available from OCP.

I wouldn’t pay a whole lot of attention to where the chords are positioned in this song – it’s a bit random with a lot of chords on the second beat that should be on the third. Personally, I wouldn’t even bother with the pushes and play it straight 4/4.  The melody line is also unreliable in the sheet music, for example the melody over “I’m trading my shame” can’t be right – I’ve approximated the sung version in my backing.

errata

bottom of p428  E/G should be E/G#

Refrain

I’m trading my sorrow
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

Verse

I’m pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I’m blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy’s gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

Refrain

Verse

Refrain

© Integrity’s Hosanna! Music 1998.

This song, “Together We Will Witness” by Australian songwriters, Paul McGee, John Littrich and Neil McCann, otherwise known as The Dogmatics is No136 in AOV NG.  They appear to write mainly for schools but this song is more than a school song and is quite an unusual entry in this collection.  It doesn’t sound like anything else and after 136 songs that is saying something.

I had real trouble with this backing as the chorus doesn’t have a definite vocal line amongst the many harmony lines.  I’d just sing it an octave lower than the backing or get at least 3 parts singing.  This collection tries to put everything a musician might want in the sheet music but for marginal musicians it might just obscure things a bit much.  Perhaps a guitarists version would help!

errata:

p426 top line the Bb chord is unlikely – it should be an F.

Together we will witness

Together we will witness

Verse 1

We all travel different roads;

We see the face of God in pilgrims on our way.

Lord, it’s you we seek in every step we make.

Lord, it’s You we need in ev’ry breath we take.

Prechorus

We will receive the power,

Raise our voices joyfully.

Chorus

Together we will witness (You alone our Lord.)

Together we will witness (Jesus your words are our call.)

Together we will witness (You alone are our Lord.)

Together we will witness (Jesus your words are our call.)

Verse 2

We’re called to journey with your cross,

Unified by the Spirit’s guiding hand.

Though we speak in different tongues,

We take the challenge into the world.

Prechorus

Chorus

Chorus x2 (key change)

© Paul McGee, John Littrich, Neil McCann 2006.

I’ve already blogged the parts of this mass that have changed starting here.  For completeness here are the Amen and Lamb of God.  The Amen is unchanged and the Lamb of God has replaced, “Jesus, Lamb of God,” with “La-a-amb of God.”  The Lamb of God is repeated to suit the Liturgical pace at St Edwards.

No 135 in AOV NG is “Today is Ours”, words by Monica O’Brien and Trisha Watts, music by Trisha Watts.  The CD has a version sung by Gina Ogilvie.

It is a joyful, bouncy song that is another high school encouragement piece.  The lyrics to the verses are rather more insightful than usual for uptempo songs.

The first note of the song is missing from the sheet music, which does seem a serious omission.

Chorus

Today is ours, come together.

Today is ours to live our dreams.

Today is ours to see new horizons.

Come alive, today is ours!

Come together.

Verse 1

We are the sign of a new beginning.

A sign of peace in our land,

Working together for liberation,

The hope is in our hands!

Chorus

Verse 2

Leave behind your hurts and bruises,

Enter into the gift of today,

Open yourself to the healing power,

See the beauty of each day.

Chorus

© Monica O’Brien and Trisha Watts 1984.