Church Music

No 111 in As One Voice: the Next Generation is John Angotti’s “Send Out Your Spirit, Lord.”  This has to have liturgical uses since the text is from the lectionary!  The internet, but not AOV NG, tells me it is Ps 104. At last I got to use a bossa rhythm from Band in a Box, so that’s a change from straight 4/4. This song has to use a cantor as the verses are so different from each other and convoluted that there is no way the assembly will follow it.  You can hear Josh Taddeo + a choir  do this live here, with much over-emoting from Mr Taddeo.  It is still probably better than Angotti’s version on the AOV NG CD that has way too much R&B whimpering.  I found a powerpoint presentation of Angotti’s version with words suitable for projection here.

The text is available here. It can be purchased for download at Voices As One.

Trisha Watts and Monica O’Brien wrote this song called, “See, I Make All Things New,” which is No 110 in AOV NG.  This has all the Trisha Watts hallmarks, wandering out of the set key, strange rhythmic shifts – unmistakable and delightful.   It is suggested as a song for anointing,which is fine.  I’m not sure the assembly will ever sing the verses, but the refrain would be singable.

Refrain

See, I make all things new
New as night turns to morning
The Spirit is calling
I’m with you
I make all things new

Verse 1

The rivers are bursting with life
The stars in the night sky sing praise
Come to me in joy
Come to me in song
All of creation rejoice!

Refrain

Verse 2

Trust in the promise of life
Colour the earth with my love
Come to me in joy
Come to me in song
Open your hearts rejoice!

Refrain

© Trisha Watts and Monica O’Brien 1998.

Tom Locksley provides No 109 in AOV NG, “See His Love.”  The CDs have Tim Hughes version. I can’t find much about the songwriter on the net, there isn’t even anything in the bio section of AOV, but the song is popular enough.

The sheet music can be purchased for download at various sites on the net including musicnotes.

Stephanie Richmond’s version is here and there are plenty of others on Youtube.  Mine is a bit grittier than Hughes’s version.

Verse 1

See His love nailed onto a cross
Perfect and blameless life given as sacrifice
See Him there all in the name of love
Broken yet glorious, all for the sake of us

Chorus

This is Jesus in His glory
King of Heaven dying for me
It is finished, He has done it
Death is beaten, Heaven beckons me

Verse 2

Greater love no one could ever show
Mercy so undeserved, freedom I should not know
All my sin, all of my hidden shame
Died with Him on the cross, eternity won for us

Chorus

Bridge

Such love, such love
Such love is this for me

Chorus

© Thankyou Music

No 108 in AOV NG is “See Him”, another celtic chant style song by Keith Duke.  I haven’t had a lot of luck trying to make decent backings for chants and I’m not sure things are any better this time.

See Him silent and lifeless;

See him alone and forlorn;

See him broken and helpless

Crowned with a garland of thorns.

See him as son and as brother;

See him related to all;

See him throught the grief of a mother;

Hurting the most of all.

See him as healer and teacher;

See him as helper and friend;

See him as prophet and preacher;

Ignore him? I doubt you can.

© Kevin Mayhew 2005.

No 107 in As One Voice: the Next Generation is another Gina Ogilvie and Monica O’Brien song, “Reach Out.”  It sounds like another song for encouraging high school students but would work as entrance or recessional in a mass as well.  I suspect it could be a good deal more raucous than Gina Ogilvie’s version.  The 3rd verse is more of a bridge, cleverly using the second half of the verse and a quieter version of the chorus.

The sign that the D.S.S at the top of page 338 refers to is missing, and should be at the start of the chorus.

Verse 1

How can we stand and wait and wonder what might be?

Can you see the hope that’s calling you and me?

When we hear the Spirit’s voice we have a choice to make.

Step out with courage now, for our future’s sake.

Refrain

Reach out in faith and in love, guided by God’s Word.

Standing together as one; our voice will ring across the land.

Verse 2

All your people long for peace, we long to be restored.

We have a task to do to work in one accord.

We will strive for unity the world has never seen.

Be bold and take a stand, new hope will be revealed!

Refrain

Verse 3

We pray for everyone who gathers here to day,

We seek the Spirit’s love to guide us on our way.

Act with integrity in all we do and say.

We know we’re not alone, stand and let us…

Refrain

Standing together as one, our voice will ring across the land.

© Monica O’Brien and Gina Ogilvie 2007.

Judy Bailey has provided another excellent contribution at 106 in AOV NG, “Praying God.”  She has recycled a couple of old hymns and come up with something special. Her songs in this collection are not the usual kind of material you find here and perhaps not being American or Australian helps her to stand out style wise.

© Dyba Music / Judy Bailey 2000.

Getting back to As One Voice: the Next Generation, at No 105 is Paul Melley’s song “Our Help is from the Lord.”  He’s had a brave stab at a rocking Psalm with some success, although using words like “whence” jars somewhat and the verses fit somewhat awkwardly to the tune.  If you are going to rock out a psalm, at least be brave enough to have a modern respectful rendering of the text.

If you are happy to have a cantor do the verses, I’m sure it would be fine, as the chorus is catchy and easy enough for assembly to belt out.

If you have AOV NG you can sing along to my backing to learn the song.

[22/2/2014 – NB – Some of these backings are pretty lousy. I have better ones for the Holy Holy and Gloria here.]

This mass by Paul Taylor was one of the six recommended settings, and one of two that I thought feasible for the suburbs.  I have noted previously that the musicians at our training sessions expressed reservations in that while it was easy to sight read, it was not particularly memorable.

On the plus side, you can download the melody line version and MP3s of cantors and organs doing the pieces here, and I suggest you do that and once you have printed out the music sing along and decide for yourself.  My wife thought there was nothing wrong with it and that’s my mind made up for me.  I’m not convinced it’s a masterpiece but the Gloria at least has some triplets and accidentals to at least try to be distinctive.  I don’t like the acclamations, however.  They have musical equivalent of an upward inflection.

Even if you thought the music on the dull side, what could be done to make it less so?  Imagine if Dire Straits were playing at your mass and you asked Band in a Box to have a stab at that.  I’m not sure if it helps, but it is certainly different to the organ version.

Gloria

Holy Holy

We proclaim

When we eat

Save us

Amen

Lamb of God

*NB post edited 4.11.2011

Another Paul Baloche song, with music by Brenton Brown, is No 104 in As One Voice the Next Generation.  “Our God Saves” is another P&W slow burn, build up to freak out song.  A simple sentiment expressed simply and repetitively, but that’s the genre, so good luck to them.  Baloche teaches the song here.

Astonishingly, charts for all Baloches’s songs are available free on his web site.

Verse

In the name of the Father
In the name of the Son
In the name of the Spirit
Lord we’ve come

We’re gathered together
To lift up Your name
To call on our savior
To fall on Your grace

Rpt Verse

Prechorus
Hear the joyful sound of our offering
As your saints bow down, as your people sing
We will rise with You, lifted on Your wings
And the world will see that

Chorus
Our God saves, our God saves
There is hope in Your name

Verse

Prechorus

Chorus

Coda
Mourning turns to songs of praise
Our God saves, our God saves
Our God saves, our God saves
Our God saves, our God saves

© Thankyou Music / Integrity’s Hosanna! Music / Leadworship Songs 2007.

 As One Voice:

http://www.asonevoice.com.au/index

 Singing the Unsung: support materials

http://www.livingthequestions.com/xcart/files/dvd/bell/STU%20Supplemental%20Materials.pdf

 Wild Goose song catalogue

http://www.wgrg.co.uk/pages.php?page=songs_a-z_1&osCsid=sinqgerbd02hp0gp2bi8fk0ks4

If you want to suggest a song or lead us in song, talk to me after the session, e-mail me at geoff@sixmaddens.org or leave a comment on the blog.