Church Music

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.

A commisioning song from Fr Robert Galea called “To the Ends of the Earth” is No134 in AOV NG.  He manages not to press the power pedal without being wimpy, which is a cute trick.  It is gentle but insistant and that is probably better than emotional blackmail by song.  You can hear him sing it here. My backing is even more gentle than his version and that might be a good sign of a little restraint creeping into these hamfisted backings.

Fr Galea’s version on the AOV NG CD has a bridge that is just repetition of:

to know you is to love you

to love you is to serve you

The music in the book has a couple errors:

an unecessary tie over “for you” at the bottom of p419.

p421 second line  C#m2   … C#m7 is much more likely

Verse 1

The time has come
To lay it down
And find it all in You
More than this world could ever give
ln one glimpse of You

The fire burns within my soul
A love too loud lt won’t let go

Chorus

Draw us close
Send us out
Let our lives be Yours
Set our hearts on fire for You
That Your light may shine through us
To the ends of the earth

Verse 2

Stir in us a passion to
Be Your witnesses
Our generation
This world and nation
Make us one in You

Clothe us now
with Pow’r divine
Let Your light shine in us

Chorus

© Robert Galea 2007

This isn’t from AOV NG, but we heard John Bell sing it in his DVD series “Singing the Unsung” and everyone thought it was lovely.  It is a Korean melody and the text is from Genesis. I’ll bring it down a notch before I try this at mass, but this backing is in the key John Bell sings it in his workshops.  It is also approximate, as I don’t have the proper music for it, though it appears to be available in several collections.

The last verse says something to me about making a virtue of the ridiculously poor English missal translation.  It’s still wrong headed but I may have to just view it as a spiritual exercise.

Verse 1

God who made the earth

Declared it good in the beginning

Meant a time and purpose

For all things that were and would be.

Chorus

While earth remains

There will be seed time and harvest

Summer sun and winter moon

The dead of night, the bright day.

Verse 2

Though humanity

Defiled the Eden God had cherished

God did not despise the world

Whose worth its maker could see.

Chorus

Verse 3

So, in Christ God came

From paradise to imperfection

Repossessing earth and people

Through a tomb and a tree.

Chorus

Verse 4

We, who follow Christ

Discover heaven through limitation

Pruned, we bear more fruit

And grafted to the vine we are free.

Chorus

words by John L Bell
©1999 WGRG Iona Community Glasgow

No 133 in AOV NG is a communion song from Judy Bailey.  “Though We Are Many” would be the logical song to follow on from “The Peace of the Lord.”  I love her songs for their simplicity, even though they are quite hard to do backings for on BIAB.  I can’t find a link for this song, which is a pity as the song develops with counterpoints and a great bass part so you’ll just have to busk it.  The tempo should be ~165bpm.

Though we are many, we are one body

Because we all share in one bread. (rpt)

So let’s thank the Lord,

Praise him for all he’s done

And let us share in this bread (rpt)

© Dyba Music / Judy Bailey 2004.

No 132 in As One Voice: the Next Generation is “There’s No Other Name,” written by Cathy and Felix Weber.  Felix Weber is an experienced songwriter who has placed songs with popular secular artists, including Australia’s Vanessa Amorosi.  It is a professional P&W pop song.  The version on AOV NG CD is by Jared Mahone.

Chorus

We praise You Lord, We love You Lord,

We worship you together.

For your righteousness is our shield and strength.

We worship you forever.  (Rpt)

Verse

Love flows from you.

Peace comes from you.

There’s no other name above Your name.

Chorus x2

Verse

Bridge

There’s no other name by which we are saved.

There’s no greater power that we can proclaim. (rpt)

Chorus x2

There’s no other name (x5)

© Cathy and Felix Weber 2006.