Church Music

No 11 in AOV NG is “Be Lifted High” by Joshua Blakesley and Matt Maher.  I was skeptical about this song until I heard it sung full throttle at the AOV conference.  It was great.  It would be ideal for praise and worship settings and I’d love to use it as a recessional.

Downloadable versions are available from spiritandsong where you can hear a snippet and get the lyrics.

It has some tricky notes in the verse with the same chord progression having slightly different notes in the first and second lines compared to the third line.  It actually sounds good but the youth group at AOV handled it by ignoring it and singing whatever they liked at the top of their lungs.  The call and response worked fine.  I did my sequence as a folk funk version.

1. Your voice is over the water.
Your voice is over the seas.
Your voice is mighty in power
and wisdom and love and charity.
The heavens thunder your glory.
The heavens testify.
The heavens shine in the darkness
for all of the nations a holy light.

Refrain
And you will be exalted.
And you will be lifted high.
And you will be our saviour forever and ever.
Our God be glorified.

2. You have made us your chosen.
You have set us apart.
You have poured out your spirit
and started a fire within our hearts.
(repeat and go to Refrain)

Bridge
Can I get an “Amen!”
Can I get a witness!
Can I get an “Amen!”
Can I get a witness!
You will be exalted!
You will be lifted high!
You will be exalted!
You will be lifted high!

Final Refrain
And you will be exalted.
And you will be lifted high.
And you will be our saviour forever and ever.
Our God be glorified.
You will be exalted!
You will be lifted high!
You will be exalted!
You will be lifted high!

©Joshua Blakesley 2005

I’ve been trying to figure out what I find underwhelming about “Christian” music.  While there are all sorts of Christian versions of music genres – rap, country, deathmetal etc, there is also a genre of Christian sounding music and I find myself wondering if people sing like that just because they’ve heard other Christian singers sing like that and eventually it all sounds the same.  The genre consists of bad MOR sounding, wimpy vocalled, badly written songs that are too direct and prosaic and loaded with cliches and over wrought with faux emotion.  There is even a subgenre of Catholic Christian music.

The best “Psalm” I’ve heard in years is Damien Rice’s “Cold Water”.  The best God song is “Distant Sun” by Crowded House.  I find these songs moving and I think it is because they are indirect and acknowledge mystery and there are written by the best song writers in the world, which helps.

Church music on the the hand has a context in which a Christian song can make sense.  I’ve been listening to the Catholic Music Express podcast in an effort to be proven wrong and not everything is terrible.  I particularly liked a bluegrass song about St Augustine by a band whose name somehow escaped me.   I like Gina Ogilvie because she sings like a singer not like a Christian singer.

I’ll keep listening and see if I can get closer to my problem with it.

As One Voice: The Next Generation has lots of songs that aren’t designed for liturgy.  No. 10 “Be God’s” by Danielle Rose is however a terrific song for Eucharist, gathering or recessional.  It does seem to work best with a cantor doing the first part of the line and the assembly answering but unison is not out of the question.

Danielle Rose has had an interesting life and it is worth reading her bio on her site.

The text is available here. You can buy an individual sheet at her website and the song, as well as in As One Voice: the Next Generation, appears in Voices As One Vol. 2.

Number 9 in AOV NG is “At the Cross” another Hillsong song by Reuben Morgan and Darlene Zschech.  I can’t think of a liturgical place for it but it is the “slow song” for a praise and worship situation, you know the one that builds to a cacophanous crescendo.  I’m trying to overcome my unnecessary prejudice but I’m sure this is the same tune as a Back Street Boys song.

Still, I just watched the video on You Tube that has had over 5 million views.  That’s some sort of success.

You can purchase a digital copy at various sites including musicnotes, although the lyrics and chords are all over the place (eg here).

Oh Lord You’ve searched me
You know my way
Even when I fail You
I know You love me

Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season
I know You love me
I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There’s no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now

You go before me
You shield my way
Your hand upholds me
I know You love me

You tore the veil
You made a way
When You said that it is done

And when the earth fades
Falls from my eyes
And You stand before me
I know You love me
I know You love me

© Reuben Morgan & Darlene Zschech 2006.

“Among All” by Chris de Silva is number 8 in AOV NG.  This is a recent Mary song of all things and for all that it’s fine, even for a recycled Presbyterian like me.  De Silva is another GIA artist, is based in California and originally from the Philippines.

The song is in A major in the refrain and Em in the verse, which is a nice cycle between suffering and joy.  It hits a few Ds but only briefly, so no complaints there.  But why does everyone want to transition verse to chorus with a sustained chord?

You can listen to the whole song at De Silva’s Myspace page. You can buy a collection containing this music at GIA, or download a single sheet at musicnotes where there is a preview with some of the words. …or you could just buy As One Voice Next Generation and sing along with my Band in a Box backing to learn it.

There are recommendations floating about of a provenance of most uncertain intelligence.

Songs that say Yahweh were removed by the Vatican a couple of years ago, because they showed disrespect to the tetragrammaton and because Yahweh had never been used in Catholic material.  Dan Schutte of “You Are Near,” (as in Yahweh I know You are near) fame notes that this is simply not true, Yahweh was used in the Jerusalem Bible.  I’m not sure if the decision percolated down to the parishes very much in any case.  I’m also not at all sure it is important as Yahweh is not the tetragrammaton, it has more than four letters for one thing, and so merely stands for the idea.   Ineffability is not compromised by human strictures on language.

Songs in the voice of God are also said to be anathema.  Ask the writer of the Psalms to revise a whole lot of them immediately as they are therefore quite unsuitable.  This idea shows such a lack of liturgical imagination, I’m amazed some clerics can find their way to Church at all.

For some reason, Australians thought it was worth asking Rome about music. The recommendations, if ever proceeded with, would only be binding in Australia.  Other English speaking areas look after these things themselves, ie the local bishop in America where a song is published.  Do we really need songs that are going to be continued to be sung in American Liturgies, banned in Australian liturgies?

What I am interested in, is decisions made by our local archdiocese that reflect local liturgical needs and backed up by greater support and advice to liturgists and musicians.

I’ve looked at the small section on music on the DVD and am unimpressed.  The only music other than organ and classical noted is music rooted in particular communities, Samoan, Maori etc.  Nothing wrong with inculturation, but ICEL has a blanket blindness to the inculturation within Western communities that are as far from organ music and chant as any other ethnic group on the planet.  I am still amazed that the great tradition of poetry in ENGLISH is not considered able to handle sacred liturgy, unless it apes the cadences of Latin. 

The videos on music start well enough with a priest and a congregation singing, but quickly lapse into organ recital, choir recital, classical group recital and an assembly sitting, watching and silent.  That may not have been the intention but that is what is on their video.  Have a look for yourself and weep.

Musicians are referred to as organists and others!  The church I go to is more than thirty years old.  There has never been an organ in the building.  The keyboard is played as a piano and always has been.

This is a pity because this DVD is the best RCIA resource I’ve ever seen.

It also has the entire new mass in chant to listen and learn to, if that is your thing.  You can download the music from their web site as well.

It does not have any more usual (ie not chant) sung parts of the mass on the DVD, although I gather the intent in Australia is to recommend a couple of settings.  We shall see.

Now that’s more like it.  A usable liturgical song.  No 7 in AOV NG.

I don’t know of John Angotti but his website is full of goodies and worth a visit.

This piece is also available as a click and print purchase at WLP.

This has a singable chorus and the assembly would handle refrain/verse 1 /refrain together as a Gospel Acclamation.  If you are going to do the second verse and the key change, which would be fun, you are going to need a cantor.  There are several high Fs and a tricky triplet awaiting the unwary.

The text is just the ICEL text from the Lectionary:

Refrain  Alle, alle, alleluia! Alle, alle, alleluia!

Alle, alle, alleluia! Alleluia!

1/ Speak , O Lord, your servant is listening;

you have the words of everlasting life.

2/ Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful

and kindle in them the fire of your love.

(On second thoughts, a cantor for both the verses would be better.)

Note to self – figure out formatting and plug ins earlier and you won’t have to go back and fix up old posts.

I have found the audioplayer!

I have figured out that you write these on a word processor and then insert them into wordpress to avoid formatting dramas.

Is there anything else I should know?

I’m waiting to hear if I Tunes will have my podcast – not hopeful.

I sounded like I was stoned.  Unfortunately not true – just old.

No.6 in As One Voice: The Next Generation is “All the Heavens” by Reuben Morgan.  This is the first of several Hillsong songs that made the compilation. It is also available for purchase and download here.

Holy holy are You Lord
The whole earth is filled with Your glory
Let the nations rise to give
Honor and praise to Your name

Let Your face shine on us
And the world will know You live

All the heavens shout Your praise
Beautiful is our God
The universe will sing
Hallelujah to You our King

© Reuben Morgan  2002

Prejudice alert…not a fan of generic Hillsong but this is inoffensive I suppose.  Their songs often sound very eighties John Farnham style. You know, they have a fast song template and a slow song template.

I’m not sure where it could be used liturgically, but could be belted out about a hundred times in succession in a praise and worship setting.

My backing is gratuitously 80s, but what the hell.