Church Music

This is the last of the songs added to Breaking Bread by OCP for 2014. Consider me underwhelmed by their selections. In the past OCP has had its critics for being at odds with tradition and too uptempo, especially the Spirit and Song collections, but that is long past. While all the titles are perfectly functional songs for liturgy, the overall impression is blandness and of a tame collection. Maybe doing Australian songs, where there is a lot more variety, has poisoned me against their house style. I found nothing uplifting like say, “Anthem”, that has been “retired”. I might have a look at whether GIA has anything more adventurous before I return to Australian songs in the new year.

There is nothing wrong with this song by Christopher Walker either per se. He based it on Psalm 91 and it is suitable for many situations when comfort is needed such as Lent or funerals. It has a far old range so beware.

The sheet music is available at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

My backing adds drum and bass that may not be needed but I have had a lot of polite backings to do lately.

Chris Brunelle makes everything alright:

This song for the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday has a text by Bob Hurd and Ken Canedo. The refrain melody is PICARDY and the verse tune is by Hurd. It has been added to OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024.

Having a familiar tune for the refrain encourages participation and a cantor or choir can do the verses while the assembly moves during veneration.

The sheet music is at OCP where the text is in their preview.

Sarah Hart’s “Prayers of the Faithful” song has been added to OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024.

The petitions are generic enough to cover many circumstances but you probably would want to write your own to her tune – pastorally apt but a possible copyright issue.

The sheet music is at OCP, where the text is in their preview and in their YouTube clip as well.

Hart has two entries this year, which is lovely.

I must admit that OCP are pushing very similar songs the last few years with nothing to suit uplifting celebrations – everything is very restrained indeed. Maybe “Canticle of the Free” breaks the mold a little in this year’s selections.

That didn’t stop me making a restrained backing. It sounds like BIAB channeling “Don’t Dream It’s Over”:

Ricky Manalo wrote this adaptation of Thomas Aquinas’s text and set it. It has been added to Breaking Bread for 2024.

It is a song for Eucharist and specifically for Corpus Christi and is long enough for a big celebration.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

This is another song from OCP’s selections for Breaking Bread in 2024. It is by Dan Schutte and is based on the Reproaches in the Good Friday mass and the ancient chant AVE VERA CORPUS. For once the YouTube clip from OCP does the material justice.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP where the text is in their preview.

The refrain for the choir or assembly is metrical but the verses for the cantor (actually it would be great for the priest to sing it) are chant. My backing has my usual failed attempt to get some sort of metricality for BIAB to use.

Chris Brunelle is, as usual, marvellous:

This is a hymn for Holy Week consisting of Genevieve Glen’s text recently set by Justin Wedgewood. The tune is memorable and singable, which is nice. It has been chosen for OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

This is another of the songs chosen for OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024. This is a communion song, with special reference to Lent. There are five verses and the last two are more applicable to general Eucharistic use.

The second half of the verse meanders over a few keys to maintain interest.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP where the text is in their preview.

This is Steve Angrisano’s gentle setting of James Quinn’s text of “Ave Maria”. It has been added to OCP’s Breaking Bread for 2024. We have been using Aaron Thompson’s “Blessed One” as our Mary hymn but this one is another good option.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

Technically bilingual, this free adaptation of the prayer of St Francis only has one Filipino word in it, so is fine for English speaking assemblies. It is a lovely sung prayer that can be done simply or taken as far as you want as a choir piece. It was written by Maria R. Nieva and has been selected for OCP’s Breaking Bread 2024.

The sheet music is available at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

This is Janet Sullivan Whitaker’s worthy setting of words from the ICEL text for funerals. It has been added to Breaking Bread for 2024.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP where the text is in their preview. In my dreams Voces8 would sing it at my funeral.

Since I can’t do it justice like her arrangement, I let BIAB go a little trip hop.

Chris Brunelle is good as usual with his stripped back version confirming the virtue of the melody.

Since Voces 8 have not recorded this song, here is their arrangement of a great song about love and death from Ben Folds: