This is Paul Mason’s setting for this Easter Psalm used at the Vigil and Easter Sunday. He includes the music for the “Alleluia” response as well.
If, like me, you are looking at this more as a hymn, it makes sense for Gifts.
It is from Psalms for All Time, but also available as a single sheet at Liturgical Song.
The text is in your missal but also as set by Kate Keefe.
I made a backing to sing along with on BIAB.
This is the song that we used at St Peter’s, Rochedale, that alerted me to the (pretty obvious) idea that even if you didn’t have the cantors to use Mason’s psalms as the responsorial psalm, you could use them as hymns. The wonderful Liz brought this along and it was used a lot, sung through by the assembly. I suppose they are still using it there.
It is the psalm for Holy Thursday, but Mason notes its use for Gifts, Ordination and funerals. He provides an alternative response to use for Corpus Christi.
This psalm is used for Easter Vigil, Pentecost and as an ordinary psalm with the verses varying with each celebration. Paul Mason has provided all the variations in his setting found in Psalms for All Time.
The response is singable by the assembly despite the surfeit of triplets. He worries that each verse has a different tune, so recommends a cantor. They do have the same basic structure though, so just possibly could be sung through by the assembly. It is really is a delightful tune.
The text is in your missal or as set by Kate Keefe.
My backing is the common psalm and Pentecost setting.
This is Paul Mason’s setting for the Third Sunday in Lent Year C, from Psalms for All Time. I am working from the first edition, but you can buy the updated, upgraded version, which is now the first volume of three.
As a psalm, it can be used for Ash Wednesday and Lent more generally. As a hymn, he suggests it for Gifts, which sounds about right.
The text is in your missal or they are same words set by Kate Keefe.
This song is meant to be “joyful and reflective”. Not sure if my backing does both.
Paul Mason’s collection Psalms for All Time (now volume one of three) is still available at Liturgical Song. There are 51 copies left so it would be nice to have him sell out. It is worth the money as a commentary on the psalms alone, but you get his settings with extra instrumental parts as well.
I am looking at these songs more as hymns than just psalms, because we don’t have cantors and we have started using Amanda McKenna’s responses for our psalm needs. Of course, if you have the troops, this series would great for all your psalm needs.
This one is for the fourth Sunday of Easter Year C, but is also a seasonal psalm for Ordinary Time and a natural as an Entrance, especially when there are sheep and flock readings.
If you don’t have the text in your missal it is the same as set by Kate Keefe, whose one woman industrial output is also well worth your attention.
This is my BIAB backing:
This a joyful psalm by Paul Mason from his collection, Psalms for All Time, which is now Volume One of a three volume series.
It is the psalm for Christmas, but can be used as a hymn during the Easter season and Ordinary Time in many roles, including Entrance and Communion.
I’ve mentioned the extensive notes for each psalm that Mason has provided, but I neglected to mention that at the back of the book there are extra instrumental parts for many of the hymns. With this song he goes all out with an arrangement for flutes, trumpets, violins and electric bass for the whole song and also with parts for viola, cello, clarinet, saxophone, horn and trombone for the response. Let’s just say that the collection is value for money.
You can hear some of those instruments in the version at his website.
I stuck to a mildly country rendition as a backing in BIAB.
This is another of the psalms in Paul Mason’s marvellous Psalms for All Time. It is the psalm for the third Sunday in Lent Year A, but is also a seasonal psalm for Ordinary Time. It is also suitable for Reconciliation and as an entrance hymn.
The first verse has a more joyful tune than the second and third to match the text. Mason is very particular about such things. If you haven’t got the words, they are the same as set by Kate Keefe.
You can hear a version of the psalm at his website.
My backing is a little fiddly.
This is Paul Mason’s setting of “Be With Me, Lord” from his collection, Psalms for All Time.
This is the psalm for the first Sunday in Lent Year C, but is also a seasonal psalm for Lent. You could see a use with Anointing and in times a trial.
This would be a great song to use all through Lent either as the seasonal psalm or just as a hymn. He notes the refrain is in F#m but changes to a more hopeful A major in the verses. The chords go nice places as he modulates back and forth. If you don’t have the text in your missal it is the same as set by Kate Keefe.
There is a vocal performance, with cantor and SATB choir in the refrain, to listen to at the website that I would recommend. I still think it would survive the assembly singing the whole piece as a hymn. (ie cantor not essential)
I made a BIAB backing:
Continuing in Paul Mason’s Psalms for All Time, this is his setting on this psalm of lament for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. He also notes it use as a seasonal psalm during Advent and also for Gifts or Communion in Advent.
If you don’t have the text in your missal it is the same one as set by Kate Keefe here, except that Mason gives us two choices for a refrain:
Lord, show us your mercy; Lord show us your love.
Show us your mercy and love.
..and:
Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Lord, let us see your kindness.
This is my BIAB backing for the song:
This is the psalm for Epiphany as set by Paul Mason in Psalms for All Time.
This is another wonderful tune and thinking of this as a hymn rather than a psalm it might work for Christ the King for example.
The text is in your missal and also as set by Kate Keefe.
It’s in cut common time, which I often struggle with, so I made two backings.
