Church Music

Patricia Smith has had an awful lot of new songs published by Willow in the last few years, so my most recent trawl through the AOV digital archive has come up with a lot of her great songs.

This one is based on Matt8:19-20 and Acts 1:8 and is an urgent call to mission suitable for a recessional. I like how she leaves the text unaltered when there is nothing to improve upon.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

There are nothing to listen to for this one at Willow, so you can learn it from my backing. I have no idea how Patricia meant it to sound, but this style seemed to fit.

Refrain

Go and make disciples of all nations,

Baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Go and make disciples of all nations,

And tell the world the Gospel of Christ.

1 Go out to all creation, and proclaim the Gospel of the Lord.

Go out to all the world, giving glory to the Lord.

2 Go out, go out in peace, to love and serve the Lord,

And know that I am with you until the end of time.

3 Go out and teach all the nations to obey the commandments of the Lord,

To love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself.’

4 You will be filled with power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you

And you will be my witnesses to the farthest ends of the earth.

© 2018 P A Smith. Published by Willow Publishing.

The next few songs from the digital store at Willow are all from Patricia Smith.

This is a song for Eucharist so always welcome. The repetitions make it easier to sing.

The sheet music is for sale at Willow.

There is no music to listen to, so sing along with my backing to learn it. I did jazz up her chords a little.

Refrain

When we eat this bread, when we drink this cup,

We proclaim your death until you come.

When we eat this bread, when we drink this cup,

We proclaim, O Lord, your gift of love.

1 This bread of life, which we take and eat, which we take and eat.

Is your Body given up for us, given up for us.

2 This wine of love, that we take and drink, that we take and drink.

Has become your Blood, poured out for us, poured out for us.

3 We remember, Lord, how you died for us, how you died for us,

And we give you thanks for your endless love, for your endless love.

4 You gave your life to set us free, to set us free,

By your gift of love, you gave us life, you gave us life.

5 Let our lives proclaim our love for you, our love for you.

In all we are and in all we do, and in all we do.

© 2017 P A Smith. Published by Willow Publishing.

This is a song from 2000 by Kevin Bates that I haven’t come across before. It is a simple song of thanks to God for life and family.

The sheet music to buy and a snippet to hear are at Willow.

1 For the faces I know and the family who hold me,

For the safety of home, for the joy that they bring.

Refrain

I thank my God. I thank you each day.

Your loving surrounds me each step on my way.

2 Every day that I learn how to love with a big heart

Is a chance to taste more of the joy that you bring.

3 There are times I forget how to love you and thank you.

Let me open my heart once again as I sing.

4 In my fam’ly I learn about giving and taking,

About love and forgiving and about being true.

© 2000 Kevin Bates. Published by Willow Publishing.

David MacGregor‘s songs have been a pleasant surprise in the new material from Willow.

This is song for Advent that is worth hearing, although it’s range is a a bit formidable for an assembly. The text is inspired by John 1.

The sheet music can be purchased from Willow.

I made a backing, sorry about the marimba:

1 The Word as world was waking; the Word was one with God.

All was made, created. The Word spoke and life was born.

Light for all creation. Darkness cannot reign.

Light comes to the broken; light and love to reign.

Chorus 1

You are one with us. You have come to us.

You have lived with us, O Lord.

You have died for us. Christ you rise for us.

Emmanuel, living Word.

2 Light and life is coming. The Word takes human form,

Making home among with us. In God we are reborn.

We have seen God’s glory, glory of God’s Son.

Grace and truth forever. Praise You Holy One.

Chorus 1

Chorus 2

You are one with us. You have come to us.

You have lived with us, O Lord.

You have died for us. Christ you rise for us.

Emmanuel, Living Lord.

God we come to you, God we’ll live for you.

Emmanuel, Living Word.

© 2021 David McGregor, Willow Publishing.

There are you-tube clips of a both a performance and a backing track.

We are having a combined service for the whole parish so I am not required to select songs this year.

My post from last year covers the territory.

The combined service here will use:

Blessings on the King AOV 1/104

Jesus Remember Me AOV 1/152

Unless a Grain of Wheat AOV 1/35

Holy Darkness AOV 2/24

We Remember AOV 1/81

There I was bemoaning the lack of a collection of songs from Patricia Smith and it turns out there is one. It is a collection songs with actions for children and this is the title track. You’ll have to buy the book to get the actions.

I know I have said this before, but the Catholic school system is the most functional part of the Catholic church in Australia and the talent often starts there and then makes music for the whole church. This is possibly because people who work in schools are paid (poorly, but paid), whereas 99.9% of music in Australian Catholic churches is amateur.

The book is available at Willow, where there is a snippet of this song. The sheet music is also available in many forms.

I made a backing. I fiddled with her chords a little bit.

Don’t just stand there dance and sing!

Praise the Lord with dancing!

Don’t just stand there dance and sing!

Praise the Lord Most High!

2 … click and clap!

3 … swing and sway!

4 … twist and twirl!

5 … step and stamp!

6 … wriggle and roll!

© 2014 P A Smith. Published by Willow Publishing.

More liturgically useful music from Patricia Smith. This is timely for the upcoming veneration of the cross and the assemblies part is just “Crucem tuam” (“Your Cross”). You can purchase the sheet music for download at Willow.

The full text from Good Friday is apparently:

Crucem tuam adoramus, Domine
et sanctum resurrectionem tuam laudamus, et glorificamus
ecce enim propter lignum venit gaudium in universo mundo.

She puts the rest of it, in English, as the cantors part, although adoring Christ rather than the cross:

We adore you, O Christ, and praise you,

We adore you, O Christ, and praise you,

For by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

My backing does it no favours but the parts are at opposite ends of the stereo spectrum to assist with learning the piece.

© 2019 P A Smith. Published by Willow Publishing.

If I am doing a lot of Patricia Smith songs in this survey of songs in the digital As One Voice at Willow it is because she has a lot of new material that is great. Perhaps we need a collection of sheet music for her online or in print, plus lots of YouTube clips to spread the music.

This one would work well for gathering and its gently syncopated tune is singable for all ages. It is a prayerful psalm asking for healing and mercy with allusions to Psalm 23. The sheet music can purchased at Willow.

There is no music to listen to there, so sing along with my backing to learn it.

1 Come to this house, O Lord, with healing,

Come to this house, O Lord, we pray.

Come to this house and bring forgiveness,

Come to this house and set us free.

Chorus

We are your people, O Lord, we need your loving care.

We are your people, O Lord, then listen to our prayer.

2 Turn to us now, O Lord, with justice,

Turn to us now, O Lord, with peace.

Turn to us now, and show you mercy,

Turn to us now and set us free.

3 Come to our hearts, O Lord, your people

Hunger to see you face to face.

Come to our hearts as you have promised,

Come to our hearts and set us free.

4 We are the ones you lead to pasture,

We are the ones who know your voice.

We are the ones, O Lord, who follow,

We are the ones that you set free.

5 Come to this house, O Lord, have mercy,

Come to this house, O Lord, we pray.

Come to this house do not forsake us,

Come to this house and set us free.

© 2021 P A Smith, Published by Willow Publishing.

This inventive song for Pentecost by Hilary Raimondo has the cantor singing an overlapping line of verses over the assembly’s refrain.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow, where there a snippet of the song to listen to to get the idea. This is one I’d love to hear in a liturgical context.

My backing has the two lines at opposite ends of the stereo spectrum.

All:

Come, Holy Spirit, come, in our hearts;

Kindle in us the fire of your love’

Cantor:

O come, Holy Spirit; Holy Spirit come, and

1 fold us in your love.

2 fill us with your joy.

3 guard us with your peace.

4 grant us patient words.

5 make us kind and good.

6 give us faithful hearts.

7 teach us humble ways.

8 help us to be strong.

© 1998 Hilary Raimondo. Administered by Willow Publishing.

This is a fine song for Christmas by Chris Currie.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

1 Come and see the humble dwelling;

Come and see the Christ who’s there.

Come and see both Mary and Joseph.

This is Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel.

2 Come and see the shepherds kneeling;

Come and see the three Wise Ones.

Come and see the humble and lowly.

This is Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel.

3 Come and see the young and healthy;

Come and see the old and frail.

Come and see the broken and longing.

This is Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel.

4 Come and see the Saviour dying;

Come and see the promised one.

Come and see the prophet’s vision.

This is Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel.

5 Come and see the new day dawning;

Come and see the Son of God.

Come and see creation adoring.

This is Christ our Saviour, Emmanuel.

© 2022 Chris Currie Published by Willow Publishing.