The link I have been using to where you can buy Alleluia Aotearoa at Philip Garside books has gone stale, but it looks like it can still be purchased in pdf form there.
I am embarked on the quixotic quest to blog all the Shirley Erena Murray texts in Alleluia Aotearoa. I had not reckoned on just how much of New Zealand hymnody came from one amazing woman and how many settings some of her texts found.
This is a song for baptism in Alleluia Aotearoa with a Shirley Murray text. It is a lovely sentiment but uses the Maori word “aroha” so travels only as far as that word is accepted.
The text is at Hope Publishing where they provide the sheet music for the setting by T.B. Southgate (GIDEON). Trying to make a backing using chords derived from the sheet music was more difficult than normal. F13b5sus anyone – fortunately BIAB can’t do that chord.
AA instead gives the sheet music for the setting by Ian Render, WATER’S EDGE and actually provided the chords for a change.
They also suggested HERONGATE (Trad arr Ralph Vaughn Williams) and the indispensable Together In Song had the chords for that one. It is out of print unfortunately. Unlike CWB II, the editors obviously got out of cathedrals occasionally and understood the benefit of chords for guitarists and basic keyboard players.
This text from Shirley Murray in Alleluia Aotearoa, is useful for baptism, confirmation and commissioning as well as Trinity and Pentecost.
The text is at Hope Publishing. They give four settings and AA another two and a quick look at You Tube found another two so you are spoiled for choice. Some have been written specifically for this text and others are 8.7.8.7 and so fit fine.
Shirley Murray rewrote the verses of this already revised George Kitchen text to good effect. I blogged the earlier version here. The triumphalism of some old texts is jarring.
The text is at at Hope Publishing, where, like AA, they set it to KREMSER, a Dutch tune collected by Eduard Kremser.
It is also set to THE ROAD AND MILES TO DUNDEE, a traditional Scottish tune. Being public domain, this is a good example of the benefits of the Small Church Music site. There are BIAB files, MIDI files, PDF files etc etc there that can be very useful.
I still made my own backing to the tune that must have influenced one of the versions of “Away in a Manger”.
I've worked my way through the As One Voice books and other collections making backings on Band in a Box to help me (& you if you're interested) learn new songs for church. This is aimed at churches and musicians that own the collections but haven't exploited them fully. If you don't have them they are certainly worth buying. This site is educational, nonprofit and designed to enhance the commercial prospects of songwriters. This site does not distribute copyrighted sheet music.
Disclaimer
Any opinions expressed here are personal views and not the responsibility of any Church.
All music backings posted are created by myself and the intention is for them to be used to learn the songs. If any copyright holder wishes me to cease publicising and promoting their wares and directing people to where sheet music can be legally purchased please let me know.
Mason’s “Mass of Glory and Praise”
To access my backings for Paul Mason's mass go to Feb 2011 in the archive.