Church Music

Leonard E (“Lenny”) Smith has been in touch over the years and has kindly sent me some of his sheet music. He has led a long and fascinating life (at least according Wikipedia!) and has written a bona fide hit hymn “Our God Reigns” which I have blogged a couple of times including here.

I told him I mainly do Australian music these days, but I since I do look at OCP and GIA releases at times, I’ll make him an honorary Australian for the duration and look at a few of his titles. I’m not sure if they fit liturgies as such, but we shall see.

I’ll start with this one that seems like a long poem of affirmation set to music.

He has provided a link to the sheet music.

I made a reasonably reflective BIAB backing for this one.

1 I am the apple of my Father’s eye.
I am the object of His love.
I am the city set upon a hill.
I am a moonbeam from above.
I am enjoying my inheritance.
I am the head and not the tail.
I am alive with Christ yet crucified.
I am alive beyond the veil.

Chorus
I am a well-watered garden.
I am the Bride of Christ.
I am the salt of the whole earth.
I am the King’s delight.

2 I am the healthy vine that’s bearing fruit.
I am the temple where you dwell.
I am complete in you and reconciled.
I am like water from the well.
I am a child of God, beloved of God.
I am a steward of great wealth.
I am forgiven all my trespassers.
I am endowed with peace and health.

Chorus

3 I am empowered to succeed in life.
I am securely in his hand.
I am fulfilling all my destiny.
I am essential to his plan.
I am protected by angelic hosts.
I am attuned to hear his voice.
I am in favour with both God and Man.
I am so blessed to be his choice.

© 2006 New Jerusalem Music

This is the last psalm in Paul Mason’s collection, Psalms For All Time Vol 2. All three volumes are available to purchase at Liturgical Song. I have the third and will get to it at some stage. All three will costs you~$A120, which is not a lot each for your parish musicians, to have a psalm for everything and lots of songs that work as general hymns as well.

This is the psalm for the Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B, and incorporates the line “By the rivers of Babylon” so he has the task to make sure your brain doesn’t slip into another tune, which he handles with his usual inventiveness.

Response: Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Verses: Psalm 137: 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6.

He has put a version of this one on his site, which sounds great – as if Nick Cave was involved. It makes you wish there were more samples to listen to there. I didn’t listen to that before I made my rather bland version:

We arrive at Psalm 126 in Paul Mason’s Psalms For All Time Vol 2, which is for the Second Sunday in Advent Year C, the Fifth Sunday in Lent Year C and the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. It is also used for Christian Initiation Outside the Easter Vigil and a Mass After the Harvest.

Response: The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. We are filled with joy.

Verses: Psalm 126: 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6.

Just a few to go in the book, Psalms For All Time Vol 2 by Paul Mason.

This is Psalm 116 for the Second Sunday of Lent Year B.

Response: I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Verses: Psalm 166: 10 and 15, 16-17, 18-19.

There is in fact an audio file of this one to listen to at Liturgical Song, or you can sing along with my backing.

This is Paul Mason’s setting for Psalm 103 for the Third Sunday in Lent Year C from Psalms For All Time Vol 2. It was also in his original volume, which I bogged here, but I did it again anyway.

Response: The Lord is kind and merciful. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Verses: Psalm 103: 1-2,3-4,6-7,8 and 11.

We are up to Psalm 98 from Psalms For All Time Vol 2 by Paul Mason, which is the psalm for the Sixth Week of Easter Year B and the Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C. Paul Mason also notes it’s use for the Admission to the Candidacy for Ordination.

Response: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving pow’r, his saving pow’r.

Verses: Psalm 98: 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, (5-6)

This is a bit of fun. This is Paul Mason’s setting for Psalm 96, which is for Midnight Mass at Christmas. It is from Psalms For All Time Vol 2.

The third verse goes off with an almighty crescendo.

Response: Today! Today is born our Saviour, Christ the Lord, Christ the Lord.

Verses: Psalm 96: 1-2a, 2b-3, 11-13b, 13cd.

My backing is BIAB fake organ with trumpets:

I have been looking through Paul Mason’s marvellous Psalms For All Time Vol 2. He has composed psalms for use as psalms if you have cantors, but are fine a hymns for use at any time. There is so much investion in each one, it’s fun to make a backing and see what he got up to next.

This one is Psalm 90 for the Eighteenth and Twenty-third Sundays in Ordinary Time Year C.

Response: In ev’ry age, O Lord, O Lord, you have been our refuge, in ev’ry age.

Verses: Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17.

He specifies a joyful response and a reflective verse, so I tried that in BIAB.

Yet another Psalm 89 setting from Paul Mason’s Psalms For All Time Vol 2, this time for the Christmas Vigil. They all have the same basic tune, adapted to match the differing verses.

Response: For ever, I will sing forever, I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Verses: Psalm 89: 4-5, 16-17, 27 and 29.

Continuing with Mason’s many settings of Psalm 89, this is the one for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A from Psalms For All Time Volume 2.

Response: For ever, I will sing forever, I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Verses: Psalm 89: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19.