Church Music

I’ve looked at lot of Australian Catholic Songwriters, but I haven’t focused on John Burland yet. Like Michael Mangan, he is perhaps best known for his work with young people and schools, yet his songs are also fine for adults and assemblies in general. Australia seems to have a knack for popular hymn writers for schools who also are appropriate for a wider audience.

I have blogged some of his songs already:

Come, O Holy Spirit

Come to the Table

Celebrating in the Spirit

Do This in Memory of Me

Come Share This Meal

“Come to the Table”, for example, is a song for Eucharist that we have used for many years. I think it is an excellent example of a hymn tune with enough variation to be memorable but still singable. It is in AOV NG 33. I play it capo 3 for convenience. The first two choruses and verses exhibit a corporate liturgical voice, with the build to the key change showing a different musical structure and a switch to the voice of God for two lines. The key change makes sense as the elevation of our voices after the encounter with God in the Eucharist. Even with the key change it doesn’t go above C. None of his songs are in CWB II, but he would be a good exemplar for contemporary song – OK he’s been going since the 1990s but that is still somewhat contemporary.

All this is preliminary to looking at his new collection, “Gathered As Your People Lord”. There are five songs written for liturgy and it is very much not just for young people.

The title track is an impressive gathering hymn. It is a unifying song in preparation for Eucharist. The text is by Burland and inspired by Matt 18:20, John 14:6, 1 John 4:9-12 and Psalm 149:1,5. The music a collaboration between him and Stephen Leiweke.

John Burland provides lyrics at his website and all his CDs and music books can be purchased using the order form. The digital download for this collection is only $A10.

My backing is a waltz rather than the 6/8 specified in the music, but 6/8 in BIAB always tends Celtic which wasn’t needed here.

Chorus

Gathered as your people, Lord, one body in your love,

Gathered as your people, Lord, one body in your love,

We are called by name we are here to proclaim

Your Word that brings life to us all.

Gathered as your people Lord to worship your holy name.

1 Gathered in God’s love, each of us so beloved.

That God’s only Son Jesus died for us, then rose to bring us new life.

Chorus

2 Gathered in your name, your promise remains the same.

“For where two or three gather in my name I will be there with you.”

Chorus

Bridge

One people standing so strong. One people singing the song.

One people standing so strong. One people singing the song of our faith.

Instrumental

3 Gathered in this place, your Spirit fills us with grace,

With your Word Lord bringing truth for us, your Word lighting our way.

Chorus

… to worship your holy name.

ⓒ 2021 John Burland and Stephen Leiweke

I need to remind myself sometimes that the hymn choices, while selected to match the liturgy and the readings, are the least important musical part of the service. We use Paul Taylor’s “Mass of St Francis” and the Celtic Alleluia for the musical parts of the mass.

Entrance: Seek Ye First (Lafferty) AOV 1/48

Gifts:  A Trusting Psalm (Bates) AOV 1/115

Communion: Bread Broken, Wine Shared Bread  (Horner) AOV 2/155

Recessional: Lift Up Your Hearts (O’Connor) AOV 1/156

I look at the choices from my former parish in Queensland and steal all their good ideas:

Entrance: Come, Now is the Time to Worship (Doerksen) AOV NG 29

Gifts: Bless Our Gifts (Grant) AOVD

Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat  (Westendorf/Kreutz) CWB II 651

Recessional: All the Ends of the Earth (Dufford) AOV 1/76)

At my former parish in Queensland they chose:

Entrance: Gather As One  (McKenna) AOV NG 48

Gifts: O Sacred Flame (Marshall)

Communion: Come to the Table (Burland) AOV NG 33

Recessional: Hearts on Fire (Mangan) AOV NG 62

St Peter’ Rochedale selected:

Entrance: Come to Set Us Free (Farrell) AOV 1/39

Gifts: Bless Our Gifts (Grant) AOVD

Communion:  The Servant Song (Gillard) AOV 2/169

Recessional: As a Fire is Meant for Burning  (Duck) GA 481

St Peter’s, Rochedale:

Entrance: Come to the Feast (Haugen) AOV 1/151

Gifts: The Cry of the Poor (Foley) AOV 1/83  

Communion: Christ Light, Shining in the Darkness (Grant) CWBII 468

Recessional: Send Down the Fire (Haugen) AOV 2/164

St Peter’s Rochedale chose:

Entrance:  A New Heart for a New World   (O’Brien/Watts) AOV 1/158

Gifts: Blessed Be Our God  (McKenna) AOV NG 13

Communion: Seed, Scattered and Sown (Feiten) CWB II 592

Recessional: Go Make a Difference  (Angrisano/Tomaszek) AOV NG 52

At my last parish at St Peter’s Rochedale they will sing:

Entrance: We Walk By Faith (Haugen) AOV 1/63

Gifts: Bless Our Gifts (Grant) AOV

Communion: In Every Age (Whittaker) AOV NG 77

Recessional: The Summons  (Maule-Bell) AOV NG 149

Meanwhile at St Peter’s, Rochedale:

This is a song with a text by Andrew Hamilton and set by Christopher Willcock that has no liturgical use really but it is just an interesting song from the Jesuits.

The background to the song is discussed here and the sheet music is also available there.

The music had no chords so I guessed them and made a backing for all the Jesuits who want to sing along.

This is one of the ACBC’s “exemplars” for contemporary music. It is by Matt Maher and Matt Redman and is a song about communion. The text is here.

This is what they say about the song:

Title: Remembrance
Composer: Matt Maher
Publisher: OCP (Digital Download)
Resource: Spirit & Song
Approval of Bishop’s Conference: USCCB
Liturgical Assessment: Liturgical Season/Day/Moment, Theologically Sound Text
• General usage for Communion, as clearly references that liturgical action.
• Corporate address to God through the majority of the text.
• Clear call to the sacrament of the Eucharist as a source of God’s mercy and grace.
Musical Assessment: Key, Range, Melody, Rhythm, Instrumentation, Form
• Eb Major
• Range of Bb-Eb for the assembly.
• Range extremes (bridge section) can be sung down the octave if necessary.
• A memorable, singable melody with a predictable rhythm in 4/4.
• Flexible arrangement: keyboard, guitar, optional SAB choir, C instruments, Bb
instruments, Eb instruments.
• Simple Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Coda form.
Pastoral Assessment: Community Participation, Broad Appeal, Available
• Able to be played and sung by diverse and intergenerational groups of people.
• Appeal and usage possible across liturgical and non-liturgical prayer formats Suited to corporate singing rather than by a soloist.
• Readily available for purchase by digital download or in hard copy.
• Covered by One License for copyright compliance.

I worry this is a song about Eucharist than for Eucharist. It is only singable if, like Matt Maher, you ignore all the stuttering sixteenth notes in the sheet music. The bridge cannot just be taken down the octave because the second bar would go down to a low G and there would little differentiation from the verses and refrain, leading to monotony. It is best as a solo vehicle or at least needing a cantor for the bridge. It starts out as an individual prayer before becoming corporate, “my God would welcome me” probably because “us” wouldn’t sing as well there.

I’m happy with “for any to receive” and “all are welcome in this place”, but then I’m one of those progressive Catholics. You have to feel sorry for Marty Haugen copping criticism for his song “All Are Welcome” if this text is OK.

This, then is a slow burn P&W style song that builds nicely into a somewhat repetitious bridge but not one that encourages participation particularly, and is more about Eucharist than for Eucharist. It is not the greatest exemplar for a contemporary liturgical song.

I made a backing anyway and it’s fine as a song and the sheet music is available at OCP. I disagree with the analysis from the ACBC on several points. I might have to check the rest of their analyses since this one is dodgy.