There are a few more Jubilee Year song matters to deal with.
The lovely people at CJM music collective have had a crack at the official hymn for the Jubilee, in a style better suited to a “a more contemporary liturgical music repertoire.”
You can find their arrangement in 2 keys here, and it fits on one page!
This is the official version, which I blogged here. Maybe I just don’t like long echo times, but the song benefits from their simple arrangement.
Willow’s Pilgrims of Hope collection closes out with another Gen Bryant song, this time in collaboration with Ashen Warnakulasooryia. The sheet music and other bundles for the collection can be purchased at Willow.
Like the other songs in the collection, the text is inspired by the themes of Jubilee year, but here with additional inspiration from St Mary Mackillop and Sister Joan Chittester.
This is an inspirational song that will suit school ministry. Gen was thinking of celebrating the diversity and connectedness she sees in Australia, but the themes are universal beyond her country and the Jubilee year. It is also a song for people who feel their spirituality while on their feet and moving.
My backing has a different feel to her great version – mine is more a laid back dance beat.
1 There is a light, guiding our hearts, To see through the storm. There is a way, we travel as one, By name we are called.
Prechorus
From the north to the south, every sight, every sound. From the east to the west, light will rise and will set. Feel the dust at our feet, it will centre our hearts. See the rivers collide, we are one, we will rise and sing…
This song came about when Gen Bryant, Steph Jorna, Brigid McNally and myself were put together at a songwriter’s retreat last year to write a song for the Jubilee.
We were all responsible for the lyrics, throwing the themes of the Jubilee back and forth, looking for a lyric suitable for schools and young people at least. I must say it is amazing how quickly things come together with experienced songwriters like Gen, Brigid and Steph bouncing words around.
Gen had the guitar so she laid down a simple backing and we added a crescendo leading up to the chorus, with the words, “Let Your Kingdom come.”
I wrote the words and chords down for myself and made a backing as far as I could remember things.
Gen continued to work on the tune to take it beyond the simple initial melody and chords – diminished chords anyone, and it was fascinating to see how she worked on it, doubling the chorus, adding an interlude and using more sophisticated melody, chords and bass lines. She also changed the words leading up the the verse.
I made a backing in a similar style but incorporating all her changes.
1 We are pilgrims on a journey, Come and walk with us. (Come and walk with us.) We are lifting up our voices, Come and sing with us. (Come and sing with us.) We will share God’s gift with all.
Chorus
Be hope! Be faith! Light the flame of charity. Be hope! Be faith! Shine your light for all to see. (Rpt)
Interlude
Be hope! Oh woah! Be hope! Oh woah!
2 Faith is bringing us together, Sharing joy and peace. Grace is bringing us together, Love will never cease. So, let’s share God’s gift with all.
My grandson, Hope, was born last year and after 2 1/2 months in hospital and tube fed until recently, he is pretty well now. This will always be a song for him as far as I am concerned.
This is the first song I’ve blogged that was written this year!
It is a chant-like reflective sung prayer, from the collection, Pilgrims of Hope, matching the themes of the Jubilee, but with a more universal application.
This is Patricia Smith‘s contribution to Willow’s new collection, Pilgrims of Hope. She is one of the songwriters, like Peter Grant, David MacGregor and Erica Marshall, who would have been more well known in Australia if circumstances would have allowed for an As One Voice Vol 3.
This song is an obvious choice for Pentecost if you come from the “Great South Land”, and I am always keen on anything that is not Eurocentric nor Americocentric in liturgy. It is a reflective gem.
Pilgrims of Hope can be purchased in various bundles at Willow.
Refrain
Come, Spirit, come. Come, Holy Spirit of the Great South Land. Come, fill our hearts with the fire of your love, And come, Spirit, come.
1 Bless and unite all your people, Lord And guide us as we seek to do your will. Come, Spirit, come.
Refrain
2 Give us the courage to speak the truth With love for one another, trusting you. Come, Spirit, come.
Refrain
3 Give us the grace to know you, Your presence in our midst and in our world. Come, Spirit, come.
Refrain
4 Open our hearts to listen, To know and understand your will for us. Come, Spirit, come.
Beth Doherty has written a lovely song that truly embodies the theme of Hope for the Jubilee.
It is in the new Willow collection, Pilgrims of Hope and you can buy the sheet music and other bundles at Willow.
Liturgically, Beth’s hymn would suit anointing and Gifts especially. As I sit here this morning contemplating yet another day of General Practice, it is providing welcome contemplative solace, for which I am grateful.
I let Band in a Box keep it simple on this backing.
1 All the hungry, All the thirsty, All the righteous, All the broken. Those who carry heavy burdens, Come, come, come.
2 All the sinners, All the faithful, All the fearful, Come and be filled. Those whose cross is hard to carry, Come, come, come.
Chorus
For a table has been furnished In sight of all your foes, The oil of gladness Poured out on your wounds. And your burdens will be taken By the One who hears your prayers And beauty be restored for all to see.
3 All the poor and All the rich And all the lonely, All the weary, Those whose days seem overwhelming, Come, come, come.
4 All who know you, All who seek you, All of those with no knowledge of you, Let your name be praised forever, Come, come, come.
I have already blogged this song, here, but I am reposting to put it in its context with the rest of the collection, Pilgrims of Hope, from Willow. Buy the sheet music and other bundles here.
Gina Ogilvie, who more often writes music, provided the text for this fine song for Eucharist, which is set by Michael Harvey.
1 Called to the sanctuary we come bringing the gifts that we offer.
This sacred moment is blessed, our spirits unified.
Standing at the altar with off’rings of our hearts,
Together in this holy place, bread and wine the symbols
The mystery that’s created and in your love we find grace.
Refrain
Here at the table, in the presence of our God.
We bring our hopes, our dreams and our fears,
In this communion love draws near.
2 Turning to you now in wonder, Ignited by your love,
Lives that are broken are mended, our voices raise in song
Standing at the altar with off’rings of our hearts,
Together in this holy place, bread and wine the symbols
The mystery that’s created and in your love we find grace.
I am continuing to look at Willow’s new collection, Pilgrims of Hope, which you can, and should, purchase in various bundles and forms at Willow.
The talented people Willow have called on for this album are truly astonishing. This song for example is a fruitful collaboration between theologian songwriters, Toni Janke and Maeve Haeney.
It is an invocation of the Holy Spirit, an invitation to walk in “thin places”and a prayer for wisdom that would be a creative choice for Pentecost and liturgies with wisdom readings.
I love what they have done here with the modulation for “on this sacred ground”, suddenly arresting you out of Chronos into Kairos time.
Their recording below is sublime and the right key for a solo or duet perhaps, but for an assembly I would bring it from Ab down to F as a matter of charity.
Band in a Box did not have a didgeridoo option, oddly enough, so I chose to look for a David Bridie vibe in my backing.
Ancient ways, open paths, Grounded firm, growing fast. There’s no moving forward without looking back. We acknowledge the future has a past: On this sacred ground.
Ancient ways, open paths, Grounded firm, growing fast. There’s no moving forward without looking back. We acknowledge the future has a past: On this sacred ground. On this sacred ground. On this sacred ground.
Our Elders are dreaming dreams, And our children speak words of truth. And our young people have visions Of all in living in a world that tastes of justice, and fairness, and wholeness, and healing.
A ground that is groaning in need of your Spirit. Living Breath, we pray. Breathe through us today.
Ancient ways, open paths, Grounded firm, growing fast. There’s no moving forward without looking back. We acknowledge the future has a past: On this sacred ground. On this sacred ground.
Lord, lead us and guide us, Sustain us and teach us new ways to be. We are one with creation, The Dreaming, the Spirit, throughout history.
Though we know we are just passing through this place, Give us the courage, the wisdom and grace, Living Breath, we pray. Breathe through us today.
If anyone doesn’t know the Australian composer, David Bridie, known for his soundtrack work and the bands My Friend the Chocolate Cake and Not Drowning Waving, here is a sample, giving a view of the land from the point of view of European explorers seeing the ground as anything but sacred:
The second song in Willow’s collection, Pilgrims of Hope, is the fruit of a collaboration at a workshop last year that brought together Australian songwriters for a weekend, that included experiments in composing together.
I had a few unsuccessful goes at backings for this one. These first attempts don’t have the melody edited properly – BIAB is great for copy and pasting, but I didn’t go back and fix the melodic variations on these attempts:
Then I realised it is more 2/2 than 4/4 and got something more usable.
1 Broken we come with dreams in our hearts, Searching for truth and longing for peace, Troubled and torn by the weight of the world, Into your light, we are called.
Chorus
Put your hope in Love forever more. Put your hope in Love forever more. Put your hope in one another, our sister, our brother. Put your hope in Love forever more.
2 Eyes open wide, God’s goodness we seek, Looking for signs of hope in our midst. Be strong and be filled, with Spirit outpoured, Into your light, we are called.
Chorus
Final Chorus
Put your hope in, put your hope in, Love forever more. Put your hope in, Put your hope in, Love forever more. Put your hope in one another, our sister, our brother. Put your hope in Love forever more.
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.
