This is the psalm for the second Sunday of Lent as set by Paul Mason in Psalms For All Time Vol 2. It is also a Common Psalm for Ordinary time and suitable for anointing and funerals.
The refrain is, “The Lord is my Light and my salvation,” sung twice. The text is Psalm 27: 1,7-9, 13-14 as seen here, or better still buy his book.
This isn’t up on You-Tube nor at Mason’s site, so here is backing for learning purposes.
Continuing in Paul Mason’s Psalms For All Time Vol 2, this is his setting of Psalm 25 for the first Sunday in Lent Year B. The verses are very syncopated.
The refrain is:
Your ways, O Lord, are truth and love, to those who keep your covenant.
The verses are the same for Advent 3 year C, and also a seasonal psalm for Advent with the refrain that will fit Mason’s setting:
To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. O Lord, I lift my soul.
As a hymn it would suit Gifts and Entrance.
The text is here (Psalm 25: 4-9 minus 7a).
There is a recording of the psalm at Liturgical Song.
My backing has its own feel:
This is Paul Mason’s setting of the psalm for the Presentation of the Lord, from Psalms for All Time Vol 2. It is another psalm that could be repurposed as a hymn for “Christ the King”.
The refrain is “Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! It is the Lord!”
The text is verses 7-10 of Psalm 24 here.
I make backings so I know how songs go, because I can’t sight read. Here is my backing to help learn this psalm:
Continuing with Paul Mason’s Psalms For All Time Vol 2, we have the psalm for All Saints. Apart from that it is another that could work as an entrance hymn.
The refrain is, “Lord, this is the people who long to see your face,” and Mason repeats, “to see your face.” The text of the verses is here.
He uses the same descending melody line in the verse as yesterday’s psalm – I think he likes it a lot.
Sing along with my backing to learn it:
This is Paul Mason’s setting of Psalm 24 for the fourth Sunday of Advent Year A, which is also an obvious choice as an entrance hymn. It would be fine as a hymn for Christ the King as well. It is from Psalms for All Time Volume 2, which you can purchase at Liturgical Song.
In my grumbling about texts, I haven’t made it clear what the issues are and why I am somewhat bemused and confused by it all.
Currently in Australia we (mostly) use the ICEL refrains and the Grail verses. The Revised Grail has been approved for use in Australia but the new Australian Lectionary is not available yet, so most parishes still use the old Grail texts. Then you have the translations wars for readings between Jerusalem, New Jerusalem, NRSV etc and I have no idea who won that one and no idea when it will be sorted out within Australia.
To increase confusion and anarchy, the English speaking world could not come to an agreement about any of this, including the psalms, so the US is different to Canada which is different to England and Scotland which are in turn different to Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The copyright for the texts is not surprisingly all over the place with the revised verses from Conception Abbey administered by GIA, while I think their originals are ICEL like the refrains. And just so you can know and despair, Paul Inwood has given us the background to the Grail revisions.
As a parish musician who usually bristles at being told what to do, this is one situation where you would think some uniformity would keep things simple. I propose:
1 Psalms should not be subject to copyright as it is more than seventy years since the author of the original text (maybe King David) died. The Pope should tell the Abbey to make their translations a gift as part of their vocation.
2 The people in Rome who made some terrible top down decisions to screw up the new uniform enforced translation of the mass, don’t get to now make the opposite mistake of unleashing anything goes in the English speaking world for psalms and readings.
3 Just put Paul Mason in charge – simples.
Paul Mason with a view to future is using the Revised Grail, so if you aren’t then you just have to see whether his tunes fit.
Somebody annoyed by all this put the revised texts on the net here. Otherwise check Universalis or your missal or Kate Keefe’s amazing site and do your best. Don’t worry it will all change again soon.
Back to this psalm – it is meant to be joyful and acclamatory. He uses one of his favourite descending melody lines in the verses – for “It is he who set it in the seas” – it turns up in other psalms settings of his.
As usual Paul gives the history and his commentary on the psalm and its usage. These are sometimes adjacent to the sheet music, as in this case, or they may be scattered somewhat randomly throughout the book. Just as randomly the guide to the random distribution of notes is randomly sited at the base of page 24 because … that’s just the way Paul rolls. I’d still put him in charge.
After all that I made a backing:
This is Paul Mason’s response for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, Psalm 23 from Psalms For All Time Vol 2. The text is, ” I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” The verses are the same as for hs setting of “The Lord is My Shepherd”.
When I did the version of this psalm in Mason’s original Psalms for All Time here, I was frustrated by my inability to link to the particular version of the text. This time the text is slightly different and the tune is slightly different, so I suggest that while you at Liturgical Song buying the collection you listen to the song there, as it is one of the few that he has put up there. The revised Grail text he uses is here.
I made a new backing and it remains a fine setting:
Paul Mason’s series, Psalms for all Time, is a project to get psalms being sung in your parish. If you have cantors, it is a great idea, but if that isn’t going to happen, they are still useful as hymns in themselves. We sing Amanda McKenna’s responses and have the verses said, so I am mainly thinking of these as hymns.
I’ve done the original book last year, which has been updated now as volume one, and will turn to the second volume now. You can (and should) purchase the book at Liturgical Song. It isn’t just sheet music – he has the background and suggested uses for all the psalms as well as a cogent rationale for the singing of psalms in the introduction. There is even a chord sheet and capoing directions where needed to cater for guitarists – CWBII take note! It is possible to be pastorally relevant to guitarists providing music in church and still be liturgically correct – just ask Paul Mason. He also often has SATB arrangements for the refrains if you have a choir of that nature.
Psalm 8 is for The Most Holy Trinity Year C, but has a use for Christian Initiation (outside Easter) and masses for civil needs. It is also a hymn of praise that can be used whenever you can’t face singing “How Great Thou Art” anymore.
I find the choice of English texts for the Psalms a confusing jumble of versions of the Grail and rife with copyright hassles. The text Mason uses is here. (Psalm 8:4-9)
There are still very few You Tube clips of Mason’s material, so if you are using them please post them where we can hear them in action.
This is an Australian song from 2022 designed for use in a Migrant and Refugee Mass. It was produced by the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office and approved by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, but don’t let that put you off. The words are by Don Mauro S. Gomez and the music is by Nilo G. Nucup.
There are lots resources including the sheet music and a recording of the song and a backing track on the ACMRO Google drive. This is a direct link to the sheet music.
I made my own backing anyway:
Building the Future Together
Words: Don Mauro S. Gomez
Music: Nilo G. Nucup
Composed: August 06, 2022Sisters and brothers: migrants and refugees,
together we’ll light up the peripheries
Hand in hand let our voices and dreams soar
Indifference and exclusion will be no more.Together we’ll embark on a journey
Treading a path to God’s holy city
Together we’ll build a hope-filled future
Where God’s love, joy and peace reign and prosper.
Together on a journey.Sisters and brothers: migrants and refugees,
God’s love will dispel your fears and miseries
In welcoming each and every one
We welcome in our midst, Christ who makes us one.Together on a journey
Together we’ll embark on a journey
Treading a path to God’s holy city
Together we’ll build a hope-filled future
Where God’s love, joy and peace reign and prosper
Together on a journeySisters and brothers: migrants and refugees: on a journey.
Nihil Obstat: Fr. Trenton Van Reesch
Imprimatur: Abp. Christopher Prowse
Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
29 July 2022Produced by the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
© August 2022
This is the last song in the 2003 emmanuelworship album Ride of a Lifetime. I haven’t found a lot of songs with a liturgical use, but many are fine songs in a praise and worship context.
This an exciting uptempo testimony style song. It is pitched very high so is either for performance purposes or the chorus is meant to be sung an octave lower by an assembly. There is a section for a rap that in my backing is just left without a melody line so people can fill in their rapping.
