Church Music

Entrance: One Body In Christ (McKenna) AOV NG 102

Psalm 39 (McKenna)

Here I am Lord; I come to do your will.

Gifts: Lord, to Whom Shall We Go (Herry) AOV 1/6

Communion: Here I Am Lord (Schutte) AOV 1/90

Recessional: Hearts on Fire (Mangan) AOV NG 62

Brisbane’s emmanuelworship have always been at the praise and worship end of Australian Catholic music. I am looking back at their album Ride of a Lifetime album from 2003. I am expecting lots of songs that are meant for young people outside of church liturgies, and so far that is what I am finding.

This song, by James Garrahy, is perhaps a more traditional fast praise and worship song than yesterday’s song. It is easy to sing, despite all the triplets, and is great for when your guitarist needs to practice their barre chords. It is long out of print so I have put up the sheet music.

Their version is full on from the start, but my backing starts a little more quietly.

With the new year, normal service will be resumed. I will get back to Australian Catholic music with a throwback to 2003 − a collection from the emmanuelworship team. Ride of a Lifetime is long out of print, but I will post the sheet music.

If memory serves they were at their “Green Day” style noisiest at this time, so I am suspecting songs for youth rallies more than liturgical songs, but you never know, perhaps some can be repurposed.

The title track is pretty full on from songwriter, Patrick Keady, and lyrically aimed at a young audience. Whether twenty years on it remains useful I am not sure, but it is energetic, gets the guitarists busy making noise and it is easy to sing.

I made to two backings to sing a long with. I slowed it down a bit but feel free to get up to warp speed with emmanuelworship:

Actually I did try it at full speed as a gospel shouter but it was not pretty:

This is another interesting text from new releases by GIA. David Bjorlin has contrasted the themes of the four Advent candles with the many evils in the world and sings hope despite them.

The setting by Mark Miller is not quite sure what key it wants to be in and maybe that is to the good, because we are meant to be somewhat unsettled by this song – there is no place for complacency when opposed to evil.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA , where the text is in their preview. I’ll leave GIA there, with the impression that, on the evidence of these songs at least, there is some hope in American church music.

I’ve found some interesting new songs from GIA. This one has a text by Daniel Charles Damon and was written in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. It is actually a Hope Publishing copyright, and the text and a setting using an adaptation of the HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN is available there.

I made a backing for that:

For GIA, Eddie Cavazos has taken the text and made the second verse a chorus and set it to a tune in 5/4 time that I have to admit is pretty astonishing.

The sheet music for that version is available at GIA.

I now know two hymns in 5/4 time.

Entrance: Angels We Have Heard on High

Psalm 71 (McKenna)

Lord every nation on earth will adore you,

Will adore you.

Gifts: We Three Kings

Communion: Born in the Night (Ainger) AOV 2/101

Recessional: Shout to the Lord (Zschech) AOV NG 114

Entrance: Joy to the World

Psalm 104 (McKenna)

The Lord remembers his covenant forever.

Gifts: What Child Is This

Communion: The Aye Carol (Bell) G3 456

Recessional: Angels We Have Heard On High

Further to my pretty random survey of recent GIA releases, this is a song for Pentecost with a text by David Bjorlin set to AE FOND KISS, a Scottish traditional song in the arrangement from the Iona Community. I like that his text uses flame and breath as symbols of the Spirit, but also the cloud of uncertainty:

Cloud of God, come dwell around us

when we grow too sure or proud;

in our certainty confound us

with your mystifying cloud.

You can buy the sheet music at GIA, where the text is in the preview.

Listening to the original song, I think my tempo here is OK.

The song Ae Fond Kiss:

This is another new song from GIA. This is a sung prayer with a challenging text from Hannah C Brown, set by Benjamin Brody. The tune starts conventionally then goes to interesting places.

The pattern I see so far is more thoughtful texts than OCP, but with tunes whose range will test most assemblies. We shall see if that continues.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA where the text is in their preview.

I’m looking at a selection of recently released GIA offerings.

This is a 2023 publication with two texts by Hannah C Brown, one with a general application and one for funerals. The tune is by Adam Tice and Benjamin Brody is appropriately restful and I think it is lovely. I would bring it down from Eb to C though.

The sheet music can be purchased at GIA, where the texts are in their preview.