One of the nice things about the APMN conferences is to get hard copies of the sheet music from the booths. I caught up with Paul Mason at the Liturgical Song booth and they have an expanded version for 2025 of Hymns and Spiritual Songs Vol 1. It contains some of Paul’s music as well as songs by Fiona Dyball, Angela Gorman, Mana and Marie-Louse Nankivell, and Carmelo Sciberras. It has full keyboard arrangements with guitar chords (CWB II please note) as well as full scores for many of the tracks.
I have already looked at this song, but I wanted to have another look at it. A feature of Mason’s books is the extensive guide to suitable liturgies, which he sometimes places in spare places at the end of other songs so you have to go looking for it – it’s a puzzzle book too. For this song, however, under the title he notes its use at the Plenary Council in 2020 and rightly highlights its suitability for Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Confirmation.
The range for a low A to D is daunting for me but if you have the voices and especially if you have two violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute and oboe to get the most out the score you can start practicing now for Holy Week next year (Ok after Christmas perhaps). It would survive solo guitar accompaniment and since even the basic keyboard arrangement is six pages we are obviously going to have to get it down to two pages somehow.
This song is also available as a single download, which also mean yiu can have a look at sample pages here.
I did look at the amazing full score but baulked at putting that all into Realband (I did start but it my hands it sounded baaaad), but I did tone down my P&W version and incorporate more of his keyboard arrangement into a revised backing:
The Power of the Spirit (O come, Holy Spirit, come!)
Composer: Paul MasonVerse 1:
Enter his presence singing his praises.
Jesus, the Lamb, is arisen!
Worthy of power, wisdom and honour,
riches and glory and blessing!
He said at table he’d send us
what, in Scripture, the Father had promised:
send out the spirit, pour out the spirit,
the Holy Spirit, the pow’r of the Spirit!Refrain:
O come, Holy Spirit, come!
Kindle in us
the fire of your love.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Speak to our hearts,
Holy Spirit, come!Verse 2:
Anyone having ears to hear,
Then, let them hear! Let them listen!
The Spirit is speaking to the Churches!
If you have ears, let them listen!
I know your faith, works and service,
and your patient endurance. So listen:
Listen to what the Spirit is saying.
the Holy Spirit, the pow’r of the Spirit!Verse 3:
You, yourself, humbled. Worthy are you, Lord,
Word of the Father almighty!
So we walk humbly, Lord, to be worthy
clothed with the power from on high,
burning with fire of your love,
building bridges of peace for your kingdom,
pow’r of forgiveness, pow’r of our witness,
the Holy Spirit, the pow’r of the Spirit!Text based on Lk 24:49; Jn 14:26, 17:26; Acts 1:4, 2:3-4; Rev 2-3, 4:11, 5:12.
Text: © 2007, 2018 Paul Mason. All rights reserved.
Tune: POWER OF THE SPIRIT © 2007, 2018 Paul Mason. All rights reserved.
Published by Liturgical Song, PO Box 1871 Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia.
www.liturgicalsong.com. Liturgical Song is a One License Member Publisher.