This collection was written by Michael Mangan for the year 2000 Jubilee and so was immediately redundant and went out of print. Michael Mangan is a parish musician, song writer and religious educator. He is the best I’ve ever seen at leading worship with just guitar and voice, not always the easiest task. While his songs are often aimed at children, most are fine for any assembly.
I have a copy of the sheet music and CD of Sing Jubilee and I recall the title track being sung loudly at St Edwards in Daisy Hill until it wasn’t needed and the book has been lying around since. This is his recording of the title track which is out of print and awaits the next year of Jubilee for a reboot. In a sense, however, this song no longer exists.
So why mention it…
… because the best songs from this folio were recycled by Michael Mangan for use on many subsequent albums. “Sing Jubilee”, for example, becomes “Celebrate, Let’s Celebrate” from the collection This We Believe.
I have blogged some others over the years:
Sing New Songs of Joy – in Forever I Will Sing and CWB II
Justly, Tenderly, Humbly – This is the Time.
Land of the Southern Cross – True Colours Shine.
All his material can be accessed at Litmus Productions and I suggest you do so. All the lyrics are available for download there and sheet music can be purchased as well. I note the website is to be refurbished and I hope he can have individual sheet music for download at the new site.
“Mass Jubilee” was also included in the Sing Jubilee collection and that at least is still available packaged with his Mass of Celebration and updated to match the new readings.
Some of the remaining songs cannot be purchased anywhere anymore so, since you are unlikely to come across a second hand copy (zero results on Abe Books) and some were very specific to the Jubilee I will let them pass, but there are some others that he resurrected in other collections like the ones mentioned above, so I will do a short series on the recycled songs from the non-existent collection Sing Jubilee by Michael Mangan.
Geoff, I’ve been trying for years to find another hymn for the Millennium Jubilee which I remember from early primary school. It’s not the official one by Rosalie Bonighton, because the text doesn’t match. I recall the refrain going something like “Proclaim a jubilee, a great jubilee, for Christ has been with us two thousand years”. Was it from Mangan’s collection, or do you know where it was from?
GH
I can’t see any song with those lyrics in the collection but they certainly have an Australian focus.
With Jubilee in 2025, maybe Michael will reissue the collection.
Geoff
Our parish is introducing mass of jubilee Michael Mangan.
Besides the official recorded version do you know if anyone has just done piano accompaniment which may be listened to?
I find a lot of Michael’s music is very guitar driven and as a basic piano player I am challenged to give the same “drive” on just the piano.
Thanks
G’Day Caz
I’d forgotten Michael had rewritten this mass when the new words came out. I have the old version in the “Sing Jubilee” collection and looking at the preview on GIA there was quite some work to do.
I haven’t looked at a new mass setting for a long time after looking at an awful lot with the text was changed from English to something adjacent, but Michael’s work is always worth another listen. As a less accomplished guitarist than Michael, I am grateful for his pastoral grace of making things easy to play for me – usually in G! Keyboard players want everything in F, which hurts my hands and has me reaching for a capo.
As one of the marginally musical and the worst keyboard player in Christendom, I hope any advice I give isn’t patronising.
My best advice is to contact Michael directly. I’m sure he would have good advice on an approach and may even know other parishes using the Mass or suggest keyboard players to guide you. Michael knows everyone.
Otherwise, don’t be afraid to keep it simple, play just enough to lead and allow yourself to worship too. Making backings with a strong melody can be useful initially from a learning perspective if you can do that either recording your keyboard or with a program.
best of luck.
Geoff