Church Music

This is another song to move my dormant Presbyterian soul, a metrical version of Psalm 120 (121) from the Scottish Psalter of 1615. Even my very strict brother could sing this one, as long as was happy with Granton Douglas Hay‘s paraphrase from the Australian Hymn Book, that dreadfully ecumenical tome. Hay was originally from Devonport, not far from where your correspondent currently lives, and was a Congregational then a Uniting church minister .

It is set to DUNDEE (aka FRENCH) and Thomas Ravenscroft is credited with the harmonisation.

1 I to the hills will lift my eyes:
Where shall I find my help?
My help comes only from the Lord
Who made the earth and heaven.

2 Your foot he’ll not let slide, nor will
Your guardian ever sleep:
The one who guards his people still,
He slumbers not, nor sleeps.

3 The Lord will be a shield and shade:
With him on your right hand
No harm will come from sun by day,
Nor from the moon at night.

4 The Lord will keep you from all harm:
Will guard your very life.
Preserve your going out and in
Now and for evermore.

This is the original text that would rather we weren’t smitten by the moon.:

1 I to the hills will lift mine eyes,
from whence doth come mine aid.
2 My safety cometh from the Lord,
who heav’n and earth hath made.
3 Thy foot he’ll not let slide, nor will
he slumber that thee keeps.
4 Behold, he that keeps Israel,
he slumbers not, nor sleeps.
5 The Lord thee keeps, the Lord thy shade
on thy right hand doth stay:
6 The moon by night thee shall not smite,
nor yet the sun by day.
7 The Lord shall keep thy soul; he shall
preserve thee from all ill.
8 Henceforth thy going out and in
God keep for ever will.

I couldn’t find any clips using the Australian words:

This is an obscure text you will find nowhere else because it was written by the editor himself, John de Luca.

He set the text to his arrangement of AR HAD Y NOS, the Welsh tune for “All Through the Night”.

He unites the Word with the Eucharist to make a liturgically useful song to a familar tune gorgeous tune – what’s not to like?

Well, “tremendous Lover” probably sounds different to modern ears than it did to de Luca when he wrote it. “Eucharistic transformation” is a bit prosaic. Rhyming “Master” and “disaster” is a bit clunky – it would benefit from a bit of “alt”. Servicing the internal rhymes made his task more difficult.

I made two backings, and used a less pompous organ sound than usual for the second one.

1 I, the Word of God will treasure all of my life:

Truth and Justice without measure, healing our strife.

Jesus, Word of God, our brother, I will love and serve no other:

Follow this tremendous Lover, all of my life.

2 Word in Scripture, sure foundation: Source of true life:

Gospel Good News: New creation darkness made bright.

In the footsteps of the Master we are safe from all disaster;

Joy eternal ever after this earthly life.

3 Word made flesh, the bread of nature change with your might!

True encounter with our maker, now hid from sight.

Eucharistic transformation Power of God, our hearts to waken

Never will we be foresaken, all through our life.

My “alt” rewrite:

1 I, the Word of God will treasure all of my life:

Truth and Justice without measure, healing our strife.

Jesus, Word of God, our brother, I will love and serve no other:

Peace in your love rediscover, all of my life.

2 Word in Scripture, sure foundation: Source of true life:

Gospel Good News: New creation darkness made bright.

In the footsteps of the Master, help in sorrow, cheer in laughter;

Joy eternal ever after this earthly life.

3 Word made flesh, the bread of nature change with your might!

True encounter with our maker, now hid from sight.

Into your death we are taken, rising with you, hearts to waken

Never will we be foresaken, all through our life.

Beautiful understated organ, showing the benefit of human organists:

NLPHB sets this in F which is only a little too high – this sheet music is in G, oh dear.

Wow, this is a banger that I haven’t ever heard of.

Written by Lesbia Scott (text) and set to GRAND ISLAND by John Henry Hopkins of “We Three Kings” fame, it is a song for All Saints. There is useful background here.

It was originally meant to be a children’s song and it is said not to be hugely popular in England, but is well known in Scotland and especially in the Episcopalian church in America. Its so called irreverance was found somewhat disconcerting, which is as good reason as any to like it.

I made two backings:

Stodgy:

Lighter but too slow:

1 I sing a song of the saints of God,
Patient and brave and true,
Who toiled and fought and lived and died
For the Lord they loved and knew;
And one was an actor, and one was a cook,
And one was a writer of many a book;
They were all of them saints of God; and look!
God willing, I’ll be one too.

2 They loved their Lord and they walked his way,
His courage made them strong,
They followed right, for Jesus’ sake,
For the whole of their lives long;
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
And one was attacked by a furious beast:
And there’s not any reason, no, not the least,
Why I shouldn’t be one too.

3 They lived not only in ages past;
Millions of them live still.
The world is full of joyous saints
Who delight to do God’s will;
You meet them in school, in the street, or at sea,
In church, at the beach, in the shops, and at tea!
For the saints every one, began like me,
And I want to be one too.

There is so much adaptation going on there I should post what looks like the American version. I think the one above is adapted for the Irish Catholics in Australia and so expunged the Queen.

1 I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.

2 They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and His love made them strong,
and they followed the right for Jesus’ sake,
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;
and there’s not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn’t be one too.

3 They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
in church, by the sea, in the house next door,
they are saints of God whether rich or poor,
and I mean to be one too.

Why did he remove doctors from the list of saints, it’s not that unlikely.

There are parody versions:

And one was a soldier, and one was a beast,
And one was slain by a fierce wild priest . . .

… which may be antipapist of course.

The tune is disturbingly reminiscent of “Old King Cole”.

These clips of assemblies singing this song straight are charming… and disconcerting.

This is more suitable for a children’s song:

This is the Gelineau setting of Psalm 121 (122).

Considering the date of publication in the 1980s, this must be the original Grail translation. It has an application for funerals it seems.

The preview at Hymnary shows the sheet music and notes that the tune of the antiphon is actually by Anthony Gregory Murray.

I made a backing for the Antiphon:

We shall go up with joy to the house of our God.

One of the reasons for covering everything in this hymn book is to have another go at a backing using an organ, when it is clearly suited to the hymn. I used to avoid using the organ styles in BIAB, because the native organ sounds were lousy. Things are a little better now.

This hymn is a traditional piece that found its way into As One Voice so I blogged it here, fifteen years ago.

The text by Horatius Bonar, a name familiar from my Presbyterian upbringing, is here set to the venerable folk tune, KINGSFOLD, as arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

My brother, who remains not just a Presbyterian, but so traditional he wrote a book about only accepting the singing of metrical psalms in church, would appreciate the fact Bonar would never have heard his hymns sung in his own church. They were originally meant for Sunday School use. This is a fascinating article on the origin of the hymn.

… and so this Presbyterian Sunday School song became traditional hymn that was set to a folk tune and is now part of the heritage of the English speaking church, even for Catholics.

This site has a free melody line arrangement with chords and here is some organ sheet music.

The text has both baptism and funerals covered, which is a neat trick.

1 I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast”.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
And he has made me glad.

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink, and live”.
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in him.

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light;
Look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
And all thy day be bright”.
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In him my star, my sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk
Till trav’lling days are done.

It is a robust tune that survives many styles.

Entrance: Shepherd Me O God (Haugen) AOV 1/33

Psalm 22 (McKenna)

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Gifts:  The Lord is My Shepherd (Boniwell) AOV 1/26

Communion: Hymn to Christ the King (Hart et al)

Recessional: Glory and Praise to Our God (Schutte) AOV 1/16

Entrance: Christ Light, Shining in the Darkness (Grant) CWBII 468

Psalm 127 (McKenna)

Happy are those who fear the Lord.

Gifts:  Bless Our Gifts (Grant) AOVD

Communion: To the Table We Are Called (O’Brien/Harvey) AOVD

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

Entrance: For All the Saints (Bell)

Psalm 62 (McKenna)

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Gifts: Enemy of Apathy (Bell-Maule) AOV 2/75

Communion: My Soul Is Thirsting (Angrisano) AOV NG 97

Recessional:  Holy Wisdom (Duck) BEACH SPRING

Entrance: Will You Love Me? (Boniwell) AOV 1/40

Psalm 23

Lord, this the people that longs to see your face.

Gifts: Come To Me (Norbet) AOV 1/37

Communion: For All the Saints (Bell) O WALY WALY

Recessional: Beatitudes (Balhoff/Ducotte)

Entrance: Remember My Love (Watts, O’Brien)

Psalm 17 (McKenna)

I love you Lord, my strength. I love you Lord, my strength.

Gifts: I’ll Be Always Loving You (Watts) AOV 1/82

Communion: Here at the Table (Ogilvie/Harvey)

Recessional: Hearts on Fire (Mangan) AOV NG 62