Church Music

When Paul Taylor published his “Mass of St Francis” in 2010, there was no Gospel Acclamation included and when you buy the collection at Willow, there still isn’t one.

So we used the Celtic Alleluia for many years and all was well.

You can now buy separately Paul Taylor’s official Gospel Acclamation published in 2024 for this mass. I bought the keyboard version and had to work out my own chords.

The intention is for the Cantor to sing six alleluias, the assembly replies with six more and after the verse there are six more for good measure with the high harmony line if the cantor is up for it. It is a welcome addition to Taylor’s mass and is certainly singable. It is in D and so I suppose follows on from the Gloria in the same key, although it really hasn’t much of a similarity to any other part of the mass. I do wonder why a cantor is needed for this Alleluia. Being done weekly it would quickly become familar enough to do once before and after the verse and belong to the assembly.

I made two backings of the alleluias through twice to get the idea. There was no tempo recommendation so I just found a comfortable speed.

However…

I blogged a different acclamation that was, I gather, an earlier attempt, in which he used the feel of the Memorial Acclamations for the Alleluia. It could be argued that this version is not joyous enough, but it fits the rest of the mass rather better, and having started to use it this year, we intend to continue with the unofficial one for now.

This is a sung through Gloria from Paul Taylor’s, “Mass of St Francis”.

It has interesting triplets and arresting chords that sustain interest and yet it remains most singable. I play it a little slower than set in the sheet music.

The sheet music is at Willow and they provide many instrumental options, which are available to purchase.

I made two new backings, one more contemporary and one just fake BIAB organ.

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you,
we adore you, we glorify you.
We give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
You take away the sins of the world
have mercy on us;
You take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

I’ll have a brief interlude away from the New Living Parish Hymn Book to look at this fine mass by Paul Taylor.

Chris suggested I have another look at this mass, which I originally blogged in 2011 here. It is easily one of the most popular in Australia, but I don’t know if it is used elsewhere. I posted some more recent versions by others here.

I was never very happy with my backings and as it is now the only mass I play locally, I had another go at them.

The mass is available in many forms at Willow, where they have sheet music and their own backing tracks. There is also the simpler version for guitar, which I have never used.

I play the Kyrie and the Gloria down from D to C but capoed to the third fret. (ie chord shapes in A). The rest I play down from F to Eb but capo 1 to get easy chords shapes in D.

I made all the backings in the original key and did an organ version and a nonorgan version. It is written at 100bpm, which I think is too fast but it is described as con moto I suppose. I left the organ backing at that speed but slowed the other one a little.

The Kyrie works well as intended with call and response between a cantor and the assembly.

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy

It works fine in Greek as well.

I was away in Queensland last week visiting family and then staying at Coolangatta on the beach for a week.

I went to Sunday 8am mass at St Augustine’s just up the hill from our accomodation.

I fell in with parishioners, also struggling up the hill and was made most welcome.

The music was played on the organ and there were five singers leading the assembly.

Processional – Gather Us In

Offertory – Amazing Grace

Communion – Eagles Wings (Andersen)

Reflection – O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Recessional – Blest be the Lord

I’m pretty sure they were using Mason’s Mass of Glory and Praise.

They used hymn books (AOV), which meant for “Eagles Wings”, which is not in AOV, the assembly had only the refrain to sing as it was in the booklet.

The assembly knew the mass parts and the songs, except for “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” which was basically a solo. I suppose that means that for this parish, a traditional hymn is no longer part of their tradition.

Anyway, it is always a delight to go to mass away from home and see how other music ministers are faring and see what different slants can be given to the same liturgy. Thank you St Augustine’s Church.

This is a Lenten hymn written by George Hunt Smyttan and altered by Francis Pott set to HEINLEIN attributed to Martin Herbst.

I had a go at from OCP’s Guitar Accompaniment Book some years ago, but this time it is done as an organ backing on BIAB. The text below varies from others I have seen but is what is in this hymnal.

1 Forty days and forty nights
You were fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, and yet undefiled.

2 Shall not we your trial share
And from earthly joys abstain,
Fasting with unceasing prayer,
Glad with you to suffer pain?

3 And if Satan, on us press
Flesh or spirit to assail,
Victor in the wilderness,
Grant we may not faint or fail.

4 So shall we have peace divine;
Holier gladness ours shall be;
Round us too shall angels shine,
Such as served you faithfully.

5 Guard and keep us, Saviour dear,
Ever constant by your side;
That with you we may appear
At the eternal Eastertide.

This recessional was written by Charles Wesley and is set to Orlando Gibbons‘s SONG 34 (ANGEL’S SONG).

After six verses you will singing on your own I think.

My backing is just more BIAB organ.

1 Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go,
My daily labour to pursue;
Thee, only thee, resolved to know,
In all I think, or speak, or do.

2 The task thy wisdom hath assigned
O let me cheerfully fulfil;
In all my works thy presence find,
And ever do and love thy will.

3 Preserve me from my calling’s snare,
And hide my simple heart above,
Above the thorns of choking care,
The gilded baits of worldly love.

4 Thee may I set at my right hand,
Whose eyes my inmost substance see,
And labour on at thy command,
And offer all my works to thee.

5 Give me to bear thine easy yoke,
And every moment watch and pray,
And still to things eternal look,
And hasten to thy glorious day.

6 For thee delightfully employ
Whate’er thy bounteous grace hath given,
And run my course with even joy,
And closely walk with thee to heaven.

I’ve covered this text three times already but never with this setting, TALLIS’ ORDINAL, by Thomas Tallis.

It is a hymn for Lent and Reconciliation especially, with a text by Rosamund Eleanor Herklots. There are different versions on the text about – I have given that in NLPHB.

I made a new backing:

1. “Forgive our sins as we forgive”
   You taught us, Lord, to pray,
   But you alone can grant us grace
   To live the words we say.
2. How can your pardon reach and bless
   The unforgiving heart,
   That broods on wrongs and will not let
   Old bitterness depart?
3. In blazing light your Cross reveals
   The truth we dimly knew,
   How small the debts men owe to us,
   How great our debt to you.
4. Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls
   And bid resentment cease;
   Then, then reconciled to God and man,
   Our lives will spread your peace.

This Eucharistic hymn covers many aspects of the reasons why the Mass has meaning.

I covered it in CWB II to this tune, LUCERNA LAUDONIAE by David Evans. In AOV they use DIX.

The text is by Folliott Stanford Pierpoint, but has lots of variants.

In AOV the last line of each stanza is “This our hymn of grateful praise,” but in NLPHB it is “This our sacrifice of praise,” making it more explicitely eucharistic.

I made an organ backing in BIAB:

Wikipedia claims this is the original lyric:

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the Love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and brain’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above;
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For each perfect Gift of Thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and Divine,
Flowers of earth, and buds of Heaven:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For Thy Bride that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
This Pure Sacrifice of Love:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For Thy Martyrs’ crown of light,
For Thy Prophets’ eagle eye,
For Thy bold Confessors’ might,
For the lips of Infancy:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our Sacrifice of Praise.

For Thy Virgins’ robes of snow,
For Thy Maiden Mother mild,
For Thyself, with hearts aglow,
Jesu, Victim undefiled,
Offer we at Thine own Shrine
Thyself, sweet Sacrament Divine.

NLPHB has this:

1 For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Christ our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

2 For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Christ our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

3 For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight,
Christ our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

4 For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild,
Christ our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

5 For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,
Christ our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

6 For the Church that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love,
Christ our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

My Presbyterian upbringing gives me two issues with Catholic music. I struggle when hymns stray off metrical and some Marian hymnody can be a problem to me.

I don’t know about this one. Does this veer towards sickly? I’m probably just looking for things to upset me.

The text is by John Raphael Peacey who was an Anglican after all (not a Sydney Anglican obviously) and should be immune to excess Marian sentiment. The version below is from this hymnal but there are some differences between that and what the copyright holder Hope Publications has at their site.

It is set to ST BOTOLPH by Gordon Slater another Anglican.

It looks like I couldn’t find chords and made them up with some help from a reverse chord site – although there is a diminished chord in there somewhere which sounds unlikely.

I made two backings, one organ, one not organ.

For Mary, Mother of our Lord,
God’s holy name be praised,
Who first the Son of God adored
As on her child she gazed.

Brave, holy Virgin, she believed,
Though hard the task assigned,
And by the Holy Ghost conceived
the Saviour of mankind.

God’s handmaid, she at once obeyed,
By her ‘Thy will be done’;
The second Eve love’s answer made
which our redemption won.

The busy world had got no space
Or time for God on earth;
A cattle manger was the place
where Mary gave him birth.

She gave her body as God’s shrine,
Her heart to piercing pain;
She knew the cost of love divine,
When Jesus Christ was slain.

Dear Mary, from your lowliness
And home in Galilee
There comes a joy and holiness
To every family.

Hail Mary, you are full of grace,
Above all women blessed;
And blest your Son, whom you embrace
in birth and death confessed.

I had a brief look at this some years ago because it turned up at Ryan’s parish for All Saints, appropriately enough.

The text is by William Walshaw How and here runs to eight verses. It is set to Ralph Vaughan Williams‘s SINE NOMINE. It has some odd features – the verses start on the second beat of the bar and the Alleluia’s seem to jump in early. ‘Tis grand though, even if eight verses would dam up the liturgical flow in most circumstances.

The sheet music says the first three verses are unison and then a lower harmony can be added.

This is more pretend BIAB organ:

1 For all the saints who from their labours rest,
Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might,
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
3 O may thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win, with them, the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
4 O blest communion! fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
5 And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph-song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
6 The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest:
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
7 But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array:
The King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
8 From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia, Alleluia!