The main purpose of this blog is for musicians of modest talents, like myself, to have an idea how a song goes according to the actual music, so they can learn to play it. Many strummers like myself can’t just look at all those notes and figure it out, so I’ve always made a backing on Band in a Box to get the idea. I’m wary of the recorded versions which have solo embellishments and the YouTube clips of other parishes attempts where I might learn their mistakes. I know I have played many songs with the wrong feel I learnt over the years in my parish and was often surprised when I had a good look at the music and entered in the actual notes.
I’ve done all the As One Voices (except the Kids) and miscellaneous songs I’ve been asked to play over the years or had requested, and now I’m going to teach myself some songs that are new to me. I’m starting with Spirit and Song Vol 1 published in 1999 by OCP. I’m using it because OCP really have their act together with downloadable sheet music so that if you hear something you like you can buy it cheaply from them. The whole paperback book cost me all of $A20 some years ago. It is roughly contemporaneous with the first two AOV collections and so there are overlaps that I will leave out, as Willow leant heavily on OCP for AOV. The Mass settings are of course redundant and while there are excellent psalm settings I’ll leave them for another time. The first tranche of songs are gathering and sending forth songs.
Janet Vogt was not a composer with which I was familar. You can hear her song “Age to Age” at MySpace. I think there is a good song under the American style of church music recording that I find hard to take. This version is better:
The text is here (scroll down). It can be purchased for download at OCP.
Vogt uses passages from Isaiah and Matthew in her song that could also be used for Eucharist, mediation and healing applications. It probably needs a lighter touch than I give it. The tune has delightful subtlety but the verses have just enough variation to cause concern and slow the learning process.