Church Music

This is a solo vehicle from John Angotti, or if stretched perhaps an assembly could participate in the refrain.

The first and third verse are a private cry to God in a time of trouble with the second giving Christ at Gethsemane as a model of coping with suffering. The verses have very fiddly triplets and a challenging range.

The sheet music can be purchased at WLP where the text is in their sample. I note the sample takes the key up from Dm to Fm so good luck with that as the high note is then up to Ab – F is bad enough!

Entrance: Gather Your People  (Hurd) AOV 1/71

Psalm 94 (McKenna)

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Gifts: We Walk by Faith   (Haugen) AOV 1/63

Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat  (Westendorf/Kreutz) CWB II 651

Thanksgiving: O Sacred Flame (Marshall)

Recessional: Hearts on Fire  (Mangan) AOV NG 62

While I have a think about new projects, I’m back in WLP’s Voices As One Vol 2.

This song was written by Melody Green and popularised by Keith Green. The text is here. It is a ballad that would lend itself to slow burn p&w.

Keith Green:

I worried it was a solo vehicle, but this crowd is doing OK.

I have been blogging songs from this collection on and off for nearly a year. I can now make less annoying organ backings for traditional repertoire and have heard an awful lot of old hymn tunes. I have benefitted.

The problems of this collection are pretty clear. It is too cumbersome for practical use by musicians and its song choice is skinny outside traditional hymnody. The deliberate decision to avoid guitar chords is a scandalous lack of hospitality and pastoral thinking.

If you are a parish that has money to spare, needs new hymnals and wants a largely traditional repertoire this is the collection for you. If you don’t have money to spare use the free online resources for the public domain music (eg The Open Hymnal) and don’t forget small church music for backings.

If you have a more mixed palate stick to your As One Voice or Gather Australia and if you find a song you like from CWB II purchase it online to supplement them. You could plug gaps better than CWB by purchasing The Year of Grace Music Book for the McAuley/Connolly repertoire and This is the Time and Setting Hearts on Fire from Litmus for Michael Mangan.

Don’t forget Michael Herry’s free music and check out Hope Publishing.

I’m happy to have looked at these songs and the liturgical scholarship and editorial skill that has gone into the collection is immense, but if it ever intended to be a suburban parish hymnal it has failed. Just my opinion of course.

The last song in CWB II is our national anthem. Michael Herry’s prayer for our country that I blogged yesterday might be acceptable, but national anthems have no place in a hymnal.

The government provides the text and more arrangements than you could ever want.

I have made three backings of increasing silliness:

I am torn between my revulsion of nationalism, or worse, patriotism, being anywhere in a catholic liturgy and being glad that not every hymn is from the northern hemisphere and ill suited to Australia.

Being by the wonderful Michael Herry helps as does its setting to THAXTED by Holst – not an Australian tune but most uplifting.

Herry has the sheet music and text for free here and you can listen to it there as well. My backing in the other hand is BIAB overreaching. CWB II has a bonus descant by Richard Proulx for the last verse, which is somehow copyright to GIA.

On Michael Herry’s site he calls this a “Hymn of Trust”. The words and sheet music are there as well. He also has a version by the Marist Singers on this site.

His site says the text of the refrain is anonymous but adapted by Tricia Walsh. The verses are adapted from psalm 138.

CWB II says the verse is translated from a source of Pauline charism by Fr Walter Silvester and the verses are The Grail translation of the psalm. Make of all that as you will.

I prefer Herry’s sheet music although he pitches it in Eb and CWB II brings it down to D. He also has different markers for emphasis for the chant in the verses.

I made a backing to learn the refrain mainly. I did include the verses but used notes for the tones rather than each word because BIAB CAN”T DO CHANT.

This c19 text with obvious liturgical uses is by George Washington Doane. CWB II has Becket G. Senchur’s modernised version (no “thees”), but this makes the tortured yoda style syntax look worse. With archaic language the sentence structure is probably more acceptable.

Here it is set to TALLIS’ ORDINAL.

You are the Way: in you alone
from sin and death we rise;
without your grace we nothing are,
in you all goodness lies.

You are the Truth: your Word alone
full wisdom can impart;
and Word alone transforms the mind,
and purifies the heart.

You are the life: the empty tomb
Proclaims your victory,
And those who put their trust in you
shall evermore be free.

You are the Way, the Truth, the Life;
grant us that Way to see,
that Truth to keep, that Life to live,
that we your friends may be.

Original text:

1. Thou art the way: to Thee alone
   From sin and death we flee;
   And he who would the Father seek
   Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee.
2. Thou art the truth: Thy Word alone
   True wisdom can impart;
   Thou only canst inform the mind,
   And purify the heart.
3. Thou art the life: the rending tomb
   Proclaims Thy conqu’ring arm,
   And those who put their trust in Thee
   Not death nor hell shall harm.
4. Thou art the way, the truth, the life;
   Grant us that way to know,
   That truth to keep, that life to win,
   Whose joys eternal flow.

This song by Lucien Deiss uses Luke 15:18 as the basis for the antiphon and Psalm 51 for the verses. I gather it is used at funerals.

The text is here. The sheet music can be purchased at WLP.

My backing groups the verses into 2 verses at a time.

Entrance: Gather As One  (McKenna) AOV NG 48

Psalm 145 (McKenna)

Praise the Lord my soul!

Praise the Lord my soul!

Gifts: The Cry of the Poor  (Foley) AOV 1/83

Communion: Come to the Table   (Burland) AOV NG 33

Thanksgiving: Be Merciful (Haugen)

Recessional: Sing of the Lord’s Goodness   (Sands) AOV 1/131