Church Music

This hymn has a text by Christina Rosetti and set by Gustav Holst. It is has been added to Breaking Bread by OCP for 2025.

I love Holst, but this is another Christmas song hopelessly bound to Eurocentric views of Christmas that have nothing to do with the Middle East, let alone the Southern Hemisphere. So for everyone where it snows at Christmas, enjoy this lovely carol. Merry Christmas.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP, but is public domain so can be accessed all over the internet including here. I note OCP omit verse three. Everyone has done an arrangement of this it seems.

1 In the bleak midwinter
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone:
snow had fallen,
snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter,
long ago.

2 Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

3 Enough for him whom cherubim
worship night and day,
a breastful of milk
and a mangerful of hay:
enough for him
whom angels fall down before,
the ox and ass and camel
which adore.

4 Angels and archangels
may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim
thronged the air,
but only his mother,
in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the Beloved
with a kiss.

5 What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise man
I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him,
give my heart.

This is Tantum ergo.

I have covered this traditional song on the blog and only mention it here because it has been added to Breaking Bread for 2025. I have an ancient document – Breaking Bread 2012 – and it is certainly there.

Does this mean if you are using Breaking Bread at some point OCP said you can’t use this public domain hymn and now has decided you can?

It is set to ST THOMAS by John Francis Wade, probably. The text is by Henry J. Pyle, except verse four by William Cooke.

1 In His temple now behold Him;
See the long-expected Lord!
Ancient prophets had foretold him;
God hath now fulfilled His word.
Now to praise Him, His redeemèd
Shall break forth with one accord.

2 In the arms of her who bore Him,
Virgin pure, behold Him lie,
While His aged saints adore Him,
Ere in perfect faith they die:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Lo, the incarnate God most high!

3 Jesus, by Thy Presentation,
Thou, Who didst for us endure,
Make us see Thy great salvation,
Seal us with Thy promise sure;
And present us in Thy glory
To Thy Father cleansed and pure.

4 Prince and author of salvation,
Be Thy boundless love our theme!
Jesus, praise to Thee be given
By the world Thou didst redeem,
With the Father and the Spirit,
Lord of majesty supreme!

So I am playing for the Sunday morning mass instead of Saturday night for the fourth week in Advent and have decided that, while I still want a Marian hymn, it should be something they know rather than something new, that I had rashly selected.

Where to turn, being one who was raised Protestant and still struggles with Marian devotion.

To LiturgyShare of course who have a BVM section in their under construction hymnal.

So many ideas, choices and resources.

Thanks, Chris.

Casey McKinley has set this traditional text for a sprinkling rite based on Ezekiel 47 in a pleasant folk, country style. It has been added to Breaking Bread for 2025 by OCP.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP where the text is in their preview.

This is another Harry Hagan text added to Breaking Bread for 2025 by OCP. The setting is by Steve Angrisano and Curtis Stephan. It is on the theme of mercy, obviously, and uses the blind Bartimeus story from Mark 1o. It is a gentle sung prayer.

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP, where they provide the text in their preview.

OCP has added Ken Canedo’s 2015 song, “God So Loved” to Breaking Bread for 2025.

It is scriptural, obviously, and I wonder if in a stripped down form it would work for Gifts.

It is very slow and as you can hear in his video below it is just chorus/verse/key change chorus + loud drums. I’m not sure they help.

The sheet music, including an SATB arrangement, is available at OCP, where the text is in their preview.

I think I sped my backing up just a little and I left it restrained throughout. I note one of the choirs below took it the tempo a notch as well, but slow is best here.

I am up to “D” in the new songs for Breaking Bread 2025 from OCP.

OK, this is chant, so I’m not making a backing. It is a traditional prayer from the 1700s that has been added to (by popes) over the years. It is used for Benediction.

It is set by Ross Caniglia.

Have a look at the preview of the sheet music at OCP, where you can purchase the sheet music.

This is what it sounds like:

I noticed OCP also have this setting, which is less chant and more country. This setting is by Sarah Hart and Josh Blakesley, with a refrain they have added. I have to say this particular text works better as chant – fitting the irregular line lengths and syllables into the regular meter is a stretch.

The sheet music is at OCP and you can look at their preview as well.

Have a listen:

Continuing with the additions to OCP for 2025 is Justin Wedgewood‘s fairly recent setting of Genevieve Gould‘s text. She has written a fine lyric with a social conscience and it is set beautifully, but I would have to see if it survives an assembly.

The sheet music is available to purchase at OCP where the text is in their preview.

This is a Mary song for choir or assembly from Australian songwriter Christopher Wilcock that has been added to Breaking Bread this year. Being at Star of the Sea parish locally and living in a port town, it is something I should look at.

This choir sounds great doing the SATB:

The sheet music can be purchased at OCP and the text is in their preview.

What I’d like to hear is an assembly doing it with just the main melody.

In the meantime here is my backing, courtesy of Band in a Box and its wind up church organ:

I was afflicted with a burst of wishful thinking and, as Chris pointed out, put the wrong setting of the this song up yesterday. OCP have included the Daniel Partridge setting of Harry Hagan‘s text with an additional verse by James Quinn – Benedictine + Jesuit, such diversity. Partridge is a lay catholic and brass expert.

OCP says this one is “accessible to choir and assembly alike”. I’d say suitable for some assemblies. The third and sixth verses have a different tune. The cunning setting has diminished chords and is not quite sure what key it in. Have a look at the sheet music and the text in OCP’s preview. You can purchase the sheet music at OCP as well.

I made a backing and like the music, but it appears lively music is not favoured for Breaking Bread these days.

I even like the sound of this choir, it sounds like a normal choir, rather than the odd sounding ones you often hear on OCP and GIA recordings. They sound great acapella.