5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

7 February 2010

Entrance	Hoiy! Holy! Holy!
Penitential Rite	Mass of Remembrance (Marty Haugen)
Gloria	St Augustines (Christopher Walker)
Psalm 137	Before the angels, O Lord (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury Alleluia (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	Lord, you have come to the Lakeside (Gabarain)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Mass of Remembrance (Marty Haugen)
Communion	Cast out into the deep (Collegeville Composers Group)
Final	Forth in thy name (Charles Wesley)

The number of singers were low this morning so we didn't attempt Stainer's I saw the Lord but turn to the music of another stalwart Victorian composer — John Bacchus Dykes, for the first hymn. We were unaccompanied but proved a fine sing. I had never noted before the irregular number of syllables on the first line before and a quick survey of hymnbooks on my shelves suggest that only US books with the text of all the verses underneath the music note this.

Further to comment about the Kyrie last week, we sang the Kyrie just once after I confess and absolution. I was struck my strictures about the text would also apply to the Byrd 3-part Mass which we use. So perhaps Marty Haugen has tradition on his side!

It is often worth reflecting why this psalm; trying to see the connections with the first reading and gospel. This can sometimes give rise to a further question: why not this one instead? The first reading ends 'Here I am, send me'. I wondered what would be the effect of we then sang Psalm 39 Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will. As it also occurs at the beginning of Years A & B it would make an interesting link across the cycles. The first reading and gospel share two elements: awe and wonder, and response to God's call. I would suggest that Psalm 137 points towards the former, Psalm 39 to the latter. (interestingly the same two elements can also be seen in Paul.) It would suggest that both elements should have been present in the textual/musical choices.