| Entrance | O sons and daughters |
| Gloria | Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
| Psalm 117 | Give thanks to the Lord (mtgf) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker) |
| Preparation of Gifts | We walk by faith (Marty Haugen) |
| Eucharistic Acclamations | Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
| Lamb of God | Lux et origo (mtgf) |
| Communion Antiphon | Bring your hand (mtgf) |
| Communion | Now we remain (David Haas) |
| Final | This joyful Eastertide |
2nd Sunday of Easter fare. Nothing too complicated.
| Entrance | Jesus Christ is risen today |
| Penitential Rite | Lux et origo (mtgf) |
| Gloria | Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
| Psalm 117 | This is the day (Haugen) |
| Gospel Acclamation/Sequence | Victimae Paschali (mtgf) |
| Sprinkling | Springs of Water (mtgf) |
| Preparation of Gifts | Christo resurgenti (Couperin) |
| Eucharistic Acclamations | Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
| Lamb of God | Lux et origo (mtgf) |
| Communion Antiphon | Christ our passover (mtgf) |
| Communion | Exultate iusti (Viadana) |
| Final | Thine be the glory |
Procession | The Lord is my light (Taizé) |
Exsultet | Missal |
Psalm 103 | Send forth your spirit (mtgf) |
Psalm 15 | Preserve me, God (Christopher Walker) |
Exodus 15 | I will sing to the Lord (mtgf) |
Psalm 18 | O Lord, you have the message (mtgf) |
Psalm 41-42 | As the deer longs (Palestrina/Bridge) |
Gloria | Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
Gospel Acclamation | Alleluia (chant/mtgf) |
Baptismal Liturgy | Springs of water (mtgf) |
Preparation of Gifts | For peace (Antoine Oomen) |
Eucharistic Acclamations | Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
Lamb of God | Lux et origo (mtgf) |
| Communion Antiphon | Christ our Passover |
Communion | Sicut Cervus (Palestrina) |
Final | Out of Darkness (Christopher Walker) |
On average it takes us about 3 years to be confident with a piece.The first year is not disastrous but it can have the tension of possibility of falling apart. The setting of Psalm 41 As the deer longs is a case in point - it has settled into the familiar as though we never had problems. Whereas Sicut cervus is at that midway point - we know it is possible and will likely achieve it but it is not in our bodies yet. There were a number of new pieces this year (an implication of planning is that the choice will be for a few years). Psalm 117/Gospel Acclamation was written as an experiment - unaccompanied and with a little choral coda which I think worked. It was at year one performance - singers are not always sure when they singing a seventh in a chord - it may sound 'wrong' but can also be what gives interest.
Returning after a long absence was the final hymn Out of Darkness. As I had previously noted we had prepared for it on the Sundays before Lent but at the Vigil we sang the Easter verses and added the descant to the refrain. Apart from noting that the refrain is a Sarabande it is also one of those sections where I am not sure the choir parts add anything to what is a strong melody (but great choir parts in the verses).
Because of circumstances it was a less confident vigil liturgically - though I suspect I may have been the only one to have noticed where things did not go to plan. I was also struck by the need to have the first reading read well - to set the pace for what follows.
We had a Reception, which in my liturgical fundamentalist mode I might query, but in reality it added an atmosphere of delight to the whole Vigil.
| Psalm 31 | Father, into your hands (mtgf) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Lenten (mtgf) |
| Adoration of the Cross | Reproaches (Peter Jones) |
| Christus factus est (Anton Bruckner) | |
| [O vos omnes (Victoria)] | |
| Communion | [O Crux ave (Rihards Dubra)] |
| Calvarie Mount (Tallis arr. Wood) | |
| When I survey the wondrous cross |
It is hard to know whether there were fewer people there or we took longer but we needed far less music this year. One change, because we had our violinists was my arrangement of Charles Woods' version of Tallis' First Mode melody. The second verse is in the form of a chorale prelude with the instruments weaving lines around the unison melody and then in the last verse there is a decant which can be sung by a solo soprano
| Entrance | For God so loved the world (mtgf) |
| Penitential Rite | Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Gloria | Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco) |
| Psalm 115 | The blessing cup (mtgf) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Lenten (mtgf) |
| Washing of the Feet | A new commandment (Peter Nardone) |
| Preparation of Gifts | Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Eucharistic Acclamations | Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Lamb of God | Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Communion Antiphon | This is the Body (mtgf) |
| Communion | Ave verum Corpus (Byrd) |
| Procession | Pange lingua (Ricky Manalo) |
| Tantum ergo (chant) | |
| Watching | Tantum ergo (Maurice Duruflé) |
| Stay with me (Taizé) |
The principle suggested last year of retaining much and changing c. 2 works applied again this year. Peter Nardone's short anthem A new commandment is satisfying to sing. There is a danger of taking it too quickly on the first page so that the entry of the men with the Ubi caritas chant is too rushed. In the liturgy booker which covers the three days and includes a simple commentary there was a note linking the chant with the Mass setting.
In the crypt we sang Duruflé's setting of Tantum ergo as a reflection after we had intoned the chant version. It struck me that in the 4 motets that Duruflé is exploring different ways of treating a plainchant cantus firmus. Here contrapuntally with the tenor part as a quasi-canon. For those interested in such thing the French publishers now publish a collection of French Sacred Choral Music which includes both the Duruflé motets and the Poulenc Christmas motets among other things for cost of not much more than either the above two items singularly.
| Entrance | Hosanna (Paul Inwood) |
| Psalm 21 | My God, my God (Christopher Walker) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Lenten (mtgf) |
| Preparation of Gifts | Ours were the griefs (Stephen Dean) |
| Eucharistic Acclamations | Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Lamb of God | Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Communion Antiphon | Father, if this chalice (mtgf) |
| Communion | Christus factus est (Anerio) |
| Final | My song is love unknown |
| Entrance | For God so loved the world (mtgf) |
| Penitential Rite | Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Psalm 129 | God of compassion (Scott Soper) |
| Gospel Acclamation | Lenten (mtgf) |
| Preparation of Gifts | I am the resurrection, I know that my redeemer (William Croft) |
| Eucharistic Acclamations | Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Lamb of God | Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd) |
| Communion Antiphon | Everyone who lives (mtgf) |
| Communion | When Jesus wept (William Billings) |
| Final | Praise the Lord, ye heavens |
We had sung Croft's Funeral Sentences at the University Choir Concert earlier in the week so the Gospel gave us an opportunity to repeat the first two. William Billings was an early American composer who wrote rugged music. When Jesus wept is a simple 3 part canon which we sang in a pretty arrangement by Peter Paul Olejar.
