St Peter & St Paul

29 June 2014

Entrance	Into a world
Penitential Rite	At the table of the Lord (Collegeville)
Gloria	At the table of the Lord (Collegeville)
Psalm 33	From all my terrors (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	(Murray)
Preparation of Gifts	What does the Lord require (mtgf)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Missal
Lamb of God	Nores (mtgf)
Communion Antiphon	Peter said to Jesus (mtgf)
Communion	Now we remain (David Hass)
Final	Thy hand, O God, has guided

The psalm usually serves as a bridge between first reading and gospel. On days such as today the there can be a greater harmony between the readings. I was struck how the second reading's reference to lions might have been picked on in the psalm's "Lion's suffer want and go hungry'.

Pentecost

8 June 2014

Entrance	Come down, O love divine
Gloria	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Psalm 103	Send forth your Spirit (mtgf)
Sequence	Come, O Spirit, Lord divine (chant/mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	Spirit of God (Bernadette Farrell)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Lux et origo (mtgf)
Communion Antiphon	They were all filled (mtgf)
Communion	Spirit of God within me (Michael Joncas)
Final	Christ be our light

We had a brief discussion about whether Michael Joncas' melody for the Dudley Smith text Spirit of God within me is a good tune. Down Ampney (the tune of Come down, O love divine is obviously a model with a similar flattened seventh. I think it has greater rhythmic flexibility but my stumbling block is always the last 3 notes — 3 repeated high D flats. Not that high but not that comfortable for a hymn tune.

2nd Sunday of Easter

27 April 2014

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.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

9 February 2014

Entrance	Christ be our light
Gloria	Newman (James MacMillan)
Psalm 111	Good people are a light (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia Beati (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	What does the Lord require (mtgf)
Eucharistic Acclamations	St Annes (James MacMillan)
Lamb of God	Newman (James MacMillan)
Communion Antiphon	Blessed are those who mourn (mtgf)
Communion	Bread for the world (Christopher Walker)
Final	The kingdom of God

Light, light, light — again.

When the reform of the liturgy was happening one of the first parts which had to be revised was the Calendar and I am slightly surprised that the Presentation of the Lord 'knocked out' the Beatitudes - as my impression is that generally celebrations which take the place of Sundays don't interrupt the flow of the readings.

We did sing the Beatitudes. They form the verses of What does the Lord require? and we tried a new version with more melodic verses.

We had a Baptism this morning at Mass which we have had not had for a long time. Even so some things do not change as we only discovered before Mass that it was taking place. If nothing else to would nice to include it in the Mass leaflet and invite people to remember and pray for the child.

The Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord

10 June 2012

Entrance	The heavenly word
Gloria	At the Table of the Lord (Collegeville Composers Group)
Psalm 115	The cup of salvation (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	(Murray)
Preparation of Gifts	Whoever eats my flesh (mtgf)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Missal (ICEL)
Lamb of God	At the Table of the Lord (Collegeville Composers Group)
Communion	Take and Eat (Michael Joncas)
Final	Alleluia, sing to Jesus

I have been told that every Catholic knows the hymns that St Thomas Aquinas wrote for Corpus Christi. I am not wholly convinced. What interests me in them is how the last couple of verses, or a short section, get extracted and did become popular—so from The heavenly word comes O salutaris. We sang the JM Neale translation to Rockingham which people did know.

We were unaccompanied but as the refrain of Take and eat was already in the Mass leaflet we used it. The cantors and choir managed well the modulation between verse and refrain. It is worth noting that the feast is now the Body and Blood of Christ and that the texts are balanced, if not weighted towards the Precious Blood — the scriptural images for the Blood of Christ are quite rich. I remember at a Conference on the Eucharist someone asking the speaker if Communion would still have been received under both kinds in the time of St Thomas Aquinas, given that he writes of both, and it was thought where Communion was received it would have been under both kinds - though the practice was dying out.

We had planned something else for the Preparation of Gifts but I had prepared a simple setting of the Communion Antiphon with verses from Psalm 23 which we were also going to sing at Communion but in the circumstances it fitted where it was placed.

Pentecost Sunday

27 May 2012

Entrance	Cpme down, O Love divine
Gloria	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Psalm 103	Send forth your spirit, O Lord (mtgf)
Sequence	Come Holy Spirit, Lord divine (arr. mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	Spirit of God (Bernadette Farrell)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Communion	Enemy of Apathy (John Bell)
	The Spirit come to us in our weakness (mtgf)
Final	We have a gospel to proclaim

Joining a choir can be a like an apprenticeship where you learn the ways and repertoire of the place. It also means when you are a small group that the repertoire may need to be simplified to allow all to take part.

I found it hard to choose a final hymn. Someone once suggested to me that it was odd on an Advent Sunday to sing 'Wait for the Lord' at Communion I have a similar sense of singing 'Come, Holy Spirit' at the end of Mass - it seems a bit late. As we had (5) baptisms the connection with mission seemed important but there were not many choices that brought out the role of the Spirit - or at least that I would have sung. In the end we sang We have a gospel which with its Easter verse encompassed the whole season which was coming to an end.

This will be our last use until next Easter, I think, if the Mass of Wisdom. I am aware that we have only used one of the Memorial Acclamations and we will need to introduce the others next year, lest we get stuck.

The Ascension of the Lord

20 May 2012

Entrance	Praise him as he mounts the skies
Gloria	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Psalm 46	Our God goes up (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	One is the Body (John Bell)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Communion	Christ the Glory (Lalouette)
	Alleluia hymn (Orthodox/mtgf)
Final	Lord, you give the great commission

There was a large congregation at Mass this morning - partly baptism party, partly because the evening Mass has finished. A direct effect of this was that we need a second piece at Communion. I had considered the Alleluia Hymn as alternative item this morning so I could reach across the piano top for the music - even so we managed 8 verses.

Praise him as he mounts the skies is James Quinn's alternative text to Hail the day that sees him rise. As an aside I always think that Llanfair, the hymn tune is a little bit 'could do better'. The Quinn text brings out the eschatological dimension of the feast and that together with the reference to Christ the head and the body in the collect made me wonder how theologically sophisticated we expect congregations to be? Is today just about celebrating Jesus ascending to heaven after Easter as an event or more than that. (It seems to me that if it is primarily about event you would be less than happy about the transference to a Sunday.)

THe last hymn was the same as last year and once again we sang it to Ode to Joy (another weak hymn tune?) for the same reasons.

One thing where I think we currently weak is how does this Sunday (and next etc.) stand out as a 'full solemnity'. To be worked upon I suspect.

Easter Sunday

8 April 2012

Entrance	Jesus Christ is risen today
Gloria	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Psalm 117	This is the day (Marty Haugen)
Sequence	Praise to the Paschal Victim (mtgf)
Sprinkling	Acclamation (mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	Christo resurgenti (Couperin)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Communion	Sicut cervus (Palestrina)
	I have seen the Lord (Bob Hurd)
Final	Thine be the glory

On Easter Sunday the chapel is always packed and today we had two infant baptisms which always added to the numbers. Because we only have one Mass on the Sunday day I read the numbers as a shift away from Good Friday (which was full but not this full) to Easter Sunday. I suspect the reasons of are sociological and even commercial rather than theological. How it does present a challenge to participation. I am aware that with the Mass setting we are in for the long haul - though I think it is accessible, singable and can be easily picked up - it is not instant. My concern is however with the ordinary regular parishioner. Though we used this setting from January to the beginning of Lent I suspect that though it is becoming familiar they may not yet sing it with confidence. One of my tenets is that it is primarily the role of the congregation to lead the singing of those parts which belong to them and so invite and engage the visitor.

One of the decisions we took when preparing the liturgies of the Triduum was not to include the 'new responses' in the booklet (we have one booklet for Thursday, Friday and Vigil). The Order of Mass card was available for those who wished. Our expectation, and experience seemed to bear this out, was that as we do not recite the Creed nor were we going to use the first form of Penitential Act on Thursday people would know by now the remainder of the responses, which are much shorter.

Christo resurgenti is a delightful two part piece by Couperin which is part of a longer motet for Easter day. WIth its inegales (dotted rhythms) and syncopations it suggests the joy of Easter. I was struck that the melodies of both opening and closing hymn were about the same date. it would not be difficult to transform Jesus Christ is risen today to similar piece of French gracieusement.

Easter Vigil

7 April 2011

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 29	I will praise you, Lord (Paul Inwood)
Psalm 41-42	As the deer longs (Palestrina/Bridge)
Gloria	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Gospel Acclamation	Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker)
Liturgy of the Baptism	Litany of the Saints (Missal)
	Acclamation after Blessing of Water (mtgf)
	Sprinkling: Amen, Amen (mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	For peace (Antoine Oomen)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Communion	Sicut Cervus (Palestrina)
Final	Christ be our light (Bernadette Farrell)

When doing some sessions on the Triduum earlier this year I was interested that there was, it seemed, universal reaction of surprise to the rubric that the lights go on in the church before the Exsultet. A rubric which was unchanged since the previous edition. There was a general feeling that the Exsultet made best sense when the light of the Paschal Candle was seen to effective. Perhaps a gentler understanding of this rubric would be that the light increases (it doesn't say all the lights). I have much sympathy with this - that we may appreciate the light better if we stand back from our electrical ability to flood the place with light. The only disadvantage was that if you are singing the Exsultet and you manage to blow your own candle out and there is not enough ambient light to actually see the text. I was aware that the previous text was one which I had heard over the years before I sang it and so it had a familiarity which of course the new translation did not. On the whole I enjoyed the new translation, as a rule it sings better than it looks. I also enjoyed the workout of the Missal tone - I sang it to what my mind now is 'Glenstal style', that is a fair pace and seeing melismas more as decorations. I used the Easter Proclamation to proclaim from. As should be the case my views about the publication were influenced by using it in practice. First of all it is a beautiful ritual edition with sumptuous icons throughout. I think it be a great resource for mystagogy. Yes, there are a fair number of page turns but the majority of the chant being a few lines at the bottom of the page was less a problem than I thought as that is where it was easiest to read it. Indeed I would happily use it again which I did not expect to be the case. It uses ICEL's setting of the chant. I do wish that this was broken up into paragraphs with the text (i.e. a line break and shorter line before each new paragraph) it would make reading the text and therefore singing considerably easier. I can remember at one stage there was a proposal that the music should follow the sense lines of the text - for the setter a complicated task but I do wonder if it would help the singer or does the eye work differently when a text is read?

Many years ago I had a parish priest who said at the end of every Easter Vigil this will only really make sense when we have a baptism let us hope next year we will. This year we had an adult baptism at St Mary's and it was that difference between what you know and experiencing anew what you know. To give one example I was struck how the psalm responses can be seen as forming a dialogue between the Church and the Elect preparing for baptism.

For communio we sang Palestrina's Sicut Cervus I wonder how many of the congregation recognised the link with psalm response sung earlier.

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

19 February 2012

Entrance	Lord Jesus Christ ()
Gloria	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Psalm 41	Heal my soul (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	God has chosen me (Bernadette Farrell)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Lamb of God	Mass of Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Communion	There is a longing (Anne Quigley)
Final	Praise my soul

Last week the singers were away with other members of the College Choir at the Church Colleges Choirs Festival in Chester. There were just hymns at Mass: Praise my soul, Dear Lord and Father of mankind and Guide me, O thou great Redeemer.

This week we had four baptisms - this was partly because Lent begins next week. For the final hymn we substituted 'Alleluia for Praise him as a way of marking this. This was done by invitation to change the words on the fly but people seemed to cope. Another effect of the baptisms was that the regular Sunday congregation was seated to the back of the chapel - a cori spezzati.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

15 January 2012

Entrance	Here I am, Lord
Gloria	Wisdom (Steven Janco)
Psalm 39	Here I am, Lord (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	As the deer longs (Bob Hurd)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Remembrance (Marty Haugen)
Communion	Agnus Dei - Mass for 3 voices (Byrd)
Final	Forth in the peace of Christ

Today we began a new Mass setting. One of the effects of using a Christmas Gloria is that it cannot out stay its welcome. So today we needed to change though we were unaccompanied and we had a baptism. The Gloria from the Mass of Wisdom by Steven Janco is I think the first through setting we have used (or at least one not using a tone). In my overall plan it will be our Easter setting but I decided to start it now so that it will be familiar at Easter. We begin the Eucharistic Acclamations - I also can't think when we have used as much of a Mass setting. I do think that the Gloria is one of the best written of the new settings.The composer seems to looked at the words and thought about what a melody needs to do to bring out the shape and meaning. To give just one example. Many other settings shaped by the previous text seem to see that 'we give you thanks for your glory' is the climax of the first section and then discover there is another phrase to sing. The Mass of Wisdom is shaped so that 'Lord God, heavenly King…' is where the melody is leading.

There was a baptism today, discovered after the leaflet was prepared. This affected a number of the choices. The first and last hymn though connected to the Liturgy of the Word were also chosen because they would be familiar and the explicit reference to 'priest, prophet and king' in James Quinn's text. As the deer for baptism though I realised that I mentally connect lambs and deer. Byrd as a celebration of 'behold the Lamb of God'.

First Sunday of Advent

27 November 2011

Entrance	Litany of the Word (Bernadette Farrell)
Psalm 79	God of hosts (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	In the day of the Lord (M D Ridge)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Advent (mtgf)
Communion	There is a longing (Anne Quigley)
Final	Hark a herald voice

And so we begin once more. The Litany of the Word made a simple beginning - the challenge of its simplicity is making sure that it goes somewhere. A contrast was In the day of the Lord by M D Ridge. I always enjoy its infectious rhythms — the parousia is going to have some bounce!

The psalm setting is quite old now - this is a relative term, we looked at some Palestrina and Monteverdi in rehearsal, at least 99, if not 96, yet I can remember writing it on an Andalucian terrace in October sunshine while looking ahead at the coming weeks. I am not sure that it has any 'Spanish flavour'; it does a slight march-like quality with a walking ground-bass. I remember reviewing a psalm collection which had a very different setting of the same psalm - lyrical and bringing out a different quality in the words, gentle pleading rather than a stronger plea. It is one of the gifts that composers bring to the liturgy is different insights into the same text.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

6 November 2011

Entrance	Awake, awake fling off the night
Penitential Rite	St Gabriels (mtgf)
Gloria	Mass of the Angels and Saints (Steven Janco)
Psalm 62	For you my soul (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	How far is the night? (Huijbers)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Lamb of God 6 (mtgf)
Communion	As the deer longs (Bob Hurd)
Final	Love divine

Today's Gospel says Advent is close — in some ways it has already begun. We had 3 Baptisms today so I was pleased how the themes of the liturgy also spoke of baptism. The opening hymn we have not sung for at least 10 years, I think, not with our current hymnbook at least. I like both text and tune - but in the scheme of things there was time to learn the melody so we sang it to WInchester New instead - it fitted quite well and added a further baptismal resonance - the only slight problem was that in wishing to make the hymn inclusive 'men renewed' had become 'people renewed' adding an extra syllable - 'folk' or 'ones' - depending on your level of demotic? As the deer longs both picked up the idea of thirsting for God and had water imagery.

I am fond of 'How far is the night?' a simple idea, well executed - would have even better if we had 6 parts.

Today we began a new Gloria. It is intended that it will be a common setting which we will use on the College Feast Day. It is new to use — but it is a rewritten setting, however, the joins are not obvious to us.

It was interesting today that we had the baptismal parties at the front of Church many of whom may not have been wholly au fait with the new translation and one might have expected this to have 'upset' the local congregation who were further back — but the responses came back good and clear.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

3 July 2011

Entrance	I heard the voice of Jesus say
Gloria	At the Table of the Lord (Collegeville Composers Group)
Psalm 144	I will bless your name (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	(A G Murray)
Preparation of Gifts	Like a child rests (Christopher Walker)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Missal (ICEL)
Lamb of God	St Gabriels (mtgf)
Communion	Come to me (mtgf)
Final	Sing of the Lord's goodness (Ernest Sands)

Today we began to sing the new translation. We would usually have begun our 'Summer Mass settings' on Trinity Sunday to mark the break from the Easter season but the Conference last week meant I decided to hold off until now. We are using the chants from the Missal for the Eucharistic Acclamations. To be honest I am slightly ambivalent about them. In their favour is a simplicity which I think is suitable for the Summer period when music personnel can vary. I am also aware that the diocese, as I understand it, are encouraging the use of the chant to start with. What attracts me is the possibility of having a Mass setting people know and can be used wherever and whenever — in a similar way to the chant Paschal Alleluia. We also using the Psallite setting of the Gloria. Though melodically simpler than some settings it seems to have a bit more life about it. I decide to introduce everything in one fell swoop — in previous years the music for Summer Ordinary Time would be one of the clear breaks. The one thing I was not aware of when planning was a baptismal party who, as is often the case, can be less used to participating than the usual congregation.

The opening hymn made a nice connection between the gospel and baptism with 'come unto me and rest' in the first verse and then images of water and light in the second and third. Similarly Christopher Walker's setting of Psalm 132 at the Preparation seemed appropriate. The Communion Song uses the Gospel text for the refrain and the verses are drawn from the various 'I am' statements of Jesus ending with the invitation to 'come to me'.

Pentecost

12 June 2011

Entrance	Veni Sancte Spiritus (Christopher Walker)
Penitential Rite	Lux et Origo (mtgf)
Gloria	Glory to God (Berthier)
Psalm 103	Send forth your spirit (mtgf)
Sequence	Veni Sancte Spiritus (chant arr. mtgf)
Rite of Baptism	Litany of the Saints (chant)
	Celtic Alleluia (O'Carroll)
Rite of Confirmation	Veni Sancte Spiritus (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	Come Holy Ghost (Schubert)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Gathering (Paul Inwood)
Lamb of God	(Berthier)
Communion	Christ has no hands (mtgf)
Final	Christ be our light (Bernadette Farrell)

Today we celebrated the Sacraments of Initiation for 2 adults and also Infant baptism. This was a first for us, Though we have a lot of infant baptisms, or so it seems at times, the RCIA group runs in term time and so people are not usually around for the Easter Vigil. We have needed to sing a Litany of the Saints before. I used the chant setting from the new Missal - partly because of convenience. It was for our congregation, unknowingly, their first taste of the translation and the chant. The plan was to sing the Celtic Alleluia after each baptism. One of the problems of applause in the liturgy is hat it is not an acclamation. The focus of the applause is usually the newly baptised whereas an acclamation, such as Alleluia, offers praise to God for the gift of new members. We then repeated the Veni Sancte Spiritus from the beginning before the Confirmations — this allowed some 'stage-management' and a pause between the rites.

Ascension of the Lord

5 June 2011

Entrance	At the name of Jesus
Gloria	Glory to God (Berthier)
Psalm 46	Our God goes up (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	One is the Body (John Bell)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Gathering (Paul Inwood)
Lamb of God	(Berthier)
Communion	Alleluia hymn (Orthodox arr. mtgf)
Final	Lord, you give the great commission

This morning we had five baptisms so opening and closing hymns we chose ones which would be well known. The final hymn was chosen because of the specific reference to baptism and we sang it to Ode to Joy on the assumption that more people would know that tune rather than Abbot's Leigh.

One is the Body is a well-crafted song based on the Ephesians text. The Alleluia hymn is based on well known Orthodox chant which I have added words in praise of Christ and made it more rhythmic than chanted.

We also had a conference in the college this weekend and were asked to sing at Mass on Friday evening and at a second Mass on Sunday morning. In preparing the music choices the key questions are how many people and are they English speaking alongside the purpose of conference and the liturgical texts. As I understood it the group was English speaking/comprehending - so the task was to identify hymns that would be widely known and appropriate. For Mass parts we sang de Angelis on Friday - which worked fine they were a group who sang well. I was interested that few seemed to know the chant of the memorial acclamation Mortem tuam. For Sunday we sang much the same as our normal Mass above but used the Mass of Creation instead of the Gathering Mass — I think was the last time we will sing as an acclamation Christ has died. We used the Penitential Rite I wrote based on the Easter chant Lux et origo and I added a Lamb of God based on the chant as well.

6th Sunday of Easter

29 May 2011

Entrance	Spirit of truth and grace
Gloria	Glory to God (Berthier)
Psalm 65	Ring out your joy (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	Ubi caritas (Bob Hurd)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Gathering (Paul Inwood)
Lamb of God	(Berthier)
Communion	Live on in my love (Collegeville Composers' Group)
Final	Christ is alive

Spirit and love. The opening hymn is sung to Down Ampney and so brings a resonance of Come down, O love divine. The reading speak of the gift of the spirit and as we had a baptism this seemed an appropriate choice. The images in the final hymn were also linked with baptism.

The choir parts in the Gathering Mass are more akin, I think, to instrumental parts in that they do not support the melody but add a further dimension. It also means that we leave the congregation to 'get on with' their own part unsupported by the choir - which they seem manage quite happily.

Vulpius — the hymn tune of the final hymn seems to me one of those hymns sung differently across the denominational divide: Alleluia - first bar 3 crotchets or minim-crotchet. I prefer the 3 crotchets as it gives it more of a rhythmic kick.

3rd Sunday of Easter

8 May 2011

Entrance	Sing of one who walks
Gloria	Glory to God (Berthier)
Psalm	Show us, Lord (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Celtic (O'Carroll/Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	No longer I (Bob Hurd)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Gathering (Paul Inwood)
Lamb of God	(Berthier)
Communion	Easter Evening (John Bell)
Final	O praise ye the Lord

Another baptism and the choices divided neatly between baptism and Emmaus - I could not think of anything that bound the two closely together. The first reading and psalm had baptismal elements - and it is why I thought it important to use the response in the Lectionary rather than just repeat the psalm setting from the Vigil. No longer I is a setting that we used to sing on Easter Sunday as a simple reflection. I once used it with a group of Franciscan sisters and it spoke directly to their spirituality. On Sunday it was intended a response for all the baptised. I may have 'missed a meeting' but I have never fully understood the connection between O praise ye the Lord and baptism. Yes, there is 'sons of new birth' and it is a hymn of praise but I presume there is something obvious I am missing. So with this weak connection and also as a hymn I thought would be known by those who were not regulars it was our final hymn.

I always think the last line of the opening hymn should be 'we will never walk alone'. Now I can see why it isn't but the internal logic of the text suggests it. It is a good hymn for Easter Evening Prayer; in the morning the darkness has to become metaphorical - it is a fine text. We sing it to Hyfrydol - it would good to use the suggested US tune in Laudate at some point.

Easter Sunday

24 April 2011

Entrance	Jesus Christ is risen today
Gloria	Glory to God (Berthier)
Psalm 117	This is the day (Marty Haugen)
Sequence	Praise to the Paschal Victim (mtgf)
Baptismal Promises & Sprinkling	Amen, amen (mtgf)
Preparation of Gifts	Christ the Glory (Lalouette)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Gathering (Paul Inwood)
Lamb of God	(Berthier)
Communion	I have seen the Lord (Bob Hurd)
Final	Thine be the glory

For the musicians it is the morning after the night before and though tired and maybe not in tiptop vocal condition we offer our best. Thanks to all who contributed to the singing and playing.

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time

6 March 2011

Entrance	Christ is made the sure foundation
Gloria	St Augustines (Christopher Walker)
Psalm 30	O Lord, be a rock (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	These words (Tom Lowenthal)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Remembrance (Marty Haugen)
Communion	Exultate iusti (Viadana)
Final	All creatures of our God and king

A Sunday to say farewell to the Alleluia hence the final hymn. The praise of water was appropriate as we had a baptism this morning as well. It was Sunday of leave taking of a number of texts and music. I think it will be the last time we sing 'Christ has died'. The Mass setting we sing before September and the new translation offer a choice of acclamations. It will be the last time we sing the Mass of Creation in its current guise. It is also farewell, I think, to St Augustine's Gloria. I am not aware that a rewrite with the new translation is planned. I have always enjoyed its sprightliness and forward drive. I was once in a parish where the parish priest did not like it because the refrains are in Latin.

Our organist he did not know the tune of Westminster Abbey, though we have sung Christ is made the sure foundation before, perhaps we did it unaccompanied. I am not sure it's a tune I would introduce unaccompanied. Anyway it linked to the gospel and also with the baptism. These words can sound like an off-cut from Fiddler on the Roof but it is a good memorable tune and arrangement and as well as being based on the first reading it spoke of baptism and the handing on of faith.