3rd Sunday of Advent

12 December 2010

Entrance	Longing, trusting (mtgf)
Penitential Rite	Orbis Factor
Psalm 145	Come, Lord, and save us (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	Song of God among us (Huijbers)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Advent (mtgf)
Communion	Be patient, Beloved (Collegeville Composers Group)
Final	Tell out my soul

Rejoice for the Lord is near began the verse of the opening song, marking Gaudete Sunday. Tell out my soul at the end was also chosen because it is 'upbeat'. I think it also picked up in 'the hungry fed, the humble lifted high' the words of Jesus in the Gospel to the followers of John the Baptist - tell, John, what you have seen. And that is the fulfilment of Isaiah (particularly in the Gospel Acclamation verse).

A long time ago I remember someone suggesting that singing 'Wait for the Lord' at Communion was abit for short-sighted as Christ was present. You might suggest the same about 'Be patient, Beloved' but in someways it is an expression of that special Advent time of present but not yet, long expected but God with us.

Immaculate Conception

8 December 2010

Entrance	The Angel Gabriel
Gloria	St Gabriels (mtgf)
Psalm 97	The Lord has shown (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Gospel Greeting (Bernadette Farrell)
Preparation of Gifts	Ave Maris Stella (Elgar)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Remembrance (Marty Haugen)
Communion	No Wind at the Window (Irish melody/Bell)
Final	Long ago prophets knew

The College's patronal feast and coming together of our musical forces. These include the College Choir who contributed to the liturgy for the first time. They sang Elgar's Ave Maris Stella, the text from which the College's motto is drawn: Monstra t'esse matrem. I presume that Elgar's setting was written for his parish choir and has melodies and singable parts. I appreciate his dabbling in modality and his skilful use of musical material which makes it a tightly written work. I am pleased to say the College Choir sang it with a pleasant tone and good line - well done.

The psalm setting is an adaptation of one I have written for Christmas day and to my mind this is a good example where the use of the same setting - with different responses - can be effective, making a connection between the two feasts.

For gatherings such as this it is always hard to guess what hymns that people would know and are also appropriate. The final hymn is sung to Theodoric (or God is love; his the care) and so was a tune that most people seem to know. I am not sure about the words. Though they suitably joyful for a patronal feast, were of Advent and capture Mary's role I found some of the rhymes a bit harsh and the refrain with its 'sings' and 'rings' a little twee.

2nd Sunday of Advent

5 December 2010

Entrance	Longing, trusting (mtgf)
Penitential Rite	Orbis Factor
Psalm 71	In his days (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	O comfort my people (arr. mtgf)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Advent (mtgf)
Communion	Rorate caeli
Final	Benedictus (Alstott/Farrell)

Advent is a time of preparation.This morning reminded that preparation has a number of layers. There is what you prepare to sing and what becomes impossible when circumstances change — so no accompaniment and fewer singers. Then there is the preparation that is longer term. This is analogous to those recipes beloved of cookery writers - the store cupboard standby.

Being unaccompanied means that you can hear the congregation sing. So whatever my worries about the Kyrie last week there was no confusion evident this week. In a similar way I was not sure how well the final hymn would work - though we have sung it in Advent for the last few years, but the congregation sang out. A reminder once again that pieces can be remembered from year to year.

1st Sunday of Advent

28 November 2010

Entrance	Longing, trusting (mtgf)
Penitential Rite	Orbis Factor
Psalm 121	I rejoiced when I heard them say (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	In the day of the Lord (M D Ridge)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Advent (mtgf)
Communion	Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell)
Final	Hark a herald voice is calling

Back to the beginning of the Lectionary and Year A. The psalm provides a bridge from one year to the next but now in response to the first reading its focus is eschatological. The song by M D Ridge is a paraphrase of Isaiah reading and is a reminder that we wait in joyful hope for the day of the Lord.
Last year we sang the Orbis Factor Kyrie and just repeated the third Kyrie; this year the congregation were invited to sing the final Kyrie as given. One of the assumptions we may have fallen into is that congregations are only capable of repeating what is sung to them rather respond with an answering phrase. I did consider what I think of as the 'Ainslie' solution which is for the congregation to repeat the cantor's Kyrie and then for the choir to sing the last Kyrie as a coda. As we usually have the 3rd form of Penitential Rite my guess is that would seem an intrusion before the absolution.
A new 'Advent Lamb of God' — as we look towards the new translation of the Missal it seems an opportunity to review what we sing. So a recognition that John Bell's charming Behold the Lamb of God is not a Lamb of God however nicely it bridges the seasons until the beginning of Ordinary Time in the new year. The new setting may not be perfect either. It echoes (read 'copies') Rorate caeli and O come, O come Emmanuel and alternative invocations are offered taken from the O Antiphons.

Christ the King

21 November 2010

Entrance	Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to us
Penitential Rite	St Gabriel (mtgf)
Gloria	St Gabriel (mtgf)
Psalm 121	I rejoiced when I heard them say (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia Beati (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	Christ the Glory (J F Lalouette)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Lamb of God 6 (mtgf)
Communion	Call us to your table (Christopher Walker)
Final	Hail Redeemer

Th end of liturgical year is a time of culminations. David is crowned king and we rejoice; Jesus is raised up. We have reached Jerusalem. A journey we began in the Summer when Jesus took the road to Jerusalem - Let us go to God's house. But I realised listening to the Gospel today that the psalm response is also that of the repentant thief. This eschatological dimension reminds us that this ending is also a beginning. We shall sing the same response at next week's Mass and so the response is ours to God's invitation to eternal life.

Lord Jesus Christ was chosen for its reference to Calvary — something shared with the final hymn. The verses of Call us to your table based on Ephesians are similar to the letter to the Colossians — Christ the first born of creation.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Remembrance

14 November 2010

Entrance	Eternal Rest (mtgf)
Roll of Honour
Gloria	St Gabriel (mtgf)
Psalm 97	The Lord has come (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia Beati (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	Gaudent in caelis (Dering)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Lamb of God 6 (mtgf)
Communion	Christ our Peace (Marty Haugen)
Final	At the name of Jesus

Our roll of honour this morning commemorated those students who had died in the First World War. I was struck by the familiarity of the names which we recall each year and that we do not remember those who survived. This year we began with the 2 minutes silence and then the Entrance Procession followed by the reading of names.

The readings were of the Sunday and were fitting. At the name of Jesus was chosen for its strong eschatological verses - Christ shall return again.

Gaudent in caelis was probably sung for primarily musical reasons over liturgical ones. We had intended to sing it for All Saints but were unable so there was an opportunity here. It wasn't wholly inappropriate and if there was a fear that we were canonising the departed we had sought God's mercy in the opening chant.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

7 November 2010

Entrance	Christ is alive with joy we sing
Penitential Rite	St Gabriel (mtgf)
Gloria	St Gabriel (mtgf)
Psalm 16	I shall be filled (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia Beati (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	I know my Redeemer (Stephen Dean)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	St Gabriel (mtgf)
Communion	Centre of my life (Paul Inwood)
Final	Love divine

In previous years this Sunday has been Remembrance Sunday and this has, in the past, led to the question about the suitability of the Gospel. I wonder if sometimes, that like the Saducees, our contemporary preoccupations can lead us to miss the point. It is not about marriage, or diet come to that, but eternal life. I hope the opening hymn set this scene and was a reminder that every Sunday is Easter.

I know my Redeemer was a further reflection on this as well as being good 'November fare'. I like the uncomplicated harmony of the refrain and way it expresses an uncomplicated belief in the resurrection. The verse comes in rather quickly after the refrain, too quickly perhaps — a extra 2 beats seems necessary. Otherwise to continue the above it as though the cantor bursts in on simplicity of the assembly with their personal sentiments rather than being seen as extension of the same text.

Centre of my life was a late choice for communion. That God would not leave our souls among the dead seemed to fit in with whole. I did consider a setting of the Emmaus story, based on the Communion antiphon The disciples recognised the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread. But this seems to me to be at too many removes. I suspect that this is part of my ongoing reflection on the antiphons, what they offer and how they 'work'. I can understand the antiphon at this point: as a reflection on Communion, that we are as the disciples recognising Jesus, even that the context of this Sunday pushes that further that this Jesus is the Christ, risen and living, who speaks of the Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob and all the scriptures. It is about this phrase which has a context (Emmaus) speaking at this moment (Communion) in this context (32nd Sunday) which I'm not sure is the same as adding a further story to the mix.