Catholic Hymns and Songs

  • Thread starter Thread starter TylerAlex
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Would it be too much trouble for you to list the title and composer of the CD’s you are referencing? There is so much noise out there and it would be nice to focus on a few that come highly recommended by yourselves.

I love the suggestions… keep them coming! 🙂
 
Here are a few cds in my collection. For those who like Latin, chant and polyphony and early sacred music in general:
  1. “John Tavener - Western Wynde Mass” Hyperion Records, Artists: The Sixteen - Harry Christophers
    Contains: O Splendour Gloriae; Te Deum; Alleluia. Veni, Electa Mea; and Mass “The Western Wynde”.
  2. “Allegri - Miserere” Gimell Records
    Artists: The Tallis Scholars - Peter Phillips
    Contains: Allegri - Miserere (absolutely gorgeous!); Mundy - Vox Patris Caelestis; Palestrina - Missa Papae Marcelli
  3. “Sancte Deus - A Journey through the Renaissance” - Erato Records (This is my favorite cd of the group I’m recommending)
    Artists: The Choir of New College, Oxford - Edward Higginbottom
    Organ - Ryan Wigglesworth
    Contains: Tallis - Sancte Deus; Tallis - Spem in Alium (perhaps one of the most beautiful sacred choral pieces IMO. If Heaven has music, I would imagine hearing the angels do this. It’s a sacred motet for 40 voices - 8, five-part choirs, so each voice has a different part - the textures are truly heavenly and overwhelmingly blissful - hearing it live would be incredible to say the least); Lassus - Videntes stellam; Victoria - Ave Maria; Ugolini - Beata es Virgo Maria; Guerrero - Ave Virgo Sanctissima; Gombert - Lugebat David; Byrd - Gloria in excelsis Deo; Lobo - Versa est in luctum; Josquin - Inviolata, integra et casta es; Cardoso - Quid hic statis; Lassus - Resonet in Laudibus; Palestrina - Agnus Dei
  4. “Chant II” - Angel Records
    Artists - The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos
    All Chants - introits, graduals, sequences, hymns, etc.
These are a little different - some are in the vernacular tongue of the composer, but none the less lovely:
  1. “Deutsche Messe/Motetten op. 110” Hanssler Classic Records
    Artists: Sudfunk-Chor Stuttgart - Rupert Huber
    Contains: Brahms - Motets on biblical sentances; Brahms - Three motets; Brukner - Locus Iste; Brukner - Os Justis; Liszt - Ave Maria; Liszt - Ave Verum Corpus; Liszt - Salve Regina; Liszt - In Nativitate Domini ad Matutinam, responsories for four male voices; Schubert - Deutsche Mess in D - Hymns for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - version for 4-part mixed chorus a capella.
  2. “Brukner Motets” Naxos Records
    Artists: Choir of St. Bride’s Church - Robert Jones
    These motets are gorgeous. Our choir does a few of them for mass.
    Os justi; Locus iste; Libera me in F Minor; Ave Maria; Ecce sacerdos; Vexilla regis; Salvum fac populum tuum; Afferentur regi; Pange lingua; Tota pulchra es; Virga Jesse; Inveni David; Iam lucis Orto sidere; Tantum ergo in D major; Christus factus es
Happy listening
 
I’m going to throw a monkey wrench into the discussion. You can also read a comment by me along the same lines in the “Gather Us In” thread.

Sorry, everyone, but I really don’t get off much on Latin.

(Have I just committed the unforgiveable sin by making that statement? I think some Catholics would say yes, I have.)

If you love Latin, great. I respect you and I’m so glad that you receive such enjoyment out of it. I support the continuance of masses in Latin.

I don’t enjoy it.

I think it’s a Catholic thing, or perhaps a classical music thing. You were raised on it and it has strong emotional ties for you because it reminds you of your childhood or your days in choir back in college, and so you really get high on Latin chants and hymns. They actually help you get closer to the Lord. Wonderful! God bless you.

Latin doesn’t do a thing for me.

But remember, I was raised Protestant, and grew up on the hymnal, plus modern songwriters like John Peterson, Ralph Carmichael, Kurt Kaiser, and of course, the Gaithers.

I don’t adulate any of those hymn writers, although they all have certain hymns that I love (e.g., “The King Is Coming” by the Gaithers and “Pass It On” by Kurt Kaiser).

But the fact is, I was raised on hand-clappin’, foot-stompin’, sometimes even dancin’ music. And Latin, compared to this, is dull and lifeless.

Latin, to me, is a foreign language and that’s ALL it is to me. It is not “the language that the Lord prefers.” (That would be Swedish.)

I had to learn how to sing in Latin when I was in choirs. To me, there is no “coolness” in Latin. When I hear “Agnus Dei,” it is not as meaningful to me as when I hear “Lamb of God.”

When we sing a hymn in Latin in church, I have to concentrate on how to pronounce the words, and that makes me forget all about worshipping God. I have to mentally tranlate the text into English, and again, this causes me to forget about the words and their meaning. The mechanics drive away the meaning.

I really don’t get excited about singing any song in any foreign language. Missionaries used to come into our church and teach us kids “Jesus Loves Me” in the langauge of the tribe they worked with. Big deal. I never enjoyed that much. I appreciated that somewhere in the world, another group of people lived who were different than me, and I thought that was very interesting intellectually. But learning a song in their language did nothing for me personally other than give me an idea of their grammar and vocab.

Now I realize that it’s not “all about me.” I don’t go to mass to be entertained and receive a thrill from the music. I go to receive Jesus. It the Church declares that mass is only going to be in Latin, I would obey what my Church says because I believe that Jesus has given them this authority.

But that’s NOT what my Church says. According to Vatican II, mass should be conducted in the language of the people to promote better understanding. And I’m very glad of this! I don’t speak Latin. I speak English and I like it very much, and I think that having mass in English gets “ME” out of there and allows me to concentrate on the Lord instead of on a foreign language.

I certainly support those who want to hear Latin mass and I’m glad that they like it so much and I’m glad it brings them closer to God and to each other.

English works better for me.

I hope I have expressed myself in a respectful way in this post.
 
Cat - I think your comments and opinions are fair and understandable. I don’t think anyone here, though, is saying that Latin hymns or chants are better. I have nothing against the vernacular at all. I actually have some favorite hymns in English too. I don’t want to discuss too deeply about why I enjoy Latin, etc. because this thread is more about what hymns we really like not why Latin is better for me or why English is better for me. This is why I stopped talking about the problems with the text of “Gather Us In”. Perhaps another thread should be started to discuss the reasons why one enjoys the vernacular hymns over the Latin and vice versa, instead using this one? 🙂
 
I don’t know if all of these will be Catholic, but my favorite hymns are:

St. Patrick’s Breastplate
Tantum Ergo (for both of the first two, when I first heard them I walked around humming them for weeks!)
Be Thou My Vision
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The Day Thou Gavest
Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Allelluia! Sing to Jesus!

Alleluia! King eternal, Thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia! born of Mary, Earth Thy footstool, Heav’n Thy throne:
Thou within the veil hast entered, robed in flesh our great High Priest;
Thou on earth both priest and victim in the Eucharistic feast.

I was Anglican, and grew up with the sixties’ folk music guitar Shine Jesus Shine stuff. It didn’t seem to take. Give me music by dead guys any day.
 
My personal favorites are You Are Mine and I Am The Bread Of Life:
**
You Are Mine**
I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear
You will hear My voice
I claim you as My choice
Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me

Chorus:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see, the lame will all run free
And all will know My name

Chorus:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I am the Word that leads all to freedom
I am the peace the world cannot give
I will call your name, embracing all your pain
Stand up, now, walk, and live

Chorus:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I Am The Bread Of Life
I am the bread of life.
You who come to me shall not hunger;
You who believe in me shall not thirst.
No one can come to me,
Unless the Father beckons.

And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up on the last day.

The bread that I will give
Is my flesh for the life of the world,
And if you eat of this bread,
You shall live forever,
You shall live forever.

And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up on the last day.

Unless you eat of the flesh of the son of Man
And drink of his blood,
And drink of his blood,
You shall not have life within you.

And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up on the last day.

I am the resurrection, I am the life.
If you believe in me, even though you die,
You shall live forever.

And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up,
And I will raise you up on the last day.

Tears come to my eyes when I sing these.
 
Cat, I love the Gaither’s. Homecoming is the most amazing moving concert I’ve ever seen. They missed St. Louis this year, but I’ll be the first in the ticket line next year.

There are a lot of songs I love to sing and hear. I do like Gather Us In, and probably always will. I’ll try to find the thread discussing that one. I like the two songs mentioned above, although I can’t find the melody for the first in my head right now.

I love Eye Has Not Seen too. But my all time favorite is I Know That My Redeemer Lives. The melody, the words, and it’s in my key!

We sing a little Latin during Lent and Easter, but I’d like a little more. However, if I never sing or hear Lord of the Dance again, I won’t have my feelings hurt. Simple Gifts is lovely, and the words we used to sing – All My Hope of Salvation, All My Trust in the Lord – were wonderful. But this version? Nope, don’t like it. And it’s on the list for this coming Sunday!
 
These are two of my favorite English hymns. And I admit, I have a thing for protestant melodies - especially the Anglican ones. One that I really love, but I know would never be sung in an American Catholic church is “Jerusalem” by Parry and text by William Blake. I get so emotional whenever I hear it sung by one of those English choirs or when you hear an Anglican congregation sing it. Anyway…

Lord of All Hopefulness - Slane Melody (It’s beautiful when played at a nice andante tempo. Sometimes it’s taken too fast and sounds more like an Irish jig.)

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

O God Beyond All Praising - Thaxted Melody (Text: composed as inspiration from Heb 13:15 "Through Him, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.)

This hymns has special place in my heart, as I walked down the aisle to this when we got married.

O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
and mercies without end:
we lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

Then hear, O gracious Savior,
accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favor
may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we’II triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise.
 
Cari said:
I don’t remember what it’s called (help me out, if you know it), and I only remember a little (we sing it maybe once a year)

sing of Mary
pure and lowly
Virgin Mother, undefiled

And that’s all I remember, since, like I said, we never sing it. But MAN, I love that song!
Click to expand...
I think the title is Sing of Mary and it should be coming around for its once per year appearance for you in May. We usually sing it on Marian feast days along with lots of other good Marian hymns.
 
I have tons of “favorites” that stick in my head because I’m in the choir. I catch myself singing psalms because our music director has done new arrangements of all of the psalms which I love. They were published in a book last year.

I was singing “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” from a psalm response just the other day. It was stuck in my head after mass.

I like some old Latin, some contemporary. We sing a modern song called “Bread of Angels” that incorporates Panis Angelicus with translated English verses alternating with the Latin. The tune reminds me a lullaby the way it flows. I love pretty much anything Marian also

My all time favorite thing to sing from mass is The Gloria! I sing it in my car when I’m alone. Nothing like singing of the glory of God.

Last night at choir our director had us try out a new Gloria that he is still working on to comply with the newer translations of mass parts that apparently will become mandatory within the next year or so. I absolutely love being at a parish a talented composer/arranger on staff.
 
jc-servant said:
I have tons of “favorites” that stick in my head because I’m in the choir. I catch myself singing psalms because our music director has done new arrangements of all of the psalms which I love. They were published in a book last year.

I was singing “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” from a psalm response just the other day. It was stuck in my head after mass.

I like some old Latin, some contemporary. We sing a modern song called “Bread of Angels” that incorporates Panis Angelicus with translated English verses alternating with the Latin. The tune reminds me a lullaby the way it flows. I love pretty much anything Marian also

My all time favorite thing to sing from mass is The Gloria! I sing it in my car when I’m alone. Nothing like singing of the glory of God.

Last night at choir our director had us try out a new Gloria that he is still working on to comply with the newer translations of mass parts that apparently will become mandatory within the next year or so. I absolutely love being at a parish a talented composer/arranger on staff.
Click to expand...
Can you recommend any specific titles, or music sources, where you would go to find some good interpretations to purchase? There seems to be a lot fo mediocrity out there… I am looking for something that will just move me to weep at the awesomeness of our Lord when I hear it.

Thanks! 🙂
 
My favorite is “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” It sends shivers down my spine. The words are profound:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!​

The first time I heard the more modern song “At the Cross” by Terry and Randy Butler was at a memorial Mass following 9/11. It really helped bring home the message of Christian mercy:

“I know a place, a wonderful place
Where accused and condemned find mercy and grace
Where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us
Are nailed there with Him, there on the cross.”

I learned it that day and sang it at Masses the following weekend.

'thann
 
Sarabande said:
I love the “Missa de Angelis”. I have the sheet music for it and have heard it done during mass before.
Click to expand...
Here’s another vote for Missa de Angelis. It was the Mass setting chanted by our men’s choir at Christmas midnight Mass.
 
jc-servant said:
IMy all time favorite thing to sing from mass is The Gloria! I sing it in my car when I’m alone. Nothing like singing of the glory of God.
Click to expand...
Hey, I’m not alone 🙂 I absolutely love the ‘Gloria’ in Latin. Just hearing the word ‘Gloria’ gets the tune running through my head, and I love it!
 
TylerAlex said:
Can you recommend any specific titles, or music sources, where you would go to find some good interpretations to purchase? There seems to be a lot fo mediocrity out there… I am looking for something that will just move me to weep at the awesomeness of our Lord when I hear it.

Thanks! 🙂
Click to expand...
I’m confused. Are you asking about arrangements of The Gloria specifically? I would need to know if you prefer traditional or modern, Latin or English, choir settings or not. Do you want sheet music or a recording of something? We all have different taste in music so my favorites might not be yours. It would help if I knew what composers or singers or styles you like listening to now.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top