Favourite Song?

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lak611 said:
I prefer the original words set to this tune, which is “Be Thou My Vision”. I once started singing “Be Thou My Vision” when the organist played the tune, not bothering to pick up my hymnal to see that he wanted us to sing “Lord of All Hopefulness”. :o :blushing:
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I think I mostly like the tune. The “Be Thou” lyrics are beautiful but not very accessible to me because A.) They are in convoluted English and B) use extremely exclusive language 😦 (It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, I ain’t no fortunate one…)
 
ChemicalBean said:
I think I mostly like the tune. The “Be Thou” lyrics are beautiful but not very accessible to me because A.) They are in convoluted English and B) use extremely exclusive language 😦 (It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, I ain’t no fortunate one…)
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I guess I like the lyrics of the traditional hymns because I like Shakespeare, the Douay-Rheims Bible and the KJV. 😃
 
Ooo I looove “Be Thou, My Vision.” I never hear it anymore though.
 
Do you mean “How Beautiful” (is the body of Christ)? I get very emotial whenever I hear this song…
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Hi Tatyanna,

Oh, that is so beautiful and I’m blessed by the lyrics! Sorry, I never heard it before and it is not the one I have in mind. Yours is centered on the body of Jesus, whereas the one I get choked up on centers on His Mystical Body – us!

The OP said, “What is your favourite Mass song and why?” Well, I honestly didn’t know “why” and it puzzled me, so I prayed to understand, since nothing of either the lyrics or melody were particularly outstanding.

Blessed be God who hears our humble prayers! This morning I remembered the scripture where St. John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb in the presence of the Blessed Mother who was carrying Jesus. Alhough Elizabeth was unaware, and Mary said nothing, St. John recognized Jesus, and it was the special moment that caused Elizabeth to ‘know’ and proclaim the mystery before her.

The first time I heard it was as a communion meditation hymn, so I am believing now that the Holy Spirit in me was connecting with the Mystical Body gathered for liturgy who were all ONE in communion they just received. His joy, if you will, manifested and spilled over in me, but I did not understand the “why” until now. I am so grateful to the OP for this thread, for it helped me to realize something most sublime about “Eucharist.”

The Lord is not restricted or limited to touching hearts only in gregorian chant! That mindset is putting God in a box and believing wrongly that He can only minister to others through music “this way” and none other. No, no, no. The Holy Spirit is very active in liturgy and uses words, gestures, songs, readings – EVERYTHING – to speak to one’s heart. We simply need to bring our openness and intent to enter into worship and allow Him to touch us.

Maybe once and for all, we can settle the TLM vs. NO question, for until we realize that God is the one we worship in liturgy, and know that He is active therein, no matter which form of rite, no matter how distracting or so-called abusive, no matter which vernacular or music . . .

we just miss the mark.

Carole
 
My husband and I play for masses and one of my favorites is"Heart of Jesus." We just reecently played it and I carry it in my head for days afterward, for both it’s music and lyric qualities. It’s in our music issue, but I have never heard anyone else do it.
 
Joysong said:
The Lord is not restricted or limited to touching hearts only in gregorian chant! That mindset is putting God in a box and believing wrongly that He can only minister to others through music “this way” and none other. No, no, no. The Holy Spirit is very active in liturgy and uses words, gestures, songs, readings – EVERYTHING – to speak to one’s heart. We simply need to bring our openness and intent to enter into worship and allow Him to touch us.
Maybe once and for all, we can settle the TLM vs. NO question, for until we realize that God is the one we worship in liturgy, and know that He is active therein, no matter which form of rite, no matter how distracting or so-called abusive, no matter which vernacular or music . . .

we just miss the mark.
Carole
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AMEN!!!:👍 👍
 
happyseppy said:
My husband and I play for masses and one of my favorites is"Heart of Jesus." We just reecently played it and I carry it in my head for days afterward, for both it’s music and lyric qualities. It’s in our music issue, but I have never heard anyone else do it.
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Who is that song by?
 
Oh, there are too many to specify just one:

Tantum Ergo & O Salutaris Hostia (as a relatively new Catholic, these are particularly close to my heart as I went 34+ years without receiving the Eucharist - what a gift!)
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
Be Thou My Vision
Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All (we never sang songs of total abandonment to Christ like this in my old evangelical church)
The entire “Missa de Angelis,” but especially the “Sanctus” (I took part in a men’s choir, and we sang it at midnight Mass - I could’ve soared straight up to heaven afterward)
The “Gloria” in Latin (which we do 2-3 times a month - if you say any of EWTN’s Family Celebration, you know the tune)
 
There are a number of songs I enjoy while attending Mass.
When it comes to traditional songs, one of my favorite is “Come Holy Ghost.”
The song, “Hear, O Lord, the Sound of my Cry,” used to spontaneously well up within me even while working at a factory.
“They will Know We are Christians by Our Love” reflects our call.
During Communion, I like “Bread of Finest Wheat.”
Last Sunday during Mass, there was an emergency. The gospel was the Good Samaritan. While the EMT’s worked on the woman, the communion song was “What so Ever You do To the Least of my Brothers.” A practical application of the Gospel.
As another post mentioned, I also like “Morning has Broken.” When I die, I want my recessional to be “I’ll fly Away.”
As mentioned by several people, the list of songs from which I draw inspiration is endless. Many like “On Eagle’s Wings,” and “Here I Am” have already been mentioned…
 
Servant Song - no, not that one, the other one…“What do you want of me Lord?..” (

Speaks to every Christian seeking discernment…(and 'cause I can reach the notes, within an octave or so…)

and I’ll sneak another vote in for On Eagle’s Wings - no matter what the occasion, I have NEVER seen it fail to evoke a response of touching someone’s heart right where they were at that particular moment in life.
 
ChemicalBean said:
Personally I like:
On a slightly related note, I love the chorale from Bach’s cantata Wachet Auf. Is this translated into singable english anywhere? Published for use at Mass?
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Our choir does the chorale often in English. The Worship III Hymnal also has the melody line for congregation to sing in English under “Wake, O Wake and Sleep No Longer” No. 371.

You can’t beat Bach!!! 🙂
 
Anybody heard Sinead O’Connor’s “Theology” album? I’ve begun playing “Something Beautiful”, and “If I Had a Vineyard” while I pray.

In the Evangelical world (where I spent my childhood years), there is endless discussion of what kind of music to use. It’s best to have a sense of humor about it sometimes. At the GenX Rock n’ Roll church my wife attends sometimes, my brother and I call their worship style “Hot Lixx for Jesus”.

At Mass, I’ve heard some corny ****, and some beautiful soul-stirring songs. The “Come Holy Spirit” chant in Latin at my confirmation while I was being anointed brought me to tears.
 
The word that got edited out above did NOT begin with “Sh”. It was “Cr”. Just want to clarify.
 
There is a song I often like to sing the four verses I can remember :

“By the waking of our hearts,
By the stirring of our souls,
May the Spirit of God abide,
And bring us together in Christ…”

I only remember these 4 lines but I love to sing it while I am by myslef.
 
These are my favorites. BTW - Although I’m not in the Haugen/Haas fan club, I’m definitely not the “scourge of the church and responsible for all the laxness and immorality in the world”. Nor do I think that you guys are either. 🙂 Ha! Ha!
  • O God Beyond All Praising (Thaxted Melody) - Very special to me as it was used for my wedding. The words are just beautiful as well. I always start to tear up whenever I hear the music and sing the words.
  • Lord of All Hopefulness or Be Thou, My Vision - Slane Melody
  • Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - Hydrofol Melody
  • O Sacred Head Surrounded - Melody originally by Hans Leo Hassler, but especially with Bach’s harmonization for his Passion.
  • O Sons and Daughters - Filii et Filiae melody
  • He Comes to Us as One Unknown - Repton melody
  • I Heard the Voice of Jesus - Kingsfold Melody
  • This is My Commandment - Of Love Divine Melody
  • I Received the Living God
  • At That First Eucharist
  • Lo! How a Rose Ere Blooming
  • When Love is Found or The Gift of Love - Actually a Marriage Hymn
  • I Know that My Redeemer Lives - Duke Street Melody
  • This Joyful Eastertide - I especially love it when sung a capella in four part harmony.
  • Sicut Cervus - Palestrina
  • A New Commandment - Tallis
  • Hosanna to the Son of David - Gibbons
  • Spem in Alium (Yes, I know I need at least 40 voices to do this, but it’s pure ecstasy when done well.)
  • Jerusalem - Charles Parry (OK!!! I know it’s not a Catholic hymn and it’s usually sung in Anglican churches, but I LOVE it. There is actually another text in our Catholic hymnal, but it’s so corny, it ruins the piece.)
 
Sarabande said:
  • O God Beyond All Praising (Thaxted Melody) - Very special to me as it was used for my wedding. The words are just beautiful as well. I always start to tear up whenever I hear the music and sing the words.
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Thank you so much for the first line of “Thaxted.” I just love that melody, but could not remember the words that went along. Did you know that Charlotte Church has an older patriotic text to the same melody on her “Voice of an Angel” CD?

Betsy
 
baltobetsy said:
Thank you so much for the first line of “Thaxted.” I just love that melody, but could not remember the words that went along. Did you know that Charlotte Church has an older patriotic text to the same melody on her “Voice of an Angel” CD?

Betsy
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Hi Betsy - Yes - “I Vow to Thee, My Country”, although I didn’t know Charlotte Church sang that on her cd. I hate to say it, but I like that patriotic hymn more than “America the Beautiful,” but then again, I’m an admitted “anglophile” and probably would have been a Tory during the Rev. War 🙂 ha! ha! Don’t worry, I’m very appreciative of being an American as well, but a part of my heart belongs to England and I realized that the first time I ever had to leave that country after a college semester there (and I’ve always loved everything British since I was about 4 years old.). I’ve even made my husband one and we now are part of an American/British Revolutionary War Reenactment regiment - 2nd Pa/43rd Regiment of Foot.

Some trivia. It is called the “Thaxted” melody because the composer, Gustav Holst, was from there. He used that melody in his symphonic tone poem, “The Planets” the “Jupiter” movement, but it was also used for those two hymns.

Here is the text for “O God Beyond All Praising” - it has so much meaning for me and the music equals the expression of the text so perfectly.

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’ll 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 of our sacrifice of praise.
 
Sarabande said:
These are my favorites. BTW - Although I’m not in the Haugen/Haas fan club, I’m definitely not the “scourge of the church and responsible for all the laxness and immorality in the world”. Nor do I think that you guys are either. 🙂 Ha! Ha!
  • O God Beyond All Praising (Thaxted Melody) - Very special to me as it was used for my wedding. The words are just beautiful as well. I always start to tear up whenever I hear the music and sing the words.
  • Lord of All Hopefulness or Be Thou, My Vision - Slane Melody
  • Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - Hydrofol Melody
  • O Sacred Head Surrounded - Melody originally by Hans Leo Hassler, but especially with Bach’s harmonization for his Passion.
  • O Sons and Daughters - Filii et Filiae melody
  • He Comes to Us as One Unknown - Repton melody
  • I Heard the Voice of Jesus - Kingsfold Melody
  • This is My Commandment - Of Love Divine Melody
  • I Received the Living God
  • At That First Eucharist
  • Lo! How a Rose Ere Blooming
  • When Love is Found or The Gift of Love - Actually a Marriage Hymn
  • I Know that My Redeemer Lives - Duke Street Melody
  • This Joyful Eastertide - I especially love it when sung a capella in four part harmony.
  • Sicut Cervus - Palestrina
  • A New Commandment - Tallis
  • Hosanna to the Son of David - Gibbons
  • Spem in Alium (Yes, I know I need at least 40 voices to do this, but it’s pure ecstasy when done well.)
  • Jerusalem - Charles Parry (OK!!! I know it’s not a Catholic hymn and it’s usually sung in Anglican churches, but I LOVE it. There is actually another text in our Catholic hymnal, but it’s so corny, it ruins the piece.)
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I can’t do better than most of what’s on your list, except I would add Adoramus Te, Christi.
 
Sarabande said:
“I Vow to Thee, My Country”, although I didn’t know Charlotte Church sang that on her cd.
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Even more trivial trivia about her rendition - in the third line (would be the second syllable of wonder in the text you gave), instead of the upward leap of a fourth, she drops a fifth. Sometimes I do that, too. I like it. It ends up to be the same note, only an octave lower - fine for an alto like me.

Betsy
 
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