Music leaders, show us your song list - NEW!!

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benedictgal said:
You are also a couple of hundred years removed from the initial translation of the hymn. The German translation of it dates back to the latter part of the 18th century and is set to a German tune. The English translation was made in the latter part of the 19th century.
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I meant the 1740’s of course.
 
hosea said:
more wikipedia:

The St. Louis Jesuits, a group of Catholic* musicians who popularized a contemporary style of church music through their compositions and recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. The group, originally made up of Jesuit seminarians at St. Louis University, used acoustic guitars and pop-style melodies and rhythms to set biblical and other religious texts to music sung in English as a result of the liturgical reforms initiated by Vatican II.*
Without intent, a groundswell of popularity took place when visiting seminarians took stenciled mimeographed copies of their new music back to their communities where it became known as music by “The St. Louis Jesuits”.

Interesting. They were just young talented men who have dedicated their lives to Christ and His Church in the most Holy way of all; the Priesthood. Sad that we malign their dedication. Also interesting that their popularity was inadvertant.

Now I know why I love their music so much.
peace
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While they meant well, they did not necessarily use the best, ideal means. Unfortunately, as I have experienced it, they are responsible for a lot of the bad liturgical music out there today. While there is certainly room for contemporary composers, they need to be writing and setting their compositions with the ideals of the Church in mind.

As Pope John Paul II wrote:
  1. In continuity with the teachings of St Pius X and the Second Vatican Council, it is necessary first of all to emphasize that music destined for sacred rites must have holiness as its reference point: indeed, “sacred music increases in holiness to the degree that it is intimately linked with liturgical action”[11]. **For this very reason, “not all without distinction that is outside the temple (profanum) is fit to cross its threshold”, my venerable Predecessor Paul VI wisely said, commenting on a Decree of the Council of Trent[12]. And he explained that “if music - instrumental and vocal - does not possess at the same time the sense of prayer, dignity and beauty, it precludes the entry into the sphere of the sacred and the religious”[13]. **Today, moreover, the meaning of the category “sacred music” has been broadened to include repertoires that cannot be part of the celebration without violating the spirit and norms of the Liturgy itself.
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St Pius X’s reform aimed specifically at purifying Church music from the contamination of profane theatrical music that in many countries had polluted the repertoire and musical praxis of the Liturgy. In our day too, careful thought, as I emphasized in the Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, should be given to the fact that not all the expressions of figurative art or of music are able “to express adequately the mystery grasped in the fullness of the Church’s faith”[14]. Consequently, not all forms of music can be considered suitable for liturgical celebrations.
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Recall, too, that a lot of the SLJ stuff came as sort of a revolt against the “past”. It was deeply entrenched in the Spirit of Vatican II but, as I see it now, not exactly based on the documents of the council. Unfortunately, the musical descendents of the SLJ have taken on the same approach. That is really sad. And, it’s not just me making these comments. The issue got to the point that even the Fathers of the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist complained about the state of the music used at Mass. Even the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has written several arguments about the lamentable situation.

Publishing houses don’t make matters any better because in their interest to promote the trendy and the hip, they completely bypass and ignore the sacred, the sublime and the beautiful.

When I called the USCCB to complain about the serious flaws in many of OCP’s Spanish Mass settings, I learned that they don’t have the manpower to do a quality control check on everything that is published. In fact, it’s a two-person operation. The BCW did thank me for bringing it to their attention and now they have to start examining things to ensure that they are in compliance with what the Church requires.
 
In my best Johnny Mathis voice…

it’s not for me to saeeay…

Thank goodness we have amazingly bright and observant folks like you to keep telling us how corrupt our music is. What would we do without you?

You are truly a gift from God.

truly.
 
hosea said:
In my best Johnny Mathis voice…

it’s not for me to saeeay…

Thank goodness we have amazingly bright and observant folks like you to keep telling us how corrupt our music is. What would we do without you?

You are truly a gift from God.

truly.
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Every Valley is still a good some to me, hehe. :cool:

Hosea, have you ever used this:

youtube.com/watch?v=Mp0-ns3SPVc

Refrain: Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirt.
  1. I am the bread of life, the true bread sent from the Father. REFRAIN
  2. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but this is the bread come down from heaven. REFRAIN
  3. Eat my flesh and drink my blood, and I will raise you up on the last day. REFRAIN
  4. Anyone who eats this bread, will live forever. REFRAIN
  5. If you believe and eat this bread, you will have eternal life. REFRAIN
It’s a nice contemporary communion song.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Every Valley is still a good some to me, hehe. :cool:

Hosea, have you ever used this:

youtube.com/watch?v=Mp0-ns3SPVc

Refrain: Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirt.
  1. I am the bread of life, the true bread sent from the Father. REFRAIN
  2. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but this is the bread come down from heaven. REFRAIN
  3. Eat my flesh and drink my blood, and I will raise you up on the last day. REFRAIN
  4. Anyone who eats this bread, will live forever. REFRAIN
  5. If you believe and eat this bread, you will have eternal life. REFRAIN
It’s a nice contemporary communion song.
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It’s actually from Taize and they are good, most of the time. The only problem with Eat This Bread is that each verse has a very different setting to it. It is great for the choir, but, it confuses the daylights out of the faithful in the pews, especially if they do not read music. It is better for them to sing the refrain and leave the choir to haggle with the verses.

I speak with experience on this one because when our parish tried it, the faithful kept getting lost and, unfortunately, it threw off the choir. I had to sing a little louder than usual to try to bring everyone back together. Even when the choir was rehearsing it prior to Mass, I tried to help them with the verses, but, it was hard.

CatholicZ09, if you are going to use it, make sure that your choir has a good handle on the verses and just leave the refrain to the faithful in the pews. It will save you both a lot of earache. In other words, treat this song as you would the responsorial.

I need to clarify something in my previous post. I was going to edit, but, I got called away to go look for two students so I did not have the chance to cler things up.

When I was a kid, I had to sing a lot of this stuff for our Catholic school glee club. It was either glee club or sports. I did not like it then because, even as a kid, there was just something about those songs that rubbed me the wrong way. But, I operated under the premise that “Sister knows bettter, so shut up.” It was not until I went to the University of Texas and landed at the parish across the street from campus that I discovered that there was so much more to liturgical music than what we were getting. In fact, to hear the children’s choir sing good solid traditional music made me feel as though I was being cheated out of what I strongly believe is the birthright of every Catholic, solid sacred music.

The SLJ stuff came out at about the same time as Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel and Jodi Mitchell. It’s fine if you want to hear that stuff on the 60s on 6 or the 70s on 7 on Sirius. But, we need to remember that we are doing something totally different when it comes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We need to remember that at the Mass, heaven and earth intersect, as do time and space. Something sacred, mystical, majestic and cosmic is happening. The music needs to reflect that.
 
benedictgal said:
It’s actually from Taize and they are good, most of the time. The only problem with Eat This Bread is that each verse has a very different setting to it. It is great for the choir, but, it confuses the daylights out of the faithful in the pews, especially if they do not read music. It is better for them to sing the refrain and leave the choir to haggle with the verses.

I speak with experience on this one because when our parish tried it, the faithful kept getting lost and, unfortunately, it threw off the choir. I had to sing a little louder than usual to try to bring everyone back together. Even when the choir was rehearsing it prior to Mass, I tried to help them with the verses, but, it was hard.

CatholicZ09, if you are going to use it, make sure that your choir has a good handle on the verses and just leave the refrain to the faithful in the pews. It will save you both a lot of earache. In other words, treat this song as you would the responsorial.

I need to clarify something in my previous post. I was going to edit, but, I got called away to go look for two students so I did not have the chance to cler things up.

When I was a kid, I had to sing a lot of this stuff for our Catholic school glee club. It was either glee club or sports. I did not like it then because, even as a kid, there was just something about those songs that rubbed me the wrong way. But, I operated under the premise that “Sister knows bettter, so shut up.” It was not until I went to the University of Texas and landed at the parish across the street from campus that I discovered that there was so much more to liturgical music than what we were getting. In fact, to hear the children’s choir sing good solid traditional music made me feel as though I was being cheated out of what I strongly believe is the birthright of every Catholic, solid sacred music.

The SLJ stuff came out at about the same time as Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel and Jodi Mitchell. It’s fine if you want to hear that stuff on the 60s on 6 or the 70s on 7 on Sirius. But, we need to remember that we are doing something totally different when it comes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We need to remember that at the Mass, heaven and earth intersect, as do time and space. Something sacred, mystical, majestic and cosmic is happening. The music needs to reflect that.
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Yeah, with “Eat this Bread” I can see how it would throw people off. It’s listed in the hymnal above each verse for example:

Verse 1: Cantor
  1. I am the bread of life, the true bread sent from the Father."
and so on.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Yeah, with “Eat this Bread” I can see how it would throw people off. It’s listed in the hymnal above each verse for example:

Verse 1: Cantor
  1. I am the bread of life, the true bread sent from the Father."
and so on.
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Worse yet, in other books, there is no notation as to how the song should be divided. At least the old Worship III hymnal only put in the refrain.
 
benedictgal said:
It’s actually from Taize and they are good, most of the time. The only problem with Eat This Bread is that each verse has a very different setting to it. It is great for the choir, but, it confuses the daylights out of the faithful in the pews, especially if they do not read music. It is better for them to sing the refrain and leave the choir to haggle with the verses.

I speak with experience on this one because when our parish tried it, the faithful kept getting lost and, unfortunately, it threw off the choir. I had to sing a little louder than usual to try to bring everyone back together. Even when the choir was rehearsing it prior to Mass, I tried to help them with the verses, but, it was hard.
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I’ve liked some of Taize as well. “Eat This Bread” has been a hymn I liked. I will agree that the verses (musically-speaking, I mean) are definitely not great for congregation. Actually, every time I’ve heard it done at mass or have cantored it, they only have the congregation sing the refrain and the cantor sing the verses. I know that the OCP hymnal includes the verses, but the Worship hymnal and the We Celebrate hymnal only include the refrain for the congregation to sing. I think the way those two hymnals set it up makes more sense, because some of the verses can be difficult to sing for a non-trained singer or someone with a lower register.

It’s definitely a hymn that can be done tastefully and prayerfully and sound lovely with the right musicians (instrumentalists and singers). The only thing I’d suggest is that the cantor is a musician or someone who can learn by rote very well and quickly, if he/she can’t read music, because it’s a “naked” piece and a mistake in that particular piece, even a simple one, can really sound blatant.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Every Valley is still a good some to me, hehe. :cool:

Hosea, have you ever used this:

youtube.com/watch?v=Mp0-ns3SPVc

Refrain: Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry. Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirt.
  1. I am the bread of life, the true bread sent from the Father. REFRAIN
  2. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but this is the bread come down from heaven. REFRAIN
  3. Eat my flesh and drink my blood, and I will raise you up on the last day. REFRAIN
  4. Anyone who eats this bread, will live forever. REFRAIN
  5. If you believe and eat this bread, you will have eternal life. REFRAIN
It’s a nice contemporary communion song.
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We used Eat this bread many times when we had Gather. I agree with everyone that the refrain is very singable for the faithful and the harmony is great but the verses are just for the choir. I can’t remember if Gather put the notes with the verses or not.

Gee, I miss Gather. It had some of our favorite Advent songs; My soul in stillness waits, Come, oh Lord and set us free, and our favorite all time Cooney tune, Your Mercy like rain. Journeysongs is ok but their Advent section is pretty poor.

peace,
h
 
By the way, I can’t listen to Youtube here at work so I’ll listen at home.
 
some changes to 2nd Sunday of Advent C

entrance: Come, o Lord and set us free from Gather #85
Kyrie: Advent wreath service (no one ever said if they have heard this or not. Oh well…)
Response: The Lord has done great things for us Journeysongs 103
Prep: My soul in stillness waits Gather 328
Communion: I am the living bread and Patience, people
close: Rise up, Jerusalem. Wonderful old Glory & praise song.
View attachment 7046
we are using sheets for entrance, prep, and closing.
peace,
h
 
hosea said:
some changes to 2nd Sunday of Advent C

entrance: Come, o Lord and set us free from Gather #85
Kyrie: Advent wreath service (no one ever said if they have heard this or not. Oh well…)
Response: The Lord has done great things for us Journeysongs 103
Prep: My soul in stillness waits Gather 328
Communion: I am the living bread and Patience, people
close: Rise up, Jerusalem. Wonderful old Glory & praise song.
View attachment 7046
we are using sheets for entrance, prep, and closing.
peace,
h
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I am curious as to why you aren’t using O Come, O Come Emmanuel? It is the Church’s oldest Advent hymn. There is nothing wrong with using the same entrance processional for all four Sundays of Lent.
 
This is what my parish did for this weekend.

Entrance Antiphon: Populus Sion (sung in English, though)

Kyrie - chanted

Psalm - setting by Michel Guimont

Credo III - chanted from Mass XVII

Offertory - The Voice of God Goes Out through All the World

Communion Antiphon - Psalm 84

Recessional - Comfort, Comfort, O My People
 
LET ALL MORTAL MEN BE SILENT! that is a great beginning to a hymn–so why not take the advise and STOP SINGING IT!! To sing is to pray twice,to sing COME AS YOU ARE is to sin twice!!just kidding.:DI know the sediments are there but it does not sit with the Gospel–repent–prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.
 
christthepriest.com/assets/livingtointercede.pdf

This will take you to five of my new favorite hymns-you will have to scroll to pages 58 to 61 for the Hymns.Three of them are translations from Latin made by Bishop Peter Elliott ( a noted liturgical expert and a former Anglican-he made the translations in Rome, when he worked for The Congregation for the Family, at the request of Fr.John Thomas Whiting the founder of The Society of Christ Priest and Victim) here is the list-
O Christ,Hight Priest Eternal . trans.Elliott.
Jesus our High Priest,Lord and Mediator . tran .Elliott
Earch joins with heaven,echoing Your praises. trans.Elliot
We have a High Priest!Christ Jesus the Lord Rev.Tim Brien
Childrens’Hymn to Christ the Priest.

These are all beautiful Hymns full of Worship,Thanks,Adoration and Praise–is it not what singing hymns is all about.Worth while going to the trouble to download them.
 
Here is my list:

O Come O Come
On Jordan’s Bank / Like a Shepherd
Taste and See
O Sanctissima
Soon and Very Soon.
 
pnewton said:
Ditto. 👍
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I’m looking at the keyboard accompaniment for “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and I think I’m going to add some notes in the music because I hear some extra notes added in in some versions and it sounds a little better than the one I have. (It’s from OCP). Has anyone ever done that?
 
Here is my song line-up for Sunday, December 13, 2009 (Third Sunday of Advent):

Opening Song: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (tune of STUTTGART)
Offertory: Come, Come Emmanuel by James Chepponis
Missa Emmanuel by Proulx
Communion: Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming
Closing: People, Look East

What do you think?

I’m having trouble finding a suitable psalm for this Sunday (Psalm = Isaiah 12:2-6). I’m not a big fan of OCP, so I’m not using the Respond & Acclaim for this Sunday. Does anyone have any suggestions? What are you using? Any help would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

Thanks!
 
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