1st after Easter usually gets the slightly less familiar Easter Hymns. So, at 11am Mattins it was,
He is risen, he is risen! (Neander)
Jesus lives! thy terrors now (St Albinus)
Christ the Lord is risen today (Nassau)
Canticles: Te Deum (Set A - Monk/Croft) and Benedictus (634 - Turle)
Holy Communion got,
Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness (Schmücke dich)
Thou hallowed chosen morning of praise (Eisenach)
The day of resurrection! (Ellacombe)
Merbecke/Old Scottish Gloria
@Piglet, you got to church and sang! I know you had been somewhat trepidatious about that. Glad you seem to have enjoyed it!
Aaah - thanks Nick! I certainly did enjoy it - and we're doing
Evensong on Sunday, the plan being to do it on the first Sunday of each month.
[tangent]
As this seems to be the only thread I can find about church music, it might be the right one for innocent gossip about church musicians.
Interesting Things happening at Westminster Abbey - their organist, James O'Donnell (a lovely man, who wrote the most spectacular descant to Cwm Rhondda) is apparently going to work at Yale University, causing much puzzlement.
When the job was last advertised 23 years ago, I remember David observing that whoever got it would likely have some Rather Significant Services over which to preside ...
It seems an odd time to leave - he's 61, and might have been expected to stay until he retired.
Now comes the speculation as to who will succeed him - my money's on Andrew Nethsingha, currently running things at St. John's College, Cambridge.
[/tangent]
@Piglet, you got to church and sang! I know you had been somewhat trepidatious about that. Glad you seem to have enjoyed it!
Aaah - thanks Nick! I certainly did enjoy it - and we're doing
Evensong on Sunday, the plan being to do it on the first Sunday of each month.
[tangent]
As this seems to be the only thread I can find about church music, it might be the right one for innocent gossip about church musicians.
Interesting Things happening at Westminster Abbey - their organist, James O'Donnell (a lovely man, who wrote the most spectacular descant to Cwm Rhondda) is apparently going to work at Yale University, causing much puzzlement.
When the job was last advertised 23 years ago, I remember David observing that whoever got it would likely have some Rather Significant Services over which to preside ...
It seems an odd time to leave - he's 61, and might have been expected to stay until he retired.
Now comes the speculation as to who will succeed him - my money's on Andrew Nethsingha, currently running things at St. John's College, Cambridge.
[/tangent]
On an ecumenical note, O'Donnell is RC and took the Abbey choir to St Peters Rome for their patronal festival at the invitation of B16 who had his socks blown off at choral evensong when he came to the UK. That experience possibly sowed the seeds for the Ordinariate.
J O'D has been at the Abbey for a long time and maybe needs a change, one with a handsome salary and pension perhaps.
Unfortunately that video’s not available where I live. Thanks, though.
Do you have spotify account, as it's available on there...
I do, though not a paid one, so sometimes it can take a while to get to the song I want to hear. But like I said, I found it in videos from William and Kate’s wedding.
Back to what we sang today: usual congregational setting of the Mass bits (Creed to Merbecke) and a mixed bag of hymns:
Angel voices, ever singing - Angel Voices Just as I am, without one plea* - Misericordia Love's redeeming work is done - Savannah I cannot tell how he whom angels worship - Londonderry Air** Ye servants of God - Paderborn
* or "Just as I am, without one flea" as David used to call it
** if I never have to sing that tune again, it'll still be too soon, and it's rubbish as a congregational hymn, because of the ridiculous range. (Rant over).
Nothing unusual in hymn choices for a bog standard Eastertide Sunday.
However I want to register my disappointment that the hubbub at the end of Mass was far louder than any singing during Mass. Depressing!
We had:
Awake my soul and with the sun (MORNING HYMN)
Sing to God new songs of worship (ODE TO JOY)
Holy Spirit ever living (ABBOT'S LEIGH)
Jesus calls us here to meet him
There's a spirit in the air (LAUDS)
The first and last were new to me, though not too hard to learn. We had Holy Communion for the first time in a long time, which necessitated a few technical alterations as we needed the kylie mic as well as the lectern mic and it's the first time I've set up for livestreaming with two mics.
9.15 am Holy Communion
This joyful Eastertide*
Just as I am - Saffron Walden
You stood there on the shoreline - to Thornbury
Will you come and follow me - Kelvingrove arr John Bell
During Communion- Break thou the bread of life, and Mass of St Thomas by David Thorne
6.00pm Easter Carol Service
Hymns:
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem- St Fulbert
The day of resurrection - Ellacombe
Jesus lives! - St. Albinus
Now the green blade riseth - Noel Nouvelet
The strife is o’er- Victory
Thine be the glory- Maccabaeus
Carols, mostly from the Oxford Book of Carols.
Easter Song of Praise -Sing choirs of heaven - Exultet
O what a morning - Townend
Easter Carol-Cheer up friends- French melody
Sing songs of joy today* Vreuchten, 17cDutch melody, better known in This joyful Eastertide, so in the morning we used this harmonisation which proved far too high for the congregation, as it has a top G! Fine for me, as since Covid I have lost my lower notes, and anything below the E above middle C is not really there.
I also attended a Come and Sing on Saturday- excerpts from Mendelssohn’s Elijah- so I am sung out now.
Nothing unusual in hymn choices for a bog standard Eastertide Sunday.
However I want to register my disappointment that the hubbub at the end of Mass was far louder than any singing during Mass. Depressing!
At least they didn’t all piss off before the final prayer
Nothing unusual in hymn choices for a bog standard Eastertide Sunday.
However I want to register my disappointment that the hubbub at the end of Mass was far louder than any singing during Mass. Depressing!
At least they didn’t all piss off before the final prayer
Minor rant: there are many hymns specifically dedicated to Easter in most hymnbooks; there are also many in the general sections with a Resurrection theme. Yet two weeks into Eastertide and many churches appear to neglect most of them. Why are we (I speak for English Anglicans, but it may apply to others) so much more diligent in observing Lent than Easter?
Hail, holy Queen enthroned above (Salve Regina Caelitum)
Ye who own the faith of Jesus (Daily, Daily)
Sing of Mary, pure and lowly (Chadderton)
Ye watchers and ye holy ones (Lasst uns erfreuen)
Choral:
Langlais: Missa Salve Regina (1954)
Julio Morales: Salve Regina (2014) - U.S. premiere
The old BCP Calendar bowled me a real Yorker this Sunday with St Philip and St James, as it is not a feast flush with hymns, and still fewer that the average congregation (TM) might know. Communion in the morning got:
'Now, my tongue, the mystery telling' (St Thomas)
'God deigning man to be' (Little Cornard)
'Let us now our voices raise' (Tempus adest floridum)
Then Evensong got:
'Thou art the way, to thee alone' (St James)
'Hark! The sound of holy voices' (Moultrie)
'Joy and Triumph everlasting' (Bourgeois/Ps.42)
'For all the saints' (Sine Nomine)
Interesting choices of tunes there, PDR - with Tempus adest floridum and Little Cornard I'd be thinking that we'd given Summer and Autumn a miss and gone straight into Advent and Christmas ...
Interesting choices of tunes there, PDR - with Tempus adest floridum and Little Cornard I'd be thinking that we'd given Summer and Autumn a miss and gone straight into Advent and Christmas ...
There are some interesting tune choices in the 1940 Hymnal, some of which work, some of which must have seemed fine at the time but have not worn well. We are contemplating adopting the new REC Hymnal, which is basically an update of the 1940, but it will be 3 to 5 years before we can afford it and wear down the nay-sayers.
Indescribable (Chris Tomlin)
You alone can rescue (Matt Redman)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty (Nathan Fellingham)
This is amazing grace (Phil Wickham / Jeremy Riddle / Josh Farro)
There is a Redeemer (Melody Green)
Jesus, where'er thy people meet - Wareham The God of love my shepherd is - University Faithful Shepherd, lead me - Pastor pastorum How sweet the name of Jesus sounds - St Peter Rejoice, the Lord is king - Gopsal
Faith Mission visiting so a certain slant to the hymns today:
I joyed when to the house of God (ABERDEEN)
Here is love, vast as the ocean
Man of sorrows (GETHSEMANE)
My hope is built (ST CATHERINE)
Indescribable (Chris Tomlin)
You alone can rescue (Matt Redman)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty (Nathan Fellingham)
This is amazing grace (Phil Wickham / Jeremy Riddle / Josh Farro)
There is a Redeemer (Melody Green)
This list made me smile, all very familiar to me and now I am singing them.
“You servants of God” (Laudate Dominum - Parry).
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord” (Anon).
“Whether you’re one or whether you're two” (Kendrick).
“Behold! the mountain of the Lord” (Glasgow).
“All hail the power of Jesus' name!” (Diadem - risky but it worked!)
Indescribable (Chris Tomlin)
You alone can rescue (Matt Redman)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty (Nathan Fellingham)
This is amazing grace (Phil Wickham / Jeremy Riddle / Josh Farro)
There is a Redeemer (Melody Green)
This list made me smile, all very familiar to me and now I am singing them.
For Good Shepherd Sunday, Madam Rector chose all three versions of Psalm 23 in TIS for processional, offertory and post-communion hymns and rounded out the selection with I will sing the wondrous story to Hyfrydol. With the responsorial said psalm as part of the liturgy of the word, we thus had 4 iterations of the psalm in the one liturgy. Not one of her better weeks.
Went to Funchal cathedral. Despite much of the music having simple antiphons and choruses the congregation remained mute. There was a small group, organ, a couple of flutes and three singers singing in parts. Amplification was terrible and distorting. Singers were shouty and unbalanced. Pretty dreadful to be honest.
No hymn books or sheets.
It being May they sang the Lourdes hymn, which I joined in mightily much to the surprise of those around me.
However the opening prayer, second reading and gospel were in both English and Portuguese. A nice nod to holidaymakers.
For Good Shepherd Sunday, Madam Rector chose all three versions of Psalm 23 in TIS for processional, offertory and post-communion hymns and rounded out the selection with I will sing the wondrous story to Hyfrydol.
TIS is Together in Song, a terrible hymn book which replaced the Australian Hymn Book. My church refuses to use it, preferring the NEH and also still using AHB.
One of the things we're singing tomorrow:
The Lord of heaven confess, Psalm 148
I've not sung this before but I'm kind of puzzled because the given tune in CH4 is ST JOHN allegedly by William Havergal, which sounds remarkably like a slightly modified DARWALL'S 148TH (which is fairly obviously meant for a version of Psalm 148). I mean, they're more similar than different versions of PANGUE LINGUA or SLANE but they listed separately and with different composers. Anyone know the history here?
Sorry, I can’t answer that. Just popped by to say I attended a brilliant RSCM workshop in St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham today, ending with a short service at which we sang Bach Motets.
One of the things we're singing tomorrow:
The Lord of heaven confess, Psalm 148
I've not sung this before but I'm kind of puzzled because the given tune in CH4 is ST JOHN allegedly by William Havergal, which sounds remarkably like a slightly modified DARWALL'S 148TH (which is fairly obviously meant for a version of Psalm 148). I mean, they're more similar than different versions of PANGUE LINGUA or SLANE but they listed separately and with different composers. Anyone know the history here?
No, but a note to the Church of Scotland hymnary says, "The rousing tune is possibly by W H Havergal, although it first appeared anonymously. ... Havergal (d.1870) was a Church of England clergyman who, after an accident affected his sight, concentrated on music, editing psalters which recovered older styles ..."
One of the things we're singing tomorrow:
The Lord of heaven confess, Psalm 148
I've not sung this before but I'm kind of puzzled because the given tune in CH4 is ST JOHN allegedly by William Havergal, which sounds remarkably like a slightly modified DARWALL'S 148TH (which is fairly obviously meant for a version of Psalm 148). I mean, they're more similar than different versions of PANGUE LINGUA or SLANE but they listed separately and with different composers. Anyone know the history here?
No, but a note to the Church of Scotland hymnary says, "The rousing tune is possibly by W H Havergal, although it first appeared anonymously. ... Havergal (d.1870) was a Church of England clergyman who, after an accident affected his sight, concentrated on music, editing psalters which recovered older styles ..."
Ah, that probably explains the similarity. Didn't spot that note in my copy.
I discovered it online. May be unconscious plagiarism of course - after all there is a bit in Mozart's "Requiem" which sounds as if it was filched from Handel's "Messiah".
Comments
He is risen, he is risen! (Neander)
Jesus lives! thy terrors now (St Albinus)
Christ the Lord is risen today (Nassau)
Canticles: Te Deum (Set A - Monk/Croft) and Benedictus (634 - Turle)
Holy Communion got,
Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness (Schmücke dich)
Thou hallowed chosen morning of praise (Eisenach)
The day of resurrection! (Ellacombe)
Merbecke/Old Scottish Gloria
Aaah - thanks Nick! I certainly did enjoy it - and we're doing
Evensong on Sunday, the plan being to do it on the first Sunday of each month.
[tangent]
As this seems to be the only thread I can find about church music, it might be the right one for innocent gossip about church musicians.
Interesting Things happening at Westminster Abbey - their organist, James O'Donnell (a lovely man, who wrote the most spectacular descant to Cwm Rhondda) is apparently going to work at Yale University, causing much puzzlement.
When the job was last advertised 23 years ago, I remember David observing that whoever got it would likely have some Rather Significant Services over which to preside ...
It seems an odd time to leave - he's 61, and might have been expected to stay until he retired.
Now comes the speculation as to who will succeed him - my money's on Andrew Nethsingha, currently running things at St. John's College, Cambridge.
[/tangent]
Interestingly a colleague is minister of the chapel where the composer of Cwm Rhondda is buried, and showed me his grave.
On an ecumenical note, O'Donnell is RC and took the Abbey choir to St Peters Rome for their patronal festival at the invitation of B16 who had his socks blown off at choral evensong when he came to the UK. That experience possibly sowed the seeds for the Ordinariate.
J O'D has been at the Abbey for a long time and maybe needs a change, one with a handsome salary and pension perhaps.
Perhaps not, but I think it's a cracker!
I think it might be this one.
No, that descant was by James Vivian. I find it meh, I’m afraid.
But I checked and found that O’Donnell’s descant was sung at William and Kate’s wedding, which was, of course, at Westminster Abbey. I quite liked it.
In that case my strictures are invalid - but I agree with you!
Do you have spotify account, as it's available on there...
Angel voices, ever singing - Angel Voices
Just as I am, without one plea* - Misericordia
Love's redeeming work is done - Savannah
I cannot tell how he whom angels worship - Londonderry Air**
Ye servants of God - Paderborn
* or "Just as I am, without one flea" as David used to call it
** if I never have to sing that tune again, it'll still be too soon, and it's rubbish as a congregational hymn, because of the ridiculous range. (Rant over).
However I want to register my disappointment that the hubbub at the end of Mass was far louder than any singing during Mass. Depressing!
Awake my soul and with the sun (MORNING HYMN)
Sing to God new songs of worship (ODE TO JOY)
Holy Spirit ever living (ABBOT'S LEIGH)
Jesus calls us here to meet him
There's a spirit in the air (LAUDS)
The first and last were new to me, though not too hard to learn. We had Holy Communion for the first time in a long time, which necessitated a few technical alterations as we needed the kylie mic as well as the lectern mic and it's the first time I've set up for livestreaming with two mics.
This joyful Eastertide*
Just as I am - Saffron Walden
You stood there on the shoreline - to Thornbury
Will you come and follow me - Kelvingrove arr John Bell
During Communion- Break thou the bread of life, and Mass of St Thomas by David Thorne
6.00pm Easter Carol Service
Hymns:
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem- St Fulbert
The day of resurrection - Ellacombe
Jesus lives! - St. Albinus
Now the green blade riseth - Noel Nouvelet
The strife is o’er- Victory
Thine be the glory- Maccabaeus
Carols, mostly from the Oxford Book of Carols.
Easter Song of Praise -Sing choirs of heaven - Exultet
O what a morning - Townend
Easter Carol-Cheer up friends- French melody
Sing songs of joy today* Vreuchten, 17cDutch melody, better known in This joyful Eastertide, so in the morning we used this harmonisation which proved far too high for the congregation, as it has a top G! Fine for me, as since Covid I have lost my lower notes, and anything below the E above middle C is not really there.
I also attended a Come and Sing on Saturday- excerpts from Mendelssohn’s Elijah- so I am sung out now.
At least they didn’t all piss off before the final prayer
There is that!
Ye who own the faith of Jesus (Daily, Daily)
Sing of Mary, pure and lowly (Chadderton)
Ye watchers and ye holy ones (Lasst uns erfreuen)
Choral:
Langlais: Missa Salve Regina (1954)
Julio Morales: Salve Regina (2014) - U.S. premiere
'Now, my tongue, the mystery telling' (St Thomas)
'God deigning man to be' (Little Cornard)
'Let us now our voices raise' (Tempus adest floridum)
Then Evensong got:
'Thou art the way, to thee alone' (St James)
'Hark! The sound of holy voices' (Moultrie)
'Joy and Triumph everlasting' (Bourgeois/Ps.42)
'For all the saints' (Sine Nomine)
Nothing unusual with the service music.
There are some interesting tune choices in the 1940 Hymnal, some of which work, some of which must have seemed fine at the time but have not worn well. We are contemplating adopting the new REC Hymnal, which is basically an update of the 1940, but it will be 3 to 5 years before we can afford it and wear down the nay-sayers.
You alone can rescue (Matt Redman)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty (Nathan Fellingham)
This is amazing grace (Phil Wickham / Jeremy Riddle / Josh Farro)
There is a Redeemer (Melody Green)
Jesus, where'er thy people meet - Wareham
The God of love my shepherd is - University
Faithful Shepherd, lead me - Pastor pastorum
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds - St Peter
Rejoice, the Lord is king - Gopsal
I joyed when to the house of God (ABERDEEN)
Here is love, vast as the ocean
Man of sorrows (GETHSEMANE)
My hope is built (ST CATHERINE)
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord” (Anon).
“Whether you’re one or whether you're two” (Kendrick).
“Behold! the mountain of the Lord” (Glasgow).
“All hail the power of Jesus' name!” (Diadem - risky but it worked!)
Mm, me too 🙂.
No hymn books or sheets.
It being May they sang the Lourdes hymn, which I joined in mightily much to the surprise of those around me.
However the opening prayer, second reading and gospel were in both English and Portuguese. A nice nod to holidaymakers.
The Lord of heaven confess, Psalm 148
I've not sung this before but I'm kind of puzzled because the given tune in CH4 is ST JOHN allegedly by William Havergal, which sounds remarkably like a slightly modified DARWALL'S 148TH (which is fairly obviously meant for a version of Psalm 148). I mean, they're more similar than different versions of PANGUE LINGUA or SLANE but they listed separately and with different composers. Anyone know the history here?
Ah, that probably explains the similarity. Didn't spot that note in my copy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcQaiYRoa5A
Indeed.