Saturday, January 28, 2012

WORSHIP IV, THE FOLLOW-UP (Part the thirteenth)

Sections covered in this installment: Love, Comfort, Kingdom/Reign of God
* = new to the Worship series

*693 Love One Another (Chepponis) - refrain melody doesn't seem bad.  I don't have the accompaniment, so I can't completely judge the music.
*695 Your Ways Are Not Our Own ("Southwell") - not bad at all
696 Love Is His Word (Krisman) - tune not so hot (Worship III tune, a different one, wasn't either).  Best tune for this hymn is one by Calvin Hampton found in WLP's "We Celebrate".
*698 No Greater Love (Joncas) - blech!
*699 Love Is the Law that Jesus Taught ("Beatus Vir") - nice tune, but #697 ("Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace", just two hymns before) already uses that tune.  A wise move would have been to put the two hymns together, going text-only on the second (except in the accompaniment book).
*700 Where Charity and Love Prevail ("Christian Love") - Though I'm partial to the Mode VI "Ubi Caritas" (#694), there is definitely nothing wrong with this WLP staple either (translation: Omer Westendorf, tune: Dom Paul Benoit, who also wrote a good number of really cool organ works).
701 Not for Tongues of Heaven's Angels (Joncas) - the Peter Cutts tune in Worship III ("Bridegroom") is far better.
702 Ubi Caritas (Taize) - now in Latin, English, Spanish, Korean (with hieroglyphics), and Tagalog.  I'm still waiting for a translation into German, Polish, Swahili, some species of Eskimo, and Narragansett Indian. :)
*703 Your Hand, Though Hidden, Guides Us ("King's Lynn") - not a bad text; love the tune!
*704 You Are Mine (Haas) - like "Beagle's Things" and "Be Very Afraid", another tune the English-speaking (and now Spanish-speaking) Church can do without!  (Yes, there is a Spanish text added.)
705 O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts ("Wareham") - Was "JESUS, THOU JOY" in Worship II and using the tune "Song 5" by Orlando Gibbons, changed to "O JESUS, JOY" in Worship III and sung to the Mode I tune "Jesu, Dulcis Memoria".  Now using "Wareham".  All three tunes excellent.  Would still prefer "JESUS, THOU JOY", however.
*706 O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life ("Kingsfold") - one of seven hymns set to this tune - a great tune, but seven hymns in one hymnal to the same tune???  Not a bad text either.
707 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say ("Kingsfold") - The hymn most widely used with "Kingsfold".  The two numbers should have been flip-flopped, and the second being text-only (except in the accompaniment, of course).
708 My Shepherd Will Supply My Need ("Resignation") - key raised to C (was B-flat in Worship II and III).
*710 With a Shepherd's Care (Chepponis) - garbage
*711 O God, You Are My God Alone ("Resignation") - this time in B-flat.  Again, this should have been put together (with "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need", three hymns before), with either the second to text-only, or high-key/low-key on facing pages.
712 The King of Love My Shepherd Is ("St. Columba") - key lowered from E-flat (Worship II and Worship III) to D.
*713 Eye Has Not Seen (Haugen) - garbage
714 How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds ("St. Peter") - glad to see the title switched back.  Was "How SWEET" in Worship II, switched to "How GOOD" in Worship III.
*716 Come to Me (Bell) - blech!
*717 Come to Me, O Weary Traveler (Bob Moore) - probably his best tune!
*718 Nade Te Turbe (Taize) - garbage in all three languages (English, Spanish, and Korean)
*719 If You Have Faith (Krisman) - garbage/basura
*721 Blest Are They (Haas) - They should have kept the Russian chant setting from Worship III if they wanted a good Beatitudes setting.
*722 The Reign of God ("McKee") - the many parables of Christ about the Kingdom of God set to the Spiritual often used for "In Christ There Is No East or West".  One of the better Spirituals, IMO.
*724 Let Us Come Now to the Kingdom ("Holy Manna") - Nice tune, but the text is definitely misplaced.  It's more like one of those foolish "gathering" songs.
*725 We Will Walk With God (Swaziland traditional) - garbage

Next installment: Church (which unfortunately includes that "new Church" thingie)
Peace,
BMP

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