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

The last 40-or-so hymns will be covered in this installment.  The final sections: Penance/Reconciliation, Pastoral Care of the Sick, Marriage, Funeral, Nation, New Year

* = new to the Worship series

*957 Grant to Us, O Lord (Deiss) - I like a good number of the Deiss pieces from the 1960's/1970's.  This is one of them.

*958 A Woman Knelt Where Jesus Sat to Eat ("Sursum Corda") - Ah, I remember that story well.  She poured perfume on Jesus and the people around him were PO'd because the perfume could have been "sold, and the money given to the poor".

*959 If I Have Been the Source of Pain (Sosa) - Hearing this piece might be a source of pain.

*960 Sovereign Maker of All Things ("Aberystwyth") - "Quakes with fear before your face...".  OK!!!!  Tune, however, is beloved.

*961 The Scheming Elders Challenged Christ ("Llangloffan") - They should use "Llangfyllin" every now and then as a major-key counterpart (see #570 in Hymnal 1940, first tune).

*964 Yes, I Shall Arise (Deiss) - another one I still like

*965 Healer of Our Every Ill (Haugen) - nope

966 Have Mercy, Lord, on Us ("Southwell") - added two verses that were missing in III.

*969 Help Us Forgive, Forgiving Lord ("Detroit") - #967 is "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive", set to the same tune.  Both hymns are saying the same thing, pretty much.  Why don't we stick with "Forgive Our Sins", the original?

*970 Out of the Depths (Batastini) - "Here in this community...", here we go again!

*971 In All Our Grief ("Fredericktown") - nice tune; text good also.

972 Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old ("Mozart") - such a good hymn that we used it as our offertory last Sunday.  Also found as "THINE ARM, O Lord, in Days of Old".  You might want to note that. :)

*973 When Memory Fades ("Finlandia") - not crazy over the text, but I'll let you be the judge.  The tune is downright gorgeous.  However, where is the most familiar of hymns normally associated with that tune, "Be Still, My Soul"?  It used to be in Worship II, and we haven't seen hide or hair of it since!

*974 Here, Master, in This Quiet Place ("Land of Rest") - title of text and title of tune go together well here.  Text is by Fred Pratt Green, so you know it can be trusted.

*975 Banned and Banished by Their Neighbors ("Kas Dziedaja") - I might have asked this once before, but whatever happened to "By the Babylonian Rivers" (which uses the same tune)?  I'll let you judge the text.

976 He Healed the Darkness of My Mind ("O Waly Waly") - Nothing against "O Waly Waly", but there are several hymns already using this tune.  Worship III used "Dunedin".  They should have stuck with it.

*977 When We Must Bear Persistent Pain ("Prospect") - not so hot!

*979 A Blind Man Sat beside the Road ("St. Anne") - Nice tune, but the title is a bit awkward.

*980 Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Allen/Dorsey) - blech!
*981 We Come to You for Healing, Lord ("Martyrdom") - text not bad; tune good.

*983 God of Love, Embrace Your People ("Hymn to Joy") - Not a bad text, better than most of the work of Fr. Chepponis.  Reminds me of some of the old "Our Parish Prays and Sings" hymns in that marriage section.  Nothing against "Hymn to Joy", it's a fine tune, but I'm thinking "Abbot's Leigh" might work better here.

*984 God in the Planning ("Slane") - same idea as #983, though I think #983 is a better text.  Can't knock the tune, however!

*985 Love Has Brought Us Here Together ("Hyfrydol") - quite good

*986 Let's Praise the Creator ("Kremser") - text seems ok.  Anyone?  Tune always good.

*987 This Is a Miracle-Moment ("Lobe den Herren") - a "miracle moment"?  WTF?  Awful text.  Too bad the tune is excellent.

*988 Dwellers in the Holy City ("Lauda Anima") - text is weak

*989 Rest in Peace, Earth's Journey Ended ("Moehr") - Text isn't bad.  I've used it before in my days at Precious Blood.

*990 Saints of God (Janco) - again, not into echoing the cantor.  Remember that goofy thing that got passed for a Sanctus back in the heydays of folk Masses, where the people repeated everything the guitarist/cantor sang?  Arrrrrrrrgh!  I'll stick to the Proulx version.  It's #182.

*991 May the Angels Lead You into Paradise (Hughes) - good.

*992 There Is a Place (Bell) - rather goofy, if you ask me.  "There is a place where we toss hunks of garbage".

994 I Know that My Redeemer Lives (Hughes) - good.  Was in the Order of Mass section of funerals in Worship III, the section that the Proulx "Saints of God" still sits.

995 God of Our Fathers ("National Hymn") - excellent hymn, but bastardized to bits!  Last verse should end "Fill all our lives with LOVE AND GRACE DIVINE; ALL GLORY, LAUD, AND PRAISE BE EVER THINE!"

*997 This Is My Song ("Finlandia") - fine

998 My Country, 'Tis of Thee ("America", or "God Save the Queen" if you're in the UK) - my only complaint is that it might be a bit high.  I would consider dropping it to F.

*999 Greet Now the Swiftly Changing Year ("Sixth Night") - One of Gather Comprehensive's better additions that made its way to Worship IV.

Here endeth the lesson on Worship IV. (or "Verbum Snarkii")

Peace,

BMP

WORSHIP IV, THE FOLLOW-UP (Part the twenty-first)

Sections covered: Christian Initiation/Baptism, Eucharist (beware of what gets passed as Communion music these days!)

* = new to the Worship series

*911 Jesus, at the Jordan Baptized ("Fortunatus New") - text seems ok; tune is good

*912 Leaving Her Water Jar Behind ("St. Catherine") - interesting lyric; nice tune, but I miss the real "Faith of Our Fathers" that is SUPPOSED TO go with it!

*913 God, Who at the font Once Named Us ("Regent Square") - text ok; tune good

*916 This Is Our Faith (C. Gardner) - not into echoing the cantor.

*917 Blessed Be God, Who Chose You in Christ (Chepponis) - garbage

*918 We Praise You, Lord, for Jesus Christ ("New Britain") - Do we really need another text sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace"?  Even "McKee" would have been a better tune.

919 Baptized in Water ("Bunessan") - Not the hottest text.

*920 Christ Be in Your Senses ("Appalachian Fall") - not bad

921 There Is One Lord (Taize) - now with added Spanish for bi-lingual boredom.

*922 Crashing Waters at Creation ("Restoration") - ok

923 I Receive the Living God ("Living God") - with bastardized text and added verses, formerly known as "I RECEIVED the Living God".

*924 Bread of Life, Cup of Blessing (Guimont) - text and music sounds like a typical OCP/GIA modern day "Communion song".  Blech!

*925 Pan de Vida (Bob Hurd) - garbage/basura

926 I Come with Joy to Meet My Lord ("Dove of Peace") - not a bad text; like the tune.  Appeared in Worship III with the tune "Land of Rest".

*927 Amen to the Body of Christ (Guimont) - trash

*928 Come to the Banquet (Chepponis) - rubbish

929 Ave Verum (Mode I) - the first GOOD hymn in the Eucharist section.

*930 In Memory of You (Peloquin) - The verses, which are shown only in choir and accompaniment editions (as well as octavos), incorporate the aforementioned Mode I "Ave Verum", in ways that only Alexander Peloquin could create.  Peloquin was very underrated by mainstream music ministries.  Not all his music is useful at Mass, but a good chunk of it is, including this one.

*931 One Bread, One Body (Foley) - Instant Sominex!  I told Bari Columbari at OCP the same thing in a written review of their music issue about six years ago.

*932 As the Bread of Life Is Broken ("Thaxted", bastardized) - Yes, I do mean "bastardized", as in "bastardized" into a responsory (the first pair of lines is a refrain), with your dreaded typical "we are one" fare.

*933 Jesus, Ever-Flowing Fountain (Guimont) - this one's not so hot either.

*934 Amen, El Cuerpo de Cristo (Schiavone) - Amen, musica basura!

*935 Draw Near (Janco) - nah!

*936 Where Two are Three are Gathered (Lawton) - usual crap motif for the refrain, and the verse is written with just TWO NOTES - yes, TWO NOTES: 23 C's (octave above middle C) and two G's (a fourth below the C).  These are the composers that the mainstream Catholic publishers push, my little snark-o-maniacs!

937 Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether ("Union Seminary") - always liked the hymn, but prefer the original text from Worship II, you know, the one with "thee", "thou", and "thy".

*938 We Remember (Haugen) - You can tell even a Worship hymnal's gone bad when they add this ditty to the mix.  BTW, anyone still hear the refrain of this dreck used as a memorial acclamation?  I sure hope not!

*940 Take and Eat (Joncas) - nope

941 Shepherd of Souls ("St. Agnes") - Where are all the "thees" and "thous"?

*942 Many and Great are Bearers of the Word (Manalo) - the usual dreck.

943 Eat this Bread (Taize) - now with added Spanish

*944 In the Breaking of the Bread (Guimont) - more of the same (as you can tell, the Dufner/Guimont combination is not working too well).

*945 Taste and See (James Moore) - Verses are bastardized to death, not to mention often misperformed.  Seriously, on more than one occasion at my local Cathedral have I heard a guy ad lib the daylights out of the verses like he was some kind of rock start.  Pitiful!

*946 Come Join the Feasting (Krisman) - garbage/basura

947 Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord ("Coena Domini") - should be "Draw NIGH and take the Body of the Lord".  Nice tune, as is the tune "Anima Christi" which usually appears in OCP books. (See? OCP has a good share of good music too.  You have to sift through a lot of garbage to find it, however, just like GIA's hymnals as of late!)

*948 Bread of Life from Heaven (Argentine, with verses by Haugen) - garbage/basura

*949 This Is the Body of Christ (Bell) - This isn't an attempt at a Taize tune, is it?

*950 I Am the Bread of Life (Toolan) - No you're not.  Jesus is!

*951 All Who Hunger Gather Gladly (Bob Moore) - Same text appears with the tune "Holy Manna" at #844, 107 titles previous.  When I reviewed #844, I said "nope".  Same with this one.  But worse: WHY couldn't they keep the two ditties together with the different tunes?  Any hymnal publisher in their right mind would do that: either print the Moore toon (misspelling intentional) out and footnote: "Alternate tune: HOLY MANNA", or just do a "First tune"/"Second tune" on facing pages.  Putting this text once in "Gathering" and the same text again in "Communion" only doubles the damage (or creates "multi-purpose crap").

*952 Taste and See (Luckner) - refrain isn't so hot; verses are not under music here, so it's hard to judge.

953 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus ("Hyfrydol") - hopefully the accompaniment book reverts to the accompaniment used in Worship II.  In fact, let's revert the text to that found in Worship II.

954 Lord, Who at Your First Eucharist Did Pray ("Unde et Memores") - formerly known as "At That First Eucharist before You Died", with the added fourth verse.  Only complaint: need to make it "Lord, Who at THY First Eucharist DIDST Pray".

*955 To the Wedding Feast (Morris) - same old basic crap

*956 Life-Giving Bread, Saving Cup (Chepponis) - garbage

Next installment: Penance/Reconciliation

Peace,

BMP

SUNDAY VI AT HEARTS

II-12-12; Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick, Rhode Island

ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HOH: All glory be to God on high (W-527)
- (except for the 7:30 Mass, I might just modulate for the last verse, F to G)
BMP: I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble... (Psalm 32)
Marier: Alleluia (D tonic; verse of the day: Psalm tone 5)
ST. AGNES: Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless (W-728)
Vermulst: Sanctus and Agnus Dei (from Mass for Christian Unity)
BMP: We proclaim your death, O Lord (from Holy Angels Mass)
Dresden Amen
D'indy: Cantate Domino Canticum Novum
ST. PETER: How good the name of Jesus sounds (W-610)
NUN DANKET: Now thank we all our God (W-560)

Peace,
BMP

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

Just a little over 100 hymns to go.

Sections covered this installment: All Saints, Immaculate Conception, Dedication of a Church, Blessed Virgin Mary, Apostles, Martyrs, Holy Women, Holy Men

* = new to the Worship series

886 Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones ("Lasst Uns Erfreuen") - Love the hymn, but it seems to go lower and lower in each edition (E-flat in II, D in III, now C in IV).

*887 As Stars Adorn the Night-Veiled Sky ("Jesu, Dulcis Memoria") - not a bad new text!

*888 Who Are These Like Stars Appearing ("All Saints") - a very welcome addition!

*889 Sing Praise to God for Friends ("Azmon") - nice tune, weak text

890 By All Your Saints Still Striving ("St. Theodulph") - retained from Worship III with same tune, but with some added verses for added saints.  Originally appeared as "From All Thy Saints in Warfare" with the tune "King's Lynn" in Worship II.

891 For All the Saints ("Sine Nomine") - The text is bastardized yet again: Verse 1 went from "Who thee by faith before the world confessed" to "All who by faith before the world confessed" to "Who to the world their faith in you confessed".  The publisher really killed a great hymn.

*892 From All the Saints Who've Shown Your Love ("O Waly Waly") - not bad for a John Bell text, I guess.

893 Immaculate Mary ("Lourdes Hymn") - I particularly like this Brian Foley text.  Two of the verses from Worship II were dropped from Worship III and IV, however.  As much as I like the original devotional text, I like this scriptural text equally.  Also, the best of the harmonies that appeared with this is the one in Worship II.

894 How Blessed Is this Place, O Lord ("Rockingham") - First appeared in Worship III with the tune "O Waly Waly".  I would have rather used a more triumphant tune (don't get me wrong, I like "Rockingham", but for more meditative texts).  The very first "We Celebrate" edition (1976) has a really good tune for it (the name eludes me at the moment).  Another good tune from that same "We Celebrate" would be "Church Triumphant".

*895 For Builders Bold ("Forest Green") - text good, tune nice.

896 Sing We of the Blessed Mother ("Omni Die Dic Mariae" in Latin, "Alle Tage Sing und Sage" in German) - love the tune.  Text is nice as well, but would absolutely love to see "Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary" as well.

*897 Mary, First among Believers ("Pleading Savior") - text not bad at all; tune is very good, but should be in F.

*898 When, to Mary, the Word ("Middlebury") - see part 16, #796.

*899 Come As We Journey along Our Way / Santa Maria del Camino (Espinosa) - syncopated garbage / basura sincopado

*900 Stainless the Maiden / Serdeczna Matko (Polish) - always loved the hymn, best hymn text Willard Jabusch ever wrote.  Only complaint, the fourth verse ("Sons, come, and daughters...") is missing.  Also, this is the first hymnal where the last two lines are repeated, just like in the Polish hymnal my maternal grandmother once had.  A very welcome addition.

*901 As a Star on Cloudless Evenings ("Raquel") - nice tune.  Tune is quite good too.

903 O Sanctissima / O Most Holy One ("Sicilian Mariners", or "O Du Fröliche") - now with four Latin verses and four English verses (Worship III only had the first two Latin verses).  I for one would stick with the Latin, but it's nice to see twice as many verses.

*904 All Who Put their Faith in Jesus ("Julion") - Nice tune by David Hurd.  My favorite tune for this text, however, "Den des Vaters Sinn Geboren".  Also, better title is "YE Who CLAIM THE Faith OF Jesus".

905 Let All on Earth Their Voices Raise ("Truro") - First appeared in Worship III with the tune "Tallis' Canon".  Hey, we're missing a very important hymn that's also set to "Truro": "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates".  What's up with that?

*908 For All the Faithful Women (Hopson) - nice tune (though similar to "Fulda Melody", which often goes with "O Jesus, We Adore Thee").  Text isn't bad either.

Another hymn I am EXTREMELY disappointed to see disappear in this volume: "Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All" (tune: "Sweet Sacrament").  That's two Fr. Fred Faber classics (the other being "Faith of Our Fathers" that are either missing or mutilated!  :(

On our next installment, we will start covering Sacraments/Rites, starting with Christian Initiation/Baptism.

Peace,

BMP

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

I know some songs that get on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves....

Oh, welcome to part XIX in our series on Worship - Fourth Edition.  In this volume of Worship, we've encountered a good number of songs that have gotten on everybody's nerves, but we've also encountered a good number of songs that, if they haven't gotten on everybody's nerves yet, they will soon!  Just look at the second hymn on this list, for example.

Sections covered: Second Coming, Eternal Life/Heaven, Presentation of the Lord, Joseph Husband of Mary, Annunciation, Nativity of John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, Transfiguration, Assumption, Exaltation of the Holy Cross

* = new to the Worship series.

*860 Christ Is Surely Coming ("King's Weston") - fine

*861 Soon and Very Soon (Crouch) - Lately it seems that the mainstream Catholic parish can't go one Advent without having to play this crap at least once.

*863 When the Lord in Glory Comes (Bob Moore) - not this, not that, not this, not that, not these, not those, etc.  WTF?

*865 From the Father's Throne on High ("Heinlein") - fine

*866 Shall We Gather at the River (Lowry) - overplayed/overrated

*868 Martha, Mary, Waiting, Weeping ("Beach Spring") - seems ok

869 Jesus, Remember Me (Taize) - also overrated and WAY overplayed.  Now with added Spanish and Polish.

*870 Long-Awaited Holy One ("Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland") - text seems ok.  Tune fine.

*871 O Light of Gentile Nations ("Llangloffan") - in the low key of F minor here.  Text is a Catherine Winkworth translation.  The credit to her translation says "alt." (altered), so I'm guessing it's mainly "thees" and "thys" watered down to "yous" and "yours".  I don't have a link handy to the original.  Sorry.

*872 Now Let Your Servant Go in Peace ("Conditor Alme Siderum") - a modern translation (and then some) of the Nunc Dimittis.  Nice tune, though I'd rather use a tune like "Te Lucis Ante Terminum" and save the "Conditor" for Advent.  Still a nice addition.

*873 St. Joseph, Mary's Faithful Spouse ("Tallis' Ordinal") - Good piece.  However, I miss "St. Joseph, God Has Chosen You" (tune: "London New"), which hasn't been seen since Worship II.  Another good St. Joseph hymn that is MIA in this volume, "Joseph, Be Our Guide and Pattern" (tune: "Oriel"), which was in Worship III.

876 Praise We the Lord this Day ("Swabia") - always a great hymn, but too low.  Should be in the key of D.

*877 The Moon with Borrowed Light ("Terra Beata") - nice.

878 The Great Forerunner of the Morn ("Winchester New") - lowered key to A, which is ok at our 7:30 AM Mass, but would much rather use B-flat at our later Masses.

*880 Transform Us ("Picardy") - The tune is always beautiful.  However, the text, like "Gather This Din", has no mention of God or Christ in it.  It's just giving orders, which COULD be directed to God, but COULD also be directed to one of your relatives, neighbors, or the pastor, or even the warden of your local prison.

881 How Good, Lord, to Be Here ("Swabia") - should be "'TIS Good, Lord, to Be Here".  Better still, see Worship II for the correct text.

883 Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above ("Salve Regina Caelitum") - Middle verse should read "The cause of joy to MEN below".  Otherwise, great!

*884 We Glory in the Cross (Krisman) - a tune called "Morgansgate", and probably the best tune of Ronald Krisman that exists in this hymnal.

885 Lift High the Cross ("Crucifer") - Should be lowered to D, otherwise a great hymn.  Now with added Spanish.

Next installment: All Saints

Peace,

BMP

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

Sections covered this installment: The dreaded "Gathering", Morning, Evening

* = new to the Worship series

*828 Uyai Mose / Come All You People (Gondo) - bongo music!  ARGGGGGGGGH!

*829 Who Is This Who Breaches Borders ("Mon Dieu, Prete-Moi L'Oreille") - This tune, like any tune by Louis Bourgeois tune, is a high-quality tune.  Tune better than most from the pen of Adam Tice.

*830 Lord Christ, the People Flocked to You ("Resignation") - Not bad.  Probably not great, but not bad.

*831 As We Gather At Your Table ("Holy Manna") - text is the usual "gathering as one" dreck.

*832 We Come with Joy in Jesus Christ ("Ellacombe") - text not too bad.  Tune always fine.

*833 All Are Welcome (Haugen) - Verse 3: "A banquet hall on holy ground".  Definitely one of the worst pieces to enter into a Catholic hymnal.

*834 O Christ, within These Walls (Sensmeier) - Now that we encounter a good singable tune by Randall Sensmeier, it gets wed to a text that sings the basics of what we do at Mass.  Blech!
836 Gather Us In (Haugen) - One of the few mistakes inserted into Worship III, obviously, with the crap that we've encountered so far, was kept for Worship IV.  There is not one mention or invoking of God or Jesus in this ditty whatsoever.  Second half of the verse sounds like an excerpt of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

837 All People that on Earth Do Dwell ("Old Hundredth") - This hymn is always a class act.  However, the text has been bastardized (looks like the same watering down that appeared in Worship III), which makes it hard for a real organist to program the Vaughan Williams "Old Hundredth Psalm Tune" to embellish it.

*838 They Came, a Milling Crowd ("St. Thomas"/Williams) - tune: fine, text: eh?

*840 Risen Lord, We Gather 'Round You (Bob Moore) - music too Haugen-ish.

*841 I Rejoiced When I Heard Them Say ("Mayedidut") - not so hot.

*842 Diverse in Culture, Nation, Race ("Tallis' Canon") - too much "about us".

*843 Jesus Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Forever / Jesuchristo Ayer (Toolan) - nope

*844 All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly ("Holy Manna") - also nope.

*845 How Shocking Were the People ("Llangloffan") - tune: nice, text: help me!

*846 To You, O God, We Sing / Cantemos al Señor (Rosas) - garbage/basura

*847 Morning Has Broken ("Bunessan") - when done correctly, the hymn is actually fine.  I can understand it was kind of "folk-a-sized" when Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) made a big hit out of it.  If you use the David Evans accompaniment that appears in Worship II and "Pilgrim Hymnal" and not the Marty Haugen accompaniment that's in this volume, you'll be good to go.  Trust me.

*848 The Earth Is Turning toward the Sun ("Martyrdom") - Tune is a welcome addition.  Text is not bad either.

849 When Morning Gilds the Sky ("Laudes Domini") - appeared first in Worship III as "When Morning Gilds the SKIES", which we'll be singing in a couple of weeks (yes, I have the hymns for the rest of February, and I'll post them as they occur).  First verse bastardized big time.  Should end thus: "Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair: May Jesus Christ be praised!".  Fourth verse also bastardized big time.

850 This Day God Gives Me ("Raabe") - Tune is rythmically tricky.  Better off with "Bunessan" (again, use the Evans accompaniment for best results), the tune used in Worship III.

*851 Through Silver Veils of Morning Mist (Morris) - text is strange, and the tune sounds like a theme in a Dr. Seuss cartoon.  Enough said.

*854 God of Day and God of Darkness ("Beach Spring") - not too bad.

856 Praise and Thanksgiving, Father We Offer ("Bunessan") - fine (with the Evans accompaniment - just a reminder).  Spanish added in this volume.

858 Come, You Thankful People, Come ("St. George's Windsor") - you mean "Come, YE Thankful People, Come", don't you?

859 God, Whose Farm Is All Creation ("Stuttgart") - Hymn itself is ok, though the title is a bit strange.  I think of banjos and fiddles and a square dance caller with this title (don't get me wrong, I LOVE the tune "Stuttgart", it's the title that's got me thinking comical thoughts).  Ever see Bugs Bunny call a square dance?  Hi-freakin-larious!  BTW, hymn debuted in Worship III - copyright holder of the text changed from "The Old Sun" to "Oxford University Press".

Next installment: Second Coming

Peace,

BMP

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

Sections covered today: Stewardship, Peace, Unity, Sunday

* = new to the Worship series

*807 Lord, Whose Then Shall They Be ("Southwell") - tune good.  text ????

*808 Touch the Earth Lightly ("Tenderness") - Eco-friendly garbage, text and tune.  Did the author and composer use green pens to write this dreck?

*809 The Temple Rang with Golden Coins (Sensmeier) - see my last post about #795.

*810 With Gifts that Differ by Your Grace ("Mozart") - Now THIS is better.  Fine tune, and the text here at least has us "using our talents" as opposed to "being green".

812 O God of Every Nation ("Passion Chorale") - The two previous edition of this hymnal used the Calvin Hampton tune "Pike".  Worship IV uses "Passion Chorale".

813 O God of Love, O King of Peace ("Tallis' Canon") - Text: bastardized once again.  Third line of first verse should read "The wrath of sinful man restrain".  Tune retained from Worship III.  Worship II used "Wilderness".  Favorite tune for this comes from "We Celebrate", and that is "Quebec" (listed in the "Pilgrim Hymnal" as "Hesperus").

*814 Peace I Leave You (Taize) - Weird melody, but it's Taize.  Take it or leave it, I guess.  In English, German, Polish, and Spanish.

*815 Everything That Has Voice (Haugen) - garbage!

*816 O Look and Wonder (Sosa) - "It is like precious oil when running fresh on Aaron's beard" - actual lyric.  WTF?

*817 Jesus Promises Communion ("Nettleton") - Such a great tune and people seem to enjoy putting weird texts to it.  Another goofy "we are one" text.  By the way, Jesus didn't always promise communion.  Remember that Gospel passage, "I come not to bring peace, but discord"?

*819 How Good and Pleasant, Lord, It Is ("Dove of Peace") - the first tune I learned with "I Come with Joy to Meet My Lord".

820 Peace with the Father ("Coena Domini") - Worship III used the Orlando Gibbons tune "Song 46".  Both that and the tune in Worship IV are well-written tunes.

*821 Creator of the Intertwined ("Kingsfold") - Intertwined?  Like in tangled-up in mangled-up knots?  (You're a twisted one, Mr. Snark!)

*822 We Are Many Parts / Muchos Miembros Hay (Haugen) - garbage/basura

*823 I Am the Vine (Bell) - Tune is one of the better ones written or used by John Bell (in this case, written).  Text, however, not so hot (we sing Jesus' voice in the first person here with no quotation marks).

824 In Christ There Is No East or West ("McKee") - Like "O God, Our Help in Ages Past", the key switches back and forth (C in Worship II, B-flat in III, back to C in IV).  Make up your dang minds, will you?

825 On This Day, the First of Days ("Gott Sei Dank") - Always liked this hymn.  However, some bastardizations in the text.  Go back to Worship II for the REAL text.

*826 Making Their Way ("Komt Nu Met Zang") - Another "gathered as one" motif, a la a good chunk of stuff from OCP composers.  Still, somewhat better than the text Worship III used with this same tune ("What Is this Place").

*827 Prepare a Room for Me ("Optatus Votis Omnium") - the tune most often used with "The Coming of Our God" (speaking of which, where is "The Coming of Our God"?).  Good tune.  Text: well, you know, all those "gathering as one" basics that we just need to brag about, right?

And those last two made the "Sunday" section.  Go figure.  Next installment starts with "Gathering".  Oh how I shudder when I see or hear that word as of late!
Peace,

BMP

SUNDAY V AT HEARTS

II-5-12; 5 PM (Sat.); 7:30, 9, and 11:15 AM (Sun.)
Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick, Rhode Island

All numbers: Worship III

LAUDA ANIMA: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven (W-530)
Alstott: Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted (from Respond and Acclaim)
Marier: Alleluia (D tonic); verse: tone 5
MOZART: Your hands, O Lord, in days of old (W-750)
Vermulst: Sanctus and Agnus Dei (from Mass for Christian Unity)
BMP: We proclaim your death, O Lord (from Holy Angels Mass)
Dresden Amen
Louvain: Adoro Te, O Panis Caelice
ST. PETER: How good the name of Jesus sounds (W-610)
ELLACOMBE: Go, make of all disciples (W-628)

Peace,
BMP

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

Sections covered in this one: Mission/Ministry, Social Concern
* = new to the Worship series

*781 God Has Chosen Me (B. Farrell) - just an awful piece of music, text and tune!
*782 God the Spirit, Guide, and Guardian (Morris) - nice text, but certainly not the most easily-singable tune.
*783 Here I Am, Lord (Schutte) - Too late, they've already gone, and so should this piece.
*784 You Are Called to Tell the Story ("Cwm Rhondda") - gorgeous tune, garbage text.  How about those two classics that the St. Michael Hymnal uses (with that same tune)?  "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" and "God of Grace and God of Glory"?
*786 God Sends Us Forth (Alonso) - garbage
*787 The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve ("Azmon") - one of the better OCP staples, though seems a bit "us-centered".  Tune is in a better key than in OCP (OCP's key is F, is in G here in Worship IV).
*788 Come and See the Many Wonders ("Abbot's Leigh") - nice text by Harry Hagen, OSB, one of the consistantly good Benedictine hymn writers.
*789 O God, Whose Healing Power (Sensmeier) - tune has a weird ending.  "Llangloffan" would be a nice alternative tune.
790 Lord, You Give the Great Commission ("Abbot's Leigh") - I was wondering where this one went.  In Worship III it was in the Ascension section.  That said, this and #788 should have been put together, with one of them printed as text only in the pew book.
*791 God, Bless Your Church with Strength ("Diademata") - Wow! I never thought any hymn was set to that tune other than "Crown Him with Many Crowns", with the exception of "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" (found in the Pilgrim Hymnal, which may still appear in some UCC pews), and my own paraphrase of the St. Francis Peace Prayer (which got lost in a nasty fire on XI-14-03).
792 Go, Make of All Disciples ("Ellacombe") - Worship II used a different tune (title eludes me at the moment), but at least used thees and thous.  Worship III and IV both use "Ellacombe", a fine tune by all means, but the text was, of course, bastardized.
*793 See My Hands and Feet ("Geneva") - I've always liked the half minor/half major motif in the tune.  Anyone on the text?
*794 To Be Your Presence ("Engelberg") - text questionable.  Tune excellent.
*795 The Thirsty Cry for Water, Lord (Sensmeier) - another weird tune by Randall Sensmeier, this time not so much strange rythymic ending, but strange melodic intervals (experimenting with G harmonic minor).
*796 As Birds of the Air ("Middlebury") - tune most commonly used with "Come Away to the Skies".  A mirror-image of another Early American tune, "Jacob's Ladder", oft-used with "As Jacob with Travel Was Weary One Day", though the latter tune is far better.  The former sounds more like one of those pseudo-folk songs of the 1970's that we often had to put up with.
797 God, Whose Purpose Is to Kindle ("Ebenezer") - better tune than what was in Worship III.
*799 We Are Called (Haas) - Dennis DeYoung of the 70's/80's pop-rock band Styx should have gotten some kind of writer's royalty for having the first line of "Come Sail Away" ripped off.  The tune is just awful.
*800 Jesus, Our Divine Companion ("Pleading Savior") - I've been waiting a long time for a hymnal other than "We Celebrate" and "Hymnal 1940" to carry this hymn.  Two strikes: should be "Jesus, THOU Divine Companion" (see Hymnals 1940 AND 1982), and the key (E-flat) is too low.
801 Lift Every Voice and Sing ("Anthem") - often known as the national anthem of African Americans (which I say in a very positive sort of way).  Tune is nice.  Text is your run-of-the-mill social justice dreck.  Key was dropped in this edition: was in A-flat in Worship III, leading to a few high F's in the melody, while in G in Worship IV (still high E's, but the low is now a B below middle C).
*802 We Cannot Own the Sunlit Sky (Lowry) - see my remark about #684 in a previous post.
*803 If You Believe and I Believe (Zimbabwean; adapt. from English - go figure) - The tune itself is reminiscent of a Dutch tune used for the Advent hymn "Prepare the Royal Highway", and could work well as a decent tune for 76 76 D hymns with the right accompaniment.
*804 We Sing Your Praise, O Christ ("Southwell") - nice tune; questionable text.

Hey, we finally got into the 800's.  Next installment: Stewardship
Peace,
BMP

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

Sections covered this installment: Christian Life, Humility, Discipleship
* = new to the Worship series

*747 God, Your Knowing Eye Can See (Angel) - tune written by Chris Angel, not to be confused with Criss Angel ("Mindfreak" - a show my daughter Brittany likes), nor to be confused with "Ballykissangel", a Irish-set TV drama.  That said, the text reeks of social justice and the tune sounds like something Tim Manion would write.

*749 God Made from One Blood ("Foundation") - Text is a bit strange.  Might need your help!

*750 Lord, Grant Us Grace to Know the Time ("St. Anne") - this one is in B-flat.  I mentioned that the hymn "St. Anne" is most commonly associated with, "O God, Our Help in Ages Past", appears in C in this hymnal.  Suggestion there: a footnote: This tune in a higher key, #689.  Hymn title here: strange.  Middle verses don't seem too bad here, but that title makes me think of a Chicago favorite of mine, "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is".  (Does anybody really care about time?)

*751 Deliver Us, O Lord of Truth ("Detroit") - Text seems ok.  Tune rather good.

*752 The Word of God Rings Harsh and Clear ("Ellacombe") - A song about the people who "fixed their scales for cheating" and other such dirty deeds.  Tune is excellent.

*753 Too Often, God, Your Name Is Used (Morris) - Basic four verses is fine.  Lose the alternate last verse.  If this is a Catholic hymnal, why are we catering to "interfaith services".  Musically, I'd much rather use the alternate tune offered in the footnote ("Kingsfold"), however, there are already seven hymns set to this fine tune.  I do believe a good minor-key tune would be nice (Sally Ann Morris' tune here is in F-minor, but is too sing-songy).  I will once again nominate "Halifax" (melody from Handel) as an ideal tune.

*754 When We Are Living / Pues Si Vivimos (Mexican) - garbage/basura

*755 Lord, Make us Servants of Your Peace ("O Waly Waly") - good translation of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi from the pen of Fr. James Quinn, SJ (who died in 2010, little did I know).  A viable alternative to Sebastian Temple's "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace".  "O Waly Waly" is a fine tune when rendered properly.  For those who may still find it questionable, I recommend "Erhalt Uns Herr".

*756 The Virtue of Humility ("Puer Nobis"/Praetorius) - tune fine, but too low (should be in D, not C).  Text is rather goofy (Sr. Delores wrote it, that should tell you something): The virtue of humility revokes the law of gravity, Makes low be high and high be low, turns upside down the world we know."  This ranks with Sister's own "Sing a New Church", if you know what I mean.

*757 Two People Came to Church to Pray ("Forest Green") - Only two?  I read a little further into it to discover it was the one that prayed pompously ("Thank you, Lord, for making me not like the sinful ones") and the one that prayed humbly ("Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner").  Always a good story, but probably could have been put to better poetry, or even better, use an already-established hymn that's related (albeit not as direct).

*758 From Shallow Waters Call Us, Lord ("Kingsfold") - text seems ok.  Anyone?

*759 Unless a Grain of Wheat (B. Farrell) - blech!  Too bad Alexander Peloquin's "A Great Harvest" is out of print (also by GIA).  Definitely a viable alternative (definitely a choral piece, not a congregational piece).  However, if you already have a copy, you can make enough copies for your choir legally for a small fee.  Give GIA a call.

*760 Lord, When You Came / Pescador de Hombres (Gabarain) - ok at best.

761 Take Up Your Cross ("Erhalt Uns Herr") - always a good tune, but I'm still partial to "Breslau" (found in most WLP hymnals).  Debuted in Worship III with the tune "O Jesu, Mi Dulcissime", which was also fine.

*762 Christ, the Way We're Called to Follow ("Regent Square") - The first verse ends "Be our Way, our Life, our Truth!"  He already IS!

*763 We Have Been Told (Haas) - garbage

*764 No We Remain (Haas) - see #763

*765 The Baptist Bore Witness ("Foundation") - one of Sr. Delores' far better texts here!  Let's give an alternate key option, however.  Raise this one to G (still singable), and offer the lower key in a footnote.

*766 You Walk along Our Shoreline ("Aurelia") - text not bad at all.  Tune always good, but since the hymn most highly associated with "Aurelia" is in E-flat and this hymn is in D, there should be an alternate key footnote.

*767 Take, O Take Me As I Am (Bell) - nah!

*768 O Christ, Who Called the Twelve ("Terra Beata") - text isn't bad.  Tune is nice.  I still remember it with "This Is My Father's World", which I like.  BTW, where did that hymn go?

*769 Not Alone, but Two by Two ("Aberystwyth") - another weird title set to such a beautiful tune.  "Two by two" is how we were taught to walk in line in grade school!  I don't think all the disciples worked in pairs.  Stephen, I'm almost positive, worked alone (was stoned alone, too).

*770 Fishermen Are Sailing Homeward ("Hymn to Joy") - nice text here, based on a Gospel passage.  Third verse, however, reminds me of an even better hymn, "Christian, Do You Hear the Lord", which was in Worship III, but dropped here.  Said dropped hymn is titled "Hark, My Soul! It Is the Lord" in Hymnal 1940.

*771 Who Follows Jesus? ("Mighty Savior") - text seems ok.  Anyone?  Tune is good.

*772 Called to Labor in God's Vineyard ("In Babilone") - Good viable alternative to Dan Schutte's "Come with Me into the Fields".  Text by Jim Chepponis.  He writes good texts - far better than his own tunes.  Thankfully, this one is set to "In Babilone" ("There's a Wideness in God's Mercy").

*773 The Summons (Bell) - questionable

774 Two Fishermen (Toolan) - originally conceived as "How Brightly Deep, How Glory Sprung" in Worship II, using the exact same chorus as this one.  Changed to "Two Fishermen" in Worship III.

*775 You Call to Us, Lord Jesus ("Ellacombe") - fine

*776 The Love of the Lord (Joncas) - blech!

777 I Danced in the Morning ("Lord of the Dance") - This mistake has been around since Worship II.  Get rid of it already!!!

*778 For God Risk Everything ("Terra Beata") - text is strange.  Help?

*779 Lord, Help Us Walk Your Servant Way ("St. Anne") - so-called "social justice"?

Next installment: Mission/Ministry

Peace,

BMP