Immortal, invisible, God only wise (St. Denio)
Lord of all being, throned afar (Mendon)
"Thy kingdom come!" on bended knee (St. Flavian)
Go forth for God; go to the world in peace (Litton)
Choral:
Rheinberger: Sperent in te
Franck: Panis angelicus
“God is Here Today” (Dios está aquí)/DIOS ESTÁ AQUÍ
“Morning Has Broken”/BUNESSAN
“We Will Walk with God”/SIZOHAMBA NAYE
“God Be the Love to Search and Keep Me” (“O Christ, Surround Me”/GREEN TYLER
Many local roads in my area were closed this morning so I went this afternoon to a Songs of Praise service in a different church instead. I really wish I hadn’t.
Holy, holy, holy.
How great thou art.
Guide me O thou great redeemer.
The king of love my shepherd is.
When a knight won his spurs.
Shine Jesus shine.
God be in my head.
When it came to the intercessions, the person at the front asked us to discuss in groups what we would like him to pray about. He gave us over five minutes!
Totally inappropriate on so many fronts.
Many local roads in my area were closed this morning so I went this afternoon to a Songs of Praise service in a different church instead. I really wish I hadn’t.
Were the hymns chosen by the Vicar/worship leader, or members of the congregation? I suspect the latter.
Just after I'd planted myself in the congregation, the organist came up to me and asked me if I'd like to sing with the choir (whenever David and I had gone there, he would play and I'd sing in the choir - we never really left it!).
It was a Communion service (with intinction - I think a post-pandemic thing, but one that felt very odd in the C of S!).
Introit - part of the Hymn to St Magnus
Hymns: Be thou my vision - Slane Teach me O Lord - York Deeper love - O Waly, Waly Great God of every shining constellation - Highwood.
Plus simple but effective settings of paraphrases of the Kyrie and Agnus Dei.
I was disappointed we didn't get Ye gates, lift up your heads to St George's, Edinburgh, which was a staple for Communion when we were there, but I rather think they've abandoned it these days. 😢
When it came to the intercessions, the person at the front asked us to discuss in groups what we would like him to pray about. He gave us over five minutes!
Totally inappropriate on so many fronts.
Last Sunday of the choral term - hurrah! (Also the eighth Sunday after Trinity)
Setting Sumsion in F Anthem Jesu, the very thought of thee Bairstow Hymns
All my hope on God is founded Michael
King of glory, King of peace Gwalchmai
The Church's one foundation Aurelia
Word of the Father, source of all things Ad tuum nomen
God islove, let heaven adore him Blaenwern OrganFinal from Symphonie I Vierne
Not when I'm playing. IMO Abbot's Leigh is one of those tunes that is really good on the first few hearings but goes down in the estimation after a while, whereas Blaenwern - well, its the music of heaven.
Not when I'm playing. IMO Abbot's Leigh is one of those tunes that is really good on the first few hearings but goes down in the estimation after a while, whereas Blaenwern - well, its the music of heaven.
People always sing Abbots Leigh wrong, but that's because for reasons that can't seem to be in any way, shape or form good, the Alto and Soprano parts cross in the ante-penultimate note. So if you sing what you hear from the organ, you sing it wrong. At least in some versions.
One of my earliest recollections of Abbots Leigh was for a BBC Songs of Praise in Orkney and the trials the conductor had getting the invited local choirs to go down on that note!
Not when I'm playing. IMO Abbot's Leigh is one of those tunes that is really good on the first few hearings but goes down in the estimation after a while, whereas Blaenwern - well, its the music of heaven.
I’m afraid I’d put BLAENWERN in the same category as AURELIA—not the worst, but just meh. That may have to do with never having heard it until I was in my 50s, and still never having heard or sung it in person, so I have no “connection” to it, if that’s the right word. I’ve only found it in a handful of American hymnals, and not in any hymnals of my tribe.
Not when I'm playing. IMO Abbot's Leigh is one of those tunes that is really good on the first few hearings but goes down in the estimation after a while, whereas Blaenwern - well, its the music of heaven.
People always sing Abbots Leigh wrong, but that's because for reasons that can't seem to be in any way, shape or form good, the Alto and Soprano parts cross in the ante-penultimate note. So if you sing what you hear from the organ, you sing it wrong. At least in some versions.
Hmmm.
It could just be that people without the music in front of them are singing what sounds right, As someone who composes for congregational singing I would take that as an indication that I need to look at something again and go with the majority.
I've already noted the third line of "Nicaea". (i.e. "Merciful and mighty"). There are also those contested notes in the refrain of "How Great Thou Art".
And let's not get onto whether there's a passing note or not in the final line of "Adeste Fideles" - the verse, that is ... or whether "Comfort and joy" should be a triplet! (Says he, mentioning both! However none of us is likely to sing them for another 4 months).)
Not when I'm playing. IMO Abbot's Leigh is one of those tunes that is really good on the first few hearings but goes down in the estimation after a while, whereas Blaenwern - well, its the music of heaven.
People always sing Abbots Leigh wrong, but that's because for reasons that can't seem to be in any way, shape or form good, the Alto and Soprano parts cross in the ante-penultimate note. So if you sing what you hear from the organ, you sing it wrong. At least in some versions.
Hmmm.
It could just be that people without the music in front of them are singing what sounds right, As someone who composes for congregational singing I would take that as an indication that I need to look at something again and go with the majority.
Yep. The American hymnals I’ve checked appear to have done that; the soprano and alto parts are identical rather than cross on the ante-penultimate note, so the melody is what’s heard on the organ/keyboard.
The late great Sir David Willcocks was very insistent on the triplet of Comfort and joy, an NO passing note in Adeste Fideles.
I cannot sing carols without hearing his many instructions in my head. He came to Bradford to conduct the annual carol concerts and also introduced a new Rutter carol each year.
How great thou art appears differently in different hymn books, which causes even more conflict. I first learnt it from some sheet music of Russian hymns, thankfully sung in English, though the Russian text was printed too.
The late great Sir David Willcocks was very insistent on the triplet of Comfort and joy, an NO passing note in Adeste Fideles.
Indeed so. My school choir followed those traditions and we felt very smug when other people sang it "wrongly".
How great thou art appears differently in different hymn books, which causes even more conflict. I first learnt it from some sheet music of Russian hymns, thankfully sung in English, though the Russian text was printed too.
David was very forthright about the heresy of the passing-note in Adeste Fideles, and always played that bit on the absolutely loudest stop on the organ.😈
(He'd been to choral workshops with Sir David Willcocks too).
He trained all his choirs
to sing it properly (and fortissimo), but the congregation, of course, didn't take a blind bit of notice. 🙃
Not when I'm playing. IMO Abbot's Leigh is one of those tunes that is really good on the first few hearings but goes down in the estimation after a while, whereas Blaenwern - well, its the music of heaven.
I intensely dislike Blaenwern as it really makes me feel seasick, particularly in the way it is often sung. I feel the same about Hyfrydol. It is very disturbing to see some in the congregation swaying to these tunes.
David was very forthright about the heresy of the passing-note in Adeste Fideles, and always played that bit on the absolutely loudest stop on the organ.😈
(He'd been to choral workshops with Sir David Willcocks too).
He trained all his choirs
to sing it properly (and fortissimo), but the congregation, of course, didn't take a blind bit of notice. 🙃
There may well have been people in the congregation who sang it properly but were drowned out by those who didn't. I was trained both in school and church choirs and never sing the passing-note.
I think that the last few posts have highlighted the difference between trained musicians and those people in the pews (like me) who have no musical training and just want to make a joyful(?) noise to the Lord - and in my case it definitely is a noise! I had no idea what a passing-note is (until Mr Google enlightened me) and would probably not be able to detect whether soprano & alto parts crossed or not. Don't get me wrong, it is good that sung worship in our church services is performed to as high a standard as the participants allow, but its primary purpose is to praise God. I can fully understand how those with much higher musical ability than me may feel disappointed if a rendering falls below their standards, but my guess is that God is not too worried if the intention is right. It is a different matter when it comes to listening to a secular or religious performance. I like to think that I can tell when a piece of music "sounds right", even though I will not understand the technicalities. Could someone tell a non-musician about the passing-note in Adeste Fideles? If I have understood Wikipedia correct, I suspect it may be the one between the two syllables of angels in "Born the king of an-gels"
The late great Sir David Willcocks was very insistent on the triplet of Comfort and joy, an NO passing note in Adeste Fideles.
I've never heard this one about the triplet. I assume you mean in 'God rest ye merry gentlemen'. Just looked up a few versions and all different, but didn't spot any triplets!
Hmm. Maybe there is a tendency for the untutored (or unmusical) to sing *Co-Om-Fort and Joy* in the last line, instead of *Com-Fort and Joy*. Is that what is meant?
Could someone tell a non-musician about the passing-note in Adeste Fideles? If I have understood Wikipedia correct, I suspect it may be the one between the two syllables of angels in "Born the king of an-gels"
Yes, that's it.
The triplet on "Comfort and joy" is new to me, though. Is it whether you phrase it as "Com- fortandjoy" or "Comfortand joy"? If so, which should it be?
The late great Sir David Willcocks was very insistent on the triplet of Comfort and joy, an NO passing note in Adeste Fideles.
I've never heard this one about the triplet. I assume you mean in 'God rest ye merry gentlemen'. Just looked up a few versions and all different, but didn't spot any triplets!
I believe the tune of God Rest Ye Gerry Mentalmen is an old folk tune, so there are plenty of minor variations. This only becomes an issue when someone does a fancy arrangement and insists on their own version being sung.
Adeste is a different matter and singing the passing note is a hanging offence.
Could someone tell a non-musician about the passing-note in Adeste Fideles? If I have understood Wikipedia correct, I suspect it may be the one between the two syllables of angels in "Born the king of an-gels"
Yes, that's it.
The triplet on "Comfort and joy" is new to me, though. Is it whether you phrase it as "Com- fortandjoy" or "Comfortand joy"? If so, which should it be?
Thanks @Nenya You have increased my (non)musical knowledge immeasurably!
Could someone tell a non-musician about the passing-note in Adeste Fideles? If I have understood Wikipedia correct, I suspect it may be the one between the two syllables of angels in "Born the king of an-gels"
Yes, that's it.
The triplet on "Comfort and joy" is new to me, though. Is it whether you phrase it as "Com- fortandjoy" or "Comfortand joy"? If so, which should it be?
The triplet in “God Rest Ye Merry” is, in some versions, in the refrain (where italicized): “O tidings of comfort and joy, com-fort-and joy! O tidings of comfort and joy!” The alternative is eighth notes/quavers on “com-fort” and a quarter note/crotchet on “and.”
For what the parish newsletter calls The Transfiguaration
Christ be our light (Farrell)
Sweet sacrament divine.
Praise my soul the king of heaven.
Plus Alleluia and Holy holy etc which the rubrics insist should be sung at every celebration of Mass even when nothing else is sung.
Prayers please for Bernadette Farrell who underwent surgery for a brain tumour some months ago and who's recovery is slow and difficult.
Our offerings at St Pete's for the Feast of the Transfiguration:
Sing for God's glory - Lobe den Herren O God unseen, but ever near - Bishopthorpe* Bright the vision that delighted - Laus Deo Here is bread - Here is Bread** O worship the King - Hanover
* I'd have expected St Flavian, but what would I know?
** I'd never come across this one until choir practice yesterday, but as I was otherwise occupied, I didn't have to sing it.
God of grace and God of glory (Regent Square)
Something from The Sheet - possibly 'Tis good, Lord, to be here, as that isn't in our default hymnbook How shall I sing that majesty? (Coe Fen) Shine Jesus Shine (the usual tune)
There was also one of FatherInCharge's favourite metrical versions of the Lord's Prayer, possibly the Cliff Richards one to the tune of Auld Lang Syne...
Our visiting preacher introduced us to two new hymns. One ('Praise the source of faith and learning') went to the tune Hyfrydol and the other was brand new and rather lovely https://youtu.be/D7DbuBS9tf8?t=626
This morning we sang
Alleluia sing to Jesus ( Hydrydol)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence ( Picardy)
I the Lord of sea and sky( Here I am )
Tis good Lord, to be here ( Carlisle )
Guide me O thou great Redeemer ( Cwm Rhondda )
Today the words were on the recently erected screens. The congregation sang noticeably louder, with heads raised.
However our DoM today wrote his letter of resignation. For him, the screens are the kiss of death, though I don’t see what difference they actually make to him.
I suppose some people objected to electric lighting or central heating in churches at some time past. I see this as no different- keeping up with the times. Of course it all depends on how the screens are used, and if they are used to introduce lots of ‘worship songs’ , the DoM won’t be the only one voting with his feet.
Today was the last Sunday where we are in the summer, and we’re loath to go back down the mountain, literally and figuratively. But so we must, and we were sent out in joy.
We sang:
“Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”/LOBE DEN HERREN
“Ho, All Who Thirst” (“Come Now to the Water”)/JACOB’S WELL
“Go, My Children, with My Blessing”/AR HYD Y NOS
Today was Options Sunday at our place and at the reflective service I went to (other gatherings in other parts of the church were available) we sang only two:
Comments
Jesus is the name we honour
I will sing the Wondrous Story (Hyfyrdol)
How Great Thou Art (O Store Gud)
Not our finest hour musically - but at least no Shine Jesus Shine this week.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise (St. Denio)
Lord of all being, throned afar (Mendon)
"Thy kingdom come!" on bended knee (St. Flavian)
Go forth for God; go to the world in peace (Litton)
Choral:
Rheinberger: Sperent in te
Franck: Panis angelicus
Me too.
Today we had:
“God is Here Today” (Dios está aquí)/DIOS ESTÁ AQUÍ
“Morning Has Broken”/BUNESSAN
“We Will Walk with God”/SIZOHAMBA NAYE
“God Be the Love to Search and Keep Me” (“O Christ, Surround Me”/GREEN TYLER
Holy, holy, holy.
How great thou art.
Guide me O thou great redeemer.
The king of love my shepherd is.
When a knight won his spurs.
Shine Jesus shine.
God be in my head.
When it came to the intercessions, the person at the front asked us to discuss in groups what we would like him to pray about. He gave us over five minutes!
Totally inappropriate on so many fronts.
And me!
I was at St Magnus Cathedral today. ❤️
Just after I'd planted myself in the congregation, the organist came up to me and asked me if I'd like to sing with the choir (whenever David and I had gone there, he would play and I'd sing in the choir - we never really left it!).
It was a Communion service (with intinction - I think a post-pandemic thing, but one that felt very odd in the C of S!).
Introit - part of the Hymn to St Magnus
Hymns:
Be thou my vision - Slane
Teach me O Lord - York
Deeper love - O Waly, Waly
Great God of every shining constellation - Highwood.
Plus simple but effective settings of paraphrases of the Kyrie and Agnus Dei.
I was disappointed we didn't get Ye gates, lift up your heads to St George's, Edinburgh, which was a staple for Communion when we were there, but I rather think they've abandoned it these days. 😢
!
Can I join the club too?
Blimey. It's not scintillating but ye gods there are a lot of way worse ones!
No wonder it "drives us to our knees".
Setting Sumsion in F
Anthem Jesu, the very thought of thee Bairstow
Hymns
All my hope on God is founded Michael
King of glory, King of peace Gwalchmai
The Church's one foundation Aurelia
Word of the Father, source of all things Ad tuum nomen
God islove, let heaven adore him Blaenwern
OrganFinal from Symphonie I Vierne
Is Outrage. Blaenwern is for "Love divine, all loves excelling" while "God is love" surely goes to Abbot's Leigh.
People always sing Abbots Leigh wrong, but that's because for reasons that can't seem to be in any way, shape or form good, the Alto and Soprano parts cross in the ante-penultimate note. So if you sing what you hear from the organ, you sing it wrong. At least in some versions.
Heresy on my part, I’m sure.
Oi! Not always.
Ditto for Nicaea.
Hmmm.
It could just be that people without the music in front of them are singing what sounds right, As someone who composes for congregational singing I would take that as an indication that I need to look at something again and go with the majority.
And let's not get onto whether there's a passing note or not in the final line of "Adeste Fideles" - the verse, that is ... or whether "Comfort and joy" should be a triplet! (Says he, mentioning both! However none of us is likely to sing them for another 4 months).)
Yep. The American hymnals I’ve checked appear to have done that; the soprano and alto parts are identical rather than cross on the ante-penultimate note, so the melody is what’s heard on the organ/keyboard.
I cannot sing carols without hearing his many instructions in my head. He came to Bradford to conduct the annual carol concerts and also introduced a new Rutter carol each year.
How great thou art appears differently in different hymn books, which causes even more conflict. I first learnt it from some sheet music of Russian hymns, thankfully sung in English, though the Russian text was printed too.
I learned the "Youth Praise" version!
(He'd been to choral workshops with Sir David Willcocks too).
He trained all his choirs
to sing it properly (and fortissimo), but the congregation, of course, didn't take a blind bit of notice. 🙃
I intensely dislike Blaenwern as it really makes me feel seasick, particularly in the way it is often sung. I feel the same about Hyfrydol. It is very disturbing to see some in the congregation swaying to these tunes.
There may well have been people in the congregation who sang it properly but were drowned out by those who didn't. I was trained both in school and church choirs and never sing the passing-note.
Could someone tell a non-musician about the passing-note in Adeste Fideles? If I have understood Wikipedia correct, I suspect it may be the one between the two syllables of angels in "Born the king of an-gels"
The triplet on "Comfort and joy" is new to me, though. Is it whether you phrase it as "Com- fortandjoy" or "Comfortand joy"? If so, which should it be?
I believe the tune of God Rest Ye Gerry Mentalmen is an old folk tune, so there are plenty of minor variations. This only becomes an issue when someone does a fancy arrangement and insists on their own version being sung.
Adeste is a different matter and singing the passing note is a hanging offence.
Thanks @Nenya You have increased my (non)musical knowledge immeasurably!
Great is thy faithfulness
In Christ alone.
There is a hope that burns within my heart.
I surmised that the third hymn was not known by over half the congregation, myself included.
Christ be our light (Farrell)
Sweet sacrament divine.
Praise my soul the king of heaven.
Plus Alleluia and Holy holy etc which the rubrics insist should be sung at every celebration of Mass even when nothing else is sung.
Prayers please for Bernadette Farrell who underwent surgery for a brain tumour some months ago and who's recovery is slow and difficult.
Echoed. We use a fair bit of her stuff at our shack.
Sing for God's glory - Lobe den Herren
O God unseen, but ever near - Bishopthorpe*
Bright the vision that delighted - Laus Deo
Here is bread - Here is Bread**
O worship the King - Hanover
* I'd have expected St Flavian, but what would I know?
** I'd never come across this one until choir practice yesterday, but as I was otherwise occupied, I didn't have to sing it.
Praise to the Lord, The Almighty (Lobe den Herren)
Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken (Austria)
In Christ Alone
Apart from the first one (I would have preferred Woodlands) that was quite singable this week.
“The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want” (Townend).
“For the crowd of thousands” - North Coates.
“Sent forth by God's blessing” - The Ash Grove.
God of grace and God of glory (Regent Square)
Something from The Sheet - possibly 'Tis good, Lord, to be here, as that isn't in our default hymnbook
How shall I sing that majesty? (Coe Fen)
Shine Jesus Shine
There was also one of FatherInCharge's favourite metrical versions of the Lord's Prayer, possibly the Cliff Richards one to the tune of Auld Lang Syne...
This morning we sang
Alleluia sing to Jesus ( Hydrydol)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence ( Picardy)
I the Lord of sea and sky( Here I am )
Tis good Lord, to be here ( Carlisle )
Guide me O thou great Redeemer ( Cwm Rhondda )
Today the words were on the recently erected screens. The congregation sang noticeably louder, with heads raised.
However our DoM today wrote his letter of resignation. For him, the screens are the kiss of death, though I don’t see what difference they actually make to him.
I suppose some people objected to electric lighting or central heating in churches at some time past. I see this as no different- keeping up with the times. Of course it all depends on how the screens are used, and if they are used to introduce lots of ‘worship songs’ , the DoM won’t be the only one voting with his feet.
We sang:
“Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”/LOBE DEN HERREN
“Ho, All Who Thirst” (“Come Now to the Water”)/JACOB’S WELL
“Go, My Children, with My Blessing”/AR HYD Y NOS
I Love You, Lord (Goodness of God)
Your Love, Shining Like The Sun (Pour Over Me)