IMHO the nicest setting of O come, O come is the one by Ledger (Willcocks' successor at King's), which has a glorious high-G# Tierce de Picardy at the end. ❤️
"Third" Sunday in Advent - Pink Candle for Joy - Main reading: The Magnificat (hence the last two hymns).
My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less (St. Catherine)
Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart (Give Thanks)
My Soul Proclaims The Lord My God ( New Briton)
Tell out my Soul (Woodlands)
Advent 2:
On Jordan's bank (Winchester New)
Lo in the wilderness a voice (Luther's Hymn)
Come thou long expected Jesus (Cross of Jesus)
Lift up your heads ye mighty gates (Wellington)
Long ago prophets knew (Personent hodie)
Our offerings at St Pete's today (time for that quote* again!):
On Jordan's bank, the Baptist's cry - Winchester New Come, dearest Lord, descend and dwell - Hursley Hail, O star that pointed Ravenshaw Hail to the Lord's anointed - Crüger Thy kingdom come - on bended knee - Irish
*On Jordan's bank, the Baptists cry
If I were a Baptist, so would I
They drink no beer, they have no fun
I'm glad that I'm an Anglican!
This is the Sunday when I most miss being in a proper choir and singing This is the record of John (preferably with solo piglet).
At our "Worship for everyone" service this morning:
King of Kings / Scott Ligertwood, Jason Ingram, Brooke Fraser
Christ the King of Christmas / Colin Buchanan Action song for the children before they left for their groups, sung to this video
Here I Am to Worship / Tim Hughes
His Mercy is More / Matt Boswell, Matt Papa
Once in Royal David's City / IRBY
Joint Family Service with the Anglicans, based on Mark 1.
"Make way" (Kendrick).
"The bells ring out at Christmas time".
"Joy to the world".
"Hark the herald angels" (I would have much preferred to have had an Advent hymn such as "On Jordan's bank". However I was specifically asked/told to include one or two "carols that everyone would know").
"Third" Sunday in Advent - Pink Candle for Joy - Main reading: The Magnificat (hence the last two hymns).
Third Sunday?
Yes, I wondered about that, but I think some churches started Advent a week earlier than most, as they're not having a morning service on Advent 4/Christmas Eve. Not sure if this is the case with @Anna_Baptist 's Place!
"Third" Sunday in Advent - Pink Candle for Joy - Main reading: The Magnificat (hence the last two hymns).
Third Sunday?
Yes, I wondered about that, but I think some churches started Advent a week earlier than most, as they're not having a morning service on Advent 4/Christmas Eve. Not sure if this is the case with @Anna_Baptist 's Place!
That's right Bishops Finger - I seem to have to explain that here every week. Seems like a reasonable penance.
Thing is, we are a non-liturgical church. I remember one of the previous pastors cautioning against celebrating Lent, because "we aren't that sort of people". Even having Advent is a bit of a departure, which we've only done for the last 10 years or so. To complain that we aren't doing it properly would probably lead to accusations of Works-righteousness, which is the worst sin that you could commit.
My apologies @Anna_Baptist - I had a feeling that you'd explained things already, but wasn't sure.
@Baptist Trainfan 's plan to light the fourth Advent Candle at the Christmas Eve service is another way of doing things, of course. Will the fifth Candle (the Christmas Day candle) be lit on Christmas morning? I think Our Place lights it at the Midnight-ish Mass.
We're having a Mass on Advent 4 at the usual time, as the C of E envisages a celebration of the Eucharist every Sunday (where it can be managed, I suppose).
“While We Are Waiting, Come”/WAITING
“He Came Down”/HE CAME DOWN
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”/GENEVAN 42
“In the Bleak Midwinter”/CRANHAM*
“O Day of Peace”/JERUSALEM**
*Only the last verse, as a response.
**Yes, that JERUSALEM.
Some Anglican churches now have *First Communion of Christmas*, or similar, at an earlier hour than 11pm or 1130pm.
Given the vanishingly small attendance at Our Place in recent years, I think it would be worth at least trying an earlier hour (8pm for instance), but there are one or two people who insist that It Must Be Arranged So That The Gospel Is Read At Midnight...
Father of mercies in thy word (Belmont)
Venite (1-7j
Psalm 80
Benedicite (Goldsmith chant)
Benedictus
Lord thy word abideth (Ravenshaw)
Hark the glad sound (Bristol)
O word of God imcarnte (Morning Light)
Good hearty singing with the Benedicite (a rare treat) being very enthusiasric!
Actually not congregation singing but hope you allow this slip into this conversation, but following an outing last week at an Advent Carol service last week, I was glad that our church choir today again anthem sang Vaughan Williams' anthem Truth from Above. As a folk music lover I love his use of folk melodies to several hymns.
"We light the Advent candles" / Tune by our organist/choirmaster
"On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry" / WINCHESTER NEW
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13, chanted
"Herald, sound the note of judgement" / HERALD, SOUND
"O Food to pilgrims given" / O WELT, ICH MUSS DICH LASSEN
"Comfort, comfort ye my people" / PSALM 42
"Prepare the way, O Zion" / BEREDAN VÄG FÖR HERRAN
Choral:
"Come, Jesus, Holy Son of God" by G.F. Handel/arr. Hal H. Hopson
Hymns
Love divine, all loves excelling, / Blaenwern
Plea for peace, / Lover of all
O come, O come, Emmanuel, / Veni Emmanuel
Come, thou long expected Jesus, / Stuttgart
Choir
Alleluia! Hurry the Lord is near, / Inwood and Peacock
Come Lord Jesus, / Martin How
I think @Alan29 may have meant to write *So is ours*.
OTOH, maybe his church has/had issues about the timing?
You are right. A combination of late night sausage fingers and autocorrect produced that gibberish.
Our Midnight Mass has been at 8 pm for years. Its a one man parish with a kids Mass at 5pm, "midnight" at 8 pm, and two on Christmas morning. So people forgive a bit of latitude in the timing of the Mass in the night (to give it it's proper name,) so long as its is after dark.
I am generally involved with the kiddies Mass (riotously fuelled by chocolate - the kids, that is, not me) and the 11.00 in the morning.
It’s not a song as such, it’s just that people often sing those words, usually very raucously, to the tune of O Come All Ye Faithful. I remember once an organist subtly* playing it on the pedal before a wedding when the bride was late.
I don’t know the hymn, but can’t help singing that first line to Adeste Fidelis
Hmmm. I’m having trouble working out how that would scan.
Have you never sung “Why are we waiting?” to that tune?
I think it's the "Come" that's the problem.
It was that as well as the first note—the A- of Adeste Fideles, or the O of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”—that were throwing me.
True, but go to v.2: "God of God, Light of Light (eternal)" - no anacrusis.
Sure, I can see that now. But not being familiar with “Why are we waiting” (thanks @Spike ), I read Spike’s post as though “While we are waiting, come” naturally suggested a-des-te fi-de-les to him.
I think @Alan29 may have meant to write *So is ours*.
OTOH, maybe his church has/had issues about the timing?
You are right. A combination of late night sausage fingers and autocorrect produced that gibberish.
Our Midnight Mass has been at 8 pm for years. Its a one man parish with a kids Mass at 5pm, "midnight" at 8 pm, and two on Christmas morning. So people forgive a bit of latitude in the timing of the Mass in the night (to give it it's proper name,) so long as its is after dark.
I am generally involved with the kiddies Mass (riotously fuelled by chocolate - the kids, that is, not me) and the 11.00 in the morning.
Nothing to do directly with the subject of what we sing in church, but Christmas can be a bit of a burden to those charged with leading worship, be they clergy, sacristan, musicians, or singers, and the times @Alan29 mentions do at least allow his priest a few hours' respite overnight!
Our usual organist is OK with playing at the 5pm Crib Service on Christmas Eve, and at the 1030am Mass on Christmas morning, but she adamantly refuses to turn up at 11pm! We have, in the past, relied on CDs (played via the laptop) for music at that service, but we now have another occasional volunteer organist, who might well be available and willing.
A small congregation with limited human resources needs to consider carefully not only what is to be sung, but also when it is to be sung...
A small congregation with limited human resources needs to consider carefully not only what is to be sung, but also when it is to be sung...
This. I do try not to repeat carols and hymns over the Advent/Christmas season, although folk do want to have the old warhorses and are resistant to "ones we don't know", especially IME at Carol Services. There's a lot of good new meaningful Christmas music out there (by folk such as Kendrick and Townend) so how does one broaden the repertoire?
Our hymnbook contains a few new hymns to familiar tunes, or vice versa, so when I was Officer i/c Music (the laptop was mine own!), I could discreetly introduce one or two now and again. On those occasions, I would act as cantor, to provide some sort of lead.
When we acquired a volunteer organist, she and I might run through something new a few minutes before the beginning of the service, although this was not always particularly useful, given the majority of our Faithful Few arriving anywhen between the last verse of the opening hymn and the Gospel reading...
I did tentatively suggest a monthly congregational run-through of less familiar hymns, either before or after Mass, but was told (by the couple who always complained about hymns they didn't know) that the Bishop (!) had decreed that a service must not last more than an hour - IOW, that was all the time they, personally, were prepared to spend in church.
In the past eight years, a greater variety of hymns/songs has been introduced, which is possibly no Bad Thing, so I don't know how the congregation manage these days. From some livestream videos I've seen, not very well - the singing is generally not as good as it used to be IMHO.
... I remember once an organist subtly* playing it on the pedal before a wedding when the bride was late.
*Well, not very subtly come to think of it
You knew David?
He had a sort of sliding scale for late brides: five minutes was fine, but after that, the tune would be worked in very subtly, and it would get less subtle the later they were. We had one (where the choir was singing as well) where the bride was half an hour late, and I think by that stage he was using the pedal tuba.
When we got married I made damn sure I wasn't even a nanosecond late, as I reckoned he'd have the organist primed ...
We introduced a new setting for the Holy, holy etc last Sunday. I got myself to the lectern five minutes before kick off and taught it to the congregation.
Sometimes it is the only way!
We once had a wedding at Our Place - fortunately sans organist or choir (I was staffing the music laptop) -where the bride turned up 45 minutes late.
The officiating priest dryly remarked that at least they would have to do without his customary 45-minute wedding sermon...
I can't recall what music or hymns were played or sung on that occasion, though I did have a folder of useful pieces for preludes or postludes on the PC...but there's only so many times you can repeat Jesu joy of man's desiring within 45 minutes...
Comments
So not:
"O come, O come, Em-ma-a-a-nu-el (2,3)
And ran-som cap-tive I-i-is-ra-el(2,3)
in military-band style time.
Much more "monkish" in my view - complete lines as one long flowing phrase.
Always.
My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less (St. Catherine)
Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart (Give Thanks)
My Soul Proclaims The Lord My God ( New Briton)
Tell out my Soul (Woodlands)
On Jordan's bank (Winchester New)
Lo in the wilderness a voice (Luther's Hymn)
Come thou long expected Jesus (Cross of Jesus)
Lift up your heads ye mighty gates (Wellington)
Long ago prophets knew (Personent hodie)
On Jordan's bank, the Baptist's cry - Winchester New
Come, dearest Lord, descend and dwell - Hursley
Hail, O star that pointed Ravenshaw
Hail to the Lord's anointed - Crüger
Thy kingdom come - on bended knee - Irish
*On Jordan's bank, the Baptists cry
If I were a Baptist, so would I
They drink no beer, they have no fun
I'm glad that I'm an Anglican!
This is the Sunday when I most miss being in a proper choir and singing This is the record of John (preferably with solo piglet).
Hark, the glad sound (Bristol)
On Jordan's bank (Winchester New)
Our God loves us (Plaisir d'amour)
I cannot tell (Londonderry Air)
Quite how our little congregation coped with that last one, I cannot tell...
King of Kings / Scott Ligertwood, Jason Ingram, Brooke Fraser
Christ the King of Christmas / Colin Buchanan Action song for the children before they left for their groups, sung to this video
Here I Am to Worship / Tim Hughes
His Mercy is More / Matt Boswell, Matt Papa
Once in Royal David's City / IRBY
we had
A voice cries out - Joncas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09nPw-Uvwr4)
Advent Litany - Farrell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8kqgwli82w)
There is a longing - Quigley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP9BBz6fRkk)
Wait for the Lord - Taize.
"...and that he li-*glass shatters* at Nazareth and laboured"
"Make way" (Kendrick).
"The bells ring out at Christmas time".
"Joy to the world".
"Hark the herald angels" (I would have much preferred to have had an Advent hymn such as "On Jordan's bank". However I was specifically asked/told to include one or two "carols that everyone would know").
I suppose Kendrick's Make way counts as an Advent hymn, though ISWYM.
Third Sunday?
Yes, I wondered about that, but I think some churches started Advent a week earlier than most, as they're not having a morning service on Advent 4/Christmas Eve. Not sure if this is the case with @Anna_Baptist 's Place!
That's right Bishops Finger - I seem to have to explain that here every week. Seems like a reasonable penance.
Thing is, we are a non-liturgical church. I remember one of the previous pastors cautioning against celebrating Lent, because "we aren't that sort of people". Even having Advent is a bit of a departure, which we've only done for the last 10 years or so. To complain that we aren't doing it properly would probably lead to accusations of Works-righteousness, which is the worst sin that you could commit.
@Baptist Trainfan 's plan to light the fourth Advent Candle at the Christmas Eve service is another way of doing things, of course. Will the fifth Candle (the Christmas Day candle) be lit on Christmas morning? I think Our Place lights it at the Midnight-ish Mass.
We're having a Mass on Advent 4 at the usual time, as the C of E envisages a celebration of the Eucharist every Sunday (where it can be managed, I suppose).
“While We Are Waiting, Come”/WAITING
“He Came Down”/HE CAME DOWN
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”/GENEVAN 42
“In the Bleak Midwinter”/CRANHAM*
“O Day of Peace”/JERUSALEM**
*Only the last verse, as a response.
**Yes, that JERUSALEM.
I don’t know the hymn, but can’t help singing that first line to Adeste Fidelis
Most seemly and edifying!
I guess ours gets lit twice - once at Midnight-ish Mass, and again at Jesus' Birthday Party *Christmass* morning service...
Given the vanishingly small attendance at Our Place in recent years, I think it would be worth at least trying an earlier hour (8pm for instance), but there are one or two people who insist that It Must Be Arranged So That The Gospel Is Read At Midnight...
So issues.
I have nothing to do with it.
OTOH, maybe his church has/had issues about the timing?
Father of mercies in thy word (Belmont)
Venite (1-7j
Psalm 80
Benedicite (Goldsmith chant)
Benedictus
Lord thy word abideth (Ravenshaw)
Hark the glad sound (Bristol)
O word of God imcarnte (Morning Light)
Good hearty singing with the Benedicite (a rare treat) being very enthusiasric!
On the other hand we might have lost them altogether without RVW and Cecil Sharp.
"We light the Advent candles" / Tune by our organist/choirmaster
"On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry" / WINCHESTER NEW
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13, chanted
"Herald, sound the note of judgement" / HERALD, SOUND
"O Food to pilgrims given" / O WELT, ICH MUSS DICH LASSEN
"Comfort, comfort ye my people" / PSALM 42
"Prepare the way, O Zion" / BEREDAN VÄG FÖR HERRAN
Choral:
"Come, Jesus, Holy Son of God" by G.F. Handel/arr. Hal H. Hopson
Quite!
Hymns
Love divine, all loves excelling, / Blaenwern
Plea for peace, / Lover of all
O come, O come, Emmanuel, / Veni Emmanuel
Come, thou long expected Jesus, / Stuttgart
Choir
Alleluia! Hurry the Lord is near, / Inwood and Peacock
Come Lord Jesus, / Martin How
In any event, you can hear it, or at least the first verse of it, sung a cappella by a choir, here. As you can hear, it’s a meditative tune.
Have you never sung “Why are we waiting?” to that tune?
I think it's the "Come" that's the problem.
You are right. A combination of late night sausage fingers and autocorrect produced that gibberish.
Our Midnight Mass has been at 8 pm for years. Its a one man parish with a kids Mass at 5pm, "midnight" at 8 pm, and two on Christmas morning. So people forgive a bit of latitude in the timing of the Mass in the night (to give it it's proper name,) so long as its is after dark.
I am generally involved with the kiddies Mass (riotously fuelled by chocolate - the kids, that is, not me) and the 11.00 in the morning.
It was that as well as the first note—the A- of Adeste Fideles, or the O of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”—that were throwing me.
It’s not a song as such, it’s just that people often sing those words, usually very raucously, to the tune of O Come All Ye Faithful. I remember once an organist subtly* playing it on the pedal before a wedding when the bride was late.
*Well, not very subtly come to think of it
Nothing to do directly with the subject of what we sing in church, but Christmas can be a bit of a burden to those charged with leading worship, be they clergy, sacristan, musicians, or singers, and the times @Alan29 mentions do at least allow his priest a few hours' respite overnight!
Our usual organist is OK with playing at the 5pm Crib Service on Christmas Eve, and at the 1030am Mass on Christmas morning, but she adamantly refuses to turn up at 11pm! We have, in the past, relied on CDs (played via the laptop) for music at that service, but we now have another occasional volunteer organist, who might well be available and willing.
A small congregation with limited human resources needs to consider carefully not only what is to be sung, but also when it is to be sung...
This. I do try not to repeat carols and hymns over the Advent/Christmas season, although folk do want to have the old warhorses and are resistant to "ones we don't know", especially IME at Carol Services. There's a lot of good new meaningful Christmas music out there (by folk such as Kendrick and Townend) so how does one broaden the repertoire?
Our hymnbook contains a few new hymns to familiar tunes, or vice versa, so when I was Officer i/c Music (the laptop was mine own!), I could discreetly introduce one or two now and again. On those occasions, I would act as cantor, to provide some sort of lead.
When we acquired a volunteer organist, she and I might run through something new a few minutes before the beginning of the service, although this was not always particularly useful, given the majority of our Faithful Few arriving anywhen between the last verse of the opening hymn and the Gospel reading...
I did tentatively suggest a monthly congregational run-through of less familiar hymns, either before or after Mass, but was told (by the couple who always complained about hymns they didn't know) that the Bishop (!) had decreed that a service must not last more than an hour - IOW, that was all the time they, personally, were prepared to spend in church.
In the past eight years, a greater variety of hymns/songs has been introduced, which is possibly no Bad Thing, so I don't know how the congregation manage these days. From some livestream videos I've seen, not very well - the singing is generally not as good as it used to be IMHO.
You knew David?
He had a sort of sliding scale for late brides: five minutes was fine, but after that, the tune would be worked in very subtly, and it would get less subtle the later they were. We had one (where the choir was singing as well) where the bride was half an hour late, and I think by that stage he was using the pedal tuba.
When we got married I made damn sure I wasn't even a nanosecond late, as I reckoned he'd have the organist primed ...
Sometimes it is the only way!
The officiating priest dryly remarked that at least they would have to do without his customary 45-minute wedding sermon...
I can't recall what music or hymns were played or sung on that occasion, though I did have a folder of useful pieces for preludes or postludes on the PC...but there's only so many times you can repeat Jesu joy of man's desiring within 45 minutes...