I can't speak for alto lines and I've never sung a bass line in "Mariners" ... but I definitely concur with the boringness of both "Aurelia" and "Dix".
Since moving to Wales my wife has been learning Welsh, so we now watch "Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol" - the Welsh "Songs of Praise" - on S4C. Now there you'll find some great hymns (and singing)!
We had TORC at Auntie S's funeral Mass last year - I think I was the only person (apart from two of the nuns) who knew it, but it was Auntie's favourite, and meant a great deal to her.
I didn't attempt the bass, but warbled the top line as best I could from memory...
I believe I can honestly say that in 63 years, I’ve never sung “The Old Rugged Cross” in church.
It was sometimes sung at Evensong at The Tin Tabernacle Of My Youth, but that's the only other church in which I've ever experienced it.
Auntie S was a devout Roman Catholic, and her funeral Mass was held in the chapel of the convent/residential home where she spent her last years. I'm not sure where she picked up TORC, so to speak, but her second husband, who died many years ago, was a Lay Reader in an Anglican parish of the snake-belly-low type!
Our church used to take part in an Ecumenical Good Friday walk, during which we stopped at certain points and either read part of the Passion story or sung a hymn. So TORC has certainly been sung on the streets of Ipswich (England)!
And, of course, it might well be sung in a crematorium chapel.
@Nick Tamen - I had to google Sicilian Mariners, and I see what you mean about the alto line. I've heard more boring melodies, but that alto line would drive a Plymouth Brethren to drink ...
@Nick Tamen - I had to google Sicilian Mariners, and I see what you mean about the alto line. I've heard more boring melodies, but that alto line would drive a Plymouth Brethren to drink ...
One former organist at our place did insist on taking SICILIAN MARINERS at a very solemn tempo. The stuff of nightmares.
In my opinion that is a much better tune although IMHO it slightly runs out of steam in the final two lines. The first four lines are rather Howard Goodall-ish.
I believe I can honestly say that in 63 years, I’ve never sung “The Old Rugged Cross” in church.
I have to admit I can't think where else one would sing it.
Our school choir did. Loved those sentimental Victorian harmonies. Our teacher (a wonderful, card-carrying atheist snd communist) used to berate us for our lack of emotion - she’d say she could sing it better and she didn’t even believe in it!
I have sung it in Welsh Baptist churches but rarely elsewhere.
Funeral today
Make me a channel of your peace.
I the Lord of sea and sky.
Lourdes Hymn (don't ask!)
May the choirs of angels (Ernie Sands)
Be still for the presence
I had to sing and play because the congregation were mute.
Funeral today
Make me a channel of your peace.
I the Lord of sea and sky.
Lourdes Hymn (don't ask!)
May the choirs of angels (Ernie Sands)
Be still for the presence
I had to sing and play because the congregation were mute.
I'm not entirely surprised - some of those aren't particularly easy to sing, or to pick up if you've never heard them before.
I'll ask about the Lourdes Hymn, because it may be one which we sang at Our Place one Advent 4. It was new to us, but the organist and I practised it (with the few who turned up before Mass began!), and we rather liked it.
For the life of me, I can't recall the words, but it was all about Mary...
Its a pretty folk tune.
The words are wretched. Our book has seven verses of this stuff. I picked the four that were least stomach turning. https://hymnary.org/hymn/CCH1905/95
Thanks @Alan29 - no, that isn't the one I meant (although the tune is used at Walsingham C of E Shrine, with a 36-verse or thereabouts hymn for processions).
The hymn we sang a few Advents ago was, IIRC, then newly-written.
Thanks @Alan29 - no, that isn't the one I meant (although the tune is used at Walsingham C of E Shrine, with a 36-verse or thereabouts hymn for processions).
And words that look as though they were written by William McGonagall
Thanks @Alan29 - no, that isn't the one I meant (although the tune is used at Walsingham C of E Shrine, with a 36-verse or thereabouts hymn for processions).
And words that look as though they were written by William McGonagall
You mean they weren't written by McGonagall? Even our late churchwarden (who pretty nearly acknowledged Mary as Co-Redemptrix ) described the Walsingham hymn as *doggerel*...
Last night our church choir sang the following, for a recording, a cautionary tale, if ever there was one.
Ave verum - Mozart
Be still for the presence of the Lord, arr Shepherd, with descant
Cantate Domino- Pitoni
A Gaelic blessing - Rutter
O Saviour of the world- Goss
Let thy merciful ears- Weelkes
Do not be afraid- Stopford
O bone Jesu - Palestrina
If ye love me - Tallis
A Simple Blessing
Tomorrow's Mass intention/theme is for a strengthening of Christian marriage and family relationships, and the hymns chosen are:
Love divine, all loves excelling vv1-4 (Blaenwern or Love Divine) How sweet the name of Jesus sounds (St Peter) Be still, for the presence of the Lord (David J Evans) Love divine, all loves excelling vv5-8 (Love divine or Blaenwern!)
At least they're not getting the execrable Onward, Christian families again...
Parish Communion
At the name of Jesus- Camberwell
Lord of all hopefulness- Slane
Will you come and follow me? - Kelvingrove
Loving shepherd of thy sheep - Buckland
Tell out my soul - Woodlands
St Thomas Mass
Just for once, we had some excellent hymns, and a complete absence of crud:
The head that once was crowned with thorns - St Magnus Come, dearest Lord - Song 34 - also Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love - University Loving Shepherd of thy sheep - Buckland Who are these like stars appearing? - All Saints
Service of prayer and praise for the conclusion of Creationtide
Father, Lord Of All Creation Abbots Leigh
O laughing Light, O first born of creation Iste Confessor
All creatures of our God and King Lasst Uns Erfreuen
For the fruits of all creation Ar Hyd Y Nos
Attendance down, due to Long weekend, but lusty singing nevertheless.
“Great is your faithfulness” - Faithfulness.
“We eat the plants that grow from the seed” - English Country Garden.
“Almighty God, your Word is cast” - Dunfermline.
“For the fruits of his creation” - Ar Hyd Y Nos.
“We plough the fields, and scatter” - Wir Pflugen.
Worthy of every song we could ever sing I just want to speak the name of Jesus You were the Word in the beginning (What a beautiful name it is) All to Jesus I surrender
Now Thank We All Our God (NUN DANKET, the rhythmic version, as the Good Lord intended)
Children of the Heavenly Father (TRYGGARE KAN INGEN VARA)
When Jesus Left His Father's Throne (KINGSFOLD)
God Is Love, Let Heaven Adore Him (ABBOT'S LEIGH)
We had Harvest Thanksgiving today with some of the usual hymns. So predictable that it wasn't until halfway through the service that it became apparent that the published Order of Service that the minister and organist were working from was different from the version on the Powerpoint (which had hymns from last years Harvest!) so this train wreck happened... https://www.youtube.com/live/Y_wFOGIiXv4?si=fRakfL-dFhBBjI8i&t=1593
Blessed City heavenly Salem (Westminster Abbey)
Psalm 122
Christ is our cornerstone (Hrewood)
Angel voices ever singing
We live the place O God (Quam dilecta)
In our day of thanksgiving (St Cathsrines Court)
RC Mass for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
One bread one body
Mass of Creation
Love is his word
Father I place into your hands
God's spirit is in my heart
The evening supply was not in my comfort zone but did my best with (mainly) unfamiliar stuff. Their choir were good in giving a lead, most RC churches I have played in hardly anyone has sung at all.
An aside on the comments a few posts back about the C of E Shrine at Walsingham. Bishop Hensley Henson of Durham is reputed to have not only referred to the place as "a revolting illegality" but that the "pitiable rubbish of the Walsingham processional hymn can only be seen as part of a pageant. As an act of religion it would be profane". Before anyone aaks for a rcference it was (I think) in his biography somewhere, I noted it down as it was rather amusing (perhaps not to devotees of the Shrine admittedly) and an interesting sign of 'Protestant' feeling towards that establishment (again I think) around the post war period. Having accompanied the words in question at an ultra high church once I confess to being sympathetic to the sentiments if not to the rather waspish way they were shared 😏
We had Harvest Thanksgiving today with some of the usual hymns. So predictable that it wasn't until halfway through the service that it became apparent that the published Order of Service that the minister and organist were working from was different from the version on the Powerpoint (which had hymns from last years Harvest!) so this train wreck happened... https://www.youtube.com/live/Y_wFOGIiXv4?si=fRakfL-dFhBBjI8i&t=1593
Oh, so easily done! He and you have all my sympathy. At least it was all warm, human and good-natured.
We had Harvest Thanksgiving today with some of the usual hymns. So predictable that it wasn't until halfway through the service that it became apparent that the published Order of Service that the minister and organist were working from was different from the version on the Powerpoint (which had hymns from last years Harvest!) so this train wreck happened... https://www.youtube.com/live/Y_wFOGIiXv4?si=fRakfL-dFhBBjI8i&t=1593
Oh, so easily done! He and you have all my sympathy. At least it was all warm, human and good-natured.
Indeed. At least the humor was found in the train wreck.
@Gracious Rebel, this is an off-the-wall (and non-hymnic) question, but do you happen to know what the flag to the right of the pulpit, as one faces the pulpit, might be?
We also had a "screen malfunction" yesterday. It was announced that we had a "new song" and the usual title, composer & licence number appeared at the top of the screen, but nothing else. The band started playing but still no words. The musicians were working off their printed versions and probably thought the lack of congregational participation was due to unfamiliarity. After the first verse and half the chorus our Rector stepped forward to stop the band. Further waiting looking at a blank screen, then the Rector walked to the back to find what the problem was. On return, he suggested we all sit down for a few moments. Sure enough, as soon we were seated the words magically appeared. The announcement of each subsequent hymn was preceded by "hopefully". When it came to "We plough the fields" (yes we were celebrating harvest) I heard a whispered comment from the row behind that we probably all know the words to this one!
I am back at choir after a few weeks away travelling.
Hymns
Father all loving, / Was lebet
In Christ there is no east or west, / St. Bernard
Break now the bread of life, / Bread of Life
Now we come, our heavenly Father, / Regent Square
Choir
A new commandment, / Richard Shephard
Ubi caritas, / John Wright
We had Harvest Thanksgiving today with some of the usual hymns. So predictable that it wasn't until halfway through the service that it became apparent that the published Order of Service that the minister and organist were working from was different from the version on the Powerpoint (which had hymns from last years Harvest!) so this train wreck happened... https://www.youtube.com/live/Y_wFOGIiXv4?si=fRakfL-dFhBBjI8i&t=1593
Oh, so easily done! He and you have all my sympathy. At least it was all warm, human and good-natured.
Indeed. At least the humor was found in the train wreck.
@Gracious Rebel, this is an off-the-wall (and non-hymnic) question, but do you happen to know what the flag to the right of the pulpit, as one faces the pulpit, might be?
You mean the yellowish one? I think it's the Scouts colours. This service was one of our occasional 'Parade' services to include the Scouts and Guides that meet in our premises, so their colours (flag) is on display throughout the service. The blue one on the other side is for the Guides I think.
Comments
Since moving to Wales my wife has been learning Welsh, so we now watch "Dechrau Canu, Dechrau Canmol" - the Welsh "Songs of Praise" - on S4C. Now there you'll find some great hymns (and singing)!
I didn't attempt the bass, but warbled the top line as best I could from memory...
It was sometimes sung at Evensong at The Tin Tabernacle Of My Youth, but that's the only other church in which I've ever experienced it.
Auntie S was a devout Roman Catholic, and her funeral Mass was held in the chapel of the convent/residential home where she spent her last years. I'm not sure where she picked up TORC, so to speak, but her second husband, who died many years ago, was a Lay Reader in an Anglican parish of the snake-belly-low type!
I have to admit I can't think where else one would sing it.
And, of course, it might well be sung in a crematorium chapel.
As Flannery O’Conner said: “I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.”
It is something of a Trad Jazz standard
https://youtu.be/H2qb8dDH5yU?feature=shared
There have been occasions when I've sung it round the house while doing the domestics.
Yes. An old friend, from the Tin Tabernacle days, refused to sing TORC simply because of its associations.
Our school choir did. Loved those sentimental Victorian harmonies. Our teacher (a wonderful, card-carrying atheist snd communist) used to berate us for our lack of emotion - she’d say she could sing it better and she didn’t even believe in it!
I have sung it in Welsh Baptist churches but rarely elsewhere.
Make me a channel of your peace.
I the Lord of sea and sky.
Lourdes Hymn (don't ask!)
May the choirs of angels (Ernie Sands)
Be still for the presence
I had to sing and play because the congregation were mute.
I'm not entirely surprised - some of those aren't particularly easy to sing, or to pick up if you've never heard them before.
I'll ask about the Lourdes Hymn, because it may be one which we sang at Our Place one Advent 4. It was new to us, but the organist and I practised it (with the few who turned up before Mass began!), and we rather liked it.
For the life of me, I can't recall the words, but it was all about Mary...
The words are wretched. Our book has seven verses of this stuff. I picked the four that were least stomach turning.
https://hymnary.org/hymn/CCH1905/95
The hymn we sang a few Advents ago was, IIRC, then newly-written.
And words that look as though they were written by William McGonagall
I love this version. We used to sing it at Liverpool Met cathedral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UuvAHjQYKk&ab_channel=KatePrice
You mean they weren't written by McGonagall? Even our late churchwarden (who pretty nearly acknowledged Mary as Co-Redemptrix
The aforementioned Orangemen, who probably hadn't darkened a church door since the last Orangemen's service, hadn't a clue.
Hahaha!
Ave verum - Mozart
Be still for the presence of the Lord, arr Shepherd, with descant
Cantate Domino- Pitoni
A Gaelic blessing - Rutter
O Saviour of the world- Goss
Let thy merciful ears- Weelkes
Do not be afraid- Stopford
O bone Jesu - Palestrina
If ye love me - Tallis
A Simple Blessing
Unfortunately one of the microphones picked up our most swoopy soprano.
Love divine, all loves excelling vv1-4 (Blaenwern or Love Divine)
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds (St Peter)
Be still, for the presence of the Lord (David J Evans)
Love divine, all loves excelling vv5-8 (Love divine or Blaenwern!)
At least they're not getting the execrable Onward, Christian families again...
At the name of Jesus- Camberwell
Lord of all hopefulness- Slane
Will you come and follow me? - Kelvingrove
Loving shepherd of thy sheep - Buckland
Tell out my soul - Woodlands
St Thomas Mass
All heartily sung as we had our best organist.
The head that once was crowned with thorns - St Magnus
Come, dearest Lord - Song 34 - also
Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love - University
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep - Buckland
Who are these like stars appearing? - All Saints
Father, Lord Of All Creation Abbots Leigh
O laughing Light, O first born of creation Iste Confessor
All creatures of our God and King Lasst Uns Erfreuen
For the fruits of all creation Ar Hyd Y Nos
Attendance down, due to Long weekend, but lusty singing nevertheless.
“Great is your faithfulness” - Faithfulness.
“We eat the plants that grow from the seed” - English Country Garden.
“Almighty God, your Word is cast” - Dunfermline.
“For the fruits of his creation” - Ar Hyd Y Nos.
“We plough the fields, and scatter” - Wir Pflugen.
I just want to speak the name of Jesus
You were the Word in the beginning (What a beautiful name it is)
All to Jesus I surrender
All creatures of our God and King
Lead us Heavenly Father lead us
Crown Him with Many Crowns
God whose Almighty Word (Italian Hymn)
God is in His Temple (Groningen)
In Christ Alone (Townend)
Children of the Heavenly Father (TRYGGARE KAN INGEN VARA)
When Jesus Left His Father's Throne (KINGSFOLD)
God Is Love, Let Heaven Adore Him (ABBOT'S LEIGH)
“I’m Gonna Eat at the Welcome Table”
“One Bread, One Body“/ONE BREAD, ONE BODY
“Now the Silence, Now the Peace”/NOW
Blessed City heavenly Salem (Westminster Abbey)
Psalm 122
Christ is our cornerstone (Hrewood)
Angel voices ever singing
We live the place O God (Quam dilecta)
In our day of thanksgiving (St Cathsrines Court)
RC Mass for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
One bread one body
Mass of Creation
Love is his word
Father I place into your hands
God's spirit is in my heart
The evening supply was not in my comfort zone but did my best with (mainly) unfamiliar stuff. Their choir were good in giving a lead, most RC churches I have played in hardly anyone has sung at all.
An aside on the comments a few posts back about the C of E Shrine at Walsingham. Bishop Hensley Henson of Durham is reputed to have not only referred to the place as "a revolting illegality" but that the "pitiable rubbish of the Walsingham processional hymn can only be seen as part of a pageant. As an act of religion it would be profane". Before anyone aaks for a rcference it was (I think) in his biography somewhere, I noted it down as it was rather amusing (perhaps not to devotees of the Shrine admittedly) and an interesting sign of 'Protestant' feeling towards that establishment (again I think) around the post war period. Having accompanied the words in question at an ultra high church once I confess to being sympathetic to the sentiments if not to the rather waspish way they were shared 😏
Oh, so easily done! He and you have all my sympathy. At least it was all warm, human and good-natured.
@Gracious Rebel, this is an off-the-wall (and non-hymnic) question, but do you happen to know what the flag to the right of the pulpit, as one faces the pulpit, might be?
I am back at choir after a few weeks away travelling.
Hymns
Father all loving, / Was lebet
In Christ there is no east or west, / St. Bernard
Break now the bread of life, / Bread of Life
Now we come, our heavenly Father, / Regent Square
Choir
A new commandment, / Richard Shephard
Ubi caritas, / John Wright
You mean the yellowish one? I think it's the Scouts colours. This service was one of our occasional 'Parade' services to include the Scouts and Guides that meet in our premises, so their colours (flag) is on display throughout the service. The blue one on the other side is for the Guides I think.