What did you sing at church today?

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  • Places with good Choirs are very fortunate, and blessed are those people who are able to go to the services and enjoy their musical offerings.

    Our Place has no regular choir, but there are two or three folk who act as cantors, not only at Sunday Mass, but also at special services. IIRC, they sang a couple of pieces at the Carol Service on Sunday 15th, and did them well by keeping them simple and short!
  • Yesterday we sang:

    The Advent of our King (ST. THOMAS)
    The angel Gabriel from heaven came (GABRIEL'S MESSAGE)
    O come, O come, Emmanuel (VENI, VENI EMMANUEL)

    The Choir sang a simple arrangement of "Love came down at Christmas" during Communion.

  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    .
    (And @Climacus, for a version with a tin whistle, try this. :wink: )
    Thank you! Always good to hear something new.
    Nenya wrote: »
    Sans Day Carol
    Oh little one sweet (JS Bach)
    Two I don't hear often... Beautiful, to me.


    My first Christingle service this Christmas Eve afternoon (thanks to all denizens of this board who spoke of it). The C I received in Visual Arts was repeated with my putting together of my own poorly executed Christingle, but I have an orange and some lollies to enjoy! An explanation was given in the service booklet.

    I have no idea of the makeup of the parish, but some young families in attendance, some in their 20s and 30s, and a few like me aged and decrepit, late 40s+. 🙂

    Silent Night
    Away in a Manger
    Joy to the World
    Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
  • Midnight Mass, The Nativity of Our Lord, St James' Anglican, Morpeth, in the Hunter region of New South Wales. A benefit of being at a Russian parish is one can annoy other traditions on "Gregorian Calendar" Christmas.

    22:45 -- several carols:

    Away in a Manger
    The First Nowell (hand-held candles lit by the priest during this hymn)
    (church bell rung for a short while)
    Carol of the Birds (Australian)
    (church bell rung for quite some time)

    ~23:00 -- Midnight Mass:

    Soloist with organ.

    Once in Royal David's City (at verse 2 we moved to the front of the church where the Baby Jesus was placed in the crib and it was censed/blessed with holy water)
    While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
    It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
    A Communion hymn was sung by the soloist, but I was distracted pondering the sermon (which remained and hit hard), so I missed quite a bit of it and did not know it when I picked up on it...
    Silent Night
    O Come All Ye Faithful (a member of the congregation provided the descant for the "Sing, choirs of angels..." verse)

    At the competition of the Words of Institution, a brief piece was played on the organ after both, we sang, to Adeste Fideles:
    Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
    'Throned upon thine altar,
    Jesu, to thee be glory given;
    Word of the Father,
    Sacrament Most Holy (? -- from memory)
    O come let us adore Him (x3)
    Christ the Lord!

    A blessed and joyous Christmas to all!
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    IIRC, the Liberal Catholic Church (a very small denomination here in the UK) does something similar after the Dominical Words - I think they sing *Blessed and praised be Jesus Christ in the most holy Sacrament, Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest* , or maybe it's *O come let us adore him (thrice), Christ the Lord*.

    Such an interpolation is not AFAIK authorised in the C of E, but, with all the additional and seasonal material available nowadays, I could be wrong.

    Happy Christmas-tide to you!
  • DardaDarda Shipmate
    At Christmas Eve Midnight Communion:
    Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
    Silent Night, Holy Night
    It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
    O Come, All Ye Faithful (Yea, Lord, we . . . finally get to sing the last verse!)

    And the Ring of Bells pub across the road brought over mulled wine and cider for after service refreshments.
  • Midnight Communion.

    “Come and sing the Christmas story” (Ar Hyd Y Nos).
    “All my heart this night rejoices”.
    “Longing for light” (Christ be my light).
    “It came upon the midnight clear”.
    “O come, all ye faithful”.

    Christmas Day Family Service.

    “Christians, awake!” (Yorkshire).
    “Come and join the celebration”.
    “The Bells Ring Out” (Christmas Bells).
    “Sing lullaby!”
    “See him lying on a bed of straw”.
    “Joy to the world”.

  • HeronHeron Shipmate
    Midnight:
    Mass Setting Archer St Mark
    Anthem: Chilcott The First Nowell (the new one in CfC6)
    Usual carols + descants + organ zimbelstern getting a good workout

    Christmas Day:
    Forbes L'Estrange: St Helen's Mass
    Also a Christmas anthem from Forbes L'Estrange, but embarrassingly I can't remember which!!
    Usual carols as above

    Straightforward with the choral scholars away, and we are a bit of a ragtag band of those still around and former singers blown in for family visits at Christmas.

    Full of joy as we sang 'WORD of the Father'
  • I have no idea what hymns/carols were sung at Our Place yesterday and today, as my Spy was only present at this morning's service, and can't recall what was on offer...BUT (with a shudder of horror in her voice) she confirmed that the faithful few were duly cajoled, at the end of Mass, into singing Happy Birthday to you at the figure of Baby Jesus in the crib.
    :cold_sweat: :scream:
  • Alan29Alan29 Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    Standard carols.
    We did happy birthday too! I couldn't believe it and kept my mouth shut!
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    Alan29 wrote: »
    Standard carols.
    We did happy birthday too! I couldn't believe it and kept my mouth shut!

    What is it with clergy who insist on reducing a celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation to the level of a children's tea party?
  • ETA: as an antidote to such childish Tosh, I shall shortly listen again to last year's rendering of Britten's A Ceremony of Carols from Uppsala Cathedral.

    It was sung in Latin, Middle English, and Early Modern English, by about 20 trebles (members of the Cathedral girls' choir), accompanied by solo harp, and converted into an act of worship by interpolations of a couple of very brief Gospel readings, a prayer, the Lord's Prayer, and a final blessing, courtesy of one of the Cathedral clergy.
  • Actually, there are several Bible readings, not just one or two!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luAO_nqOrVU
  • We must have had at least 500 people at the main morning Mass.An Irish visitor told me she had never heard such fine singing as in our church. We probably sang 'Once in royal David's city 'as well as 'Silent Night' and 'Adeste fideles 'at the end. I say probably as I was busy putting out extra chairs a lot of the time.
    I was also supposed to do the Readings and checked the new Lectionary Book before Mass.
    When I came to read I noticed that the book had been changed from 'Mass during the Day'
    to 'Mass during the Night' It wouldn't have mattered to the congregation but it might well have upset the priest's sermon and the cantor's singing of the Psalm. However the Deacon noticed my hesitancy and signalled that it was indeed to be 'Mass during the night' at 11.30 a.m..

    We couldn't find the bread and wine for the Offertory as the Christmas crib was in the position where the Offertory bread and wine are usually kept. So there was no Offertory procession and the Deacon had to walk right down the church to collect the bread and wine.
    Fortunately most people would just think it was part of the normal ritual. We did bring up the collection however.

    The Deacon told me that at the earlier service they had brought up the bread and wine but forgotten the collection, whereas we had brought the collection but not the bread and wine.

    When I asked him which he thought was more important he said it would be better not to give an answer.
  • We didn't sing "Happy Birthday" even though we had a young lady present whose 11th birthday it is! I did ask her to light the Fifth Candle though.
  • Most seemly, and much more edifying.
    :wink:
  • Pleased to report that in the rural west country such abominations as "Happy birthday" are unheard of!

    On Christmas Eve I had yet another Carol Service but with nothing unusual. They did however sing "Lyngham" to While shepherds watched which is not very often an Anglican choice around here. It went very well though as did the St Day Carol.

    Midnight Mass

    Just standard predictable carols and the Murray setting in this case. The only upset was some foul tune (called Mullet??) to Away in a manger which got sprung on me immediately beforehand, nobody much sang the wretched thing so it must have been an enthusiasm of someone who did know it. I had never come across it before and hope never to see it again!

    Family Communion

    Again just standard stuff, with the kids singimg Away in a manger to the normal tune, well in England it is normal! However a further upset to O little town for which the choir requested some American tune (apols to American shipmates) which again was not a success as it was incredibly slushy and the whooping and scooping was incredible! Anyway I think everyone was happy enough with it all 😳

    Mattins for a very country conservative lot!

    Christians awake (Yorkshire)
    Venite, Te Deum, Jubilate
    While shepherds watched (Northop)
    Of the Father's love begotten (Divinum mysterium)
    Hark the herald

    I usually find rural Mattins a very tedious business but after the earlier service found today it seemed almost refreshing 🤣

    Every blessing for Christmastide to all.
  • Family communion

    Good Christians all rejoice
    O little town of Bethlehem
    O come all ye faithful

    Small village church nearly full, several three-generation family groups present.
  • HeronHeron Shipmate
    'Happy Birthday' at Christmas.

    Our organist tends to very subtlely include a reference to it into their gospel improvisation. For example, the first four notes, somewhere hidden in the pedal part. It's there for those with ears to hear.

    And if this is OK - which it is - then it becomes matter of low vs high culture..... and I'm going nowhere near that!

  • Midnight Service Christmas Eve
    Silent Night (Stille Nacht)
    O Little Town of Bethlehem (Forest Green)
    O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)

    A lovely service with real community spirit - as it always is.

    Hymns notable for including a nearly original extra verse in O Little Town.

    Where children pure and happy
    Pray to the blessed Child:
    Where Misery cries out to Thee,
    Son of the mother mild;
    Where Charity stands watching,
    And Faith holds wide the door,
    The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
    And Christmas comes once more.


    Didn't know this verse existed. Don't care that this verse existed. Completely understand why it got dropped from the standard version. Never want to sing it again.
  • DardaDarda Shipmate
    Apparently that "Son of the mother mild" line was originally written as "Son of the undefiled". It seems the author may have changed it as it could be considered to reflect the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. The verse was later dropped altogether.
  • Is one permitted to ask why you dislike it @Anna.Baptist?

    The verse was not in A&M but was always in the English Hymnal albeit with a * so optional. In churches that use EH I have found it gets sung and in at least one RC book (@Alan29 could confirm perhaps) it is the final verse printed!
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    Hmm. I'm not sure what the verse is supposed to be saying, IYSWIM.

    If it's suggesting that Christmas somehow brings relief from *the dark night*, assuming that phrase refers to the ghastly and frightening state of the world, empirical evidence of this is lacking, or so it seems to me.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    BTW, did any of you attend a service today (St Stephen's Day)? Our Place's daily Mass accommodates such outlandish behaviour, though I don't know if there were enough of the Faithful present to sing Good King Wenceslas...
    :wink:

    There was a good congregation for today's Mass at Skara Cathedral (Sweden), with some interesting vestments - gold and red? See what you think:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlDGvvcwS1s

    I make no apology for returning to the Lutherans - dignified and reverent liturgy, with singable hymns...

    (Skara isn't a big city - about the size of Ely, I think).
  • Truron wrote: »
    Is one permitted to ask why you dislike it @Anna.Baptist?

    The verse was not in A&M but was always in the English Hymnal albeit with a * so optional. In churches that use EH I have found it gets sung and in at least one RC book (@Alan29 could confirm perhaps) it is the final verse printed!

    Its not in our RC book - Laudate, but I have once sung it.
  • Truron wrote: »
    Is one permitted to ask why you dislike it @Anna.Baptist?

    The verse was not in A&M but was always in the English Hymnal albeit with a * so optional. In churches that use EH I have found it gets sung and in at least one RC book (@Alan29 could confirm perhaps) it is the final verse printed!

    Is it only the pure and happy children who are allowed to pray to Jesus?
    Why is Charity only watching - and not acting?
    I take it that Jesus is the dayspring from on high who brings the dawn - if that is what is meant by the Dark night waking - but what does Faith have to do with this. And is that faith as a body of doctrine or as faithfulness? Is it Jesus faith or our faith?

    It's just a word salad.
  • Truron wrote: »
    Is one permitted to ask why you dislike it @Anna.Baptist?

    The verse was not in A&M but was always in the English Hymnal albeit with a * so optional. In churches that use EH I have found it gets sung and in at least one RC book (@Alan29 could confirm perhaps) it is the final verse printed!

    Is it only the pure and happy children who are allowed to pray to Jesus?
    Why is Charity only watching - and not acting?
    I take it that Jesus is the dayspring from on high who brings the dawn - if that is what is meant by the Dark night waking - but what does Faith have to do with this. And is that faith as a body of doctrine or as faithfulness? Is it Jesus faith or our faith?

    It's just a word salad.

    Indeed. Obscure is another word to describe it...

    I don't think I've ever heard it sung, or been expected to sing it.
  • Interesting to see in the 'dignified and reverent' liturgy in the cathedral at Skara that the bishop 'presided' while another priest celebrated the eucharist.
    After 500 yesterday we were down to about 15 at the St Steven's day Mass but the 'Second Christmas Day 'gathers many people in lots of European countries. Both Salzburg and Cologne cathedrals had full congregations for Pontifical Mass celebrated today by one of the auxiliary bishops.
    26th December is known in Germany (and it looks similar in Sweden) as Zweiter Weihnachtstag ( translation given above) while in Austria it is known as Stefanitag. I think that in Ireland 26th December is known as St Stephen's Day.
  • Baptist TrainfanBaptist Trainfan Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    In Welsh it's Gŵyl San Steffan.
  • .
    BTW, did any of you attend a service today (St Stephen's Day)? Our Place's daily Mass accommodates such outlandish behaviour, though I don't know if there were enough of the Faithful present to sing Good King Wenceslas...
    :wink:

    There was a good congregation for today's Mass at Skara Cathedral (Sweden), with some interesting vestments - gold and red? See what you think:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlDGvvcwS1s

    I make no apology for returning to the Lutherans - dignified and reverent liturgy, with singable hymns...

    (Skara isn't a big city - about the size of Ely, I think).

    Is the Cathedral Kaled or Thal?
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    We got an odd third verse in O little town at the late service too; I can't remember the exact words but they certainly weren't inspiring! They were on a service sheet, and I suppose they came from the orange abomination hymnbook.
  • Forthview wrote: »
    Interesting to see in the 'dignified and reverent' liturgy in the cathedral at Skara that the bishop 'presided' while another priest celebrated the eucharist.
    <snip>

    They're Lutheran, so they sometimes do things differently...still dignified and reverent, though, at least IMHO.
    :wink:
    Piglet wrote: »
    We got an odd third verse in O little town at the late service too; I can't remember the exact words but they certainly weren't inspiring! They were on a service sheet, and I suppose they came from the orange abomination hymnbook.

    I don't think so - in the said book, the four verses begin thus:

    1. O little town of Bethlehem

    2. O morning stars, together

    3. How silently, how silently

    4. O holy child of Bethlehem


    They all look OK to me, so perhaps your peculiar verse came from elsewhere.

  • By putting marks round 'dignified and reverent' I didn't mean to say that I disagreed. It was really to show that it was a quote from BF.
    It used to be quite common for RC bishops to 'preside' at a eucharist but to let another priest do all the' work'.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Forthview wrote: »
    Interesting to see in the 'dignified and reverent' liturgy in the cathedral at Skara that the bishop 'presided' while another priest celebrated the eucharist.
    <snip>

    They're Lutheran, so they sometimes do things differently...still dignified and reverent, though, at least IMHO.
    :wink:
    Piglet wrote: »
    We got an odd third verse in O little town at the late service too; I can't remember the exact words but they certainly weren't inspiring! They were on a service sheet, and I suppose they came from the orange abomination hymnbook.

    I don't think so - in the said book, the four verses begin thus:

    1. O little town of Bethlehem

    2. O morning stars, together

    3. How silently, how silently

    4. O holy child of Bethlehem


    They all look OK to me, so perhaps your peculiar verse came from elsewhere.

    Thanks for the correction, BF - I really don't know where this service order came from, but it's printed as a fairly permanent looking booklet, so I expect we're stuck with it. There were six lessons, interspersed with carols (all congregational), and then it went into the Eucharist.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    The Bethlehem Carol Sheet may be the culprit, although I haven't seen or used one for some years. IIRC, it often has/had slightly different - and maybe conservative - versions of carols. FatherInCharge takes it along for the annual carol-singing in Our Place's local pub.

    It's not very user-friendly, having rather small print, not easy to read at the best of times, let alone in a candlelit church!

    A semi-permanent service booklet doesn't necessarily mean you have to have That Verse in perpetuity - something else more suitable could be printed off and stuck over it with Glue...
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Good idea! :mrgreen:
  • What was not 'dignified and reverent' was the Midnight Mass in the cathedral of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. The musical director of several choirs which have to do with the cathedral has been given notice by the diocese. No-one seems to be able to say why, claiming privacy and security. Many parents and other adults have complained to the diocesan authorities about the sacking.
    Towards the end of the Mass several of the choirs together gave a splendid rendering in English of 'Hark, the herald angels sing'. After this there was ecstatic applause which went on for several minutes and impeded the archbishop's final words, which were interrupted with boos and whistling. The livestream of the Mass by K-tv was stopped and it appears to have ended in general chaos.
  • I haven't watched it, but at the end they put up an announcement saying "We ask for your understanding that the broadcast cannot be continued due to intentional disruption of the service".
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited December 2024
    I don't know whether it's comforting (in the sense that we're not alone) or worrying to hear that Cathedrals being beastly to their organists or choirmasters isn't confined to the UK. :cry:
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    To be honest, while I get that it wasn’t “dignified and reverent,” and while mindful that we don’t know the facts, in principle I’m not inclined to fault the people too much for expressing their appreciation for the musicians and their displeasure with those who sacked the music director.


  • I agree with you ,Nick Tamen. Not only parents but many others have complained about this sacking. Obviously I don't know the background to this. What the diocesan authorities have tried to say is that this was not the place or time to make this type of protest when many people would be there who would not know about the dispute.
    Others might say that it is indeed the very moment to bring it to the attention of the wider public. I hope you enjoyed the choir's rendition of Hark,the herald angels sing.
  • It might be that the musician asked for details to be kept private.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    That thought occurred to me, along with the thought that there might be good legal reasons for the details being kept under wraps. Nuff said.

    Back to Hark! the herald angels sing, and the first two verses were sung (between 1st and 2nd readings) in English at the Christmas Day service at Uppsala Cathedral. The choir (men and boys) also sang Willcocks' arrangement of God rest ye merry, gentlemen (in English) as a sort of interlude between the Creed and the intercessions.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    To be honest, while I get that it wasn’t “dignified and reverent,” and while mindful that we don’t know the facts, in principle I’m not inclined to fault the people too much for expressing their appreciation for the musicians and their displeasure with those who sacked the music director.
    My thoughts exactly, Nick.
  • Still Christmas, still carolling. (Although the sermon is on the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple)

    See Amid The Winter's Snow (Humility)
    Once In Royal David's City (Irby)
    Good Christians All Rejoice (In Dulci Jubilo)
    As with Gladness Men of Old (Dix)
  • Carols.
  • DardaDarda Shipmate
    The season of *Twixtmas* today so the usual early morning traditional service and the later family service were combined into one intermediate time slot. We sang:

    Joy to the World ANTIOCH
    See Him Lying on a Bed of Straw CALYPSO CAROL
    In the Bleak Midwinter* CRANHAM
    Angels From the Realms of Glory GLORIA
    Good Christians All Rejoice** IN DULCI JUBILO

    * On this day in 1894 the poet Christina Rossetti died
    ** We did not sing Good Christian men
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited December 2024
    *Holy Family Sunday* at Our Place, with the emphasis on building up Christian Family Life™:

    A great and mighty wonder (Es ist ein' ros' entsprungen)
    Good King Wenceslas (Tempus Adest Floridum)
    Away in a manger (Cradle Song)
    The Virgin Mary had a baby boy (traditional West Indian words and music)

    :grimace:
  • Today we'll have:

    Once in Royal David's city (IRBY)
    God rest ye merry, Gentlemen
    Lo, how a rose e'er blooming (ES IST EIN ROS')
    It came upon a midnight clear (CAROL?)

    The Parish Choir is singing Benjamin Britten's A New Year Carol.

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited December 2024
    I forgot to bring the service order home from Christmas Eve, but it was basically the usual suspects, including:

    Once in royal David's city (with solo piglet)
    A great and mighty wonder
    O little town of Bethlehem
    O come, all ye faithful
    Away in a manger
    Hark! the herald-angels sing


    Today we had:

    The first nowell - The First Nowell
    A great and mighty wonder - Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
    Unto us a boy is born - Puer Nobis :heart:
    What child is this? - Greensleeves
    God rest you merry, gentlemen - God Rest You Merry

    Predictably, the verses that were missed out were the wrong ones, and it might have been an idea to give a nod to Wenceslas (even if he didn't exist, and if he did he was an evil old git), as we're still in the octave of the Feast of Stephen ... :mrgreen:
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