Psalm 18 (17) : In my distress I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice (Friday in 5th Week of Lent)

Here is my setting of the response for the Psalm for today, which I will be leading in St Patrick's Cathedral here in Melbourne.

Singing at Mass on 4th Sunday in Lent Year C

I'm on the roster again this week in my local parish. All inspired by Sacramentum Caritatis, imagining Gregorian Chant and music fitting for the great mystery of the Mass, I now have to come down a notch or two to the real world.

So, here's what I've chosen for Mass on Sunday and why:

1) Opening Song: Hosea (Gather Australia 213, by Gregory Norbet).

Yep, I know that chosing this one breaks just about all my own personal rules for chosing a parish repertoire--especially the rule about not using songs that have Us pretending to be God singing to Us. So why have I chosen it? It's well known, it was used by the group on the roster last week, it fits with the readings.

2) Psalm: Psalm 34 (33) "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord" (setting by Fr Chris Willcock SJ).

This one is an Australian classic. It is a very dignified, simple and noble settiing.

3) Gospel acclamation: Bernadette Farrell's "Praise to you, O Christ our Saviour", chorus and verse.

4) Offertory song: "Lord, to whom shall we go?" by Michael Herry (As One Voice Vol 1, no. 6)

I like Herry's stuff. It is as good as Taize. Again, simple and dignified. This one is Eucharistic and picks up the themes in both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel.

5) Eucharistic Setting: Christopher Walker's Glastonbury Mass (Published in Music for the Mass, vol. 1 by Geoffrey Chapman)

This is a simple responsive setting, which works well given that I have no accompaniment. By the way, our new priest has decided that we should really have only three parish mass settings at the most. I tend to agree. Just which three will he chose and on whose advice though? It would be a good exercise to see what three readers of this blog would choose. If I had my own way? I would see to it that the parish knew at least one simple Gregorian setting (similar to that which is printed in our missals). Then probably the Jubilee Mass or Mass Shalom, since these are just about universal in Australia. And then it would be by popular vote which came next.

6) Communion Hymn: "Taste and See God's Love for us" (Deidre Browne and Kevin Lenehan, Gather Australia 203)

This is a Eucharistic repeating refrain with verses sung over the top. I agree with those who believe that the communion hymn should be simple for folk to be able to sing as they are processing to receive communion.

7) Amazing Grace.

Yes, go ahead, groan. Its not my favourite hymn either, but it is a favourite of lots of folk, and (get this) we NEVER sing classical style hymns at my local parish. So I am sneeking this one in at the end just for the sake of singing something that's more than 40 years old. I am sure that Pope Benedict did not have this hymn in mind when he was talking about the 2000 year old patrimony of the Church's music, but it's there anyway. And it fits with the story of the prodigal son. By the way, we change the second line from "a wretch like me" to "and set me free".

Psalm 81 (80): I am the Lord your God; Hear my voice

Here is the antiphon I have prepared for Mass this Friday (3rd Week in Lent) in the Cathedral.

Sacramentum Caritatis for singers!

There is joy for the musical in the Holy Father's latest apostolic exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis". Here it is:

42. In the ars celebrandi, liturgical song has a pre-eminent place. (126) Saint Augustine rightly says in a famous sermon that "the new man sings a new song. Singing is an expression of joy and, if we consider the matter, an expression of love" (127). The People of God assembled for the liturgy sings the praises of God. In the course of her two-thousand-year history, the Church has created, and still creates, music and songs which represent a rich patrimony of faith and love. This heritage must not be lost. Certainly as far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall celebration (128). Consequently everything – texts, music, execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons (129). Finally, while respecting various styles and different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in accordance with the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be suitably esteemed and employed (130) as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy (131).

62. None of the above observations should cast doubt upon the importance of such large-scale liturgies. I am thinking here particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which nowadays are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of these occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, (182) that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant. (184)

There is also little note about the Post-Communion Hymn which supports the general gist of Elizabeth Harrington's advice, and yet corrects her to a certain degree also:

Furthermore, the precious time of thanksgiving after communion should not be neglected: besides the singing of an appropriate hymn, it can also be most helpful to remain recollected in silence. (152)

Psalm 105 (104) - Remember the Marvels the Lord has Done

Here is an antiphon for Psalm 105 (104). It is set down for today, the Friday in the Second Week of Lent. I will use it in the Cathedral today at 1pm mass after the Stations of the Cross.

Psalm 130 - If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, who could endure it?

Here is the psalm setting for Psalm 130 (Psalm 129 in the old money) which I prepared for singing in the Cathedral today. It is based on Martin Luther's Chorale "Aus Tiefer Not", which is, I think, one of the most poignant renditions of this psalm in the Church's history.

What to do when you are complimented

I find it really difficult when people come up to me and say "You sang really well", or "Thank you for singing at mass today". It is as my singing has become the focus of their attention instead of their singing to God. I feel a little defeated by this, because in that case I feel that I have failed in my objective.

This week, I led the singing of Willcock's setting of Psalm 51 at mass twice in the Cathedral. Each time it got responses. I said "Well, Chris Willcock has written a very beautiful setting" or, on another occasion, I led the discussion into what the psalm was about.

Sometimes, when complimented, I just have to say "Thank you".

Singing at St Bernadette's for 1st Sunday in Lent Yr C

I'm leading the singing this Sunday (1st Sunday in Lent, Year C) in my local parish. Here's the program I propose to use:

Opening: A Trusting Psalm (Kevin Bates, As One Voice I:115)
Psalm: Marty Haugen's "Be with me, Lord" (Psalm 91) (Gather Australia 53)
Offertory: Give us hearts renewed (Michael Herry, "Song of the Pilgrim")
Communion: Gregory Norbet's "Heal me, O God" (As One Voice Vol II:52) - just the chorus I think.
Closing: On Eagle's Wings (Michael Joncas, TIS 48 / Gather Australia 452)

The setting for the liturgy I use is a responsorial one (the people sing after me), Christopher Walker's Glastonbury Mass (taken from Music for the Mass edited by Geoffrey Boulton Smith).

Yes, I know that none of this is classical Catholic. Quite the opposite. But each piece has the following benefits:
1) They are easy to sing (well, Eagle's Wings can be tricky if you follow Joncas' suggested timing, but easy if you don't!) and fairly familiar to our crowd
2) The passages are fairly scriptural, and all are focused on God
3) there is a good link up with the scripture readings for the day and with the beginning of Lent
4) none of these contain any heresy.

Ash Wednesday at St Patrick's Cathedral

There will be singing at St Pat's at the 1pm mass tomorrow. I am just planning it out at the moment.

The Psalm is the easy bit. Chris Willcock SJ's Psalm 51 is mandatory (cf. Psalms for Feasts and Seasons or TIS 32.)

We will use the entrance antiphon as it is in the missal, set to "Make me a channel of your peace", with the people using "You are the Lord our God" as a refrain.

During the signing with the ashes, I think I will use Michael Herry's "Give us hearts renewed" (from "Song of the Pilgrim"), which is short and repetitive. I have been looking at the "antiphons" that are suggested in the missal for singing during the signing, but I have no idea (at this point) how to sing them. Some work and research needed there. There is also a "responsory" listed, but again, no suggestion of how to use it. Mons Elliot, in his Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, simply says that "during the imposition the antiphons or appropriate penitential hymns are sung."

I think we will use "O Lord throughout these forty days" as the communion hymn. It is possible that you do not know this hymn. It is probably more current among Lutherans than among Catholics, but there is no reason why Catholics should not sing it. And it has a common metre 8.6.8.6 so it can be sung to a whole range of tunes. Lutherans use "Caithness", but you could use "Amazing Grace" or "Crimond"--though probably not advisable. Better would be "Belair" or "Tallis' Ordinal". In fact, I think I will use the latter (TIS 397). Here is the text based on an original by Claudia F. Hernaman (d. 1898) and Gilbert E. Doan.

1. O Lord, throughout these forty days
You prayed and kept the fast;
Inspire repentance for our sin,
And free us from our past.

2. You strove with Satan, and you won;
Your faithfulness endured;
give us your strength, your skill and trust
In God's eternal Word.

3. Though parched and hungry, yet you prayed
And fixed your mind above;
So teach us to deny ourselves
Since we have known God's love.

4. Be with us through this season, Lord,
And all our earthly days,
That when the final Easter dawns,
We join in heaven's praise.

Psalm 93 (92) - The Lord is King: He is Robed in Majesty

As I have mentioned before, I sometimes cantor in St Patrick's Cathedral at the 1pm Mass (regularly on Fridays, but other times on occasion). This afternoon we had Psalm 93 (or Psalm 92 in the old money), with the refrain "The Lord is King; He is robed in majesty". It isn't always easy to find a setting for the week day psalms, and when I do, I don't always like them. So I often make one up.

When making up music for the antiphon, it has to be catchy enough for the crowd to catch on one hearing (especially where there is no accompaniment). I believe that the best rule for this is if the music imitates the rhythm and pitch at which the spoken voice would speak the line. Saying the antiphon over and over to yourself you can usually hear the "tune" behind it.

Here is the way I sang this psalm this afternoon. You will get what I mean.

I need an Accompanist for Mass at The Basin

I know its pretty pointless putting this on my blog, since very few people actually read it, but I need an accomapanist for when I cantor/lead singing at mass at St Bernadette's in The Basin. I sing there on the last Sunday of the month, and at the moment do it unaccompanied. I had a great guitarist, Warren, who played for me for years, here and at Our Lady's at Ringwood, but he has, literally, gotten himself a wife and there are other priorities in his life now.

So if you can help me out or know someone who can... Just drop me a line.

Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral During Lent

I have already blogged that we sing the liturgy on Fridays at 1pm Mass in St Patrick's Cathedral. Now, during Lent, there will be an added attraction: Stations of the Cross each Friday before mass at 12:30pm. With Adoration after Mass, this means Melbourne based Catholics can really make Friday's a focus of their Lenten devotion.

Yesterday, at our little "sung Mass", we had a marriage blessing. The elderly Italian couple had been married in the Cathedral 50 years ago to the day. More remarkably, they have been living back in Italy for the last 41 years, and came out to Australia again specifically so that they could go to Mass at St Patrick's and have their marriage blessed again. It was sooo cute. So was Monsignor Baron's rather Ocker Italian!

My 10 Commandments for Forming A Parish Repertoire

I always say that everyone is entitled to my own opinion. So here it is. How to form a truly Catholic parish repertoire. Just the ten rules for now to wet your appetite. I will elaborate later on.

First: Four rules for judging a good Catholic liturgical hymn or song

1) Is it focused on God?
Is it a song about or addressed to God rather than a song about or addressed to ourselves?

2) Is it true?
Does it express the Catholic faith? Is what it says about God true? Is what it says about us (and others) true? Does it name God truthfully? Does what it says agree with the Catholic faith?

3) Is it singable?
Can it be sung without accompaniment? Does it avoid difficult timing? (eg. strange or inconsistent rhythms, notes tied over bars etc.) Does it have a memorable melody?

4) If the text is not a scriptural or liturgical text, does it have dignity as poetry apart from the music?
Does is avoid trite or clichéd language, bad English, inverted word order? If the text is liturgical or scriptural, does it accurately represent the original text?

Second: Four Aims for building a good Parish repertoire

5) Aim to build up a broad range of theological / liturgical / ritual / seasonal themes suitable for all occasions.
Especially: Advent/Christmas/Epiphany, Lent/Passion/Easter, Pentecost/Confirmation, Eucharist/First Communion, Penance/First Confession, Saints Days, Graduation, School festivals, Entrance, Offertory, Eucharist, Sending out, Asperges, etc.

6) Aim to build up a repertoire of song that represents examples from every stage of the historical heritage of the Church.
Eg. Gregorian/plainchant, Latin hymnody, German chorales, Victorian hymns, Twentieth Century song, Carols, etc.

7) Aim to build up a repertoire of song that represents broad geographical/cultural origins, but reflective of and faithful to our own cultural heritage.
Eg. English, Celtic, European, Local Australian material (if it meets the criteria for a good song); African, Latin, Asian, American, Islander depending on the local community. (nb. Can be a bit false to impose songs of a foreign culture or heritage.)

8) Aim to build up a repertoire of song that represents a broad range of styles
Eg. Chants, Responsorial, Hymns, Songs, Choruses, Rounds, Echos, etc.

Two footnotes before deciding to introduce or encourage the use of a song

9) Does the song have lasting merit?
Has it been in continual use and does it show every indication that it will continue to be used? Will teaching the song be a lasting investment? ie. will it be of use for their future spiritual/communal worship lives? Indicator: is the song often included in independently edited hymnbooks and collections of songs?

10) Is the song widely known?
Widely = in Catholic circles, ecumenically, nationally or internationally. Will teaching the song equip the people for worshipping elsewhere other than in our local Parish and School? Will it bind them in unity with other Catholics/Christians? Indicator is same as above: Is the song often included hymnbooks and collections of songs of other dioceses, denominations and countries?

"When the Spear of Sin and Pride": A hymn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

This is one of the few hymns I have written since becoming Catholic. I used it first at Our Lady's Church in Ringwood where I was music coordinator for several years under the admirable Fr Gregory Pritchard (now in charge of the charred St Joseph's at Chelsea).

The tune is a simple folksong ("Parsley sage rosemary and thyme"--made famous by Simon and Garfunkel). John Bell of the Iona Community is really good at doing this sort of thing. It works well, because the tune is dignified and familiar, but is also fresh in that it hasn't been used for a spiritual song before as far as I know.

I wrote a much longer version of this hymn, which draws on the tradition of the seven sacraments flowing from the side of Christ (Catechism 766, 1225), but I never quite got it right. I will post it when I do.

Tune: Scarborough Fair (Hymns Old and New 485)
7.7.7.7

1. When the spear of sin and pride
forced a wound in Jesus' side,
John saw blood and water flow
from his heart to earth below.

2. Living water, fount of life,
Welling up from deep inside,
Streaming from the throne of the Lamb
Healing every race and land.

3. From his heart flows precious blood,
Filled with life, a saving flood,
Flowing in baptismal streams
Where we wash our garments clean.

© David Schütz

Commentary/Biblical references:
Verse 1: John 19:34 Blood and water from his side, pierced by the spear, wounded by the sin of the world (They shall look upon him whom they have pierced)
Verse 2. Fount of life (John 7:38), Living water, the river of life (Ezekiel 47, Revelation 22:1) flowing from the temple, the city of God, the throne of the lamb, for the healing of the nations.
Verse 3: The elect wash their robes in the blood of Christ and make themselves clean (Rev 7:14) (Rock of Ages: "Foul, I too the fountain fly; wash, me Saviour, or I die.")