3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 22 January 2012

 

Entrance	Sing a new song (John Bell)
Kyrie	Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Gloria	Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm	Ps 24 (Geoffrey Boulton Smith/StephenDean)
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia Mode 2 (Plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts	Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei	Belmont Mass
Communion	Taste and see (Richard Proulx)
Postcommunion	A song of the light (Simon Lole)
Recessional	O Christ, the same (Timothy Dudley-Smith/Londonderry Air)

 

We usually sing John Bell’s Sing a new song, with its Alleluia refrain, as a Gospel Acclamation. Its verses are from Ps 95(96), and since this was the source of today’s entrance antiphon, we took the opportunity to sing the whole of it as our entrance song. We normally do it a cappella, but today Anthony improvised a sparkling accompaniment, spreading out into improvised toccata both before and after.

The Missal offers two Communion antiphons today:

Look toward the Lord and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

We sang something to reflect each: Richard Proulx's setting of Ps 33(34), from which the first was drawn, and Simon Lole’s elegant paraphrase of Hail, gladdening light.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 15 January 2012

 

Entrance	Here I am, Lord (Dan Schutte)
Kyrie	Kyrie II from Festival Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria	Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm	Ps 39 (Paul Inwood)
Gospel Acclamation	Sing a New Song (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts	The Lamb (John Tavener)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei	Holy Family Mass (John Schiavone)
Communion	Jesus, Lamb of God (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion	Venite Comedite (William Byrd, 1540-1623)
Recessional	Forth in the peace of Christ

 

The story of Samuel in the first reading, and the Psalm response, both had the words Here I am, and it was no distance from there to Dan Schutte’s old favourite. In the Gospel reading John the Baptist calls Jesus Lamb of God, and in Bernadette Farrell’s litany we did the same.

The refrain to Bernadette Farrell’s song has the words Hear our prayer, through this bread and wine we share, and our postcommunion motet, a setting of the tract (from Proverbs) from the Votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament, also featured the word wine:

Venite comedite panem meam, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis.

(Come and eat my bread, and drink the wine I have poured out for you)

In the previous translation of the Missal, today’s Communion antiphon did too, paraphrasing from the words calix inebrians in the Vulgate rendition of Ps 22(23):

The Lord has prepared a feast for me:
given wine in plenty for me to drink.

The new translation is more oblique:

You have prepared a table before me,
and how precious is the chalice that quenches my thirst.

The Epiphany (2012)

Sunday, 8 January 2012

 

Entrance	O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Gloria	Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm	Ps 71 (Eugene Monaghan/Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation	St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts	Bethlehem! of noblest cities
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Agnus Dei	Missa Ubi Caritas
Communion	Laudate Omnes Gentes (Taizé) & Reges Tharsis (chant)
Postcommunion	Videntes stellam (Francis Poulenc, 1899-1963)
Recessional	The first nowell

 

Poulenc’s Four Motets for Christmas Time are among my all-time favourite pieces of music. So I’m glad we could muster the forces for the quirkily serene Videntes Stellam. At least one member of the congregation reported a tingling spine.

Ordination to the Diaconate of Joseph Gee

Saturday before Epiphany

7 January 2012

 

Entrance	Of the Father’s love begotten
Gloria	Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm	Ps 149 (The Lord takes delight) (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation	Easter Alleluia
Litany of the Saints	chant
Vesting	How lovely is your dwelling place (Paul Wellicome)
Kiss of Peace	Si quis mihi ministraverit (chant)
Preparation of the Gifts	Cantate Domino (Giuseppe Pitoni, 1657-1743)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Agnus Dei	Missa Ubi Caritas
Communion	(i) Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell) (ii) O nata lux (Thomas Tallis, c. 1505-1585)
Recessional	Songs of thankfulness and praise

 

An ordination to the diaconate was a new experience for us, in the last 20-odd years at any rate. I thought the elements proper to the rite combined well with seasonal items appropriate to the Saturday falling before a late Epiphany.

The vesting of the new deacon calls for Ps 83(84), and we had Paul Wellicome’s gentle reflective setting. Ps 146(146) is laid down for the Kiss of Peace, but with only the Bishop and four other deacons exchanging the sign of peace with Joseph, we sang just the antiphon, taken from the Graduale. The Responsorial Psalm was from Ps 149, and we had my simple setting during the Liturgy of the Word, and Pitoni’s more boisterous rendition at the Preparation of the Gifts.

Christmas Morning (2011)

Sunday, 25 December 2011

 

Entrance	(i) Hodie Christus natus est (chant) (ii) O Come all ye faithful
Gloria	Psallite Mass
Psalm	All the ends of the earth (Alan Johnson)
Gospel Acclamation	St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts	God rest ye merry Gentlemen
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Agnus Dei	Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion	Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion	Love came down at Christmas (Christina Rossetti/Malcolm Archer)
Recessional	Hark, the herald angels sing

 

Seven men of the choir made our usual merry noise in three and four part harmony. Malcolm Archer’s setting of Christina Rossetti’s poem, and Bernadette Farrell’s thoughtful Communion song, made for moments of tranquility among all the festive cheer.

A happy Christmas to everyone!

Christmas Vigil and Midnight Mass (2011)

Saturday, 24 December 2011

 

Introit	O Emmanuel (chant)
Opening Hymn	O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Reading	Isaiah 11:1-10 (A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse)
Choir	Angels we have heard on high (trad. arr Eric Paździora)
Hymn	It came upon the midnight clear
Reading	Luke 1:26-38 (The Annunciation)
Hymn	In the bleak midwinter (Holst)
Reading	John 1: 1-18 (In the Beginning was the Word)
Choir	Coventry Carol (trad., arr Martin Shaw)
Bishop’s entrance and procession to the crib	Adeste Fideles
Gloria	Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Reading	Isaiah 9:2-7 (The people that walked in darkness)
Psalm	Christmas Psalm (Bernadette Farrell)
Reading	Titus 2:11-14 (God’s grace has been revealed)
Gospel Acclamation	St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Reading	Luke 2:1-14 (The Nativity)
Preparation of the gifts	What sweeter music (John Rutter)
Sanctus, Acclamation	Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Agnus Dei	Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion	O Magnum Mysterium (T.L. de Victoria, 1548-1611) Silent night
Postcommunion	While shepherds watched their flocks
Recessional	Hark the herald angels sing

 

A bigger congregation than usual joined us for Midnight Mass; perhaps it was the mild weather, or an end at last to the Chapel Street road works. Celebration Brass were there too, and Deacon Liam Bradley from the diocese of Menevia, nearly at the end of his year’s placement in Salford diocese, sang the Gospel beautifully. Our musical banquet had, as usual, something for everyone.

4th Sunday of Advent (Year B, 2011)

Sunday, 18 December 2011

 

Entrance	The Angel Gabriel
Kyrie	Missal Chant
Psalm	Ps 88 (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation	Advent Gospel Acclamations (Alan Smith)
Prayers of Intercession	Through our lives (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts	Ave Maria (Franz Schubert, 1797-1828, arr. Richard Proulx)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Missal Chant
Agnus Dei	Missal Chant
Communion	Veni Immanuel (John Bell) & Ps 79(80)
Postcommunion	Rorate Caeli (Francisco Guerrero, 1528-1599)
Recessional	O come, O come Emmanuel

 

Ave Maria is today’s Offertory antiphon. We had rehearsed settings by Elgar and Rachmaninov, in anticipation of a celebration of the feast of the Immaculate Conception that wasn’t to be, but I’m glad we settled on Schubert for today’s Annunciation-themed celebration. Richard Proulx's arrangement gives the first stanza (so to speak) to a solo soprano, sung today with luminous serenity by Gwen Leech, with the second section set for four-part choir.

The name Emmanuel appears in today’s Communion antiphon, and we echoed it in our Communion processional song, and in our jubilant final hymn.