23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, 2010)

Sunday, 5 September 2010


Entrance When I survey the wondrous cross
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Glory to God in the Highest (John L Bell)
Psalm Lord, you have been our refuge (John L Bell)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia Mode 2 (Plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts Be still, my soul
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Gathering Mass (Paul Inwood)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion As the deer longs (Bob Hurd)
Postcommunion Adoramus Te, no. 2 in Gm (Antonio Lotti, c. 1667-1740)
Recessional O God our help in ages past

As usual for our first Sunday back in September, the ranks of the congregation were swelled by the members of No. 1 Province of the Catenian Association, and as usual they sang wonderfully well. Our music drew a connection with our Lord’s words in the Gospel reading:

Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

in the hymn at the Preparation of the Gifts:

Be still, my soul, the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Two other pieces – our opening hymn, and the choir’s postcommunion motet – spoke of our Lord’s own greater cross. Lotti sets a slightly embroidered version of the text of the ancient and well-known antiphon:

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
for by your holy Cross and your passion you have redeemed the world.

Bob Hurd’s As the deer longs was new to us, and a perfect fit for the Communion antiphon from Psalm 41(42). We’ll certainly be singing it again.

2 comments:

  1. Surprised that you have never sung Bob Hurd's classic setting of this psalm, which has been around for many years. May I suggest that you earmark it for use in darkness as one of the psalms during the Easter Vigil next year? Magic!

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  2. I'd already pencilled it in! In recent years on this Sunday we've made do with Palestrina's, ahem, classic setting. :-) It's only in the last five years that we've had the Ezekiel reading, which this psalm follows, at the Easter Vigil. I wrote a setting for use at the Vigil, and that too we've made do with until now. But the Hurd is an excellent addition to the repertoire.

    Discovering new old pieces can be a real delight! In the last year we've done Bernadette Farrell's Restless is the Heart for the first time. An excellent parish choir I know of in the midlands - one of whose members said to me 'I can't believe you've never sung Bob Hurd's As the deer longs!' - has never done Paul Inwood's Remember your mercy. I expect there are lots more classics I haven't yet come across. I'll keep browsing through Laudate!

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