5th Sunday of Lent (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 25 March 2012

 
Entrance Deep within (David Haas)
Kyrie Mass XVII
Psalm Ps 50 (Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Prayers of Intercession Lord, in your mercy (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts Miserere Mei (Antonio Lotti, c.1667-1740)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass XVII
Agnus Dei Mass XVII & Missa Aeterna Christi Munera (G.P. da Palestrina, 1525-1594)
Communion Unless a grain of wheat (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Lift high the cross
 

The Lectionary prompted several of our musical choices today. From the first reading from Jeremiah, the words Deep within them I will plant my law, writing it on their hearts, were echoed in our entrance song by David Haas. We sang Bernadette Farrell’s setting of the Gospel text from John 12 at Communion, and the Lotti, like today’s responsorial psalm, was from Psalm 50.

The Gospel text also included the words when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men to myself, which we sang again in our closing hymn:

O Lord, once lifted on the tree of pain,
draw all the world to seek you once again

The words seem to be a rather clumsy rewrite of the original:

O Lord once lifted on this glorious Tree
as Thou hast promised draw men unto Thee

An internet search throws up any number of attempts at a gender-inclusive rewrite (draw us all, draw the world, and so on), but it’s more of a mystery why the cross might no longer be deemed glorious.

Salford City Celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Sunday, 18 March 2012

 
Entrance All people that on earth do dwell (arr. Vaughan Williams)
Cathedral Choir I was glad (C.H.H. Parry, 1848-1918)
Hymn Praise my soul, the King of heaven
Choir of St Phillip’s Primary School (i) On eagles’ wings (Michael Joncas)
(ii) Here I am, Lord (Dan Schutte)
Hymn Lord, for the years
Hymn How great thou art
Choir of St Phillip’s Primary School A Clare Benediction (John Rutter)
National Anthem
Anthony Hunt (organ) Crown Imperial (William Walton, 1902-1983)
 

The Cathedral was host to a service of celebration organised and led by the Church of England. Our Bishop Terence gave words of welcome and a final blessing, but the prayers were led by the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, and the sermon was by the Bishop of Bolton, Rt Revd Chris Edmondson. The Revd Mark Haworth, Vicar of Rochdale and until recently Borough Dean of Salford, presided over the presentation of symbols from the seven decades of the calendar through which the Queen has reigned, and the lighting of candles by representatives from across the community. Prayers were read by civic, political and community leaders, and the Lord Lieutenant and the Lord Mayor exchanged greetings on behalf, respectively, of Her Majesty and the people of Salford.

Musically speaking it was the most fun we’ve had for ages. The occasion cried out for Parry’s unforgettable coronation anthem, and this we had, vivats and all, aided and abetted by Celebration Brass (as well as Anthony, of course). A misbehaving video camera meant that we couldn't capture the whole thing for posterity, but here’s a clip of the first two or three minutes. (There’s also a longer clip of the entrance procession and opening hymn here.)

There were three items from the magnificent choir of St Philip’s RC Primary School, Salford, including an engagingly nuanced rendition of On eagles’ wings, all led by the equally excellent Mrs Summers, and (I’m guessing) accompanied by Mr Lee at the keyboard. I thought they were a superb advertisement for music in Catholic schools.

4th Sunday of Lent (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 18 March 2012

 
Entrance Rejoice, Rejoice (Psallite)
Kyrie Mass XVII
Psalm Ps 136 (Julia Rowntree)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Prayers of Intercession Lord, in your mercy (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts God so loved the world (John Stainer, 1840-1901)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass XVII
Agnus Dei Mass XVII & Missa O Quam Gloriosum (T.L. de Victoria, 1548-1611)
Communion O Jerusalem (David Haas)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Praise we our God with joy
 

The Entrance antiphon -

Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her;
rejoice with her, you who mourned for her,
and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts.

- gives today its traditional title of Laetare Sunday. The Psallite setting of the antiphon takes the opening motif of Rejoice Greatly from the Messiah, and couples it with chanted verses from Ps 121(122), from which today’s Communion antiphon is also drawn.

David Haas’s lament, from Luke 13:34, kept our focus on Jerusalem. And Stainer’s dramatic, yet at times mesmerisingly peaceful anthem was the natural choice to echo today’s Gospel reading.

3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 11 March 2012

 
Entrance O God, thy people gather
Kyrie Mass XVII
Gloria (none)
Psalm Ps 18 (Geoffrey Boulton Smith)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Prayers of Intercession Lord, in your mercy (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts Adoramus Te Christe (Antonio Lotti, 1667-1740)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass XVII
Agnus Dei Mass XVII & Missa super Laudate Dominum (Orlande de Lassus, 1532-1594)
Communion Give us, Lord, a new heart (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Christ triumphant, ever reigning
 

Today’s second reading, from 1 Corinthians, speaks of the madness and foolishness of preaching a crucified Christ instead of miracles and wisdom. Christ driving out the money changers from the Temple perhaps also acts with apparent folly and madness, and obliquely foretells the crucifixion, in the words Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up. Lotti’s antiphon sings of the cross bringing about the redemption of the world, and our final hymn also touched on the same image:

Suffering Servant, scorned, ill-treated,
Victim crucified!
Death is through the cross defeated,
Sinners justified.

The entrance antiphon included the words

I will pour clean water upon you
and cleanse you from all your impurities,
and I will give you a new spirit, says the Lord.

We had Bernadette Farrell’s setting of the same text from Ezekiel. Its verses, shifting restlessly through flat and sharp keys, are a challenge, but our cantor Aimée Presswood carried them off with utmost competence and conviction.

2nd Sunday of Lent (Year B, 2012)

Sunday, 4 March 2012

 
Entrance Kyrie Eleison (Marty Haugen)
Kyrie Mass XVII
Gloria (none)
Psalm Ps 115 (McCarthy/BĂ©venot)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Prayers of Intercession Lord, in your mercy (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts Hear my prayer, O Lord (Henry Purcell, 1659-1695)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass XVII
Agnus Dei Mass XVII & Missa Brevis (Antonio Lotti, c. 1667–1740)
Communion Be still, for the presence of the Lord (David Evans)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Be thou my vision
 

The entrance antiphon, from Ps 24(25) included the words

Remember your compassion, O Lord,
and your merciful love

Marty Haugen’s Kyrie Eleison is an extended plea for the same mercy, with thoughtful words for the cantor sung over the ostinato Kyrie refrain:

In my song and in my silence
In my faith and in my doubting
In my courage and my weakness
I call upon you, God.

For the Gospel of the Transfiguration, we had Be still, for the presence. We don’t very often have a hymn at Communion; it’s a much better time to ask the people to sing a short refrain from memory rather than to carry a hymn book or service sheet with them in procession and to read while processing. But this one is short enough that it served more like a prelude to Communion rather than an accompaniment to it, and most people had put down their sheets before it was time for them to process.

Henry Purcell’s powerful and atmospheric anthem for eight voices is thought to be the opening fragment of an incomplete longer work. I wonder what we missed out on, and indeed what further masterpieces we might have been given if Purcell had lived beyond the age of thirty-six?