Ash Wednesday (2013)

Wednesday, 13 February 2013


Entrance O God, I seek you (Marty Haugen)
Psalm Ps 50 (Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Imposition of Ashes Lord, Cleanse my heart (Psallite)
Sanctus, Acclamation C, Amen Missa Orbis Factor & Missal tones
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Miserere Mei (Antonio Lotti, c.1667-1740)
Recessional Our Father, we have wandered
 

A Latin chant setting as usual for Lent. This year we're going back to Mass XI (Missa Orbis Factor), which we last sang four years ago. In the past, we've done the Kyrie and Sanctus from Mass XI, coupled with the Agnus from Mass XVIII, but the fact that we've sung the latter in English during Advent for the last two years seemed a good excuse to add the Agnus from Mass XI to our repertoire this time round. It's beautiful, but fairly challenging for a singing assembly, with little of the repetition that makes other chant settings a bit easier to assimilate. I'm hoping our assembly will have mastered it by the time we get to Holy Thursday.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 10 February 2013

 
Entrance Come, ring out your joy (arr. Martin Foster)
Kyrie Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Gloria Psallite
Psalm Before the angels (Daniel Bath)
Gospel Acclamation Wright
Preparation of the Gifts Lord of All Hopefulness (Laurence Caldecote) – choir
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Belmont Mass
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion Come to me (Martin Barry/Diane Murden)
Postcommunion O Quam Suavis (Willam Byrd, c.1540-1623)
Recessional Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty
 

The entrance antiphon O come, let us worship God gave us our opening song. The first reading, from Isaiah, told of the angels crying out Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, which prompted the final hymn. Our two items at Communion reflected the two antiphons in the Missal: the hungry he fills with good things, and Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And for the responsorial Psalm Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord we had Daniel Bath’s bright and uplifting setting in African Gospel style.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 3 February 2013

 
Entrance Save us, Lord our God (Christopher Walker)
Kyrie Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Gloria Psallite
Psalm Ps 70 (Sebastian Wolff)
Gospel Acclamation Advent Gospel Acclamation (Andrew Wright) with chanted verse
Preparation of the Gifts The Beatitudes (Bob Chilcott)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Belmont Mass
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion If there is this love (Martin Barry & Diane Murden)
Postcommunion The Lord bless you and keep you (John Rutter)
Recessional All my hope on God is founded
 

Today’s second reading from 1 Corinthians ended with the words

These are three things that last:
faith, hope and love;
and the greatest of these is love.

The second verse of If there is this love is based on the same text. The piece was originally written to accompany the washing of feet on Holy Thursday, and the refrain and three of the verses (including the text from 1 Corinthians) are taken from the Missal antiphons proper to the rite. We omitted the first verse with its direct reference to foot washing; the remainder of the song served well as a Communion processional song centred on the theme of divine love.