Palm Sunday (2013)

Sunday, 24 March 2013

 
Entrance Hosanna to the Son of David (Chris Mueller)
All Glory Laud and Honour
Psalm My God, my God (Alan Smith)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Stabat Mater (G.B. Pergolesi (1710-1736) & plainchant
Sanctus Missa Orbis Factor
Acclamation Missal Tone: Save us, Saviour
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor & Missa O Quam Gloriosum (T.L de Victoria, 1548-1611)
Communion Father, if this cup (Stephen Dean)
Recessional My song is love unknown
 

We’s been singing the responsorial Psalm throughout Lent with a solo cantor singing the verses, so today we took the version of Alan Smith’s setting of Ps 21(22) published in Music for the Mass 2, rather than the choral version we’ve used in previous years. The solo voice, it seemed to me, is much better suited to the intensity of the psalmist’s lament here.

The upper voices of the choir sang the haunting opening movement of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, flanked by chant verses sung by the men: to follow, we had the second verse of the same hymn (Cuius animam gementem), while beforehand, we took the verse Virgo virginum praeclara, which the Liber Usualis gives as the opening verse of the alternate text to be sung to the same tune as Stabat Mater. A moving combination, anyway.

5th Sunday of Lent (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 17 March 2013

 
Entrance Lord Jesus, think on me
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor
Psalm Ps 125 (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Thou knowest, Lord (Henry Purcell, 1659-1695)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion You are my refuge and strength (Christopher Walker)
Postcommunion Tu es Petrus (Maurice Duruflé, 1902-1986)
Recessional When I survey the wondrous cross
 

Our communion song was prompted by words in the entrance antiphon:

From the deceitful and cunning rescue me,
for you, O God, are my strength.

The forgiveness extended to the woman taken in adultery in today’s Gospel reading led us both to our opening hymn, and to the prayer for mercy from Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary. In the latter we were ably directed by choral scholar Aimée Presswood.

After Communion, we broke with our customary Lenten silence, to celebrate the election of Pope Francis with Duruflé’s appropriately joyful setting.

4th Sunday of Lent (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 10 March 2013

 
Entrance Our Father, we have wandered
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor (chant)
Psalm Ps 33 (Eugene Monaghan/Christopher Steel)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts I will arise (Robert Creighton, 1636-1734)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Taste and See (Anne Ward)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Praise we our God with joy
 

The Gospel story of the prodigal son prompted two of today’s musical choices. Our opening hymn was Kevin Nichols’s reflection on the story, set to the Hassler/Bach passion chorale, including the words:

In haste you come to meet us
and home rejoicing bring.
In gladness there to greet us
with calf and robe and ring.

Then choral scholar (and able assistant organist) Jen Law conducted us in Robert Creighton’s simple polyphonic setting of the prodigal son’s words, which we also heard in today’s Gospel acclamation:

I will arise, and go to my father,
and will say “father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee,
and am no more worthy to be called thy son”.

3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 3 March 2013

 
Entrance Attende Domine/Hear us, O Lord
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor (chant)
Psalm Ps 102 (A Gregory Murray)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts The Crown of Roses (P.I. Tchaikovsky, 1840-1893)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass XVIII
Agnus Dei Mass XVIII
Communion Give us, Lord, a new heart (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Praise my soul, the king of heaven
 

Charles Smith, one of our choral scholars, conducted us in Tchaikovsky’s affecting miniature, portraying the infant Christ encountering suffering while tending his garden. (It kind of tied in with the Gospel parable of the fig tree, which we heard today.) Another of our choral scholars, Tim Round, gave a confident rendition of the (immensely challenging) cantor’s part in Bernadette Farrell’s gently reflective penitential song, which we sang at Communion.

Gremlins of my own making meant that the wrong Sanctus and Agnus crept on to today’s people’s sheet. The simpler setting today made for a more vigorous response than we’ve so far had with Missa Orbis Factor, but we’ll persevere with the challenge. It’s Lent, after all.

Mass of Thanksgiving for the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI

Thursday, 28 February 2013

 
Entrance Faith of our fathers
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor
Psalm Ps 1 (Paul Inwood)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Tu es Petrus (Jacobus Clemens non Papa, c.1510-c.1556)
Sanctus, Acclamation C, Amen Mass XVIII & Missal tones
Agnus Dei Mass XVIII & Missa Aeterna Christi Munera (G.P. da Palestrina, 1525-1594)
Communion Come to Me (Martin Barry/Diane Murden)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Full in the panting heart of Rome (words: Joanna Bogle and Fiorella Sultana de Maria)
 

Strictly speaking, by the time our celebration began we were into sede vacante, but the management felt that a few rousing choruses of God bless our Pope would nonetheless give people a needed opportunity to wish Pope Benedict well on the way to retirement. I steered proceedings away from the triumphalism of Cardinal Wiseman’s original version, towards the updated version published in Faith magazine in July 2005.

All the same, it not unexpectedly felt as though relatively few in the congregation were familiar with the tune, which I think is called Wiseman.

2nd Sunday of Lent (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 24 February 2013

 
Entrance Remember your mercy (Paul Inwood)
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor (chant)
Psalm Ps 26 (Paul Inwood)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Domine Exaudi Orationem Meam (Orlande de Lassus, 1532-1594)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Be still, for the presence of the Lord
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Immortal, Invisible
 

The Gospel story of the transfiguration today prompted our Communion and recessional hymns. Before that, we sang Lassus’s setting of lines from Ps 101 (102) to echo the words from the responsorial Psalm (26 (27)):

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer.

Rite of Election (2013)

Sunday, 17 February 2013

 
Opening Hymn The Church’s one foundation
Responsorial Psalm There is one thing I ask of the Lord (Chris O’Hara)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Enrolment How lovely is your dwelling place (Paul Wellicome)
After the Election of the Catechumens God has chosen me (Bernadette Farrell)
Welcome of Candidates Always in your presence (Philip Jakob)
After Welcome of Candidates Love Divine (Howard Goodall) - choir
Prayers of Intercession Through our lives and by our prayers (John Bell)
Recessional Hymn Now thank we all our God
 

A smaller gathering than last year’s, but no less happy a celebration. We made a fine sound in Howard Goodall’s Love Divine, I thought, with a choir of just ten.

1st Sunday of Lent (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 17 February 2013

 
Entrance Led by the Spirit (Bob Hurd)
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor (chant)
Psalm Ps 90 (Peter Smedley)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Emendemus in Melius (William Byrd, 1540-1623)
Sanctus, Acclamation C, Amen Missa Orbis Factor & English Missal tones
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Not on bread alone (Psallite)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Guide me, O thou great redeemer
 

Unlike the Sanctus and Agnus Dei of Missa Orbis Factor, the Kyrie has a simple and memorable melody which seems to engage our singing assembly well. First time through, some people were thrown by the non-repetition in the last pair of Kyries, but (writing a couple of weeks later) that doesn't seem to have troubled anyone in subsequent weeks.