Trinity Sunday (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 26 May 2013

 
Entrance Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty
Kyrie Kyrie Eleison from Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Gloria Missa Ubi Caritas
Psalm Ps 8 (Sebastian Wolff)
Gospel Acclamation Sing a New Song (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts A Hymn to the Trinity (P.I. Tchaikovsky, 1840-1893)
Sanctus, Acclamation B, Amen Missa Ubi Caritas
Agnus Dei Missa Ubi Caritas
Communion God beyond all names (John Bell) & Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas (chant)
Postcommunion Tibi Laus (Orlande de Lassus, 1532-1594)
Recessional Father, Lord of all creation
 

In the short motet Tibi Laus, Lassus sets the central invocation of the Angelic Trisagion, a litany of devotions to the Trinity:

To you praise,
to you glory,
to you thanksgiving forever,
O blessed Trinity.

CPDL calls the prayer a matins responsory for Trinity Sunday, but I can’t find it in my copy of the Liber Usualis. We shaped the piece by beginning with joy and ending with warm affection.

Sabine von Hünerbein directed us in Tchaikovsky’s setting of the Cherubic Hymn from the Orthodox liturgy, in W.G. Rothery’s freely amplified translation, which emphasises the Trinitarian element in the original.

Pentecost (2013)

Sunday, 19 May 2013

 
Entrance O Spirit All-embracing (music: Gustav Holst, arr Proulx; words: Delores Dufner)
Gloria Glory to God (Peter Jones)
Psalm Send forth your Spirit (Paul Wellicome)
Gospel Acclamation Easter Gospel Acclamation (Brian Luckner)
Rite of Confirmation (i) Pentecost Sequence (arr. Proulx)
(ii) Spirit of the living God & Ps 102(103) (John Ainslie)
(iii) Hymn to the Holy Spirit (Randolph Currie);
(iv) Come Holy Spirit 2 (Stephen Dean)
Preparation of the Gifts Wisdom, come softly (Martin Barry & Diane Murden)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion This is my body
Recessional Come Holy Ghost, creator come
 

With around sixty candidates for Confirmation, we needed plenty of music to cover the rite. In various guises we had three of the most important sung texts for the feast, namely the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus in Randolph Currie’s arrangement (and again later in our recessional hymn), the sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus both in Richard Proulx’s jaunty reworking of the chant melody and accompanying Stephen Dean’s gentle ostinato, and Ps 103 interspersed between repetitions of Spirit of the living God, as well as earlier in Paul Wellicome’s energetic setting of the responsorial psalm.

Funeral of Chris McArdle

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

 
Entrance Be thou my vision
Psalm Because the Lord is my shepherd (Walker)
Gospel Acclamation Easter Alleluia (plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts If ye love me (Thomas Tallis, c.1505-1585)
Sanctus, Acclamation B, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Communion Ave Verum Corpus (William Byrd, 1540-1623)
Postcommunion Soul of my saviour
Commendation Song of farewell (Ernest Sands)
Recessional Thine be the Glory
 

The choir turned out in good number to say our goodbye to Chris. I think he’d have liked what we sang, not least a piece by his favourite composer William Byrd. The duet from The Pearl Fishers, played by Anthony just before the Mass began, was for Chris too.

The Ascension of the Lord (2013)

Sunday, 12 May 2013

 
Entrance New Praises be given
Gloria Glory to God (Peter Jones)
Psalm Ps 46 (Shaun MacCarthy)
Gospel Acclamation Easter Gospel Acclamation (Brian Luckner)
Preparation of the Gifts Ascendo ad Patrem (G.P. da Palestrina, 1525-1594)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei from No Greater Love (Michael Joncas)
Communion Confitemini Domino (TaizĂ©) & Ps 117(118) (Laurence Bévenot)
Postcommunion Haec Dies (Lodovico da Viadana, c. 1560-1627)
Recessional Alleluia, sing to Jesus
 

Viadana’s boisterous rendition of the Eastertide antiphon This is the day begins in the tranquility of chant. So does this version, though with rather different effect. (And to my ear that’s ska rather than punk.)

Chris McArdle

8 May 2013

Chris McArdle, who sang as a bass in the choir for twenty-seven years, died this week. As a model of quiet dedication and patient service, he will be hard to forget.

6th Sunday of Easter (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 5 May, 2013

 
Entrance This joyful Eastertide
Gloria Glory to God (Peter Jones)
Psalm Ps 66 (Chris McCurry)
Gospel Acclamation Easter Gospel Acclamation (Brian Luckner)
Preparation of the Gifts Regina Caeli (Gregor Aichinger, 1565-1628)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei from No Greater Love (Michael Joncas)
Communion My peace (Taizé) & Ps 84(85) (A Gregory Murray)
Postcommunion If ye love me (Thomas Tallis, 1505-1585)
Recessional Christ is made the sure foundation
 

Student members Ellie Slorach and Bekki Gocher directed the choir with confidence in the motets by Aichinger and Tallis respectively.

Our song at Communion echoed our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel:

Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

Psalm 84(85), which we interspersed between repetitions of Jacques Berthier’s refrain, also speaks of peace, bound together with justice:

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.