Christ the King (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 24 November 2013

 
Entrance The Servant King (Graham Kendrick, arr. Jeremy Thurlow)
Kyrie Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm I Rejoiced (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation Salisbury Alleluia (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of the Gifts I Was Glad (C.H.H. Parry, 1848-1918)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass of the Redeemer
Agnus Dei Mass of the Redeemer
Communion Te saeculorum principem (chant) & Jesus, remember me (Taizé)
Postcommunion O Bone Jesu (Johannes Brahms, 1833-1897)
Recessional Christus Vincit (arr. Martin Baker)
 

Everything from plainchant to Graham Kendrick, which I like to think is the way it should be.

On the way we had two very contrasting choral pieces, in Brahms's gentle motet for four women’s voices, and Parry’s uplifting setting of Ps 121(122), which was also today’s responsorial psalm. At just fourteen voices today, we sang the Parry with one or two to a part, but I thought it worked extremely convincingly on this reduced scale.

33rd Sunday of the Year (Year C, 2013)

Sunday, 17 November 2013

 
Entrance Thy hand, O God, has guided
Kyrie Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 97 (Eugene Monaghan)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia Mode 2 (plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts Beati Quorum (Charles Villiers Stanford, 1852-1924)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Agnus Dei Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Communion Wait for the Lord (Taizé)
Postcommunion The Lamb (John Tavener, 1944-2013)
Recessional O Jesus Christ, remember
 

The sentiment of today’s Communion antiphon

To be near God is my happiness,
to place my hope in God the Lord.

was not too far from that of Stanford’s Beati Quorum:

Happy are those whose way is pure,
who walk in the way of the Lord.

Tavener’s The Lamb marked his untimely death earlier in the week.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) and Remembrance Sunday 2013

Sunday, 10 November 2013

 
Entrance Requiem Aeternam (chant)
Two minutes’ silence
Abide with me
Kyrie Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 16 (Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation Celtic Alleluia (Fintan O’Carroll)
Preparation of the Gifts Justorum Animae (William Byrd, c. 1540-1623)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Mass of the Redeemer
Agnus Dei Mass of the Redeemer
Communion Centre of my Life (Paul Inwood)
Postcommunion We shall walk through the valley (trad. arr. Moses Hogan)
Recessional Love divine, all loves excelling
 

For Remembrance Sunday we had both Byrd’s Justorum Animae and Moses Hogan’s serene and haunting arrangement of a traditional spiritual. Here's a link to a recording by Calvin College Alumni Choir. Worth a listen.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, 2013)

Presentation of Candidates for Confirmation & First Communion

Sunday, 3 November 2013

 
Entrance Here I am, Lord (Dan Schutte)
Sprinkling Rite Springs of Water (Marty Haugen)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 144 (Martin Hall)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Presentation of Candidates Christ be our light (Bernadette Farrell)
Preparation of the Gifts Laudate Nomen Domini (adapted from the Rachmaninov All-night Vigil)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Agnus Dei Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Communion Take and Eat (Michael Joncas)
Recessional Alleluia, sing to Jesus
 

We followed the usual pattern for the presentation of the children embarking on this year’s sacramental programme. To match the Psalm response I will bless your name forever, O God my King, and the words from the second reading from Thessalonians:

In this way
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
will be glorified in you
and you in him

we sang my adaptation of Khvalite Imya Gospodne (Praise the Name of the Lord) from the Rachmaninov Vespers, translated into Latin and slimmed down to seven parts.