Good Friday (2013)

Friday, 29 April 2013

 

Psalm	Father, into your hands (Geoffrey Boulton Smith)
Gospel Acclamation	Christus factus est (Felice Anerio, 1560-1614)
Veneration of the Cross	Behold the wood of the Cross (Missal tone) O come and mourn with me a while Miserere Mei (Gregorio Allegri, 1582-1652) Jesus, remember me (Taizé)
Communion	Ave Verum Corpus (William Byrd, 1540-1623) Soul of my Saviour

Bishop Terence sang his part in the solemn intercessions, and in the dialogue at the showing of the cross. During the adoration, we found time for thirteen verses of the Allegri, including the serene conclusion in nine parts. The quartet verses were beautifully executed by Aimée Presswood, Bekki Gocher, Karen Massey and Ian Williams.

As always on this occasion, the people’s singing was reverent and strong, not least in Jesus, remember me, sung while the choir joined the procession to venerate the cross.

Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday, 2013)

Thursday, 28 March 2012

Opening Hymn	The glory of the cross (John Ainslie)
Gloria	Psallite
Responsorial Psalm	The Blessing Cup (A Gregory Murray)
Gospel Acclamation	Glory and Praise (mcb)
Washing of Feet	If there is this love among you (Martin Barry & Diane Murden)
Preparation of the Gifts	Ubi Caritas (Maurice Duruflé, 1902-1986)
Sanctus	Missa Orbis Factor
Memorial Acclamation B	Missal Tone: When we eat this Bread
Agnus Dei	Missa Orbis Factor & Missa Aeterna Christi Munera (G.B. da Palestrina, 1525-1594)
Communion	Take and Eat (Michael Joncas)
Procession	Pange Lingua (plainchant) Stay with me (Taizé)

 

It’s not a bad problem to have when the assembly run away with a song. Things came a bit unstuck in Pange Lingua: we were allowing a break in the music after the fourth verse, while the procession completed its progress to the altar of repose, so that we could begin Tantum Ergo at the appropriate time. Last year people were content to follow the choir’s lead, but this time a determined subset of the assembly sang their way through the whole of the fifth verse despite being evidently in the minority. It seemed more charitable for us to resume at verse six, rather than to sing verse five again properly, so to speak. Next time round I’ll make sure the instructions are clear in the service sheet; and I’ll make sure the organ plays something incompatible with forging ahead obliviously at that point.

Anyway, if there’s a choice between the people singing and the people not singing, I know which I prefer.

The Mass of Chrism (2013)

Thursday, 28 March 2013

Opening Hymn	Be thou my vision
Kyrie	Missal tone in English
Gloria	Glory to God (Peter Jones)
Responsorial Psalm	I will sing forever (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation	Glory and Praise (mcb)
Procession of the Oils	O Redeemer (Paul Ford/mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts	O Crux Ave (Rihards Dubra, 1964-)
Sanctus, Acclamation C, Amen	Missal tone in English
Agnus Dei	Missal tone in English & Missa super Laudate Dominum (Orlande de Lassus, 1532-1594)
Communion	Where two or three are gathered (Liam Lawton) Ave Verum Corpus (Colin Mawby, 1936-)
Recessional Hymn	Tell out, my soul

 

The usual festive mix of ancient and modern for our grand, happy gathering of the Diocese. Celebration Brass made their customary splash, and the choir shone, not least in the choral items by Dubra and Mawby.

Our communion song was a fairly recent offering from the pen of Liam Lawton. The anthem-like people’s refrain is very appealing, and the assembly picked it up quickly and sang with commitment. The verses, “emulating a chant style”, it says in the publisher’s promotional material, are to my mind very weak in comparison. It’s a great pity the composer didn’t aim for something more imaginative and well-crafted. But the uplifting refrain perhaps makes up for them.

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.