Happy Advent

[Nick Baty]

Happy Advent one and all.
We'll be easing our way in gently this morning, beginning with Bernadette Farrell's Litany of the Word, sung quietly, assembly still sitting, to make today feel a little different. Just wondering what everyone else is doing.
Hope it's a good one.

[oopsorganist]

Well thanks Nick.

We did - Christ be our Light, In bread we bring you Lord, Gifts of Bread and Wine and Lovely Mountains. No acclamations.

This is because our primary school arrived to "do" the Mass. A lack of communication in the parish, yet again, sadly.
But everybody really liked it so poo on me eh? They really liked the big keyboard that the school brought with them - apparently belongs to the Diocese. It sounds better than my cheap keyboard plugged into the sound system.

If I could have know I would have laid in bed a bit longer and skipped the time taken to plan, print etc not to mention that I had to stand down the music group, such as it is.

I do do wonder what our school thinks happens on other Sundays. Do they imagine that we just stumble through some hymns and give the Liturgy no attention? One would hope that families and children would be familiar with Acclamations that we use and so on. The fact that this community does not pray together is less annoying to me than the fact that the school can dumb down the music and PP and parish really like it. And that is not to say we do anything particulary ambitious, strange, challenging or interesting anyway.

And it just so rude.
In the words of Captain Jack Sparrow "They done what's right for 'em".

[IncenseTom]

We had Like a Sea without a Shore, Lift up your heads ye mighty gates, and Hills of the North rejoice for the hymns.
Missal chants for the Mass parts.
Quiet organ music during communion.
I had wanted to do the Andrew Wadsworth Kyrie, but my PP informed me that we can only sing invocations which are from the Missal and none which have been composed. As the sung invocations from this are not found in the Missal as acceptable invocations to be used, it was shelved. I'm going to have a look and see if any of the Missal invocations will fit, as it is a rather splendid Kyrie and would be great for the rest of Advent.

[alan29]

Topped and tailed with "Wait for the Lord" - enough of the congregation know the harmonies to make it very effective.
"My Soul in stillness waits" at gifts/kids return - much instrumentally. Farrell "Bread of life" at communion.
Celtic Acclamations - first time with new words, went well. Sung psalm and "handclap" alleluia - my aim is to be able to both play the piano and clap hands for that one - have too keep myself interested somehow.

[Peter Jones]

I had wanted to do the Andrew Wadsworth Kyrie, but my PP informed me that we can only sing invocations which are from the Missal and none which have been composed. As the sung invocations from this are not found in the Missal as acceptable invocations to be used, it was shelved.

Not so sure if matters are that black and white. Look at the Missal:rubric on page 553 and the footnote. Appendix VI has "Sample Invocations" but it doesn't say other invocations cannot be used. Where's the Wadsworth published? (I do not have a copy to hand.)

[IncenseTom]

I had wanted to do the Andrew Wadsworth Kyrie, but my PP informed me that we can only sing invocations which are from the Missal and none which have been composed. As the sung invocations from this are not found in the Missal as acceptable invocations to be used, it was shelved.

Not so sure if matters are that black and white. Look at the Missal:rubric on page 553 and the footnote. Appendix VI has "Sample Invocations" but it doesn't say other invocations cannot be used. Where's the Wadsworth published? (I do not have a copy to hand.)

I'm afraid I don't have a proper copy - I only have a photocopy from a parish where I used to sing in their choir. The invocations are:
Creator of the world, Redeemer Lord
Kyrie eleison
Light of all that lives, eternal word
Christe eleison
Lover of our souls O Saviour King
Kyrie eleison

My understanding was similar to yours - that there were suggestions of invocations, but composers were free to include their own, just as Priests often do when they speak the invocations. However, the PP says if the words are not in the Missal, they won't be in the Mass. Shame, it really is good if you can get your hands on it.

[Nick Baty]

We used part of Haugen's The Light of Christ for the lighting of the Advent wreath into the children's procession out. We don't have a recessional song during Advent – the PP processes out to instrumental music – Wachet Auf today, played on mellotron synth. Our full music list from this morning is here.

[gwyn]

Creator of the world, Redeemer Lord
Kyrie eleison
Light of all that lives, eternal word
Christe eleison
Lover of our souls O Saviour King
Kyrie eleison

Smacks rather of Missa Orbis Factor strophes if I'm not very much mistaken, but In English 'n' Greek.

[JW]

Gathering: "Christ Circle Round Us" No.6 of Veni Emmanuel - we will be using this to different verses all during Advent.

Penitential: Said invocations (not as per missal) with the priest singing and people responding to the missal chant 'Kyrie' slightly adapted (unaccompanied).

Psalm - setting from current Catholic HON

Gospel Acclamation: Plainchant with verse as above.

Offertory: Organ: Watchet Auf / Hymn: Dear Maker of the Starry Skies (Plainchant version)

Eucharistic Acclamations & Lamb of God: Missal Chants

Communion: Organ piece by S. Wesley followed by 'Like a Sea without a Shore'

Recessional: Hark, A Herald Voice is Calling

Voluntary: Gottes Sohn Ist Kommen, J G Walther

[VML]

Our PP made this his first go ever at singing Preface Dialogue and first at Doxology since changes. He tried them Friday and Saturday so he didn't have to start with a full church. It went quite well and since we have weekly Farnworth booklets, the people had the chant to read.
I've also tried to encourage the parish into chant singing with a note in the newsletter. Most people would rather do a bungee jump than read notation, so I tried to make it less scary.

It meant we sang all the chant available in todays booklet, no accompaniment, and improving results. One interesting 'event': I passed the first phase of 'Lamb of God' to our young cantor, who, I had forgotten, had already declined to sing the psalm as she was due on the altar... So, 'Lamb of God..' and off she went. And one of our younger servers read too. Double ministries all over the place.

We managed to fit 'Open your ears, O Christian people' into the procession of the gifts, in time for the prayers to be aloud.
'Wait for the Lord' at Communion until choir had received, followed by 'Wake, awake,' and finished by end of HC, so a short silence.
There is lots of work to be done on keeping congregation singing while choir receive, but we'll concentrate on that soon.

Came in to 'Sing a new song' Dudley-Smith, and went out to 'City of God', and sang the Russian Kyrie in the absence of a chant in the booklet, but may in future break it up with intercessions.

It is really useful and interesting to know what other parishes are singing.

[Nick Baty]

There is lots of work to be done on keeping congregation singing while choir receive, but we'll concentrate on that soon.

Slight change this morning: our choir walked down the side aisle to the back of the church, filtered into the communion procession and, as they were dispersed rather than together, they kept the whole procession singing. As they received communion they slipped back into their places. I was particularly pleased as it was a new piece which neither choir nor congregation had heard until this morning. Apologies, I've slipped back into an earlier thread and am OT.

[kerrezza]

We sang 'Christ Circle Round Us' as a communion processional, commencing when the servers started receiving communion, with the choir and organist receiving communion last instead of first; we intend to rotate this and one other over the Sundays of Advent. I'm hoping the congregation will have picked up the refrain today; didn't have a run through prior to Mass as were only 20 people present with 5 minutes to go (and none of the strong singers) but we'll see how it is next week. Complete silence after (which I thought was too long) with no post communion hymn. In Advent the organ only accompanies singing here so no voluntary. We sang a psalm setting from 'Veni Emmanuel'. Not had feedback from pp as to how he thought it went but some parishioners here hate anything new so there will be mutterings.

[Southern Comfort]

However, the PP says if the words are not in the Missal, they won't be in the Mass.

He's going to have a hard time when he comes to use the EPs for Masses with Children, then. They aren't in the Missal either, but can continue to be used.

[Gedackt flute]

We opened with 'Come, thou long expected Jesus' (sung to Cross of Jesus).

The Mass setting was MacMillan's St. Anne's Mass - to the revised words, which fit very well, in my view.

The psalm was Sue Furlong's 'God of hosts ...' from Psalm Songs, and the Alleluia was by Andrew Wright.

The communion antiphon was going to be Taize 'Wait for the Lord', but Elgar's Ave Verum was substituted.

The communion song was Kevin Mayhew's 'Some, Lord Jesus, come'.

Our recessional was Stephen Dean's superb 'In God's good time'.

[Gedackt flute]

Sorry,

'Come, Lord Jesus ...'