best picks for the First Sunday Advent

[oopsorganist]

What would be your choice for this Sunday.?

[gwyn]

Good question Oops.
We'll be going for the Entrance and Communion Antiphons, there are some nice English settings available.
Here's an example:
http://www.ccwatershed.org/media/pdfs/13/07/30/17-01-39_0.pdf
They're very singable once you get into 'em.

[IncenseTom]

We're also going for Entrance and Communion antiphons but from the English Proper Chants by John Ainslie. The choir like to have 2 rehearsals on these prior to the Sunday on which they will be used but they are getting more and more used to singing chant.

Hymns (at the minute) are:
Entrance - Come thou long expected Jesus (then straight into Introit for incensing the altar)
Offertory - Let all mortal flesh
Post-Communion - The King shall come when morning dawns
Recessional - Hills of the North

Also, Wadsworth Kyrie (which has been discussed here previously), Psalm from the collection we use each week and home-grown Alleluia. Not sure which Mass setting yet.

[alan29]

Good question Oops.
We'll be going for the Entrance and Communion Antiphons, there are some nice English settings available.
Here's an example:
http://www.ccwatershed.org/media/pdfs/13/07/30/17-01-39_0.pdf
They're very singable once you get into 'em.

How do the congregation take to them? Do you change them every week?

[gwyn]

We sing 'em to simple psalm tones Alan, the ones used at Belmont Abbey (Just up the road from us) are familiar hereabouts and melodic.

[Southern Comfort]

We'll be going for the Entrance and Communion Antiphons, there are some nice English settings available.
Here's an example:
http://www.ccwatershed.org/media/pdfs/13/07/30/17-01-39_0.pdf
They're very singable once you get into 'em.

Personally I can't imagine anything more deadly than singing every single antiphon to the same simple tone (variant of the old monastic Compline tone) for the entire liturgical year, which is what happens here. John Ainslie's settings seem far better.

[gwyn]

You're right S.C. There are loads of viable options. It's good to use the antiphons though.

[alan29]

We sing 'em to simple psalm tones Alan, the ones used at Belmont Abbey (Just up the road from us) are familiar hereabouts and melodic.

How does that work with the congregation? What do they have in their hands?

[gwyn]

Alan29 asked:

How does that work with the congregation? What do they have in their hands?

Good question Alan; An A5 sheet or a folded A4 leaflet bearing the words and tone melodies of the antiphons. Usually it would bear other useful text such as any hymns to be sung, the Responsorial, Gospel Acclamation, Sanctus, Mem Acc., etc..

A congregation leaflet is something that we've used with good effect from time to time. If you have a decent DTP package, a scoring package and something like the Caeciliae font (which creates plainchant notation) and an hour a week to spare, then it's most rewarding.

[alan29]

Alan29 asked:

How does that work with the congregation? What do they have in their hands?

Good question Alan; An A5 sheet or a folded A4 leaflet bearing the words and tone melodies of the antiphons. Usually it would bear other useful text such as any hymns to be sung, the Responsorial, Gospel Acclamation, Sanctus, Mem Acc., etc..

A congregation leaflet is something that we've used with good effect from time to time. If you have a decent DTP package, a scoring package and something like the Caeciliae font (which creates plainchant notation) and an hour a week to spare, then it's most rewarding.

And do they join in Sunday by Sunday?

[gwyn]

Certainly, those who do, do; those who don't, don't. It's always the way.

[JW]

People are very self-conscious about singing these days, so it may be better to keep to familiar tunes and even familiar words, i.e. use the same for each Sunday in Advent?

In my travels, relatively few RC churches have much congregational participation in the singing. Was at the Solemn Mass in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral a couple of weeks ago, where you could hear a pin drop during the Opening Hymn - Morning Has Broken. Having spent 4 years up to last Easter trying to encourage singing in my own parish I'm close to despair. All the work in the 50 years after V2 have got us nowhere singing-wise. We still have a situation where most people prefer not to have music because they say it makes the Mass too long. Some of the churches which have concert-style Masses seem to attract good congregations, e.g. Westminster Cathedral.

Even carol services don't achieve much participation, let alone Advent hymns, antiphons or psalm responses!

[alan29]

We must be unusual in that we have a singing congregation. A few things help
We don't (will never) have a choir, so if the people don't sing, then nobody will.
We pick material that is assembly-friendly.
We stick to songs and hymns and our settings of the ordinary are decidedly catchy or responsorial.
We have parishioners who are/have been members of choirs and aren't afraid to sing out from their places around the building (supplying harmonies at times, too.)
And people, on occasion raise the roof in a way that would put the Methodists down the road to shame.
I have to say I wouldn't dream of picking things that would put them off their praising.

Liverpool Met .... I was in the choir for years. it is hard to imagine an acoustic that is harder to sing in. It makes the biggest voice sound like a mouse in a cave.

[oopsorganist]

I am glad you came along Alan!
PB has given my some useful guidance, bless, and some nice things which in other circumstances I would try out. "He is come" that looks nice - but without a good length of time, we could not do that in our parish. Lots of other ideas though for future years. Those sung to Alleluia Sing to Jesus would work well in our parish. I would have liked to be able to provide "Stay Awake" and "The City of God" would have been perfect. But we ain't learned 'em yet.| And this would not be the week to teach the congregation! In the circumstances.

My congregation is my choir. If they don't sing then nobody does. Exactly.

And I need to replace the keyboard which has just packed in - because I can set it down a tone or two so that voices can warm up. The best thing about electronic instruments is that they can allow a cold parish to discover their voices. Unfortunately I will be under pressure to showcase the refurbished organ and that will put the actual singing response in peril. Remembering that there will be a lot of people there who are not confident in a church environment.

I might go for Christ be our Light, Be still for the Presence of the Lord, How lovely on the mountains and possibly The Servant King. Not necessarily in that order. With the usual Acclamations which for us are (Alleluia), Holy Holy, Lamb of God. No Gloria in Advent? The "School" might want "Shine Jesus Shine". PP will want "I the Lord of Sea and Socks".

The unchurched will be there for enrollment to First Holy Communion. Another complication. They will need a lot of support to sing.

And another visitor coming to visit in the parishes as tribute to a very special Brother who is leaving us, alas. (Alas twice, as he is my support, my singer and my guide).A Servant very much.

Being where I am I want it to go well. Planned and sung well. Although I am sure God will be pleased with whatever stumbles from our lips as praise, in whatever problems and constraints and sins we suffer from, and Angels will be holding up all the rubbish bits and dancing in their own dimensions.....I do feel like I am carrying a flag or two. One for the SSG, and another for cheerful parish music composed within living memory! Not that I do not like old hymns. I like them very much. Angels find it possible to dance to them. But they do not work well here and possibly the duty of Liturgical care to the young/unchurched in a parish outweighs the duty of care to senior or more important people.
Thanks for sharing my thought train. I better get praying.........

[alan29]

Good stuff, oops.
We are in the business of getting the people who turn up rarely or for the first time to keep coming back.
Or as William Temple put it, “The Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members.”