Offertory hymns

[MarkM]

I am looking for new hymns to play at the Preparation of the Gifts.
I have seen the discussion about whether you should even play at this time at
http://www.ssg.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic. ... tory+hymns
but it is the tradition in my parish to do so and will continue.
I have collated the hymns that we play:

All that I am
Blest Are You Lord God of all Creation
Bread, Blessed and Broken
Fill My House
Gather Us in (Marty Haugen)
Gifts of Bread and Wine
In Bread We Bring You Lord
Lord Jesus Christ you have come to us
My God Loves Me
Sons of God hear his holy word
Take Our Bread
We celebrate this festive day
Welcome All Ye Noble Saints (God and Man at table are sat down)

I am looking for suggestions to add to this list, that hopefully come with directions for the music and YouTube/mp3 clips.

Many thanks.
Mark

[High Peak]

We tend to sing an Offertory Hymn but I rarely set one that is specific to the Offertory. It's too limiting, for a start - there are not that many of them (as you have found) and even fewer that have merit and are worth singing.

So, when we have an Offertory hymn, it is more likely to be one on the theme of the Mass and in particular the Gospel - perhaps with the aim of making the hymn a "response" to or, at least, a reflection on the Gospel Reading.

[High Peak]

By the way - 1st post!!!

Welcome to the forum!!!

[gwyn]

Hi Mark. Welcome.
You don't have to tie yourself down to hymns and songs that chat about what the celebrant or the people are doing, you can use any hymn or song pertinent to the season.

Lots of parishes tie themselves down musically to "the theme of this Sunday's mass". By this I believe they mean the scripture content at the Liturgy of the Word. This is a real bear-trap of our own making; the theme of this coming Sunday's Mass is our salvation and redemption by the death and resurrection of our Blessed Lord. This is the theme for every Mass.

[justMary]

Our list for when "nothing stands out from the Liturgy of the Word contents so let's play a generic offertory hymn" is even shorter than yours:

All that I am
Fill My House
In Bread We Bring You Lord
Take Our Bread
Be Still for the Presence of the Lord
In Love for Me

[VML]

Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee, to the tune 'Mozart', not the 40 days and 40 nights dirge.

[gwyn]

Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour,
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus,
All my hope on God is founded (to Bryn Myrddyn).

[alan29]

We tend to use thematic or seasonal hymns.
"Offertory" hymns are a last resort.
Would add Take this moment.

[JW]

'What can we offer you?' was popular in the 80s. Also, 'Father I place into your hands'

[alan29]

"Father I place" has a country and western song hiding in there somewhere.

[blackthorn fairy]

As several have commented, there are some rather ghastly ones designated as for Presentation of the Gifts, so i usually go for seasonal or scriptural relevance. As for Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee (good words!), you could try it to Nottingham - this is the one I learned at school - and goes with a good lilt. As VLM says - not Heinlein/Aus der Tiefe!

[VML]

Nottingham! That's the one I know as Mozart.. Lovely melody.

[High Peak]

I rather like the dirge tune!!!
For those of us not familiar with Nottingham/Mozart and other names for famous tunes, which one are you on about?

[Peter]

We tend to use thematic or seasonal hymns.
"Offertory" hymns are a last resort.

I agree with this point: I too use thematic/seasonal hymns wherever possible, though the Masses I used to take may father to in his declining years (ten years ago, now) always went for "Offertory" hymns and cycled through a very limited repertoire whilst managing to include two not mentioned yet: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" (verse 2 being the particularly relevant one) and "Lord accept the gifts we offer."

However, I would question the suitability for the Offertory of three of the hymns mentioned so far. The title "Gifts of Bread and Wine" does indeed suggest Offertory, but the words of that hymn have more to do with the elements after the Consecration ("gifts we [have] offered ... sanctified, blest and broken ... living presence here..."). "In love for me" (a.k.a. "This is my body") refers even more explicitly to what the elements have become after consecration. Both these hymns are rightly included in the "Communion Processional/Thanksgiving Songs" sections of Laudate.

"Be still for the presence" does not refer to bread or wine at all, but unless you're going to argue that God is omnipresent and Jesus is present in the people gathered in his name, references to "presence of the Lord" in the context of the Mass are more appropriate at Communion than Offertory - maybe as a thanksgiving song, given that people processing to Communion are hardly "still" . This hymn is included in the "Praise for Creation" section of Laudate.

BTW, I would have posted this several days ago but for technical difficulties with the site: many thanks to Admin for fixing them.

[gwyn]

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, now that's the one. It's based on the Cherubic Hymn.
All this twaddle about themes - yeurgh!!!