3rd Sunday of Lent (Year A, 2014)

Sunday, 23 March 2014

 
Entrance Your love is finer than life (Marty Haugen)
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor
Psalm O that today (Chris O’Hara)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Sitivit anima mea (G.P. da Palestrina, 1525-1594)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Come to me and drink (Bob Hurd)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Guide me, O thou great redeemer
 

Much as three years ago (minus the sprinkling).

2nd Sunday of Lent (Year A, 2014)

Sunday, 16 March 2014

 
Entrance Remember your mercy (Paul Inwood)
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor
Psalm Ps 32 (Alan Rees)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake (attr. John Hilton, d. 1608)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Here is my chosen (Psallite)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Immortal, Invisible
 

The Entrance antiphon today begins

Remember your compassion, O Lord
and your merciful love, for they are from of old.

and we sang of the same things in our Entrance song and at the preparation of the gifts. The Gospel reading was St Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration, taken up in our Communion and Recessional songs.

Rite of Election (2014)

Sunday, 9 March 2014

 
Opening Hymn The Church’s one foundation
Responsorial Psalm Teach me, O God (Christopher Walker)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Enrolment In the Lord is my true salvation (Berthier/Inwood)
After the Election of the Catechumens Who calls you my name (David Haas)
Welcome of Candidates Always in your presence (Philip Jakob)
After Welcome of Candidates Wisdom, come softly (Martin Barry & Diane Murden) - choir
Prayers of Intercession Miserere nobis from Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Recessional Hymn Love divine, all loves excelling
 

Good numbers this year, and as usual a willing singing assembly. It all made for a happy and memorable celebration.

1st Sunday of Lent (Year A, 2014)

Sunday, 9 March 2014

 
Entrance Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
Kyrie Missa Orbis Factor
Psalm Ps 50 (Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Emendemus in Melius (William Byrd, c. 1540-1623)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missa Orbis Factor
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Not on bread alone are we nourished (Psallite)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Led by the Spirit (Bob Hurd)
 

Ash Wednesday (2014)

Wednesday, 5 March 2014


Entrance O God, I seek you (Marty Haugen)
Psalm Ps 50 (Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation Glory and Praise (mcb)
Imposition of Ashes Bless the Lord, my soul (Taizé)
Sanctus, Acclamation C, Amen Missa Orbis Factor & Missal tones
Agnus Dei Missa Orbis Factor
Communion Miserere Mei (attr. G.B Pergolesi, 1710-1736)
Recessional Our Father, we have wandered
 

Since Pergolesi died young, and at the peak of his fame, he bequeathed a powerful brand name to later composers seeking a quick route to high-volume sales. I read somewhere that in catalogues of his compositions, works actually written by him are massively outnumbered by works falsely attributed to him. I've no idea whether the brief atmospheric setting of the first verse of Ps 50 (51) that we sang tonight is authentic Pergolesi: the only recorded version I know of attributes it to him unquestioningly, but there’s scant mention of the piece anywhere else, and the only respectable-looking scholarly citation suggests that the jury is still out. No matter. It’s a beautiful and dramatic miniature which I’m glad we’ve added to our repertoire.

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2014)

Sunday, 2 March 2014

 
Entrance All my hope on God is founded
Kyrie Kyrie for 3 voices, adapted from Byrd (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Psalm Ps 61 (Martin Foster)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Agnus Dei from Beneath the Tree of Life (Marty Haugen)
Communion In God alone (TaizĂ©) & Ps 61 (Bévenot)
Postcommunion Quaerite Primum (W.A. Mozart, 1756-1791)
Recessional Lord, for tomorrow and its needs
 

The obvious musical cues in both the responsorial psalm and the Gospel reading meant that the musical selections were much the same as three years ago. We tried out two new psalm tones: during the Communion procession, we alternated Jacques Berthier’s refrain with verses from Ps 61(62) instead of Ps 127, and the responsorial psalm itself was a setting by Martin Foster.

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2014)

Sunday, 23 February 2014

 
Entrance Praise my soul, the King of heaven
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Psalm Ps 102 (Geoffrey Boulton Smith)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Will you let me be your servant
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Agnus Dei from Beneath the Tree of Life (Marty Haugen)
Communion Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Postcommunion Love Divine (Howard Goodall)
Recessional God is love: let heaven adore him
 

Today’s readings spoke in several places of love, human and divine. Our songs at the preparation of the gifts and during the Communion procession touched on the former; our postcommunion and recessional pieces the latter.

Golden Jubilee of Priestly Ordination of Bishop Terence Brain

Feast of the Chair of St Peter

Saturday, 22 February 2014

 
Entrance (i) Ecce Sacerdos (T.L. de Victoria, 1548-1611)
(ii) Praise to the Lord, the almighty
Kyrie Kyrie Eleison (Bob Hurd, Missa Ubi Caritas)
Gloria Glory to God (Peter Jones)
Psalm Because the Lord is my shepherd (Christopher Walker)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts A Hymn to the Virgin (Benjamin Britten, 1913-1976)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missal Tone (in English)
Agnus Dei Missa Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
Communion (i) Ubi Caritas (Bob Hurd)
(ii) Soul of my Saviour
Postcommunion Tu es Petrus (Maurice Duruflé, 1902-1986)
Recessional For All the Saints
 

Priests and people from around the Diocese, to say nothing of a couple of visiting bishops, gathered for a happy celebration of fifty years of ministry. We combined music for the occasion with music for the feast of the Chair of St Peter (lest anyone think we were singing Tu es Petrus for bishop Terence 😊). Victoria’s Ecce Sacerdos was new to us – on the few occasions we’ve needed a setting over the last twenty years or so, it’s always been Elgar. Victoria’s setting is brighter and more cheerful than Elgar’s, and it felt just right.

Britten’s A Hymn to the Virgin is a favourite piece of Bishop Terence’s. We sang it in 1997 for his installation as Bishop of Salford, and again ten years ago for his celebration of forty years of priesthood. It’s only two years until his silver jubilee of episcopal ordination, so perhaps we’ll find something different for next time.