3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, 2016)

Sunday, 24 January 2016

 
Entrance Bring to the Lord a glad new song
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 18 (McCarthy/Bévenot)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia Mode 2 (Plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts God has chosen me (Bernadette Farrell)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Simple Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Communion Taste and See (Richard Proulx)
Postcommunion Haec Dies (Charles Wood, 1866-1926)
Recessional God whose almighty Word
 

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, 2016)

Sunday, 17 January 2016

 
Entrance Praise to the Lord, the almighty
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass(Alan Rees)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 95 (Monaghan/Murray)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia Mode 2 (Plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts Shout to the Lord (Darlene Zsech)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Simple Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Communion Spirit of the living God
Postcommunion Venite Comedite (William Byrd, 1540-1623)
Recessional O praise ye the Lord

Simple Sanctus is my adaptation of the chant Sanctus from the 2010 English Missal (itself adapted from the 13th century Mass XVIII, Deus Genitor Alme). I added choral and keyboard harmonies, a regular pulse (first 3/2 and then 2/2), and the piece’s musical signature, recurring in the Memorial Acclamations and Amen, of an Fadd9 to harmonise the final supertonic (to be anachronistic about things) against a tonic chord. The end result aims to occupy a similar space to the Sanctus from Bob Hurd’s Missa Ubi Caritas. We’ll give it a go for the next few weeks of Ordinary Time, to see if it works.

The Baptism of the Lord (Year C, 2016)

Sunday, 10 January 2016

 
Entrance On Jordan’s Bank
Sprinkling Rite Springs of Water (Marty Haugen)
Gloria Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm Ps 103 (Hall/Forrester)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts Songs of thankfulness and praise
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion Here is my Servant (Psallite)
Postcommunion O Nata Lux (Thomas Tallis, c.1505-1585)
Recessional Come down, O love divine

Funeral Mass of Fr Anthony Sudlow

Friday, 8 January 2016

 
Entrance Sweet Heart of Jesus
Kyrie Mass XVI (chant)
Psalm Because the Lord is my shepherd (Christopher Walker)
Gospel Acclamation Easter Alleluia (chant)
Preparation of the Gifts If ye love me (Thomas Tallis, c.1505-1585)
In bread we bring you, Lord
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass XVIII
Agnus Dei Mass XVIII
Communion O Bread of Heaven
Ave Verum Corpus (William Byrd, c.1540-1623)
Come to me (Martin Barry & Diane Murden)
Commendation Song of farewell (Ernest Sands)
Recessional Hail Queen of Heaven

Fr Anthony served at the Cathedral from 2010 to 2014, immediately after his ordination to the priesthood at the age of 69, after some years of widowhood and a long career in banking. He was a wonderful priest: gentle, humble, engagingly self-deprecating and with a strong ars celebrandi, reverent, focussed and unfussy. He sang the Mass willingly, with a fine voice. In his last e-mail to me he said I didn’t realise how much I missed your music until I was sat in Cathedral this morning. It brought back some good memories.

For his Funeral Mass we had a good mix of music, old and new, congregational and choral, and I think he would have liked it. There was a fine eulogy too, delivered after Communion by his nephew Brian. Fr Anthony’s death is a sudden and sad loss.

The Epiphany (2016)

Sunday, 3 January 2016

 
Entrance As with gladness men of old
Gloria Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm Ps 71 (Monaghan/Dean)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts O worship the Lord
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion Laudate Omnes Gentes (Taizé) & Reges Tharsis (chant)
Postcommunion Videntes Stellam (Francis Poulenc, 1899-1963)
Recessional The First Nowell

Christmas Day (2015)

Friday, 25 December 2015

 
Entrance Hodie Christus natus (chant)
O Come all ye faithful
Gloria Psallite
Psalm All the ends of the earth (Alan Johnson)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion A Noble Flower of Judah (Michael Praetorius, 1571-1621) - Choir
Recessional Hark, the herald angels sing

Men’s voices as usual for Christmas morning. Just five of us this year, but in exuberant form as ever.

Vigil and First Mass of Christmas (2015)

Thursday, 24 December 2015

 
Opening Hymn Adeste Fideles
Reading Isaiah 11:1-10 (A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse)
Choir Wake, O wake with tidings thrilling (Philipp Nicolai, arr. J.S. Bach/mcb)
Hymn Once in royal David’s city
Reading Micah 5:1-4 (Out of you, Bethlehem, will be born the one…)
Choir Angel voices richly blending (trad. German, words by James Quinn)
Hymn O little town of Bethlehem
Reading Isaiah 52: 7-10 (How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of one…)
Gloria Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Reading Isaiah 9:2-7 (The people that walked in darkness)
Psalm Today a Saviour has been born (Martin Foster)
Reading Titus 2:11-14 (God’s grace has been revealed)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Reading Luke 2:1-14 (The Nativity)
Creed Credo III & Et Incarnatus from the Mass for three voices (William Byrd, c.1540-1623)
Preparation of the gifts A Noble Flower of Judah – Choir & Celebration Brass
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Spring Sanctus (mcb)
Agnus Dei Lamb of God II (mcb)
Communion Still, still, still (Austrian trad., arr. Janet Janzen) – Choir
Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell)
Recessional Hark the herald angels sing

Our usual rich banquet of readings and songs, led by Bishop John. The choral items had a German/Austrian theme – arrangements of traditional Christmas melodies, including an energetic, dance-like rendition of Es ist ein’ Ros’ entsprungen with choir, brass and organ taking it in turns to sparkle.

Merry Christmas everyone!

4th Sunday of Advent (Year C, 2015)

Sunday, 20 December 2015

 
Entrance Come Saviour, Come/Rorate Caeli (chant)
Kyrie Missal Chant (Lord have mercy)
Psalm God of hosts, bring us back (Sue Furlong)
Gospel Acclamation Advent Gospel Acclamations (Alan Smith)
Preparation of the Gifts On the lips of an angel (J.S. Bach/Charles Gounod/Scott Soper)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Missal Chant
Agnus Dei Missal Chant
Communion O Clavis David (chant)
Veni Immanuel (John Bell)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional O come, O come Emmanuel

3rd Sunday of Advent (Year C, 2015)

Rite of Opening of the Door of Mercy

Sunday, 13 December 2015

 
Rite of Introduction Misericordes Sicut Pater (Paul Inwood)
Procession to the Cathedral Stay with us Lord (mcb)
Showing of the Book of the Gospels I am the gate (mcb)
Entrance Rejoice, the Lord is King
Remembrance of Baptism Asperges Me from Miserere Mei (Antonio Lotti, 1667-1740) & Psalm 50(51) (Bévenot)
Psalm Is 12 (Laurence Bévenot)
Gospel Acclamation Advent Gospel Acclamation (Alan Smith)
Preparation of the Gifts Rejoice in the Lord (anon, c.1600)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Missal Tone
Agnus Dei Missal Tone
Communion O Radix Jesse (chant)
Bread of Life (Bernadette Farrell)
Concluding Rites Salve Regina (chant)
Recessional Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

Bishop John led the celebration for the opening of the holy door for the Year of Mercy. We began in the Cathedral cloister, singing the “official hymn” for the Year, as people, and then clergy, gathered, ending with a choral flourish in Paul Inwood’s arresting polyphonic coda. Processing around to the (liturgical) north side of the building via the Cathedral yard and then Chapel Street, we sang the refrain to my Stay with us, Lord. This seemed to hit the right spot – with the choir at the front of the procession and Anthony (on his very fine portable instrument) anchoring things in the cloister, we kept together well, and the people seemed willing to maintain the singing until the whole of the procession had arrived. Testament to the power of repetition, I think, not just in procession, but over the period from Lent to Pentecost last year, when we made it the refrain for the Universal Prayer every Sunday.

The moment before the entrance through the newly opened door called for a sung antiphon I am the gate, while the Bishop held up the Book of the Gospels. I estimated the length of time Bishop John might reasonably be expected to hold up a heavy book (I gave him twenty seconds), and came up with a lively choral fanfare in 7/8 time. Later, we had an excerpt from Lotti’s Miserere, with repetitions of the relevant section interspersed with psalm verses during the lengthy sprinkling of a full Cathedral.

Christmas is Coming!

Music and Readings for Advent and Christmas

Sunday, 6 December 2016

 
Cathedral Choir & Notability The Truth From Above (Vaughan Williams)
All O come, O come Emmanuel
Notability Ave Maria (Vytautas Miškinis)
Candlelight Carol (John Rutter)
All The angel Gabriel
Cathedral Choir A maiden most gentle (Andrew Carter)
Anthony Hunt (Organ) Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her (J.S. Bach, BWV 700)
Cathedral Choir & Notability Bogoroditse Devo (Rachmaninov)
All Once in royal David’s city
Notability Ding Dong! Merrily on high (G R Woodward, Christopher Cotton)
Mary’s Boy Child (Jester Hairston)
Cathedral Choir Videntes Stellam (Francis Poulenc)
Angels we have heard on high (Eric Pazdziora)
All O come, all ye faithful
Cathedral Choir & Notability O Magnum Mysterium (Morten Lauridsen)
All God rest ye merry, gentlemen
All Lo he comes with clouds descending
Anthony Hunt Fanfare on Antioch (Gerre Hancock)

An end at last to the building work in Cathedral House meant that we had the space to put on our Advent and Christmas service-cum-concert again this year, in support of, and with the help of, our two charities Caritas Diocese of Salford and Salford Loaves and Fishes. Bishop John presided, with words of welcome and a final blessing, and the Bishop of Manchester Rt Rev David Walker gave an address. Musically speaking, there was a good mix of Advent and Christmas-themed music, but the beginning and end of the celebration made it clear, I hope, that Christmas had yet to arrive.

2nd Sunday of Advent (Year C, 2015)

Sunday, 6 December 2015

 
Entrance Song of Consolation (Peter Jones)
Kyrie Missal Tone
Psalm What marvels the Lord worked for us (mcb)
Gospel Acclamation Advent Gospel Acclamations (Alan Smith)
Preparation of the Gifts Hierusalem Surge (Heinrich Isaac, c.1450-1517)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missal Tone
Agnus Dei Missal Tone
Communion O Adonai (chant)
Wait for the Lord (Taizé)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Come, thou long expected Jesus

1st Sunday of Advent (Year C, 2015)

Sunday, 29 November 2015

 
Entrance Awake, awake, fling off the night
Kyrie Missal Tone
Psalm To you, O lord, I lift my soul (Marty Haugen)
Gospel Acclamation Advent Gospel Acclamations (Alan Smith)
Preparation of the Gifts Ad te Levavi (F.X. Witt, 1834-1888)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Missal Tone
Agnus Dei Missal Tone
Communion O Sapientia (chant)
There is a longing in our hearts (Anne Quigley)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Love divine, all loves excelling

Christ the King (Year B, 2015)

Sunday, 22 November 2015

 
Entrance Crown him with many crowns
Kyrie Kyrie from Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Psalm The Lord is King (Paul Wellicome)
Gospel Acclamation Sing a New Song (John Bell)
Presentation of Candidates Christ be our light (Bernadette Farrell)
Preparation of the Gifts The truth from above (Trad., arr Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Agnus Dei Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Communion Take and Eat (Michael Joncas)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Hail Redeemer, King divine

Today saw the presentation of candidates for Confirmation and first Holy Communion next year, accompanied by our customary rite with Baptismal candles, and Bernadette Farrell’s uplifting invocation of Christ our light. In this song the line longing for truth, we turn to you referenced one of the key words in today’s Gospel reading, as did Vaughan Williams’s hauntingly simple arrangement of the Herefordshire Carol.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, 2015)

Sunday, 15 November 2015

 
Entrance O Jesus Christ Remember
Kyrie Kyrie from Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Gloria Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Psalm Ps 15 (John Ainslie)
Gospel Acclamation Sing a New Song (John Bell)
Preparation of the Gifts In Paradisum from the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Agnus Dei Mass of the Redeemer (mcb)
Communion Centre of my life (Paul Inwood)
Postcommunion Dextera Domini (Orlande de Lassus, 1532-1594)
Recessional Lo he comes with clouds descending

Fauré’s In Paradisum was a late substitution to honour the dead in the horrific attacks in Paris two days previously.

The psalm was taken from John Ainslie’s new collection, Sing the Psalms Simply. This is a welcome new addition to the repertoire, and the responsses in particular, in my view, are finely crafted.