3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2017)

Sunday, 22 January 2017

 
Entrance Bring to the Lord a glad new song (Michael Perry/C.H.H. Parry)
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 26 (Paul Inwood)
Gospel Acclamation Salisbury Alleluia (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of the Gifts Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Sanctus, Acclamation B, Amen Bede Acclamations (Martin Foster)
Agnus Dei Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Communion O thou who at thy Eucharist didst pray (Orlando Gibbons, 1583-1625)
The Lord is my light (Marty Haugen)
Postcommunion Salve Lux Mundi (attr. Josquin des Prez, c.1450-1521)
Recessional Thy hand, O God, has guided
 

Salve Lux Mundi is the second part of the motet Ave Christe Immolate, usually attributed to Josquin, but argued by some to be more likely attributable to Noel Bauldeweyn (c.1480-1530). Either way, it was the first time we’d sung anything by that composer, in the last 26 years or so at least. It was quite an eye-opener for me – I’d taken music from the Middle Renaissance to be fairly plain-spoken, deadpan even, in character, compared with William Byrd’s eye for detail, or the richly atmospheric dramas of Victoria, both from sixty or so years later. Here we found drama in abundance, not least in the alternation between gently meandering counterpoint and bold homophony, the latter especially at the end in the words et nos electorum gregi numerari.

We marked the opening of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with our recessional hymn, and with the opening verse of O thou who at thy Eucharist didst pray, sung by the choir to Gibbons’s very fine Song 1.

O thou, who at thy Eucharist didst pray
That all thy Church might be forever one,
Grant us at every Eucharist to say
With longing heart and soul: “thy will be done”.
O may we all one Bread, one Body be,
Through this blest Sacrament of unity.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2017)

Sunday, 15 January 2017

 
Entrance Let all the world in every corner sing
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Mass of the Most Sacred Heart (Jacob Bancks)
Psalm Ps 39 (Paul Inwood)
Gospel Acclamation Salisbury Alleluia (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of the Gifts The Lamb (John Tavener, 1944-2013)
Blest be the Lord, the God of Israel (Alstott/Farrell)
Sanctus, Acclamation B, Amen Bede Acclamations (Martin Foster)
Agnus Dei Paschal Mass (Rees)
Communion Behold the Lamb of God (John Bell) & Ecce Maria genuit (chant)
Postcommunion Venite Comedite (William Byrd, c.1540-1624)
Recessional Hail to the Lord’s anointed
 

Plainchant, polyphony, Tavener, traditional Anglican hymnody, music of the St Thomas More Group… One of our trademark diverse musical banquets.

For the next few weeks we're singing Martin Foster’s Bede Acclamations, which look to me like a winner.

The Epiphany (2017)

Sunday, 8 January 2017

 
Entrance As with gladness men of old
Kyrie Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Gloria Gloria de Noël (Thomas Niel)
Psalm Ps 71 (Monaghan/Dean)
Gospel Acclamation St Agatha Alleluia (mcb)
Preparation of the Gifts What child is this?
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Belmont Mass
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion Laudate Omnes Gentes (Taizé) & Reges Tharsis (chant)
Postcommunion Mid-winter (Bob Chilcott, b. 1955)
Recessional The First Nowell
 

Christmas Day (2016)

Sunday, 25 December 2016

 
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 See amid the winter’s snow
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion Verbum caro factum est/Gloria III (mcb/Taizé)
Postcommunion Away in a manger - Choir
Recessional Hark, the herald angels sing

Six men of the choir shouldered this morning’s burden, including my double canon based on Jacques Berthier’s Gloria. In principle it was six of us singing in eight parts, but when there’s that much going on, musically speaking, no-one really noticed the missing voices.

The Nativity of the Lord: Mass during the Night (2016)

Saturday, 24 December 2016

 
Opening Hymn Adeste Fideles
Reading Isaiah 11:1-10 (A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse)
Choir Gaudete (15th c., arr Craig Kingsbury)
Hymn Once in royal David’s city
Reading Micah 5:1-4 (Out of you, Bethlehem, will be born the one…)
Choir Myn Liking (R.R. Terry)
Hymn O little town of Bethlehem
Reading Isaiah 52: 7-10 (How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of one…)
  Christmas Proclamation
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 In the bleak midwinter (Holst)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (trad. Polish, arr Willcocks) – Choir
Verbum caro factum est/Gloria III (mcb/Taizé)
Silent Night
Recessional Hark the herald angels sing

Once again as in recent years, we celebrated the night-time Mass of Christmas in the form of an extended vigil, of the sort commended in the various liturgical books, including the Ceremonial of Bishops. This year we made a few adjustments to the order of the various readings, songs and prayers compared with the previous year, and it seemed to me we hit on a successful formula, giving the early part of our celebration a feel recognisably like the extended Liturgy of the Word found at the Easter Vigil.

A notable addition this year was the Christmas Proclamation from the Roman Martyrology, sung with panache by Fr Michael. The choir, shorn of most of our student members, but with one or two welcome guests, was small in number but made a fine sound in conjunction with Anthony on the organ, and Celebration Brass.

Advent Penitential Service

Wednesday, 21 December 2016

 
Entrance Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Sacrament of Reconciliation (i) Kyrie Eleison (Haugen)
(ii) Remember your mercy, Lord (Paul Wellicome)
(iii) God’s tender mercy (Psallite)
Recessional Christ, be our light (Bernadette Farrell)
 

The Deanery Advent Penitential Service was led by Bishop John, who guided us on an extended reflection through six excerpts from scripture, before individual reception of the sacrament of reconciliation and a final communal act of contrition.

4th Sunday of Advent (Year A, 2016)

Sunday, 18 December 2016

 
Entrance Come Saviour, Come/Rorate Caeli
Kyrie Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Psalm Ps 23 (David Saint)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia: Show us your mercy (Alan Rees)
Preparation of the Gifts Ave Maria (Karl Jenkins, b. 1944)
Sanctus, Acclamation A, Amen Belmont Mass
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion (i) O Clavis David (chant)
(ii) Veni Immanuel (John Bell)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional O Come O come Emmanuel
 

Christmas is Coming! (2016)

Music and Readings for Advent and Christmas

Sunday, 11 December 2016

 
Cathedral Choir & Notability O Magnum Mysterium (Morten Lauridsen)
All Come, thou long-expected Jesus
Notability Lully, Lulla, Lullay (Philip Stopford)
All The angel Gabriel
Cathedral Choir O Nata Lux (Thomas Tallis)
O Radiant Dawn (James Macmillan)
Notability The Little Drummer Boy (K K Davis, arr. McCarthy)
Angels’ Carol (John Rutter)
Cathedral Choir Myn Liking (R.R. Terry)
All Once in royal David’s city
Anthony Hunt (organ) Chorale Fantasia on Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (Dieterich Buxtehude)
Notability O Holy Night (Adolphe Adam, arr. Rutter)
Cathedral Choir & Notability In Dulci Jubilo (arr. R.L. Pearsall)
Cathedral Choir Gaudete (15th c.)
All O Come, all ye faithful
All O Come, O come Emmanuel
Anthony Hunt Vom Himmel Hoch (J.S. Bach)

As last year, I tried to find the right balance between Advent and Christmas music, interspersed with readings, brief addresses from representatives of our two charities (Caritas Diocese of Salford and Salford Loaves and Fishes), and prayers led by Bishop John. Fourteen years after the first one, I’m still not sure whether this annual celebration (in which we have been joined each time by the excellent Notability) is mainly a service or mainly a concert. But someone in the congregation/audience said tonight’s was the best ever.

3rd Sunday of Advent (Year A, 2016)

Sunday, 11 December 2016

 
Entrance Rejoice for ever (mcb)
Kyrie Belmont Mass (Christopher Walker)
Psalm Ps 145 (Rees/Bévenot)
Gospel Acclamation Alleluia: Show us your mercy (Alan Rees)
Preparation of the Gifts O Radiant Dawn (James MacMillan, b. 1959)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen Belmont Mass
Agnus Dei Belmont Mass
Communion (i) O Radix Jesse (chant)
(ii) Be strong, our God has come to save us (Psallite)
Postcommunion (silence)
Recessional Hark! a herald voice