St Mungo Singers rehearsal 27th August and 3rd September and Mary Walsh’s funeral
We met at 7.00. We are preparing for our Civic Reception on Friday the 15th September and our next service is on the 17th September with The GCT ecumenical service for the Season of Creation in St Andrew’s West in Bath Street at 4.00. After that we will have a Mass in Falkland Palace on the 30th September with Mgr Philip Kerr and the local parish for Fr Willy Slavin.
Tonight we rehearsed a nice setting of ‘O God, creation’s secret source’ with a little harmony in the last two bars, then a John Bell hymn ‘The truth will set you free’ (tune Hyfrydol) as well as a new and lovely creation song (with descant) and prayer by Donald MacInnes – all as part of our preparations for the Creation service.
We also rehearsed the Sanctus and Memorial of my new Mass setting. I have long been conscious of the unique importance of the Sanctus at Mass. We are all invited to associate ourselves with heaven and earth in the presence of the ‘All holy’, but so often we sing a tune which may be a good tune and which accompanies the words but is not sensitive to the text and does not enhance our sense of being in the presence of the ‘all holy God.’ I like the new setting of the Memorial – it sings well and will be accessible for the congregation.
We enjoyed our tea break and continued to renew repertoire with the wondrous Mozart ‘Ave Verum’, and the Bach chorale to words by James Quinn ‘Praise the King of all creation’. We wanted to revise the Beethoven blessing but ran out of time – we can do it next week.
I sent a note round the parishes and the priests last Friday telling the priests about what we do and asking them to let parishioners know – we may get some new recruits!
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Funeral of Mary Walsh at the Little Sisters of the Poor
Fr Willy Monaghan asked for support for the funeral and we were able to provide 14 singers including a cantor with Ps 22 ‘His goodness will follow me always to the end of my days’ and Noel playing the Harp. Thanks everyone for your generous response.
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On the 3rd September we continued to work on the music for the Season of Creation with
‘O Lord, my God ( choir harmony for the chorus
‘The truth will set you free’ (tune Hyfrydol) (John Bell text)
Psalm 8 with an SATB response and
Donald’s ‘Appreciation of Creation with descant in the chorus
We still have to add the Iona response’ God our Father, hear our prayer: your Kingdom come;
and ‘Joyful, joyful we adore’ to the Beethoven Ode to Joy tune.
We also rehearsed the new Sanctus and Memorial Acclamation, and revised ‘God be in my Head’ and
Mannion’s ‘One Thing I ask’ (from Ps 26). ‘God be in my head’ needs a little more work.
Number are almost complete for the Choir’s Civic Reception on the 15th September, and for the trip to the Chapel Royal at Falkland Palace for the Mass for Willy Slavin with Mgr Philip Kerr and the local parish.
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Rehearsal September 10th
We sang ‘O Lord, hear my prayer’ in sympathy for the plight of people suffering from the earthquake in Morocco.
We worked on Donald’s ‘An Appreciation of Creation’ with the new descant,
and on ‘O Lord, my God’ with its nice harmony by Stuart K Hine.
We looked over Psalm 8 with a simple harmony
and the Verse preparing for the Gospel: ‘O Light from Light’
And the response to the Intercessions ‘God our Father, hear our prayer: your Kingdom come.
Then John Bell’s ‘When the wheel of fate is turning . . . ‘
Our short tea break involved coconut creams and chocolate biscuits and much cheery chat – despite the dreadful weather experienced.
After the tea break we spent a little time on ‘God be in my head,’ and ‘Day by Day’
We also revised two Entry Songs or Introits: Seek the Lord, bless the Lord and ‘Go make Disciples’
I want to prepare a presentation on Entry Songs or Introits and Communion Songs. The Entries or Introits can be such an appropriate opening for Mass or other services instead of hymns which are often too long. If people learn to sing one or two settings of the Glory be to the Father’ then they can easily add in accessible settings of suitable texts: here are some samples:
1 From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord;
high above the heavens is his glory.
Glory to the Father . . . . . . . .
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord;
high above the heavens is his glory.
2 In the morning let me know your love, let me know the way I should walk.
Glory to the Father . . . . . . . .
In the morning let me know your love, let me know the way I should walk.
3 Such are the ones who seek your face, who seek your face, O Lord.
Glory to the Father . . . . . . . .
Such are the ones who seek your face, who seek your face, O Lord.
4 Seek the Lord, bless the Lord, taste and see the Lord is good.
Seek the Lord, bless the Lord, taste and see the Lord is good.
Glory to the Father . . . . . . . .
Seek the Lord, bless the Lord, taste and see the Lord is good.
Seek the Lord, bless the Lord, taste and see the Lord is good.
5 Go make disciples of all the nations, I am with you to the end of time.
Go make disciples of all the nations, I am with you to the end of time.
Glory to the Father . . . . . . . .
Go make disciples of all the nations, I am with you to the end of time.
Go make disciples of all the nations, I am with you to the end of time.
and was very grateful to the choir for giving me a nivce recording of ‘Seek the Lord, bless the Lord
