IV LENT (Laetare Sunday) at 8:00

This Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, is also known as "Laetare Sunday".  "Laetare" is one of two Latin words used in the liturgical calendar that mean "Rejoice".  The other is "Gaudete", which falls on the Third Sunday of Advent.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are no organ preludes or postludes during Lent except for Solemnities (e.g. St. Joseph's Day, Annunciation) or Laetare Sunday.  Therefore, we will have prelude and postlude before and after Mass this weekend only.  After that, no further prelude until Easter Sunday and no further postlude until the Easter Vigil.

The Gospel this weekend speaks of the prodigal son, who wanted his share of his inheritance, then took off and squandered it.  Our entrance hymn, Amazing grace ("I once was lost but now am found..."), reflects that.  In addition, if the OCIA Second Scrutiny takes place this weekend, the readings for Year A are read instead (we're normally in Year C this year), and the Gospel is about the man born blind, thus another fit for Amazing Grace ("...was blind, but now I see!").

The hymns will remain the same regardless of which readings are read, but the Psalm following the first reading will differ.

Stations of the Cross (Fridays in Lent at 6:30 PM)

Entrance hymn: #141 The glory of these forty days ("Erhalt uns, Herr") (Listen)
For each station: the aforementioned Stabat Mater verses in English provided in the Stations booklet
Recessional hymn: #705 Lift high the cross ("Crucifer") (Listen)
- Should be familiar, but I think the organ fanfare at the beginning in this link is quite nifty.

March 30 - Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) (8:00 AM)

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Entrance hymn: #571 Amazing grace ("New Britain")

- You really don't need a listen link for "Amazing grace", do you?
Psalm 34: R./ Taste and see the goodness of the Lord (BMP) (PDF)

(if OCIA Second Scrutiny is used) Psalm 23: R./ The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want (Owen Alstott)

Gospel Acclamation: Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ, King of endless glory (Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB)

Offertory hymn: #704 Take up your cross ("Erhalt uns, Herr") (Listen)

- The listen link is to the aforementioned "The glory of these forty days", which is the exact same tune.

Sanctus: #874 Heritage Mass

Memorial Acclamation: #12 (on page 17) Save us, Savior of the world (Official ICEL chant)

Amen: single Amen found on page 22.

Agnus Dei XVIII: #846

Anthem during Communion: My God, my Father, while I stray ("Thy Will Be Done") (Listen)

Meditation hymn: #370 Godhead here in hiding ("Adoro Te Devote") (vv. 1, 5, 6, 7 in English) (Listen)

Recessional hymn: #705 Lift high the cross ("Crucifer") (Listen)

Quod scripsi, scripsi!
BMP

STATIONS (at 6:30) and III LENT (at 8:00), and a little more on TUNES and METERS

If you remember in last week's post, we discussed the interchangeablilty of hymn tunes.  As you will see, two hymns within these lists carry the exact same tune: The glory of these forty days (Entrance hymn for Stations this Friday) and Take up your cross (Meditation hymn for this Sunday).  The tune here is "Erhalt uns, Herr".

By the way, for those curious, the title given in quotes and parentheses is the name of the tune.  When singing from the Breaking Bread hymnal, you will find the tune name on the top right corner of the hymn - that is, for traditional hymnody like that we normally sing at 8:00 Mass.  The meter (the number of syllables in each line) is given at the bottom at the beginning of the "Text" credits.  Ah yes, another new term: Text.  Where in most secular music and contemporary pieces you have Lyrics and Music, in standard hymnody you have Text and Tune.

And remember the acronymns I mentioned last week as well: in the case of the two "Erhalt uns, Herr" hymns, the meter is given as "LM", that is, "long meter" or 88 88.  In the case of this Sunday's recessional hymn, the tune being "St. Flavian", the meter is given as "CM", that is, "common meter" or 86 86.  The rest of the hymn meters for the hymns listed here are numeric.

Stations of the Cross (Fridays in Lent at 6:30 PM)

Entrance hymn: #141 The glory of these forty days ("Erhalt uns, Herr") (Listen)
For each station: the aforementioned Stabat Mater verses in English provided in the Stations booklet
Recessional hymn: #705 Lift high the cross ("Crucifer") (Listen)
- Should be familiar, but I think the organ fanfare at the beginning in this link is quite nifty.

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

March 23 - Third Sunday of Lent (8:00 AM)

Repent, says the Lord, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Entrance hymn: #132 Forty days and forty nights ("Heinlein") (Listen)

Kyrie XVI (simplified form) or recited.

Psalm 95: R./ If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Owen Alstott)

Gospel Acclamation: Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ, King of endless glory (Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB)

Offertory hymn: #138 Have mercy on us, Lord ("Attende, Domine"/Mode V) (Listen)
- We will sing the text in English.

Sanctus: #874 Heritage Mass

Memorial Acclamation: #12 (on page 17) Save us, Savior of the world (Official ICEL chant)

Amen: single Amen found on page 22.

Agnus Dei XVIII: #846

Communion responsory: Psalm 84, R./ Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise. (Adam Bartlett)

- Adam Bartlett's initial rise to fame came with the hardbound "Lumen Christi Missal" and Illuminati Publications, which has since become "Source and Summit", now publishing the "Source and Summit Missal" along with a "digital platform" for liturgy planning as well.

Meditation hymn: Take up your cross ("Erhalt uns, Herr") (Listen)

- The listen link is to the aforementioned "The glory of these forty days", which is the exact same tune.

Recessional hymn: Lord, who throughout these forty days ("St. Flavian") (Listen)

Quod scripsi, scripsi! (You'll hear these words in English in the Good Friday Passion in just a few weeks - "What I have written, I have written!")
BMP

STATIONS (at 6:30), II LENT (at 8:00), POST INSPIRED BY CONVERSATION, HYMN TUNES and OMER WESTENDORF

Inspired by conversation...

Back in December, a parishioner at my other church approached me with a liturgical question about memorial acclamations and I was inspired to post something on my music blog for that church.

Last Sunday, thanks to a post-Mass conversation with Fr. Dandeneau, I have a conversation-inspired topic here as well.  We got talking about hymn tunes.  Father had recognized the tune Kingsfold, which was our offertory last Sunday, but normally used with the hymn I heard the voice of Jesus say, except we used the Lenten-themed text, Led by the Spirit.  One of the things I mentioned is the beauty of many traditional hymn tunes - that is, they are interchangeable.  All one has to do is look at the credits at the bottom of most traditional hymns.  There you will find the acronymns SM, CM or LM, or what looks to be a random set of numbers.  That is what's known as a meter, not a timing meter like 4/4, 3/4 or 6/8, but a poetic meter.  These tell you how many syllables are in each line of the hymn.  Many hardbound hymnals have a "metrical index" which leads you to such tunes.

As for the acronym meters: SM is short meter (or 66 86, that is, a pair of six-syllable lines, then a pair that goes eight syllables, then six syllables).  Our entrance hymn this Sunday, 'Tis good, Lord, to be here, has such a meter.  As you'll notice when we sing this, the verses are quite short.  CM is common meter (or 86 86).  Our meditation and recessional hymns last Sunday, Shepherd of souls and Lord, who throughout these forty days, is such a meter.  Finally there is LM, which is long meter (or 88 88) which you'll see in our recessional hymn this Sunday, The glory of these forty days.

Other hymns will have such meters as 87 87 or 76 76.  Often meters will have a D (which stands for "Double") at the end of the meter, meaning the syllable count is rendered twice.  Such cases include Led by the Spirit, which is CMD (common meter double), or 86 86 D (a short way of saying 86 86 86 86).

The point of showing the poetic meters of hymns is to show that many tunes are interchangeable.  For example, the aforementioned Shepherd of souls and Lord, who throughout these forty days could be very easily sung to each other's tunes without making the text sound awkward.  The Breaking Bread hymnal has at least four hymns set to the tune Hymn to Joy.  The four I know of are Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, Praise the Lord, ye heav'ns, adore him, Sing with all the saints in glory, and Alleluia, alleluia! Hearts to heav'n and voices raise.  Because they all have the meter 87 87 D, they could also easily be sung to the tunes for Alleluia! sing to Jesus (the tune is Hyfrydol) and Sing of Mary, pure and lowly (the tune is Pleading Savior).

Remember Omer Westendorf?

Last month in a post, I mentioned a hymn author named Omer Westendorf (who in the 60s and early 70s used three different aliases in his author credit).  This Sunday's offertory hymn, Beautiful Savior, is sung to the tune St. Elizabeth.  Beautiful Savior was actually the second hymn I learned to this tune as a child, after growing up with good old Monthly Missalette and an Omer Westendorf-penned hymn, God's blessing sends us forth, which appeared with his alias "J. Clifford Evers".  While the meters are not the same, both hymns scan well to that tune.  Incidentally, between the two texts (Beautiful Savior and God's blessing sends us forth), Beautiful Savior was actually first by about a century, while the German it was translated from was even two centuries before that!

And now, withoug further ado...

Stations of the Cross (Fridays in Lent at 6:30 PM)

Entrance hymn: #132 Forty days and forty nights ("Heinlein") (Listen)
For each station: the aforementioned Stabat Mater verses in English provided in the Stations booklet
Recessional hymn: #705 Lift high the cross ("Crucifer")

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

March 16 - Second Sunday of Lent (8:00 AM)

NOTE: The Gospel is Luke's account of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Entrance hymn: #126 'Tis good, Lord, to be here ("Swabia") (Listen)

- The title is Peter's words to Jesus, as depicted in today's Gospel.

Kyrie XVI (simplified form) or recited.

Psalm 27: R./ The Lord is my light and my salvation (Richard Proulx)

Gospel Acclamation: Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ, King of endless glory (Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB)

Offertory hymn: #208 Beautiful Savior ("St. Elizabeth") (Listen)

- NOTE 1: Verse 3 depicts Jesus' garments becoming "dazzling white" - "Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels in the sky."

- NOTE 2: Here's a listen link to the other text I mentioned, "God's blessing sends us forth", same tune.

Sanctus: #874 Heritage Mass

Memorial Acclamation: #12 (on page 17) Save us, Savior of the world (Official ICEL chant)

Amen: single Amen found on page 22.

Agnus Dei XVIII: #846

Communion responsory: Psalm 45, R./ Tell no one about the vision you have seen until the Son of Man has risen from the dead (BMP) (PDF)

Meditation hymn: #132 Forty days and forty nights ("Heinlein")

Recessional hymn: #141 The glory of these forty days ("Erhalt uns, Herr") (Listen)

Reminder: NO prelude or postlude during Lent except for the Fourth Sunday (Laetare Sunday).

Quod scripsi, scripsi!

BMP

STATIONS OF THE CROSS (at 6:30) and I LENT (at 8:00)

Now is the accepted time.  Now is the day of salvation.

It is that season where we prepare for the Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection, where we repent our sins, those very sins for which the Lord's death and resurrection has saved us.  I remember working at one parish where one alto in the choir once said at rehearsal, "I hate Lent music.  It's so depressing."  Well, not all church music is meant to be happy.  It should be known, however, that the only music that she thinks should be sung at Mass is contemporary music.

Nonetheless, there is a mood change in the music for the season, not only in the hymns/responses themselves, but in the way they are executed.  Traditional rules call for no organ at all during Lent, except on solemnities or feasts or on Laetare Sunday (the Fourth Sunday of Lent).  Of course, liturgical directives have changed a few times around since 1969 and much of tradition is not followed at all.  The compromise these days is to only use the organ to support singing (whether it be by the congregation or by a choir).  That means NO prelude, NO postlude.  For some, unfortunately (and I've seen this), is to substitute the piano for the organ.

For that reason, I have decided that during Lent I will not be playing a prelude or postlude, except for the weekend of March 29/30 (the Fourth Sunday of Lent, that is, Laetare, or "Rejoice", Sunday).  This is a practice for me that I haven't gotten to use since my days in Tiverton (2004-2007), and it's high time I used it.  I will also take on my usual practice of taking a little bit off the organ - not a complete softening of the instrument - but maybe eliminate a stop or two that might sound "flashy" or "bombastic", more fit for joyous seasons like Christmas and Easter and even "Ordinary Time".

Stations of the Cross (Fridays in Lent at 6:30 PM)

I'm thrilled to have been asked by Father Dandeneau to supply the music for Stations of the Cross on Fridays in Lent (and 3:00 PM on Good Friday).  Here we will sing an opening and closing hymn, as well of the verses provided of the hymn Stabat Mater (well, an English translation thereof) en route to each station.

Entrance hymn: #140 Lord, who throughout these forty days ("St. Flavian") (Listen)
- There will be a different entrance hymn each week, usually one that was just used recently.
For each station: the aforementioned Stabat Mater verses in English provided in the Stations booklet
Recessional hymn: #705 Lift high the cross ("Crucifer")
- This will be the recessional hymn for all Fridays.

And now, without further ado...

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

March 9 - First Sunday of Lent (8:00 AM)

Entrance hymn: #132 Forty days and forty nights ("Heinlein") (Listen)

- In today's Gospel, Luke's account of Jesus fasting in the desert for forty days and forty nights, tempted many times by Satan.

Kyrie XVI (simplified form) or recited.

The Gloria is OMITTED during Lent except for solemnities and feasts.

Psalm 91: R./ Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble (response music by C. Alexander Peloquin, versicle music by Pérè Joseph Gelineau, SJ)

Gospel Acclamation (in lieu of Alleluia): Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ, King of endless glory (Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB)

Offertory hymn: #130 Led by the Spirit ("Kingsfold") (Listen)

- Another hymn about fasting, praying and curtailing temptation.  A more familiar hymn, "I heard the voice of Jesus say", carries this same tune.

Sanctus: #874 Heritage Mass

Memorial Acclamation: #12 (on page 17) Save us, Savior of the world (Official ICEL chant)

The Amen which concludes the Eucharistic Prayer will be just a single Amen sung on two notes: do do-re (A-men_), a capella. You will find this toward the top of page 22.

Agnus Dei XVIII: #846

Communion anthem: My song is love unknown ("Love Unknown")

Meditation hymn: #369 Shepherd of souls ("St. Agnes") (Listen)

- Special attention to the second verse, "We may not live by bread alone, but by thy word of grace..." and its allusion to the Alleluia verse of the day. This also shows up in the Gospel, as Jesus' response to one of the many temptations made by Satan.

Recessional hymn: #140 Lord, who throughout these forty days ("St. Flavian")

- The finale of the Mass, again, fasting, praying, and conquering temptation.

Quod scripsi, scripsi!

BMP

SUNDAY VIII and "PUTTING THE ALLELUIA AWAY"

So today we enter the Eighth Sunday of the Year, or, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.  In addition to hymns that may align with the day's Scripture, we also tend to use hymns that include the word "Alleluia" multiple times per verse.  The two hymns this weekend that fit that description are Alleluia! sing to Jesus and Ye watchers and ye holy ones, the former containing two alleluias per verse, the latter containing six to seven alleluias per verse.

On that Sunday, or even on Tuesday (Mardi Gras), some churches have a ritual for "burying" or "putting away" the Alleluia, which often includes a hymn, namely one called Alleluia, song of gladness.  In the case of St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, a church that has a little of everything - Mass in English (Ordinary Form, of course) as well as Mass in Latin in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Form - the Alleluia (on a plaque) is carried to its "place of repose" (just like the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday), then "buried" under the cloth of the side altar, then incensed.  See for yourself!  

        Alleluia, song of gladness, Voice of joy that cannot die;

        Alleluia is the anthem Ever dear by choirs on high;

        In the house of God abiding Thus they sing eternally.

        Alleluia, thou resoundest, True Jerusalem and free;

        Alleluia, joyful mother, All thy children sing with thee;

        But by Babylon's sad waters Mourning exiles still are we.

        Alleluia cannot always Be our song while here below;

        Alleluia our transgressions Make us for a while forgo;

        For the solemn time is coming When our tears for sin shall flow.

        Therefore in our hymns we pray thee, Grant us, blessèd Trinity,

        At the last to keep glad Easter In our home beyond the sky,

        There to thee for ever singing Alleluia joyfully.

Notice how in that hymn tells us that we must for a time be mournful - mournful of our sins - mournful for the trials of Christ leading from his being tempted in the desert until his Passion and death - until the day of his Resurrection, at which we can sing "Alleluia!" once again.

On a lighter note, when I was music director at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Providence, we used to have a Mass on the day before Ash Wednesday (you know, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday), followed by a "Bring Your Most Fattening Dessert" coalition in the school hall.  Needless to say, my wife Ann would bring her own brand of Reese's peanut butter cups.  MMMMM!  They were so good, and usually amongst the first items to be devoured by those in attendance!  Many other delicious treats brought in as well!

The next day, of course, was Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting!

And now, without further ado...

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Entrance hymn: #714 Alleluia! sing to Jesus ("Hyfrydol") (Listen)

- The listen link is an arrangement by Stephen Buzard, the organist performing it at a dedication recital of a newly-restored Kilgen pipe organ in Brooklyn, New York.

Gloria: Holy Angels Mass (BMP) or recited (Listen)

Psalm 92: R./ Lord, it is good to give thanks to you (Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB)

Alleluia I for Ordinary Time (BMP)

Offertory hymn: #710 Ye watchers and ye holy ones ("Lasst uns Erfreuen") (Listen)

Sanctus: #874 Heritage Mass

Memorial Acclamation: We proclaim your death, O Lord... #875 Heritage Mass

Amen: #878 Heritage Mass

Agnus Dei: #879 Heritage Mass

Communion anthem: Panis Angelicus (Cesar Franck)

Meditation hymn: #370 Godhead here in hiding ("Adoro Te Devote") (vv. 1, 2, 3, 7 in English)

Recessional hymn: #206 Holy God, we praise thy Name ("Grosser Gott")

Organ Postlude: Festive Alleluia by Gordon Young

- While this choral piece is being performed as an organ reduction this Sunday, the "Alleluias" are blatantly brought out!

Quod scripsi, scripsi!

BMP

SUNDAY VII at EIGHT O'CLOCK and a flashback to the days of MONTHLY MISSALETTE!

Psalm 103, the Psalm appointed for this Sunday, is well-alluded to by our entrance hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.

    Verse 1: O my soul, praise him for he is thy health and salvation.
        Psalm 103: Bless the Lord, O my soul...
    Verse 2: Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
        Psalm 103: Merciful and gracious is the Lord...

Also, combining both those passages is the Introit of the day, excerpted from Psalm 13.

    O Lord, I trust in your merciful love.  My heart will rejoice in your salvation.

Our offertory hymn, Love divine, all loves excelling, combines the salvation and mercy cited in the Introit and Psalm.

    Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heav'n to earth, come down.
    Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown.
    Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure unbounded love thou art.
    Visit us with thy salvation; enter ev'ry trembling heart.

The Communion responsory, Psalm 9, with its short response, I will sing to your Name, O Most High, comes to us from Adam Bartlett of Lumen Christi Missal and Source and Summit Missal fame.

Finally, the meditation hymn, Where charity and love prevail (a loose translation of the Latin hymn Ubi Caritas) bids us we love and forgive one another, as pointed out in this Sunday's Gospel.  It's also a flashback to the days of Monthly Missalette, the 64-page publication that graced many a pew in the 1970s.  The author of the hymn, Omer Westendorf, goes back to the origins of the People's Mass Book in the 1960s (by the way, he also gave us Gift of Finest Wheat, which we sang last week).  He's also well-known for such hymns as Sing praise to our Creator and God's blessing sends us forth, widely sung in many a church when Monthly Missalette was prominent. In his early People's Mass Book days, Westendorf used at least three different aliases (three that I can remember anyways) in his hymn credits - Paul Francis, Mark Evans and J. Clifford Evers.  In the case of this Sunday's hymn, he was "J. Clifford Evers."  The name Omer Westendorf was later credited to all his works.

It should be known also that the composer of Christian Love, the tune most often sung with Where Charity and Love Prevail, was the French Benedictine Dom Paul Benoit.  While known in Catholic America as the composer of that particular hymn tune, a simple chant-like tune, Dom Benoit is well-known by many an organist for his much more complex organ solos, including some really nifty improvisations on Gregorian themes.

And now, without further ado...

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Entrance hymn: #212 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty ("Lobe den Herren") (Listen)

- Do we really need a listen link for this one?  Probably not, but I left one here anyways.  This one is from Westminster Abbey at the 60th Anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  The treble boys' descant in the final verse is well worth checking out!

Gloria: Holy Angels Mass (BMP) or recited (Listen)

Psalm 103: R. The Lord is kind and merciful (BMP) (PDF)

Alleluia I for Ordinary Time (BMP)

Offertory hymn: #434 Love divine, all loves excelling ("Hyfrydol") (Listen)

- NOTE: Same tune as the familiar "Alleluia! sing to Jesus!", which will be sung the following week, one of two hymns with Alleluias as we "put the Alleluia away" until Easter.  More on that next week.  In the meantime, check out the above listen link for another stirring descant in the final verse.

Communion responsory: Psalm 9, R. I will sing to your Name, O Most High (Adam Bartlett)

Meditation hymn: #429 Where charity and love prevail ("Christian Love") (Listen)

Recessional hymn: #541 Joyful, joyful, we adore thee ("Hymn to Joy")

Quod scripsi, scripsi!

BMP

SUNDAY VI at 8:00

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Entrance hymn: #576 O God, our help in ages past ("St. Anne") (Listen)

- Today's Introit from the Missal: "Be my protector, O God, a mighty stronghold to save me..."

Gloria: Holy Angels Mass (BMP) or recited (Listen)

Psalm 1: R./ Blessed are they who hope in the Lord (BMP) (PDF)

Alleluia I for Ordinary Time (BMP)

Offertory hymn: #598 Sing with all the saints in glory ("Hymn to Joy") (Listen)

- Same tune as "Joyful, joyful, we adore thee", which will come up the following week.  Normally one would sing "Sing with all the saints in glory" in Eastertide, but the second reading tells it all - "Christ is risen, is the firstfruits.."

Sanctus: #874 Heritage Mass

Memorial Acclamation: We proclaim your death, O Lord... #875 Heritage Mass

Amen: #878 Heritage Mass

Agnus Dei: #879 Heritage Mass

Communion responsory: R./ Remember, Lord, thy servants (BMP)

Meditation hymn: #345 Gift of finest wheat ("Bicentennial") (vv. 1-3) (Listen)

- "They ate and had their fill..." (Communion Proper from the Missal).  This hymn was commissioned in 1976 as the official hymn of the 41st Eucharistic Congress which took place in Philadelphia.  In earlier hymnals, the tune was given as "Eucharistic Congress" and copyrighted by the Board of Governors, 41st Eucharist Congress.  Current hymnals now list the tune as "Bicentennial" (after all, it was first sung during the year of our nation's bicentennial) and copyright assigned to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  The text was written by Omer Westendorf, who is famous for many hymns that appeared in just about every edition of "People's Mass Book" from the 1960s to today.

Recessional hymn: #206 Holy God, we praise thy Name ("Grosser Gott")

- Do we really need a listen link for this classic?

Quod scripsi, scripsi!
BMP