Lord, Come to My Aid...when I need a psalm setting!

In our planning, I'm sure many of us discover that we may not have a psalm setting for a particular Sunday that seems to be 'the one.' Sometimes there seems to be an obvious choice; other times...not so much.  I find that I will often times try and write something that fills the need for a particular Sunday. This past week was no different, so I thought I'd share with you what we used (what I wrote).

I wanted a simple refrain, and I went back and forth with whether or not it should be syncopated.  I decided to go with the syncopation, but tried to keep it predictable.  You'll notice that the melody and rhythms are exactly the same in both phrases of the refrain. The chords change underneath, though, which helps to keep it musically interesting.

Piano intro, followed by a Refrain with solo voice and piano, followed by a repeat of the refrain with full ensemble...but no harmonies, yet.  Then, to be a little different, I asked the band to tacet on the first phrase of Verse 1.  That verse is all by itself in the Lectionary. I felt it would be too short to sing, then go right back to the Refrain, so I isolated it musically from the rest of the Verse.  The band comes back in on "The Lord heard my cry..."

It could be played with a lot less instrumentation...and it was at some of the Masses.   Here's a video from the Mass.

http://youtu.be/GnWpILwJpFI

eBundles

New at voicesasone.com - eBundles have arrived.  At WLP we are taking our contemporary titles and bundling them together with lead sheets, keyboard accompaniments, instrumental parts (and adding them if they aren't already written), assembly boxes, lyrics, etc.  Just another way to get everything you need for a particular song.  Get the bundle, then purchase as many lead sheets as you need!

Here's an example of Follow Me by Danielle Rose.

Song Ideas for Sunday, 9/8/2013

Here are some song possibilities and suggestions for 

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

As It Is in Heaven by Matt Maher (spiritandsong) – (from the CD Overflow)

Deny Yourself by Paul Melley (GIA) – (from the CD Humbled)

Every Day by Jacob and Matthew Band (WLP) - (from the CD "Every Day" and found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1)

*I Abandon Myself by John Michael Talbot (Birdwing) – (found in Voices As One vol. 2)

I Am the Way by Craig Colson (WLP) – (from the CD “I Am the Way”)

I Will Choose Christ by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "The Best of Tom Booth")

I Will Follow by Tomlin/Ingram/Morgan (worshiptogether.com)

I Will Follow by Jacob and Matthew Band (WLP) - (from the CD "Every Day")

Lord, I Need You by Maher et all (worshiptogether.com)

More Than Yesterday by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Cry the Gospel")

*My Soul Is Thirsting by Steve Angrisano (spiritandsong) - (from the CD Make a Difference)

Prosper the Works of Our Hands by Booth/Jansen/Tomaszek (spiritandsong.com) – (from the CD "Give God the Glory")

*Strength for the Journey by Michael John Poirier - (as published in Voices as One, vol. 1)

Take My Life by Tomlin/Giglio (worshiptogether.com)

Take Up Our Cross by Curtis Stephen and Sarah Hart (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Amid Passing Things")

* indicates instrumental parts available for these titles in the Voices As One series. All titles from this series have C and B-flat instrument parts. Select titles have Saxophone and Brass parts. 

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 C Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Bb Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Saxophone and Brass Instrument Book

Song Ideas for Sunday, 9/1/2013

Here are some song possibilities and suggestions for 

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

*All I Need by Brewster/Chambers/Houghton/Booth (Integrity) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

*At the Name of Jesus by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from Hymns) (More Voices As One vol. 1)

*Be Glorified by Giglio/Reeves/Tomlin (worshiptogether.com) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

Be Lifted High by Blakesley/Maher (spiritandsong) - (from the CD "Waiting")

Every Day by Jacob and Matthew Band (WLP) - (from the CD "Every Day" and found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1)

For Your Glory by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) – (from the CD “Overflow”)

Humble Thyself by Bob Hudson (CCLI)

I Will Choose Christ by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "The Best of Tom Booth")

I Will Follow by Tomlin/Ingram/Morgan (worshiptogether.com)

Lord, I Need You by Maher et all (worshiptogether.com)

More Than Yesterday by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Cry the Gospel")

*Once Again by Matt Redman (worshiptogether.com)

*Strength for the Journey by Michael John Poirier - (as published in Voices as One, vol. 1)

Take My Life by Tomlin/Giglio (worshiptogether.com)

The Beatitudes by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD Word for Word, found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1) – see this blog post about suggestions for performing this song.

The Name of Jesus by Flynn/Thomas (WLP) - (from Born Again) (More Voices As One vol. 1)

* indicates instrumental parts available for these titles in the Voices As One series. All titles from this series have C and B-flat instrument parts. Select titles have Saxophone and Brass parts. 

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 C Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Bb Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Saxophone and Brass Instrument Book

Song Ideas for Sunday, 8/18/2013

Here are some song possibilities and suggestions for 

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

*Be Glorified by Giglio/Reeves/Tomlin (worshiptogether.com) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

*Better Is One Day by Matt Redman (worshiptogether.com) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

Breathe on Me, O Breath of God by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD "Hymns")

Burning In My Soul by Younker/Maher/Reeves/Carson (worshiptogether.com)

Every Day by Jacob and Matthew Band (WLP) - (from the CD "Every Day" and found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1)

I Will Never Be by Geoffrey Bullock (Integrity)

*Just Like You by Matt Maher (spiritandsong) - (from the CD "The End and the Beginning") - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

Love Unfolding by Joshua Blakesley (spiritandsong) - (from the CD "Free")

*Reason to Live by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD "We are Faithful" and found in the collection Voices As One vol. 1)

Shine, Jesus, Shine by Graham Kendrick (Integrity)

Shine Through Us by Danielle Rose (WLP) - (from the CD "I Thirst" and found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1)

*Shout to the North by Martin Smith - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

* indicates instrumental parts available for these titles in the Voices As One series. All titles from this series have C and B-flat instrument parts. Select titles have Saxophone and Brass parts. 

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 C Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Bb Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Saxophone and Brass Instrument Book

Song Ideas for Sunday, 8/11/2013

SO LATE...but here are some song possibilities and suggestions for 

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

*All I Need by Brewster/Chambers/Houghton/Booth (Integrity) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

*Come, Now Is the Time to Worship by Brian Doerkson (Vineyard/CCLI) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

Enough by Tomlin/Giglio (worshiptogether.com)

Find Us Ready by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) – (from the CD “Find Us Ready”)

For Your Glory by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) – (from the CD “Overflow”)

I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD "Hymns")

I Trust in You by Lorraine Hess (WLP)

In God Alone by John Angotti (WLP) - (from the CD "Joy Beyond Our Dreams")

Jesus, My Everything by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) – (from the CD “Welcome to Life”)

Put Your Trust in God by Booth/Longo - (from the CD "Cry the Gospel")

*Strength for the Journey by Michael John Poirier - (as published in Voices as One, vol. 1)

*The Rock of Faith by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD "Awake to the Day") (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

*You are My All in All by Dennis Jernigan (Shepherd's Heart Music) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

We Come to You by Josh Blakesley (spiritandsong) – (from the CD "Waiting")


* indicates instrumental parts available for these titles in the Voices As One series. All titles from this series have C and B-flat instrument parts. Select titles have Saxophone and Brass parts. 


Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 C Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Bb Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Saxophone and Brass Instrument Book

Some new Mass parts...

Awhile back I had mentioned that I was producing a recording of a new Mass setting by young composer, Rachel Frazier.  The setting is called Mass for A New Era. World Library Publications actually introduced it at NPM last week in Washington, D.C. It's primarily based on 'call and response style,' so if you're looking for something easy to teach your parish (or something instantly useable) you should check it out.
Rachel originally composed the music on guitar, but I was asked to arrange some keyboard parts for it. The entire setting is available here.
Listen to the recording and sing along as if you are 'in the pews.'

Take a listen to all of the different parts. The assembly echoes the cantor for almost every part (not the ‘Glory to God’). This could be very helpful if you are asked to lead music for a mass in an unfamiliar setting. Now that the church is ‘still learning’ all of these new Mass settings, it’s not as common, yet, to find one that everyone seems to know.

Something else new...

I've also included something else that's new: a Gospel Acclamation from a new setting I'm currently working on. This recording/video (from two weeks ago) is in G, but I'm considering lowering it to F. Here's a recording and a lead sheet. I'd love it if you could check it out and let me know what you think.