Yes in this time as in other times when a significant number of people reject(ed) the good Lord for whatever reason (ignorance, poor catechesis, poor education, cultural confusion, pride, etc) we the body of Christ should weep as the Lord wept.
Perhaps you heard "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman" by Carey Landry.
https://youtu.be/OUey6ytEXqY?si=uIb-hsy0HbkkeQSK
I have sung it often with my church choir.
Allow me to put in a pitch for a song I helped record and publish. The melody is by Tony Moran:
Hail Mary (track 16)
https://insong.org/product/faith-songs-for-kids/
https://insong.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/16-Hail-Mary.mp3
https://insong.org/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2022/09/Sheet-music-Faith-Songs-...
Hello, can anyone help me, please and thank you, find the Hail Mary song with the following lyrics:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you,
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus
Jesus
Blessed is the fruit of your womb
Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death,
Hail Mary, full of grace, Hail Mary...
Thank you for your review of an "oldie but goodie" hymn. I like the lyrics and the various keyboard arrangements. You sure do a thorough job of showcasing not just the hymn but its lyricist and manifold melodic composers.
Looking forward to next month's Hymn of the Month.
Hi Richard, thanks for getting back to me, and I'm so glad you love my songs! I had the blessing of getting them produced by a local producer. And thanks for the recommendation of Tom Mohr. I'll look into that. Yeah, I didn't have luck with OCP so far, but I was blessed to get my song, We Adore You, published by GIA just very recently (See my song's page on their website as it is available for download but not print yet), so that is exciting.
I'd be down to collaborate and definitely...
Brian, your songs are sublime, your voice is an ointment and your soundbeds are top quality. I would be interested in collaborating with you. I could use your voice on some of my songs and hymns. Perhaps I can do some cowrites with you. Let's talk.
By the way, I was disappointed by OCP.org not accepting any of the three co-written songs I submitted a few years ago. It's a hard nut to crack.
Richard Schletty
Owner/admin:
schlettysound.com
schlettydesign.com
hungryforheaven.com
insong....
Brian, I suggest that you seek advice about self promotion from Tom Mohr. See his letters, songs and podcasts:
https://www.tommohr.com/about-5
https://topcatholicsongs.com/rising-leader-series-tom-mohr-completion
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/author-tom-mohr-launches-the-rising-leader-series-a-year-long-series-sent-to-the-next-generation-of-leaders-301453400.html
Contact me at info@topcatholicsongs.com if you would like Tom's email address.
Hello all. I'm Brian Tucker, a Catholic singer/songwriter from Colorado Springs, CO who has released 9 songs in the contemporary Christian style (check out my songs like We Adore You at https://hyperfollow.com/briantuckermusic or briantuckermusic.com), and I'm now transitioning to becoming a songwriter for the Church in the contemporary Christian vein and especially writing songs for the liturgy and for adoration that elevat the beauty of mass. Anyone know besides pitching songs to OCP or GIA...
See the TOC here: in the thumbnail previews.
Then Sings My Soul, Volume 1
https://www.christianbook.com/then-sings-my-soul-volume-1/robert-morgan/9780785249399/pd/49397
I like your thorough survey of the hymn "Mother Dearest, Mother Fairest" at https://www.motherofmercycatholichymns.com/mother-dearest-mother-fairest/
The two sample tracks with voices are splendid, especially the recording from St. Cecilia Church. Love those harmonies. And the four different melodies are interesting. Well done!
Excellent words of faith. Nicely recorded by Diamond Garden Music. I'll have to look them up. Good to hear from you again, Dan Vi! I hope all is going well.
It is an interesting melody and wonderful lyrics. Love still can be found!
Some one should do a cover with harmony.
In Christ,
Fr. St. Martin
Son of RONSUE
Another wonderful psalm setting. This one is especially resonant and immersive. Did you make some improvements with your recording equipment and DAW software?
I hope that church communities discover your full three-year psalter. Having guitar-piano-voice sheet music will make them especially attractive. I know you are working on that.
Blessings,
Richard
Mel Tormé, aka "The Velvet Fog", comes to mind. After you finish mass and then your show at the Comedy Club, do a set of Standards at the local piano bar. Nice voice and lyrics!
During my Spiritual Exercises class today, we got into the exchange between Jesus and Peter. Providential! Well done, Dcn Chuck! I can just imagine you providing the music and song as God judges each individual on the Day of Judgment. Between his mercy and your mellifluous voice, we can all dare to hope that all will...
Thanks for sharing this. It is mellow, beautiful and meaningful. These are surely the words of Christ as heard by the Apostle Peter.
What's more, Peter's Song is performance-ready with the guitar lead sheet you provide. Welcome to Top Catholic Songs!
This song was written about 20 years ago. The good Lord gives us hindsight and foresight to help us see his providence over the years and helps to go through the future.
Love the intro. Reminiscent of Leo Kottke. The vocal harmonies remind me of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Cool song. Good words. I place this in the top five of your songs I've heard so far.
Thank you Richard,
I am aware of the Corpus Christi Watershed collection of hymnals. You might want to visit this website if you like devotional music. The Devotional Hymns Project
My mind cycloned refers to my experience in the late sixties as a student at UMass in Boston during the anti-war protest, sexual revolution, and wide spread drug use. The city was teeming with us baby boomers come of age and pride. promiscuity, drug abuse, and nihilism in the anti-war demonstrations were full-blown. In my senior, we had bomb sacres twice a day and the faculty voted to shut the school down in early March and we had no graduation just a diploma mailed to us. Some people I...
Don, check out this article: https://www.topcatholicsongs.com/49-catholic-hymnals.
Free download of 49 Catholic hymnals
Links to 49 old Catholic hymnals, listed at Corpus Christi Watershed:
Please visit the Corpus Christi Watershed web site for updates. The following list will continue to grow & be updated. Most of these are Catholic hymnals; some are Anglican ones. Many were scanned and made available by Corpus Christi Watershed, others by Google.
You are much better read than I ever was. My main daily reading has to do with efficient ways of developing websites, and troubleshooting tech gone bad.
I do derive good counsel and inspiration from Sunday Mass scripture readings and the psalms.
Looking forward to the lyrics. This song deserves and needs to go viral. How can we make that happen?
I've read many books by Pope Benedict and one thing he reminds us of is readiness to face persecution.
The line about a knife is an allusion to outright persecution. I read the life of St Thomas Moore and how the persecution of the faithful sprang up rather quickly.
Your song has a bit of a Simon and Garfunkel vibe. Good lyrics and rhythmic momentum. Clever wordplay.
"Living by the edge, the edge of a knife, could easily end my bodily life. But anyway you cut it, my hope is your [sight/side?]" I am not understanding some of the words. But I get the general gist of the song. It would be nice to see the lyrics. Have you performed your songs in public? This would be good for a youth rally.
Thanks for sharing.
You give a very thorough coverage of a hymn's history, complete with sheet music images and sound files. Really good job.
I see that the St. Mary's Church where you sang was in Akron, Ohio. I sang at St. Mary's in St. Paul, MN, for a dozen years.
I have dozens of old hymnals that I have collected over the years. I will enjoy bookmarking the songs you feature in these old songbooks.
Thanks for posting this in the Forum section of TCS. This is an underutilized area for discussion....
Thank you Richard and thank you for allowing me to post here at Top Catholic Songs. St. Mary's in Akron, Ohio has been my parish for over thirty years. I also have nice collection of old hymnals that I use for my research. I hope others will read my stories and share them with their friends!
Wow, what a complete coverage of a hymn's history, complete with sheet music images and sound files. Really good job.
I see that the St. Mary's Church where you sang was in Akron, Ohio. I sang at St. Mary's in St. Paul, MN, for a dozen years.
I have dozens of old hymnals that I have collected over the years. I will enjoy bookmarking the songs you feature in these old songbooks.
I just think that if we capitalize God - Father- Son that it follows we can capitalize the pronouns that refer to Him. I don't think it misleads or confuses anyone.
Sincerely, Ronald St Martin
Good Afternoon,
It is interesting that you capitalized the prose pronouns in the middle of the sentences. Is this an attempt to encourage the Universal Church to change it's current practice or a mistake?
Sincerely,
Fr. Jeremy St. Martin
Well done, Edgar! This is a beautiful ode to the Creator. Excellent lyrics, melody and chord progressions. I'd love to hear this recorded with good post-production. It's a bit muffled. Light instrumental additions such as strings and piano would be good.
You're good at folk-style storytelling through melodic voice and Travis-picked guitar.
Incidentally, I wrote a song called "Against Your Will (The Trail of Tears Story)" several years ago. A collaboration with two musicians from Germany. They created a musical soundbed and I wrote and sang the lyrics, based on a story about The Trail of Tears that I happened to chance upon in a newspaper someone left behind in a coffee shop. I did further research by talking to someone I found...
Yes I was one of those young folks of the baby boom generation who went to University and lost Faith in the Good Lord, but as he never gives up on us and through the intercession of His people He called me back to Himself.
The transcript is a good way to follow along.
Please note that I corrected the title of your post here at TCS. You had "Your in Control". It should be "You're in Control". I see the YouTube video has the same misspelling.
Thanks for sharing.
Jeremy, I agree that it would be nice to see this song on YouTube, with words onscreen. I'd also like to see all the song lyrics posted in your Dad's blog post.
FYI, I collaborated with Jane Kraemer a few years ago to produce our own rendition of Psalm 67. Your deaf friends can view our sheet music with words here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pP-TIP_eAA
And here is another rendition of the same psalm setting with me as cantor and guitarist at the Church of St. Matthew...
Another beautiful composition and performance. Your voice has a beautiful timbre and legato in this. Love that violin! I am not bothered by the reverb in this one. It floats through the sanctuary like gossamer threads. As always, thanks for sharing these psalms every week as you approach completion of your 3-year psalter.
I would think it an honor to be a guest guitarist on some of your songs. I'm 76 years old and my fingers are not always up to the task of playing like they did when I recorded most of these songs 25 years ago
but we will see what the good Lord has in mind. Adios Ron
I really like this one. Have you heard songs by Cindy Kallet and Gordon Bok? They could really put a bead on this song.
Neighbors album
https://music.apple.com/us/album/neighbors/57787944
I like it! A litany-like refrain with verses interspersed. I really like your guitar playing. I may ask you to be a guest guitarist on some of my songs. Are you up for that?
Yes Sidewalk counseling is very difficult and is a last resort, as well as probably the worst environment do do any sort of counseling. We had a lot of prayer support and that made all the difference. Thanks for the comment. Ron
Good words expressed artfully. Thank you for sharing this.
More songs like this are needed to help turn the tide of the culture of death. A few years ago, I co-wrote a song about abortion with Sharon Shultz and recorded it.
Daddy (a song about loss)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptjR7cVS-Xk
My wife and I also did some sidewalk counseling. That is a really hard task. So much venom is encountered when witnessing for life and offering an alternative/choice to women and men in distress about...
Thanks for the reply. I am amazed at how well the Google Pixel 5 phone records and uploads to YouTube.
I'm 76 years old and thought my writing, playing, and recording songs were over. But a year or so ago a song came into my mind called Maranatha and with the encouragement of my son, I did the pixel 5
recording and it came out fairly well on a simple upload to YouTube. Since then I've written and recorded almost a dozen more songs. Keep on playing the guitar and singing. Adios Ron
Thanks for the invitation to record any of your songs. There are some very good lyrics in many of your creations. My guitar playing is not as good as yours. I do mostly chord strumming and chord arpeggios. I don't do lead runs very well. Your Google Pixel 5 phone recording sounds quite good!
Thanks for the suggestion, I've downsized my recording to just the guitar and me recording on a Google 5 pixel phone. If you want to use any of these songs to record a version of your own you a welcome. Adios Ron
This has a nice ballad quality – almost like a Medieval minstrel performer. I'd like to hear flute and percussion added. It speaks nicely to the rising day. Good job.
I never had a four-track Tascam. Analog recorders sound very good. They seem to have mastering built into the system. I did a bit of recording on a Sony reel-to-reel (open reel) tape deck with 7-inch reels. Just a single stereo track (each direction). No sound on sound or sound with sound (i.e. over dubbing or multi-tracking).
My digital recording journey began in 2004 with GarageBand. Soon after I progressed to Apple Logic. Have you recorded with a software DAW (digital audio workstation)?
I...
A song of expectation sung with devotion and tenderness. Many good aspects of Christianity in your lyrics. This has a nice folk music vibe. I like it. Your sincerity shines as a beacon of hope in the Lord.
Well done. Nice guitar underlayment. You sing articulately. The guitar doesn't necessarily need to double your vocal melody throughout. It might give your voice more freedom and flow if you simply sing along with the arpeggiated guitar chords. This song would be great as part of a passion play.
I like this approach using field recordings. Your videos are quite evocative. I listened to several selections from #7. I like Wind Presence and Votive.
I did something similar several years ago. I recorded the lector, choir, bells and other environmental sounds at my church, then layered them into a montage. I am pleased to have my concept validated by you! Your tracks are much more pleasant to listen to – akin to dreamscapes. My track below is more like a nightmare.
https://soundcloud...
Hey guys, I really appreciate you giving these couple of tracks a listen and providing extremely useful feedback. We defiantly went in a new direction as I'm finding myself more and more in experimental creative spaces. Thanks again for your time and words and hope you are both doing well.
All the best,
Alex.
Alex,
You certainly are moving a new direction here. I like it! The risk taking, if you can call it that, is working. I respectfully disagree with Richard and I like the second track better. The vocals at the end kind of shocked me at first but I ended up liking them. Tell your dad the producer I really like that second track. The first track was okay and it did have a certain flow to it. Interesting use of tone correction software too get that "vocoder" effect on that first track as...
Interesting new approach. Part 2 feels more integrated than part 1. Raw Faith is certainly an appropriate title for these two pieces. You lay it all on the line – the good, the bad, the ugly, the sublime. Keep on rockin' in the cradle of God's creation.
Yes, we feel blessed that we have the range of voices in such a small group, bass, tenor, altos and sopranos.
Just to clarify, we didn't record the vocals in Garage band. Only the backing track was created in GarageBand using the free loops and percussion instruments. It is amazing how vast the library is...
The vocals were recorded in a studio and the overall song mix was handled by a professional engineer, and mastered as well.
Only the...
I started out with GarageBand in 2004, then graduated to Apple Logic Pro. It is quite user friendly for me and very powerful. I also use Steinberg Cubase on some collaborative projects.
I love your Caribbean styling. You have good singers and have captured their resonance quite well with GB.
This is one reflecting our Caribbean roots Richard ????, thanks for the feedback. Yes, GarageBand is indeed alive and well, even the version on the iPad, very simple to use .
interesting looking at that video from Guy which shows the additional capabilities. And as he said, it's free!
As a Catholic songwriter and singer myself, I want to contribute to the community and receive info on how to promote good Catholic songs to a wide audiences.
I am Catholic and a piano teacher. The Catholic Church has the most beautiful treasury of hymns.
I want my students to study hymns. Also, I want to memorize the words of some of the hymns that are in Latin and having access to the sheet music will help with that. Thank you.
I'm a music director at a Cathedral and a composer. I would love to hear other composers, music, ideas, etc. Additionally, I'd like to share my own music.
I am searching for a hymn sung on line in Canada - when I am confined to home and watch mass. I am a piano player for many years and would like to find the musical score.
I have written and recorded about 70 songs over the last two decades that are posted on my YouTube channel - Ronald St Martin songs. I would like to share them with a larger audience. Thank you and God bless your work Ron St Martin
I am a Catechist that believes that religious song is the prayer of the angels, that lifts the soul. What better way to get a child to feel the present of God's peace
I am a practicing Roman Catholic always trying to increase my faith and holiness. I like Christian music particularly prefer Catholic Christian when I am driving or at home completing tasks.
I have been a minister of music for almost 40 years, and I am, primarily, an ear-trained pianist/composer. I am hoping that, becoming a member, I will be able to find sheet music (mostly, lead sheets, if available), that also contain the guitar chords, as I, typically, see them, and then, improvise, accordingly.
I am a resident organist and singer, also training choirs. I very much would appreciate learning more contemporary music to help integrate a wider and more diverse congregation. Thank you.
Need to replace copyrighted music on my YouTube Rosary channel (https://www.youtube.com/@mryan510) to stop the constant interruptions with ads. Perusing your site affords me with plenty of ad free solutions. I hope to donate to your site when I make my selections.
I want my prayers, my songs to be heard. I grew up Catholic and I have been composing songs since I was 16. I compose in different languages. I sing my own songs and play most of the instruments. My goal is to share my gift with the Catholic world, the gift God gave me. As they say, singing is praying twice. I want also people to know how Catholicism is universal. The only difference is the language but everything is the same. I want to share my ways of praising the Lord's name, and...
I'm a harpist who arranges and records Gregorian chant for Irish wire-strung harp. In 2014 I released my first commercial CD, Vox Celeste, an album of eight layered tracks reminiscent of Enya's work, that featured my harp, pipe organ and synthesizer. Currently I'm working on my second studio album, Harpe Grégorienne, due out early next year. Vox Celeste is currently available on most major streaming platforms (with the exception of Spotify).