This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
Alleluia! (Gospel Procession)
This song is for use with a "Gospel Procession". The basic idea is that there's a chorus "Alleluia Alleluia" which comes at the start and then after each verse, and which (I hope) is simple enough for the youngest children to join in. Then there are a number of short verses which the congregation could have words to, and which all go to the same standard verse tune ("Tune A"). So far it's very similar to the Donald Fischel's song "Alleluia Alleluia give thanks to the risen Lord". And then interleaved with these as desired are some longer verses which the choir could sing alone, and which would go to other tunes - these would function as interludes when the congregation could pause for a rest before joining in with the chorus the next time around. For any particular service one would make a selection of what one wanted to sing, depending on whether it's a miracle or a parable or a bit of passion narrative or whatever, and depending on how long the whole thing was to go on.
Note. The midi-file does not match the whole of this song as written. Instead it runs through the chorus twice, then once through "Tune A" for a short verse and back to the chorus; then once through "Tune B" for the choir and back to the chorus; and finally once through "Tune C" and back to the chorus. But if you were singing it in your own church, you'd use whichever parts of the tune you wanted according to your own selection of the verses.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! We worship you Lord.
Alleluia! Alleluia! We praise and adore.
Verses for everyone to sing (Tune A):
Jesus, we worship and give you our praise,
come now and speak to us, send us your grace.
Alleluia! Alleluia! ...
Send out your gospel, Lord, help us to hear:
help us to listen and feel you are near.
Alleluia! Alleluia! ...
As we consider the words that you say:
Help us to see how to trust and obey.
Alleluia! Alleluia! ...
You hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven:
Help us to follow you now you have risen.
Alleluia! Alleluia! ...
...
Verses for the choir to sing alone (Tune B):
Speak to us of the miracles
you performed when you were on earth:
Help us see you are still the same
as we come to new birth.
Alleluia! Alleluia! ...
As we hear of the parables
which you told to provoke our thought:
Help us see what they mean today,
help us do what we ought.
...
Verses for the choir to sing alone (Tune C):
Announce to all people that Jesus is near,
And help us proclaim him by deed and by word,
We lead out your gospel so many can hear:
So help all the world to see Jesus is Lord.
Alleluia! Alleluia! ...
As we hear the words that your Son used to say,
May our hearts be open to hear and receive,
And help us to see what they mean for today
That we may be yours as we claim to believe.
...
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Story behind the song
This is an attempt to meet a request on the COIN music-list for a song which is suitable for a gospel procession to go round the whole church and to include children, so it needs to be (a) simple enough for the youngest children to join in the chorus, (b) variable in length so as to expandable and contractable as needed, (c) have some variations so as not to bore the adults to tears, and (d) have variations in verses suitable for different gospel readings. As such it's a first stab, and I wonder if it's along the right lines, or too way off-beam for any use?
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.