You can now listen to the first song that I've released by clicking right here!
It is not the first song on the album, as far as the order, but it is a finished one, so I thought I'd offer a little sampling.
The lyrics to Anthem 2 are part of my first post, with a little more explanation behind these prayer-songs, if you're interested.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
The beginning
If you're tuning in to this blog, I hope it is because you're looking for an album named "monasticFolkspeak." You are at the right place.
My name is Anna Friedrich. I spear-headed the liturgical musical project called "monasticFolkspeak," and I'm kicking off this blog with the release of the album. That was the plan, at least.
But as each person reading this probably knows, plans are just that: what we've planned. Our plans are hopefully a good idea, but they rarely happen in just the way we had hoped.
For example, the aforementioned musical project: I wrote many of the songs in the spring of 2010, in preparation for Good Friday at our church. Our priest showed me the "Anthems" from the Book of Common Prayer that an Anglican congregation would usually recite at the Good Friday gathering. He asked if I could pick songs that went along with the themes in the Anthems. I read the beautiful words of these three responsive readings and knew that I needed to put them to music.
It is now almost August 2013 and they are still a little ways off from their final mp3 or CD form. The recording sessions are done. The mixing is complete. The mastering is underway. The cover art is finally chosen. (What do you think of my photograph of Lake Geneva?) The song order is set. My bandcamp page is up and running - even if only one song is available so far.
Soon you'll actually be able to buy the Anthems, or the other 4 songs on the album, or all of them! But for the time being, here are the lyrics of the first three songs in the project. Straight out of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Good Friday liturgy.
Anthem 1
We glory in your cross, O Lord,
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world
May God be merciful to us and bless us
show us the light of his countenance and come to us
Let your ways be known upon the earth
your saving health among all nations
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Let all the peoples praise you
We glory in your cross, O Lord
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world
Anthem 2
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
if we endure, we shall also reign with him
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Anthem 3
O Savior of the world,
who by thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us:
Save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Reading those three amazing anthems became the beginning of quite an adventure for me. I wrote 3 songs, introduced them to our little Anglican congregation in Newport News, Virginia, and we've been singing them ever since. I was a very new newby within Anglicanism, and I was so energized by these three anthems that I began to imagine just how much of the BCP (as I affectionately call it) suits not just recitation, but song! I put 3 more readings to music (a morning prayer, a noon prayer, and an evening prayer~ hence the "monastic"), and one for a special occasion (my hubby's ordination, which took place in a monastery). All of these prayers breathed new thoughts and new art into me. And I am thankful.
I planned to publish my first post on this blog with a link to monasticfolkspeak.bandcamp.com with everything up and ready for purchase. Plans must bend to life as it pumps along. Once they are available, I hope these songs might breathe something good into you as well.
My name is Anna Friedrich. I spear-headed the liturgical musical project called "monasticFolkspeak," and I'm kicking off this blog with the release of the album. That was the plan, at least.
But as each person reading this probably knows, plans are just that: what we've planned. Our plans are hopefully a good idea, but they rarely happen in just the way we had hoped.
For example, the aforementioned musical project: I wrote many of the songs in the spring of 2010, in preparation for Good Friday at our church. Our priest showed me the "Anthems" from the Book of Common Prayer that an Anglican congregation would usually recite at the Good Friday gathering. He asked if I could pick songs that went along with the themes in the Anthems. I read the beautiful words of these three responsive readings and knew that I needed to put them to music.
It is now almost August 2013 and they are still a little ways off from their final mp3 or CD form. The recording sessions are done. The mixing is complete. The mastering is underway. The cover art is finally chosen. (What do you think of my photograph of Lake Geneva?) The song order is set. My bandcamp page is up and running - even if only one song is available so far.
Soon you'll actually be able to buy the Anthems, or the other 4 songs on the album, or all of them! But for the time being, here are the lyrics of the first three songs in the project. Straight out of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Good Friday liturgy.
Anthem 1
We glory in your cross, O Lord,
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world
May God be merciful to us and bless us
show us the light of his countenance and come to us
Let your ways be known upon the earth
your saving health among all nations
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Let all the peoples praise you
We glory in your cross, O Lord
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world
Anthem 2
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
if we endure, we shall also reign with him
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Anthem 3
O Savior of the world,
who by thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us:
Save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Reading those three amazing anthems became the beginning of quite an adventure for me. I wrote 3 songs, introduced them to our little Anglican congregation in Newport News, Virginia, and we've been singing them ever since. I was a very new newby within Anglicanism, and I was so energized by these three anthems that I began to imagine just how much of the BCP (as I affectionately call it) suits not just recitation, but song! I put 3 more readings to music (a morning prayer, a noon prayer, and an evening prayer~ hence the "monastic"), and one for a special occasion (my hubby's ordination, which took place in a monastery). All of these prayers breathed new thoughts and new art into me. And I am thankful.
I planned to publish my first post on this blog with a link to monasticfolkspeak.bandcamp.com with everything up and ready for purchase. Plans must bend to life as it pumps along. Once they are available, I hope these songs might breathe something good into you as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)