Simple Church Song Suggestions

Travis J. Smith · Sep 21, 2008

In my story, a nine year old accompanies her choir-mates during mass on the piano, playing a hymn. She's quite gifted; not exactly a prodigy, but has natural, raw talent. And she's still relatively new to it. What would be a good candidate for a simple song that the kids could sing and she could play that would exemplify her pure ability, yet still be believable given the situation?

Appalachian Writer · Sep 21, 2008

"What a Friend We Have in Jesus." It's simple to play. Only has one flat.

Yeshanu · Sep 21, 2008

"Jesus Loves Me" comes to mind. But the one I learned to play first is "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee." And because it's the theme to Beethoven's Ninth, it's in a lot of beginning music books.

Kryianna · Sep 21, 2008

"Faith of our Fathers". It was in the back of my beginning piano book. I remember my teacher was pissed that I flipped to the back of the book and could actually play that song.

hammerklavier · Sep 21, 2008

Do you want Catholic mass songs, or some other mass?

StephanieFox · Sep 21, 2008

'Simple Gifts' or "Amazing Grace' which are both musically very good pieces. I do not know if Catholics use these but i can see no reason why they would have a religious objection to either.

Bartholomew · Sep 21, 2008

What part of the world is she in? That'll make a difference.

TheIT · Sep 21, 2008

"Silent Night", especially if the story is set around Christmas. I actually puzzled out how to play the melody on the piano when I was a little girl.

rugcat · Sep 22, 2008

Our God Our Help In Ages Past

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Very simple, fairly well known.

Travis J. Smith · Sep 22, 2008

It's a church in the small town of Grafton, Vermont.

And, because it's not a major part of the plot, I thought I'd leave out the denomination or go with Catholicism.

johnnysannie · Sep 22, 2008

Travis J. Smith said:
It's a church in the small town of Grafton, Vermont.

And, because it's not a major part of the plot, I thought I'd leave out the denomination or go with Catholicism.

You mentioned Mass; normally, that's what the Catholic service is called although the official name is Celebration of the Eucharist.

Travis J. Smith · Sep 22, 2008

Silly me. I was oblivious to that fact. The more you know . . .

Skyraven · Sep 22, 2008

Amazing Grace is a good one or Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee.

Izunya · Sep 22, 2008

"I'll Fly Away," has a fairly easy tune and chord pattern, so there's probably a decent, simple piano version out there. It might be too southern for your purposes, though. Around here (Tennessee) it's pretty well-known, but I don't know about the rest of the country.

Izunya

hammerklavier · Sep 22, 2008

I have it on pretty good authority that these are some popular songs used in American Catholic Mass:

Holy, holy, holy (different from protestant version)
Eagle's Wings
Here I am Lord
One bread, one body

I assume that last one could be done during communion, which might be good for your situation.

vixey · Sep 23, 2008

Izunya said:
"I'll Fly Away," has a fairly easy tune and chord pattern, so there's probably a decent, simple piano version out there. It might be too southern for your purposes, though. Around here (Tennessee) it's pretty well-known, but I don't know about the rest of the country.

Izunya

While I love that song, it wouldn't suit for a town in Vermont.

Is the piano playing part key to your story? I was a church pianist for 3 years while I was in high school. Hymns are rather easy to play. I sight read well, but often people who play by ear do well with hymns because they're based on chord structure.

In the OP you mention her choir-mates. Are they also 9-ish? Jesus Loves Me would be very easy, but would be too juvenile for that age group. Is the setting modern? "Here I Am, Lord" as someone suggested would work for a modern day song, but not if it's set in the early 20th century.

Just some things to consider . . .

[I tried to post on this yesterday, but I was one of the ones who couldn't stay logged in because of the network snafu.]

stormie · Sep 23, 2008

"Hosea" is simple and a good processional song. It was written by Gregory Norbet, (priest), in 1972 in Vermont.

"One Bread, One Body," is a communion song, written in 1978. A simple song also.

"The Gift" is simple and beautiful, but not usually sung at a Catholic mass. If it is, it's played at Christmastime. (It's not listed in my book of songs for Masses.)

If the mass is in the springtime (May), songs about Mary, the Blessed Mother, are sung (also on The Feast of the Assumption, Aug.15, and again on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec.8). They're also sung at funerals and weddings. A simple Mary song is Immaculate Mary (written @1882). Ave Maria would be too difficult for a child, I think.

For lyrics (only to give you an idea--you can't publish them without permission) just type in the title and "lyrics" in a search engine. Or go to www.catholic.org. for more info.

Maryn · Sep 23, 2008

For Catholics or the "higher" (more formal) Protestant services in the northeast, a talented nine-year-old could easily play:

Holy, Holy, Holy
In Christ There Is No East or West
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
For the Beauty of the Earth (possibly too juvenile)
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
The Navy Hymn (Eternal Father, Strong to Save)

I played piano as a child and liked these especially. Hard, but not too hard, and at the time they seemed rich with emotion.

Maryn, former Episcopalian, continuing freak about tonal composition

jannawrites · Sep 23, 2008

There's An Old, Old Path is the suggestion that came to my mind, though I'm unsure of its place in Catholicism.

Good luck!

Travis J. Smith · Sep 24, 2008

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm going to go with "Holy, Holy, Holy."

Simple Church Song Suggestions

Travis J. Smith

Witty User Title.

Appalachian Writer

Somewhere in the hills....

Yeshanu

Elf Queen

Kryianna

hammerklavier

It was a dark and stormy night

StephanieFox

Maybull the Bulldog

Bartholomew

Comic guy

TheIT

Infuriatingly Theoretical

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

Travis J. Smith

Witty User Title.

johnnysannie

Travis J. Smith

Witty User Title.

Skyraven

What happened to my LIFE?!

Izunya

hammerklavier

It was a dark and stormy night

vixey

C'est la vie!

stormie

storm central

Maryn

I Tried

jannawrites

no, really

Travis J. Smith

Witty User Title.