Church Music Corner › 4th Sunday of Easter 2026 [loc-0044]

Misericórdia Dómini plena est terra, allelúia: verbo Dei cæli firmáti sunt, allelúia, allelúia.

Today at All Saints Ainslie I was planning to sing Dering's Duo Seraphim as a duet with our choir director but he was exhausted and unable to come in for the morning mass, so instead I sang some Gregorian chants, specifically the introit for this Sunday in Latin (text above), the Easter Sequence in English using an older translation I remember from St. Mary's Cathedral (text below), and then the introit for last sunday:

Christians to the Paschal victim offer sacrifice and praise.

The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;

And Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death and life contended, combat strangely ended:

Life's own champion slain, yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary, what thou didst see upon the way.

The tomb the living did enclose, I saw Christ's glory as he rose.

The angels attesting, shroud with graveclothes resting.

Christ my hope has risen! He goes before you into Gallilee.

That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know.

Victorious King, thy mercy show. Amen. Alleluia.

After that we had choral evensong for this month, this time directed by our usual director. We sang Stainer's Hail, Gladdening Light as usual, as well as Phillip Moore's third service for the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (it's hard to find good recordings). Because it was the day after Anzac Day, we also sang Daley's In Remembrance.

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep:

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glint on snow,

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle morning rain.

And when you wake in the morning's hush,

I am the sweet uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there, I did not die.