An Old Belief

Beaver Island July 2025

 

Old Noah was a Hundred and Twenty Years...

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Who Built the Ark? arr. Moses Hogan

Traditional Spiritual

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And God looked upon the earth and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon

the earth. And God said unto Noah,“The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled

with violence through them; and behold I will destroy them with the earth. MAKE THEE AN ARK.”(Genesis 6:12-14a)

 

Ol’Noah was a hu-d’ed an’twenty years,

Buil’in de ark o’God,

An’ev’y time his hammer ring,

Noah cried,“Amen.”

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Refrain:

I wanna know who built the ark? Noah built it.

Who built the ark? Noah built it.

Tell me, Who built de ark? Noah built it.

Cut his timber down.

 

I wanna know who built the ark? Noah built it.

Hammer keep aringin’, Said,“Noah built it.

”Who built the ark? Yes! Noah built it.

Cut his timber down.

 

Den the Lord tol’ Noah buil’it good an’ strong,

Buil’in de ark o’God,‘

Cause it’s gwinter rain hard an’it’s gwin-rain long.

Noah cried,“Amen.

 

”Make fas’ev’y winder, make fas’ev’y do!

Buil’in de ark o’God,‘

Cause when it starts in it’s sho’gwine po’.

Noah cried,“Amen.”

 

Refrain.

 

Take yo’ wife an’ yo’ sons an’ yo’ sons’ wives too,

Into de ark o’God,‘

Cause ev’y body winter git drow’n but you.

Noah cried, A’men.”

 

Take a married couple of ev’ry beast,

Into de ark o’God,

So when de trouble’s all over, day ken start to increase.

Noah cried,“Amen.”

 

Refrain.

​

Forty days, forty nights, how de rain did fall,

All‘round de arko’God,

Till it kivver’d up de mountains, tops an’all.

Noah creid,“Amen.”

Dere was water, water all aroun’.

All‘round de ark o’God,

Wasn’t nothin’lef’livin’on top o’de groun’.

Noah cried,“Amen.”

 

Refrain.

 

Noah tok an’sent out a mo’nin’dove,

Out of de ark o’God,

An’when she brought back a token of Heb’nly love.

Noah cried,“Amen.”

 

Den God gave Noah de rainbow sign,

When we came out de ark o’God,

Be no mo’water, but de fire nex’time.

Noah cried,“Amen.”

 

Refrain.

 

Tale as Old as Time...

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Muié Rendêra

Arr. C.A. Pinto Fonseca

Trans.Daniel Rufino Afonso, Jr.

 

Olé, muié rendêra,

Olé, muié renda,

Tu me ensina a faze rendá

Que eu te Ensino a namorá.

 

Virgulino é Lampeão.

É lampa, é Lampa, é Lampa,É Lampeão.

O seu nome é Virgulino,

O apelido éLampeão.

 

Hey, lacemaker woman,

Hey, lacemaker woman,

If you teach me how to weave,

I’ll teach you how to court.

 

Virgulino is Lampeão.

He is Lampa, Lampa, Lampa,

É Lampeão.

His name is Virgulino,

His nickname is Lampeão.

 

Song (I Gaze Upon You)

Gabriel Jackson

Paul Eluard, trans. Gilbert Bowen

 

I gaze upon you and the sun grows large.

Soon it will overwhelm our day.

 

Awake with heart and colour in your head

To chase away the night’s bad dreams.

Awake that I may follow where you go.

 

I have a body that waits to follow you

From the gates of day to the gates of dusk

A body to spend with you a life of love.

 

Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron

Arr. John Rutter

English Folk Song’

 

Twas on a Monday morning

When I beheld my darling,

She looked so neat and charming

In every high degree.

She looked so neat and nimble-o,

A-washing of her linen-o

 

Chorus

Dashing away with the smoothing iron,

Dashing away with the smoothing iron,

Dashing away with the smoothing iron,

She stole my heart away.
 

’Twas on a Tuesday morning...

A-hanging out her linen-o

Chorus

 

’Twas on a Wednesday morning...

A-starching of her linen-o

Chorus

 

’Twas on a Thursday morning...

A-ironing of her linen-o

Chorus

 

'Twas on a Friday morning...

A-folding of her linen-o

Chorus

 

’Twas on a Saturday morning...

A-airing of her linen-o

Chorus

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’Twas on a Sunday morning...

A-wearing of her linen-o

Chorus

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Braving the Old Enemy...

 

and the swallow

Caroline Shaw

Psalm 84

 

How beloved is your dwelling place,

o lord of hosts,my soul yearns, faints,

my heart and my flesh cry out.

 

The sparrow found a house,

and the swallow her nest,

where she may raise her young.

 

They pass through the Valley of Bakka,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn also covers it with pools.

 

My Heart Be Brave

Marques L. A. Garrett

James Weldon Johnson

 

My heart be brave, and do not falter so,

Nor utter more that deep, despairing wail.

Thy way is very dark and drear I know,

But do not let thy strength and courage fail;

For certain as the raven-winged night

Is followed by the bright and blushing morn,

Thy coming morrow will be clear and bright;

’Tis darkest when the night is furthest worn.

Look up, and out, beyond, surrounding clouds,

And do not in thine own gross darkness grope,

Rise up, and casting off thy hind’ring shrouds,

Cling thou to this, and ever inspiring hope:

Tho’ thick the battle and tho’ fierce the fight,

There is [a] power [in] making for the right.

 

Ancient Texts for Modern Souls...

Splendid Jewel

Stephen Paulus

Poetry from Laudi Spirituali

 

Refrain

Hail, hail, devout virgin,

Splendid jewel, Maria!

 

Now sing we with great delight

Of our perfect love,

Who prays for us to Christ,

Who is our light and way.

Refrain

 

All you whose minds are in heaven,

Now sing sweetly,

Rightly presenting this gift

To Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Refrain

​

High and glorious lady,

Mother of the most merciful Jesus,

You are the rose of heaven,

Than which there is none more beautiful.

Refrain

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I Cannot Attain Unto It

Nico Muhly

Psalm 139

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Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:

if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

 

A Traditional Song...

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Kwaejina Ching Ching

Byunghee Oh

Traditional Korean Folk Song

 

쾌지나칭칭...

 

Chingching, the joyful sound

Bright moon in the sky

A universal loom

Carp for good luck

Let’s go to another realm

Sunset in the mountain

Ching, ching, the joyful sound!

 

INTERMISSION

 

The Seashores of Old Mexico...

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O sacrum convivium

Antonio de Salazar

Magnificat Antiphon for Corpus Christi Vespers

 

O sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur;

recolitur memoria passionis ejus;

mens impletur gratia;

et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.

 

O sacred banquet, wherein Christ is received;

the memorial of his passion is renewed;

the soul is filled with grace;

and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

 

Frè O

Sten Kallman

Hatian Prayer

 

Frè O di nou, di maladia pa gaya.

Na jwe na rele.

Ou malad mwen di yo.

Na jwe Papa Dambala eh!

Mape mande Dambala Wedo gade nou.

Nou tout chante Ayida Wedo men pitit ou yo!

 

O brother, you tell us your sickness will not be healed.

We are playing (the drums and singing) and weeping.

You are sick - I will tell the others.We are playing the drums and singing to Papa Dambala!

We are asking Papa Dambala to look after us.

We all sing to AyidaWedo: "See your children!

 

El Cumbanchero

Guarionex Morales Matos

Puerto Rican Rumba

 

El cumba cumba cumba

cumbanchero...A bongo bongo bongobongocero...

Riquiti que va sonando

el cumbanchero, bongocero que se va...

Bongocero que se va...

 

Y suena así el tambor: ríquititi

bom bom bom bom bá...

y vuelve a repicar ríquititi

bom bom bom bom bá

 

The fun fun fun

fun lover

The bongo bongo bongo

bongo player

The‘ri-ki-ti’that rings out

The fun loving bongo player is going

The bongo player is goingT

he drum sounds like this:‘ri-ki-ti’

bom bom bom bom ba...

and the‘ri-ki-ti’rings out again

bom bom bom bom bá

 

Surrendering to the Mystery...

 

There is an Old Belief

C. H.H.Parry

John Gibson Lockhart

 

There is an old belief,

That on some solemn shore,

Beyond the sphere of grief

Dear friends shall meet once more.

Beyond the sphere of Time and Sin

And Fate's control,

Serene in changeless prime

Of body and of soul.

That creed I fain would keep

That hope I'll ne'er forgo,

Eternal be the sleep,

If not to waken so.

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One Voice

Ruth Moody

 

This is the sound of one voice,

One people, one voice.

A song for every one of us.

This is the sound of one voice.

This is the sound of one voice.

This is the sound of voices two,

The sound of me singing with you.

Helping each other to make it through,

This is the sound of voices two.

 

This is the sound of voices three,

Singin’together in harmony.

Surrendering to the mystery,

This is the sound of voices three.

This is the sound of all of us,

Singing with love and the will to trust.

Leave the rest behind, it’ll turn to dust,

This is the sound of all of us.

 

(Please join in singing)

This is the sound of one voice,

One people, one voice.

A song for ev’ry one of us,

This is the sound of one voice.

This is the sound of one voice.