Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Do You Take Requests?

  “You cannot create experience. You must undergo it.” Albert Camus

 Last week I wrote about one of my favorite YCMs (Young Church Musician). This week I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite Older Church Musicians…maybe Experienced Church Musician is a better way of describing him!

Martin* and I have been friends forever. We met as undergrads and have been friends ever since. Early in our careers, we both served congregations in the same denomination; a mainline protestant one which follows the liturgical calendar quite closely. My position was music director and his was organist/choir director. At the time we were hired, both of our congregations had interim pastors.

We soon discovered from our interim pastors we would be expected to choose hymns. We floundered until my Interim lent me a wonderful resource; a handbook for musicians in the denomination with suggestions for hymns (with hymn numbers for various hymnal editions), anthems, organ preludes and postludes, and synopsis of scripture readings for each Sunday of A, B and C liturgical years. I was thrilled and bought my own copy and told Martin about it. He obtained a copy for himself. His Interim also agreed it was a wonderful resource.

We used it to choose hymns but also found it quite helpful as a jump-starter for choosing anthems. Those you of you who are church musicians, or have been church musicians, know sometimes we get “stuck” picking anthems, especially during Ordinary Time. This resource had all sorts of anthem suggestions; I usually was inspired by the hymn selections when I was stuck. Martin had a bigger job, with a bigger choir. The handbook often had anthem suggestions he could actually use. Our Interims knew we were using this handbook and saw nothing wrong with it and since it was published by the denomination, why would they?

My congregation called a new Pastor within nine months of me being hired and my hymn selecting days ended. It was truly a lot of work so I did not mind. I still used the resource to help me with anthem selection. The synopsis of scripture readings helped with other music selection as well. I discussed the handbook with our new Pastor and he was on board with me using it as a resource.

Martin’s Pastor was called about 18 months after he began his position. His new Pastor played the guitar and her husband was a professional clarinetist so she had definite ideas on music for worship. She was a great one for doing “spur of the moment” things in worship and if you knew Martin, you would know this didn’t sit well with him.

Martin’s Pastor was horrified, horrified, after learning he was using the handbook for hymn selection. Quickly, she decided to take over choosing hymns. But she still wasn’t happy he used it to select anthems when he needed inspiration. She got into the habit of making “requests” for choir anthems, not always in a timely manner. Then she complained when his 30 member choir couldn’t “go with the flow” when she wanted them to sing a complicated 8 voice anthem. She didn’t understand why it was such a problem to ask at the last minute.

Martin asked her why she didn’t like the handbook. She told him it was a lazy way of choosing music. He explained he only used it when he was stuck or needed inspiration, not all the time. She thought he should be able to choose music without a “canned resource.” After their conversation, she made it a habit to throw a curve ball about once a month. She always called it making a “request” of the choir. Martin felt she did this so he would not be able to use the handbook. Her requests never seemed like a request, more of a “this is what I want, if you don’t like it, too bad” kind of thing. He felt unsettled and always off-balance, never knowing what to expect or what would be expected of his choir. He didn’t mind requests, but did mind being expected to comply with little time or preparation. And if there is one thing Martin has always been, it is prepared.

Martin put up with this situation for about a year, and then found a bigger and better position in a different denomination. He has spent the last thirty years serving churches within it. And takes requests.

*Name Withheld