“Follow your honest convictions and be strong.” William Makepeace Thackeray
I miss my choir; Kari, Deb and Marcella, my sopranos. And I miss Cindy (not really an alto but sings alto for me) and Althea, my altos. I miss Emile my sturdy tenor and I was just getting to know Bob, my new baritone. Ben, my assistant, accompanist and baritone, is also my son, so he’s sheltering-in-place at home with us. But I miss talking to him about rehearsals or future repertoire and ideas I have about the Midwest Motet Society.
I miss making music with them and rehearsing around my dining room table. I miss working on a difficult passage and GETTING IT. I miss perfecting something and planning future concerts and community performances. I miss laughing and sharing my singers’ joys and struggles. In short, I miss EVERYTHING about singing in, and directing, a choir.
I know, I am luckier than most. My chamber choir is more adaptable to the guidelines our choral leaders have suggested than other, larger groups. Since I usually have between eight and fifteen singers and rehearse in my own home most of the time, social distancing during rehearsals could be possible. My spouse is a physician and has offered to take temperatures and collect vitals of folks as they come into rehearsal. If I chose repertoire with social distancing during rehearsals AND concerts in mind, we might be able to have our November 1 concert. And the concert, itself, might be adaptable either with the audience social distancing or recording it, and then streaming it somewhere. Then again, perhaps all these things could still hold true for next spring, when life might be closer to what we have known as “normal.”
These ideas are just random thoughts I’ve had as I’ve tried to digest what the near-future of singing and my own group will look like. I am numb and not thinking as clearly as I usually do. I need to run these ideas by my singers; if they don’t feel comfortable, there is no sense trying to make it work.
We’re all in the same boat, aren’t we? And all trying to figure out how near-to-normal we can be.
For the last few weeks, the text of an old hymn from my childhood keeps going round and round and ROUND my head. It was an unusual one; more fight song than a traditional hymn. The text was written by Reverend Maltbie D. Babcock and published in 1901 in a collection of poems entitled “Thoughts for Every-Day Living.” The tune is attributed to the English composer, Orlando Gibbons.
The words have often come to me during periods of difficulty in my life, a reminder of my very Protestant upbringing. And of the Protestant work ethic ingrained in me; work hard, take what is thrown at you and then make the best of it.
It has always been the first verse that comes to me with its message to accept struggles and look at them as a gift.
Be strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle, face it, ’tis God’s gift.
Be strong, be strong!
As I was doing research for this blog, I found the texts of the other verses I had forgotten about. The second verse is especially apropos to our present Pandemic situation. It says it doesn’t matter why or how we struggle, we should not throw up our hands and give up. We must be brave and continue on. I think that’s an important way to look at things now; we should NOT give up but do what we need to do so we are able to carry on, after.
Be strong!
Say not the days are evil— who’s to blame?
And fold the hands and acquiesce— O shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s Name.
Be strong, be strong!
The third and final verse is more hopeful. It doesn’t matter how difficult or how long it takes, don’t give up; at the end comes the song.
Be strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long;
Faint not, fight on! Tomorrow comes the song.
Be strong, be strong!
So my Dear ChoralNetters, Be Strong! Fight on and let’s figure out how we can persevere and survive. Our songs at the end will be worth it.
Until next week, be strong–and be well.
I am taking my Choral Ethics Blogs to my chamber choir’s Facebook page for the foreseeable future. Please join me there this morning!
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