Church Choir

Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Preaching to the Choir

August 31, 2017 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” Francis of Assisi

I receive quite a few emails with people’s thoughts about my Choral Ethics project. Some folks tell me they are not exactly sure what Choral Ethics is, but will know it when they see it. Some tell me what I am calling “Choral Ethics” is an old-fashioned concept. Others tell me they have been practicing what I am preaching almost forever. They say no matter what happens around them, they remain true to their values. I’ve asked five to share their thoughts. These folks “live” their values and choirs see them practice what they preach, but how do they do it? All five have been successful choral professionals upwards of 20 years and have evolved into the core of values they have now by trial and error.

The unifying theme of all five has been cultivation of a “non-drama persona” (my term for it) in order to maintain their values. Three tell me it’s was simply a matter of learning how to be a leader, knowing where you want to lead and then leading. The other two confess they were “Drama Queens” in the early days of their careers but have learned to use drama judiciously, using it only when it will do the most good—if someone is always in high dungeon, singers stop listening! All tell me when they began to step back and really think about their own values, their singers and choral programs began to flourish. While we spoke of many other components for achieving a “non-drama persona,” three were most frequently mentioned—consistency, planning and not always saying what they think.

All agree some sort of consistency of expectations is important. It is when there is no clear guidelines trouble occurs between singers and directors. If singers know guidelines ahead of time, whether for auditions or absences, things run smoother, and a matter-of-fact approach usually works best. I have learned through my contact with these folks, one size does not fit all and must be custom tailored to work. All five shared their approach to a similar problem, but each solution fits their own situation. Professor L* tells me he expects his university chorus to sing in quartets, no matter their attendance, for their midterm and final exams. He feels it has been a very effective way to grades fairly and his students and the university know what is expected and how the grades are determined. Jazzy* uses number of absences (and weighs the absences with a rubric) as a way of grading at her two year college and has done so for ten years with great success. In the community sector, Alan* allows a certain number of excused absences per concert cycle for his singers. If they exceed, choristers are required to sing for him in private to prove they are prepared. Otherwise, it is suggested they usher for that concert. He’s had no problems with this approach, since it is stated very clearly in the chorus’ handbook and mentioned several times a concert cycle. Dante* believes everyone in his community chorus should be allowed to sing a concert as long as they’ve attended a minimum of three rehearsals. Tilly* allows singers in her church choir to sing any Sunday they wish without rehearsal if they’ve sung the anthem with her before, no exceptions, even for those who have sung the same anthem with her predecessor. This approach has worked very well with her choir, has reinforced the excellence of her music program and all her singers “buy into it.”

A long range plan consisting of short range plans has helped cut down on some of the franticness and stress for these choral professionals. Each has told me, when they are sure where they are going, they are able to maintain their “non-drama persona.” We are all cranky when we are under time constraints! Planning repertoire, rehearsals and fundraising or outreach opportunities can be time consuming, but the stress reduction outweighs their time involvement several times a year.

All five have mentioned not always saying what they think at times it would be easier to take a cheap shot. This goes for both in rehearsals and out. Perhaps their snarky comments would be fun while they are speaking them, but damage control is never fun. It is simple enough to keep our mouths shut, isn’t it?

* Name withheld by request

From Antiquity to the Contemporary: The Story of the Choir Robe

August 29, 2017 by ACDA Leave a Comment

By Richard Clark

In their simplest form, choir robes and choral garments have been in existence since antiquity. The notion of a uniformed collective of singers extends almost as far back as civilization itself to the Ancient Greeks, as portrayed on classic ceramics and earthenware. The format of figures wearing similar, loosely fitting tunics, intermingled with musicians is instantly recognizable.

However, the often armless tunics that are slung over one shoulder are somewhat removed from the modern-looking choir robe that is common in places of chorus and worship today. Practicality has of course played a part; wearing a sleeveless tunic in the depths of a Midwestern winter is a very different proposition to wearing one in the balmy climate of the Mediterranean. What caused this development and how has it changed over the years?

With the growth of Judeo-Christian religion and culture, religious robes and attire were restricted to the clergy to distinguish clerics from worshippers and the population in general. In pre-Christian Jewish law, it was mandatory for high priests to wear clerical attire and vestments. However, in its infancy, Christianity discouraged ordained priests from wearing robes. This in part can be attributed to the clandestine nature of early Christianity. For the first few centuries, Christianity remained an underground religion with its followers subject to persecution from Jewish and Roman religious authorities. In this climate, any attention grabbing attire could have had disastrous consequences for the wearer.

The growth and expansion of Christianity from the early to the late Middle Ages led to the development of a recognizable form of Christian choir. From solemn Gregorian chanting to boys choirs, some forms of which still exist today, the church choir grew into a mainstay of European culture. Choir robe styles at this time reflected clerical garments of the era: a simple white, loose-fitting, blouse-like shirt known as a surplice, worn over a plain black, long-sleeved tunic called a cassock. Thus, a formal choir uniform was born, although in the same style as clerical wear of the time.

During the Renaissance and Romantic periods, with the blossoming of high culture across Europe, secular choirs came into prominence. For the first time people came together in choruses for the love of singing and recreation, not just pious worship. With the strides made in all art forms during these periods, both the substance and stylings of choirs took a leap forward, reflected in the hymns that are still popular to this day, and the beautiful choir garments that are depicted in Renaissance art. It was during this era that choir robes took the form recognizable today: a graduation-style gown called the Geneva Robe based on doctoral gowns. From this point, choir gowns developed their own style, separate from the other forms of gowns worn by the clergy, the judiciary, and academia.

It is from this basis that modern choral wear blossomed and developed. Since the Romance period, the popularity of religious and secular choirs grew dramatically, along with the growth of art and choral music, expanding beyond devout worship. This expansion sparked new styles of choir music, as well as choral wear. Gospel music is perhaps a prime example of the expansion of choral music and stylings with a previously unseen unique flair. It is this growth combined with modern consumerism that brought about the development of robes. From the humble Geneva Robe choir robes and accessories have been marketed in increasingly varied fabrics, styles and colors, all the while retaining the academic style developed in the Renaissance. Will the choir robe cling to the academic style of gown in years to come? The future of choral wear remains to be seen.

Richard Clark is founder and CEO of www.choirandclergy.com, a company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of choir and clergy attire. To find out more about choir robes, please email him at .

Music Within Reach: Beginning Pieces for Men’s and Women’s Choirs

August 18, 2017 by Brandon Moss Leave a Comment

Like most high school choir teachers, only a couple of the ensembles I teach are auditioned. While I love it this way, as it allows me to keep recruiting and bringing in students to sing who may not be interested in a heavier commitment, it can make planning literature a nightmare. How many students will I get? What will their voices be like? What background (if any) will they have? This is particularly true for my Men’s and Women’s Choruses, who meet for half of their lunch period in two separate sections. I typically find the best way to set them up for success is to program very manageable pieces with which we can all get to know each other better. In this week’s post, I will discuss a great piece for each type of choir that you can use right away this year.

For a women’s choir, I will recommend “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” by Susan LaBarr. Singers will immediately take to this setting of Emily Dickinson’s famous poem because of its lovely melody line, the harmonies that are at times both triadic and dissonant, and the beautiful duet between choir and piano. It begins in unison, splits into two parts, and eventually features some three- and (for one measure) four-part writing. I handle part splits in these early days by giving two parts to one class and two parts to another, putting them together in extra rehearsals. (For three-part writing, I will have altos in both classes and split the soprano parts between the classes.) Perfect for the start of the year, LaBarr’s piece features many teaching concepts, including long phrases, dynamic contrasts, and the ability to use solfege to learn notes (it’s almost completely diatonic). Finally, the text could not be more timely and might provoke some excellent conversations among your students. Published by Santa Barbara, “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” is available here.

A great beginning piece for your men’s choir is “Tell My Father”, a song from the musical The Civil War by Frank Wildhorn and stunningly arranged by Andrea Ramsey. Featuring an optional violin part that I highly recommend including if possible, this piece is mostly in two parts (very distinct tenor and bass lines), with a couple of measures in three parts. The ranges are very appropriate for at least high school-age singers, and the piece is very solfeggable. Having begun life as a theatre song, some of the rhythmic figures are slightly more complex than most beginning choir songs, but they repeat often and are great teaching opportunities. I programmed this piece last fall for an inter-generational choir of students and parents, and all of the singers were particularly touched by the text, which is a message from a fallen soldier to his father. “Tell My Father” is published by Cherry Lane Music Company and available here.

There are numerous other great beginning pieces for women’s and men’s choir. What are some that you have chosen for this year or have programmed in the past? Please share in the comments, and, as always, feel free to e-mail me ideas for pieces you would like to see featured in “Music Within Reach” at .

Brandon Moss is a choir director, teacher, and composer/arranger living and working in Central Ohio. He teaches at Central Crossing High School, directs the Chalice Choir at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, and serves in leadership roles with the Ohio Choral Directors Association and the Ohio Music Education Association. He is currently working on the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at The Ohio State University.

Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Much Ado About Nothing

June 29, 2017 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“No man thinks there is much ado about nothing when the ado is about himself.” Anthony Trollope

I have a soft spot in my heart for choir ringers. You know, those paid singers who help out, fill out and sing out for typical church or community choirs who need a little extra help. My own late mother was part of a paid quartet for much of my childhood, into her late 60s. I’ve done a bit of “ringing” myself, even filling in for my own voice students on occasion. Today we have a story about ringers from a choir director. There is no solution because there is no problem—except in one person’s mind.

Martin* has been in his church position since January. It’s a nice, mainline protestant congregation. He was hired when the former choir director got his dream job across the country. There were no hard feelings or drama associated with Martin taking this position. When he began, the choir amounted to around five people. They usually sang unison, contemporary music. Congregational hymns tend to be lyrics projected on a screen with piano, bass and drum set.

But Martin is a fine organist and a real choir director. He wants to get the congregation singing hymns with the organ eventually but decided first to work on his choir singing in parts. Everything he planned from the time he began this job was to build the choir up in numbers so they could sing in parts. As the months went along, the choir grew to about 15 to 20 singers. Many of the congregants soon realized Martin was a choir director and they would be singing real choral music. They sounded better and better with every rehearsal, singing in parts.

Martin wanted to sing an unaccompanied Spiritual in late May. There was only one problem; the sopranos didn’t remember how to sing in head voice since they have been singing “happy-clappy” stuff for years. And Martin can demonstrate many things vocally but faking a mature, trained, female soprano voice isn’t one of them. After getting the go-ahead from the Pastor, he decided to ask a colleague if she would be willing to sing a solo or two and sing with his choir to help the sopranos hear what they are supposed to sound like. The colleague, Louise*, agreed.

Louise came to the weeknight rehearsal before the Sunday she was to sing. At first, she sat at the end of the row. Martin asked her to sit in the middle of the section so her “soprano goodness” could be heard by all of the sopranos. Everyone laughed. They had a productive rehearsal. Later, Louise remarked privately to Martin his choir was better than she thought they would be.

That Sunday came and the choir sang well. Martin and Louise went out to brunch together after the service. He told her he had been worried because after rehearsal, he had received an email from one of his tenors. The tenor’s wife was a soprano. He told Martin he had humiliated the sopranos by his remark about Louise and her “soprano goodness.” Tenor-husband went and on about how offensive it was to the sopranos to have Louise there. Martin wanted to speak with soprano-wife to figure out what had happened but tenor-husband refused.

Louise was confused when Martin told her the story. Because soprano-wife had stood next to her to sing, helped her find the nearest Ladies Room, showed her the best way to get to the parking lot and was generally as nice as nice could be. Both Martin and Louise think it was just tenor-husband making something out of nothing. Perhaps he thinks this is a way of being supportive of his wife. In any event, soprano-wife didn’t seem fazed by Louise’s presence AT ALL. Go figure.

I asked a most important question of Martin when he told me his story; did he tell his Pastor immediately when tenor-husband started his emails? Yes, he did. The only thing you can do in a situation like this is CYB. That is, Cover Your Behind. Martin plans to ask Louise to be a ringer for him again in the future, with the Pastor’s blessings. Go figure!

*Name Withheld

Music Within Reach: Great Pieces for Your Smaller Men’s Choir

June 23, 2017 by Brandon Moss 3 Comments

Many of us with smaller or limited men’s choruses are often searching for music in no more than two or three parts. The challenge here is that sometimes such music sounds too simple or is not “meaty” enough for our singers. This week’s post will glance at three pieces for men’s chorus that are musically satisfying, highly accessible, and work well for choirs with smaller forces.

The first is “Cangia, cangia tue voglie”, written as a solo aria by early Baroque composer Giovanni Battista Fasolo and arranged here for three-part men’s chorus by Tom Shelton. With ranges perfect for middle and high school choirs, this piece is mostly in two-part and only divides into three for just a few measures. Sung in Italian, the text is repetitive enough to not detract from opportunities for teaching vowel shaping and consistent diction. The second half of the song features written-out ornamentation, which provides students the chance to practice vocal agility and breath support necessary for sustaining longer phrases. “Cangia, cangia tue voglie” is published by Hinshaw Music.

“Sweet Rivers” by Reginald Unterseher is an arrangement of an early shape-note hymn originally found in William Moore’s Columbian Harmony. Set mostly in 3/2 meter, Unterseher begins with a unison first verse, prolonging the last word of each phrase with a more complex piano accompaniment (you will need a good one for this piece!). He stretches out the second verse, now in two and occasionally three parts, giving the choir a chance to open up a rich, full sound before ending in a soft unison. Though the ranges are very modest (the basses only go down to a B), this piece would work well for almost any men’s chorus, middle school through adult. It is published by Oxford and may be found here.

The newest of the pieces is “If There Is” by Dominick DiOrio. Here the composer sets text adapted from a Scottish blessing that connects “courage in the heart” to “peace in the world” by way of “the soul”, “the home”, and “the nation”. Featuring a percussive piano part, “If There Is” provides conductors the opportunity to work on rhythm (there is a lot of syncopation!), clean cut-offs, phrase shaping, and intervals (especially whole- and half-steps as the tonality shifts often). As in “Sweet Rivers”, this piece begins in unison and then breaks into two and three parts. The piece explores a wide range of dynamics and articulations and will be well-liked by your singers. “If There Is” is a part of the Jonathan Palant Choral Series tied to Palant’s excellent book on men’s choirs, Brothers, Sing On!. It is published by Mark Foster Music and is available here.

Do you have a men’s chorus of limited forces? What pieces have worked well for your singers? Feel free to share in the comments! And, as always, if you have ideas for pieces you would like to see included in a post, send me an e-mail at .

Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Oh Say, Do You Sing?

June 15, 2017 by Marie Grass Amenta Leave a Comment

“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. “Mahatma Gandhi

Today we have two more stories from the Choral Ethics mailbag. Both seem pretty topical. One is from a male singer. The other is about three different church musicians who experienced the same thing, on the same day.

The Culture of Your Choir

I have written several Blogs here on ChoralNet about what I call the culture of choir. In those blogs, I speak of how the behavior of your choir—to each other, to you as director, to other musicians—help define your culture. When there is trouble with recruiting or retaining singers, it is often in direct response to the choir’s culture.

Our first story concerns Carl* who began singing in his church choir last fall and is now quitting. Carl loves to sing and sang in his high school and college choirs. He was a member of his college’s male a Capella group and says those experiences helped define him as a person.

After graduation, things got in the way of his singing in a choir. First his job, then marriage and parenthood; you know, LIFE! Finally last fall their youngest child began high school and Carl’s wife encouraged him to start singing again. He liked the music at their family’s church so decided to sing with the church choir

He likes the choir director, her choice of music and her directing style. But he cannot STAND the petty games the women singers play. Everything is an opportunity to gossip. Every soloist is “no better than they should be.” Every service holds some anthem or hymn which is “impossible” to sing or some announcement which riles someone up. Carl used to try to get to rehearsal five or ten minutes early to visit and get to know his fellow members. Now, he arrives as close to the downbeat as possible just so he can sing and not listen to their malarkey. He wanted to quit at Christmas but then decided to continue until the end of the choir year, which was last Sunday. Carl contacted me to help figure out the best way to quit.

Since the choir year has just ended, he probably doesn’t need to do anything if he doesn’t want to. Besides, choir practice doesn’t start again until after Labor Day and he could decide he wants to go back. Then there is always the path of least resistance which is to just not go. If asked why he’s not coming, he can always say his job (parent, child, or home renovation) is going to take more time than he realized and won’t be able to sing. Or, he could just tell the truth.

Why tell the truth? Because that choir director has a right to know. She probably knows what’s going on with the women but may not realize their behavior is causing the choir to lose singers. Losing a male singer is BAD! Maybe she’s spoken with them; maybe she’s spoken to clergy about them, maybe she’s had other complaints but she should know why she is losing a singer. The culture of Carl’s choir has gotten to a place where something has to be done. And his director needs to step up, be a leader and do it.

Not patriotic enough

On Memorial Day Monday I received three emails from three different church musicians from three different regions of the country. Each told me the same basis story which happened Sunday, the day before.

Jess* was chased to her car in the church parking by an irate parishioner who was furious they didn’t sing “God Bless America” during the service. They had sung “Almighty Father, Strong to Save,” (The Navy Hymn) because she and the pastor felt it was appropriate for Memorial Day, which is a secular patriotic holiday, not a sacred holiday.

Darrin* says he was ambushed at coffee hour, with the pastor joining in the screaming match, by two Church Ladies who thought they would sing “God Bless the USA” (I think it’s by Lee Greenwood). When they didn’t sing it during Worship, Church Ladies lost it serving the coffee!

Mario* tells me their congregation lost three members in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day weekend. He, in consultation with the pastor, had a soloist sing “Pie Jesu” from the Faure “Requiem” as a way of acknowledging their recent losses and remembering those who lost their lives in service. Just before the pastor began the benediction, a lady interrupted him with “can we sing ‘God Bless America’ to honor those in service who lost their lives?” The pastor told her maybe another time. As the postlude was being played, she kept asking loudly, “Aren’t we going to sing it?” She stepped over to Mario at the piano and he told her if it was in the hymnbook, he would play it for her. Of course, it wasn’t in their hymnbook!

July 4 is coming soon and the Sunday before is July 2. If you and your clergy haven’t discussed what to do, think about talking about it. If your clergy is fine with secular pieces like “God Bless America,” then there is one battle you won’t have to fight.