Church Choir

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.

*Name Withheld

The Four Functions of a Church Choir

November 27, 2016 by From Our Readers 4 Comments

Since starting at my current church, the choir has rallied behind four “functions” of a church choir and has been central in helping the church become what song-enliveners affectionately call a “singing congregation.” As the director of a church choir I use four functions to explain why the church choir exists. Those priorities help determine the programmatic choices that our music ministry makes. The functions are in a specific priority order, but I also believe each function is equally important as they must be present to have a vital music ministry. The four functions are to lead and enliven the congregation’s song, to sing music that the congregation cannot, to serve as a small-group within the church for faith formation, and to sing beautiful and challenging music to glorify God and to edify the congregation.

1. The church choir leads and enlivens the congregation’s song

This may come as a surprise to some readers that the first and most important function of the church choir is to lead the congregation’s song. It is important, however, that this be the top priority. Let’s not forget that without a congregation, there could not be a church choir! The singing group would instead be a community choir. But why is it important that the congregation’s song be supported instead of just focusing on the church choir’s musical success? Choral musicians inherently know the answer. We become what we sing. When we take words and put them to music, it becomes part of who we are. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we put as much of the Word into the bodies of the congregation as possible. If the congregation can sing it but we don’t let them, we miss an opportunity to transform people’s lives in the most direct way possible. By giving the congregation new singing skills and confidence, we empower them for the rest of their lives to better embody God’s word through music.

Therefore, taking our cue from the great church musician John Ferguson, it is important to view the congregation as the “big choir,” and the church choir as the “little choir,” or as I like to think of it, my chamber group. I often utilize my choir as “section leaders,” positioning them around the congregation strategically to support the parts that I’m teaching for a congregational hymn or song. I have the choir stand in front of the congregation to lead them in rounds and canons. They become active leaders in building up the congregation’s song. By doing this, the congregation is prepared for discipleship through the soul-embracing power of song.

2. The church choir sings music that the congregation cannot

Let’s be real. There’s lots of great music that needs to be sung that just cannot reasonably be done by a congregation. Whether it’s too complex to be done by untrained musicians, or just too difficult to be done without extensive rehearsal, there’s a lot of music that cannot or should not be done by a congregation. That’s why this function is number two on the list. There are some texts set to challenging music that congregations need to hear, whether it’s because it is comforting in times of crises, praising in times of joy, or inspiring in times of apathy. By spending the time and effort to rehearse each week, the choir provides a great service to the congregation by opening up the amount of literature the congregation can be exposed to. Used appropriately, this has significant theological and musical implications, broadening the congregation’s experience of the divine.

3. The church choir serves as a small-group within the church for faith formation

I imagine that we all have stories about our choral groups taking care of each other or holding someone up in a time of need. When we sing together, a bond is created that unites us unlike any other activity. In a church setting, this function can be intentionally formed and nurtured. Because we meet together once a week to do work for the glory of God and benefit of neighbor, taking care of each other is no longer an option, it’s a responsibility. As the leader of this small-group, a church choir director’s job is no longer limited to musical direction, but also spiritual direction. This doesn’t mean you’re responsible for giving a sermon each week or listening to people’s confessions, but it does mean that you are charged with ensuring your group enacts the Word you sing week in and week out. A great example of this is the familiar Latin text “Ubi Caritas,” something that most church choirs have sung at one time or another:

“Where charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God. And may we love each other with a sincere heart.”

Because we sing this text often as a biblical witness to the congregation, I expect my singers to treat each other with “charity and love.” I expect them to act like “Christ’s love has gathered us into one.” What I find is that my expectations are almost always met because the majority of my singers have been singing their faith for decades and have already been formed by the church’s song. I also always hold myself to the same standard, striving to be an example of showing love and charity while seeking musical excellence. By expecting myself and my choir to act out what we sing, the choir naturally takes care of each other. I rarely have to ask for food to be brought or people to be prayed for because before I can bring it up someone from the group has already asked for it to be done by their fellow choir members. It’s a witness that is refreshing to see each and every year I direct.

4. The church choir sings beautiful and challenging music to praise God and edify the congregation

The music that we create should be beautiful and challenging. This is where the majority of our rehearsal time is taken up, because singing challenging music beautifully is difficult to do and takes lots of practice. It is important that when we sing we sing beautifully, because it touches people’s souls. The reason that we work so hard to create beautiful music together is so that we can glorify God and help people experience a holy moment. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it is important that our singing is not distracting and therefore prevent people from having a holy moment. I find that one of the best motivations for my choir when rehearsal is getting into the nitty-gritty, is to say something like, “This is a moment where we can touch someone and help them have a moment with God.” Reminding the choir that by changing these little musical details can make the difference in someone’s spiritual life goes a long way to power through tough rehearsal moments. It is important, however, that the first three priorities in this article are not forgotten when digging deeper and deeper into the rehearsal process to try and achieve our most beautiful sounds. A church choir’s job is not just to sing beautifully, but rather it is to minister to the congregation and to each other in a variety of ways, helping to change the world into a more loving and peaceful place.

By taking these four functions and letting them guide your program’s decision making, you ensure that the choir serves as a conduit of faith for both your congregation and choir members. By telling your choristers that this is what and why they do what they do, it gives them a framework to express the importance of the church choir and be an advocate for music ministry. Most importantly, I hope that these four functions can enliven your congregation’s singing through the faithful discipleship of your church choir members.

______________

Brian Hehn is Director of Music Ministry for Arapaho United Methodist Church in Richardson, TX, and serves on the Executive Board of The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada.

GUEST BLOG: “What Powers the Church Choir?” by Thomas Vozzella

April 9, 2015 by Scott Dorsey Leave a Comment

WHAT POWERS THE CHURCH CHOIR? by Thomas Vozzella

As we begin the 50 days of Easter, following intensive Holy Week worship experiences, I have been renewed with a deeper understanding of why some church choirs give, give and give more, whereas other choirs make the whole experience torture for themselves and their director(s). From Palm Sunday to Easter Day our choir, that usually has one two-hour rehearsal and sings two services weekly, went far and above what is seemingly unimaginable. In summary – our Holy Week included eight services, eleven anthems, four festival hymn settings, children’s choirs, brass and percussion at three services, an abundance of responses, sung Psalms and Canticles, and hymns with and without accompaniment. Plus, we had an additional thirteen hours of rehearsals. I had to say WOW.

However, mid way through the Easter Vigil I began to feel weary. It was at this moment it all came together for me and my understanding of our choir’s commitment, without limitation, to the choral ministry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Missouri. What hit me, hit hard, and more intensely than ever before: Our time and our commitment to music ministry is required, and is expected. Why is it expected? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16)

WARNING: The next paragraph is graphic, not for the faint of heart. Proceed with caution.

Who do you know that would be beaten/whipped to the point of bleeding, carry a large-heavy wooden cross through their current city of residence, with a crown of thorns pushed deep into the flesh of their head causing blood to run down their face and garments, completely emaciated? Then to top it all off, they are hung from the cross they carried with nails driven through the palms of their hands, and feet. Finally, after they die, a spear is pushed deep in their side, allowing all the blood and water remaining in their body to drain out. Do you know anyone that would do this for you? Yes, I do, Jesus Christ would, and did!

This blog may not be filled with the butterflies and the flowers of Easter. It might not include bunnies, baskets and candy. What it does contain, is the reality of the suffering God’s only son, endured on our behalf.

I am not asking you to believe anything I have written here. I am only sharing with you how my choir and I find the strength to give of ourselves without reservation during Holy Week and throughout the year. It also serves to answer why we do not have the right to complain about how time consuming Holy Week, or any other feast day we celebrate is to the people involved. We do not have the right to whine, until we are willing “…to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. (John 15:13) or at least “…love your neighbor, as yourself”. (Matthew 22:39):

Love your Homeless Neighbor…
Love your Muslim Neighbor…
Love your Black Neighbor…
Love your Gay Neighbor…
Love your White Neighbor…
Love your Asian Neighbor…
Love your Jewish Neighbor…
Love your Christian Neighbor…
Love your Atheist Neighbor…
Love your Disabled Neighbor…