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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Imagination, Preparation, Passion” • Getting the most from your choir

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · September 8, 2015

319 Imagination VERYONE WANTS to have a great sounding choir. We dream of a choir that is expressive, communicative, always in tune, attentive, sensitive and powerful. Those are only some of the attributes of a great choir. Many choral conductors spend considerable rehearsal time teaching notes and rhythms to their volunteer singers. At the end of the process—success! Everyone in the choir has made a great achievement by learning the music the director has chosen. They can hold their part in a piece of polyphony, stay in tune and keep a steady tempo. It all sounds great. But—maybe not as great as the director had hoped. So what is the difference between singing all the right notes and sounding like a great choir?  IMAGINATION.

Any good conductor is only as good as his or her imagination will take them. Before the very first note is sung, the conductor must have an ideal sound in mind, the perfect sound, for every phrase, every measure, every note. The conductor should be able to hear a perfect performance of the piece before it even begins. During rehearsals, any deviation from that perfection can be addressed and corrected. Only by knowing exactly what he wants to hear can the conductor then teach the choir the way to make a great sound.

How does a conductor decide on an “ideal” sound? With imagination, preparation, and passion.

First, imagination. Spark your imagination by listening to choirs that you think are great. Do you want your boys to sound fantastic? Then listen to a fantastic boy choir. In fact, listen to several fantastic boy choirs singing the same piece. You’ll be amazed at the differences, and how your tastes and preferences will soon make themselves known to you. Do you want to know how to get a great soprano sound on a Renaissance motet? Listen to some fabulous SATB choirs singing the repertoire. (Women are most likely not going to sound like boys!) Ask yourself—do you have a favorite choir? Is it the choir of Westminster Cathedral, Polyphony, the college choir you sang in, the old Robert Shaw Chorale? Just do a lot of listening and figure out what makes any great choir, well, great. Then you can start to imagine!

Robert Shaw used to say about the Atlanta Symphony Chorus something like, “We start our process here at 95%, which is where most choirs end, and then we try to make it up to 98% or 99%.” Will you achieve the “ideal” sound? Probably not. But by infusing the music with your imagination, your choir will sing ever closer to your ideal, expressively, with intention and purpose. And that is great.

Next time: Preparation!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Conductor Robert Shaw Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Many of those who have influenced the reform […] have no love, and no veneration of that which has been handed down to us. They begin by despising everything that is actually there.”

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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