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Views from the Choir Loft

Institutions Rather Than Events

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 9, 2015

337 Choir School LLOW ME TO USE an analogy. Imagine if you will Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’ beloved character from his novel of the same name. Oliver’s prospects for enjoying a happy and healthy adult life were less than ideal. Between the orphanage and the workhouse, and Fagin and Monks, the circumstances of his childhood spelled foreboding for his later years. Had Twist lived in more recent times, he might have been sent to a couple of workshops on family life, with the expectation of his rehabilitation. Fortunately for him, however, the kindly Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver into his home and cares for him, providing a loving home which proves to be Oliver’s salvation. It is a beautiful story, but how does it relate to sacred music?

Just as a child’s family generally provide him with the healthiest environment possible, the Church needs institutions where musicians can go to be thoroughly immersed in the art of sacred music, rather than weekend events that can never give full justice 1 to the demands of sacred music. Fortunately for us, that institution exists and we call it a choir school.

But what is a choir school?

“I posit that a choir school consists of an institution where children are given a well-rounded musical education as well as liturgical formation in the ars celebrandi, and where they put these skills at the service of the sacred liturgy on a regular basis within a specific community (often that of a cathedral or collegiate chapel). In return, these children are given an outstanding elementary and religious education.”

(from my DMA document on the Madeleine Choir School).


Just as Oliver needed to live in a family to learn what family is about, so too, do our children, our future musicians, need to live and breath in an environment that promotes that greatest of all arts, music.

More on the choir school next week. 2



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Please don’t misunderstand; I think these weekend events do much good for musicians who are already stretched in a million directions, but more is ultimately required.

2   Regarding the notion of “Institutions rather than events,” Mr. Gregory Glenn—founder and director of the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City, UT—introduced this idea to me.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Lucas Tappan

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Edwin Fischer was, on the concert platform, a short, leonine, resilient figure, whose every fibre seemed to vibrate with elemental musical power.”

— Daniel Barenboim (1960)

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