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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Choir Rehearsal Is Prayer

Richard J. Clark · February 13, 2015

O I JUST FINISHED directing one of the most enjoyable choir rehearsals in quite some time. That is saying a lot because I usually feel highly energized by choir rehearsals. No matter how early in the morning my five year old and/or eleven month old sons wake me up, by the end of a choir rehearsal, I’m flooded with endorphins and can’t sleep — like right now. Ironically, it is quite possible we won’t get to sing the music we rehearsed — a problem everyone in Boston is facing this Sunday.

Oh, it was not the best sounding rehearsal by far. Many, including some of my best singers were unable to attend in part because of the 72” (182.88cm) of snow on the ground in Boston. It seems we are due for another 10-18” on early Sunday morning—the fourth major storm in three weeks. This annoys me. Why does it have to hit Saturday evening into Sunday morning? Even late Sunday morning works for me. I’ll figure out how to get back later. Oh, I almost forgot, I learned the National Guard was in front of my house during tonight’s rehearsal removing snow. I already got work without them. In fact my choirs have been showing up in surprisingly wonderful numbers despite all the recent snow.

I digress.

HIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST REHEARSALS because my volunteers, including two new singers this week, accomplished a great deal in their own right. They beautifully learned the Introit, Esto mihi in Deum protectorem from the Graduale Romanum, choral anthems for Sunday and Ash Wednesday, a beautiful psalm setting by Jeff Ostrowski (one of his best, Psalm 32), a communion proper, etc., etc. Without some of my best singers and many others missing, they responded thoughtfully and sensitively to correction and direction. New singers weren’t completely freaked out by trying to sing Gregorian notation, despite a lack of experience. They tackled various styles, as always, imbuing reverence and nuance. As such, the more I respect a choir’s ability, the more critical I am in rehearsal. I was very critical, and I was very proud of them.

I think many of us are lucky to experience this in choir rehearsal. While we left knowing Sunday’s weather forecast looked dire, I told them I was grateful for this time together in prayer. Rehearsal is prayer. These great texts of the church are prayer. Hopefully, the music we add is sacred, beautiful, and therefore, universal.

Snow annoys me, because selfishly, I’d like to implement what we so lovingly prepared. It may end up being that the prayer of rehearsal will have to be good enough this week. One of the best rehearsals ever might be followed up by a fizzle.

But it won’t be. I am deeply grateful for the beautiful people around me who also want to serve the Church and each other. This will live on in our hearts with more music to pray.

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

“Another cathedral functionary, a compañero named (coincidentally!) Francisco Guerrero, departs for the New World sometime before June 8, on which date the benefice held by him comes up for a split among three former choirboys whose voices have changed.”

— Chapter Resolution: 14 February 1562

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