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Views from the Choir Loft

A Homely Slant on Bertalot’s Sight-Singing

Veronica Brandt · March 7, 2015

student teacher piano HEN I FIRST READ LUCAS Tappan’s article from a few weeks ago, What If You Never Again Had To “Teach” Your Choir Notes? my first reaction was to wish that I had a “proper” choir.

Curiosity got the better of me and I looked around John Bertalot’s website and even ended up buying a copy of the book Five Wheels to Successful Sight-Singing. I am very glad I did.

The book is aimed at conducting a children’s choir, but many of the lessons are very useful for parents too. Having only a small number of students is actually an advantage for teaching sight-singing.

Sight-singing has been something of an unattainable ideal in my head for as long as I can remember. I’ve always needed some instrument to turn sheet music into something audible. It turns out that I had all the first steps in place to learn sight-singing all along. It was like seeing that I have been riding with training wheels all this time.

Bertalot’s book is pretty short. It is unlike any other book I have read on music. Instead of diagrams and explanations it is written as a lively dialogue between a student and a master choir director. This is really helpful as one of the main lessons is learning how to talk with students so that they listen and learn – a very handy skill in all areas.

It is also heartening to hear that learning to read music, just like learning to read words, does not require specially formulated textbooks. Bertalot uses a blackboard and a regular hymnbook.

I look forward to reading more from Lucas Tappan as he sheds more light on how to apply these lessons.

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 Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    PDF • “For General Use Until Advent”
    If you conduct a volunteer choir, you might consider using this Simple Piece #40273 (“Adésto Sáncta Trínitas”) which can be used during the rest of the liturgical season until Advent. It's based on the well known hymn tune: OLD HUNDREDTH. Rehearsal videos are available at #40691. A live recording of #40273 (“Adésto Sáncta Trínitas”) by a volunteer choir is here (#40065).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.”

— ‘Rev. Adrian Fortescue (THE MASS, page 397)’

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