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Views from the Choir Loft

Sacred Music Colloquium XXV — Update V

Andrew Leung · July 3, 2015

CTL Colloquium 9 ODAY IS the fifth day of the Sacred Music Colloquium. We had a beautiful Solemn High Requiem Mass in the Vetus Ordo celebrated by Fr. Robert Pasley at St. Paul Cathedral. Jonathan Ryan gave a recital tonight and his playing was just amazingly colorful. It seemed like he used every single combination of stops on the 4 manaul mechanical organ. And of course, there is no better way to end the day by singing the Compline in the Gothic cathedral.

I will be sharing more about the Requiem Mass tomorrow. I would like to focus on the breakout session, another panel discussion, again today. I found this discussion on “Successful Chorister Programs at a Parish” really helpful. As many of you may know, I just finished my first year as the Music Director at my parish. I founded a children’s choir when I got to the parish last summer and I have been experimenting with the program for a whole year. I learned a lot from my “tests” and had pretty good experience with the kids. And it is just great to learn from people who have successful programs at their parishes. The panelist of the breakout include: Jonathan Ryan, Jeffrey Morse, Scott and Suzanne Atwood, Scott Turkington and David Hughes; and Mary Jane Ballou served as the moderator.

The foundation of every successful parish chorister programs is a clear goal, and that for the glory of God. Choristers and parents must understand the ultimate purpose of Sacred Music. Hughes said that it is very important for them to pray as they are singing, not only in the Liturgy, but also during the rehearsals. Every rehearsal should be a prayer as we prepare both musically and spiritually for the Mass.

Many people asked the questions “how did you build a program from the ground up and how do you recruit choristers?”. The Atwoods said that schools, whether they are attached to the parish or just around the area, are good places to recruit choristers. It is ideal that the choir director takes some time to search for potential singers for the program and invite them personally. Ryan suggested that choir directors should “be good shepherds” and “go find the sheep”. He thinks it is important to have the parents’ support and directors should communicate with them, which could mean to find them by going to every single parish events like First Communion classes, Holy Hours and even Bingo nights. The panelists all agreed that it is very important to get the parents involve. Parents can form advisory groups or help take care of the children’s needs and discipline. The collaboration of the director and parents is a must in order to build a successful program.

On the topic of “audition”, Morse said that it is necessary to have auditions (ear tests/any other names) to find out the abilities of the children. It doesn’t mean that children who cannot match pitch will be turned down. And actually he suggested that pre-chorister program be formed and the director may focus on helping them to match pitch. To run a chorister program is very time-consuming and directors must be patient and encouraging. Morse also suggested that hierarchy be established in the program, that is to appoint a head and deputy head choristers, so that children will know their importance and take up responsibilities. The head and deputy head choristers can also set good examples for the younger choristers.

Regarding repertoire for children’s choir, the panelists suggested that the children should learn the psalm tones and basic chant. They should learn how to sing one line of music before singing multiple lines or sing with instruments. Also, Turkington and Atwood recently published a book with a collection motets for treble voices. The book, Cantate Domino, is available on amazon. A list of hymns and motets for children’s choir has also been made and hopefully I can share it in another post in the future.

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 Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Polyphonic Extension” (Kevin Allen) for Gloria III
    EVIN ALLEN was commissioned by Sacred Music Symposium 2025 to compose a polyphonic ‘middle section’ for the GLORIA from Mass III, often denoted by its trope name: Missa Kyrie Deus sempiterne. This year, I’m traveling from Singapore to serve on the symposium faculty. I will be conducting Palestrina’s ‘Ave Maria’ as well as teaching plainsong to the men. A few days ago, I was asked to record rehearsal videos for this beautiful polyphonic extension. (See below.) This polyphonic composition fits ‘inside’ GLORIA III. That is, the congregation sings for the beginning and end, but the choir alone adds polyphony to the middle. The easiest way to understand how everything fits together is by examining this congregational insert. You may download the score, generously made available to the whole world—free of charge—by CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED:
    *  PDF Download • Gloria III ‘Middle Section’ (Kevin Allen)
    Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #24366. Related News • My colleague, Jeff Ostrowski, composed an organ accompaniment for this same GLORIA a few months ago. Obviously, the organist should drop out when the polyphony is being sung.
    —Corrinne May
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Yahweh” in church songs?
    My pastor asked me to write a weekly column for our parish bulletin. The one scheduled to run on 22 June 2025 is called “Three Words in a Psalm” and speaks of translating the TETRAGRAMMATON. You can read the article at this column repository. All of them are quite brief because I was asked to keep within a certain word limit.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“In everything of any importance at all, Sarum (and all other mediæval rites) was simply Roman, the rite which we still use.”

— Fr. Adrian Fortescue (1912)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Download • “Polyphonic Extension” (Kevin Allen) for Gloria III
  • “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
  • PDF Download • “Text by Saint Francis of Assisi” (choral setting w/ organ: Soprano & Alto)
  • “Yahweh” in church songs?
  • “Music List” • Pentecost Sunday

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