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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

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —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

“Dom Pothier does not belong to the dim past, as the silence which surrounds his name would lead one to believe. Only a few years separate us from the time when—growing old and heavily burdened by trials—Dom Pothier was concentrating his ever keen attention on the study of manuscripts in the Belgian place of retreat where his community had found refuge. For he was the abbot; and there can be no doubt that the cross he wore during those days was a cross of sorrow, though he bore it with a smile.”

— Dom Ermin Vitry, OSB (31-OCT-1936)

Recent Posts

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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