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Views from the Choir Loft

Choirmasters, Your Job Is Hard Beyond A Doubt

Jeff Ostrowski · March 3, 2017

332 Marcia Clark S A YOUNG BOY growing up in Kansas, I remember when all the channels switched over to a Los Angeles white Bronco chase. Helicopters followed in the air as 95 million Americans watched. At the time, I had no clue what the big deal was; but it turns out the entire case was complicated and interesting from various points of view. What can a choirmaster possibly learn from the 1994 Simpson murder trial? Quite a lot, believe it or not. But today, I’ll focus on two areas only.

First of all, those who have watched the actual trial taking place (on YouTube) will notice most of the attorneys—on both sides—were remarkably unprepared and obscenely incompetent. They spent hours bickering and being held in contempt. Indeed, the audio frequently went dead (and the camera just pointed at the ceiling) as the lawyers did battle with the judge at the sidebar, usually for no serious reason. They often showed up late, with slides and props that were ill-prepared. If those attorneys tried to run a choir rehearsal like that, they’d be out of a job almost immediately. When the choirmaster conducts a rehearsal, every minute is precious and must not be squandered. That’s why we spend hours preparing; routinely an entire week. If the attorneys had prepared properly, the trial would have ended much sooner.

Secondly, there are hundreds of theories vis-à-vis why the jury ruled the way it did. Some say they made the right decision. Others claim they made the wrong decision. Some say they were enamored with O. J. Simpson because he was a star and developed a rapport with him each day. Others say they were so traumatized by being sequestered for 256 days—watched by armed guards, not allowed to watch television, and scarcely allowed to telephone their families to say goodnight—they just wanted to go home. Some say they shouldn’t have been sequestered. Some say Marcia Clark messed up the case. Some say jury selection was improper. Some say Simpson struggling with the glove was convincing, while others feel the opposite. In the end, however, guess what? You have the jury you have.

This is like our choirs. Each member is unique. Each has strengths and weaknesses. We can obsess over this, asking why that is the case. But in the final analysis, we have the choirs we have. Our job is to make beautiful music, not excuses! As Roger Wagner repeated constantly: Never apologize for your choir, because they’re as good as you are!

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 Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Chants closely related to the readings should, of course, be appropriately transferred for use with these readings. For pastoral reasons also there is an option regarding the chants for the Proper of Seasons: namely, as circumstances suggest, to replace the text proper to a day with another text belonging to the same season.”

— Ordo Cantus Missae (1971)

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