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Views from the Choir Loft

Don’ts for Choirmasters (Part 2)

Andrew Leung · January 11, 2018

CTL Don'ts for Choirmasters 2 AST WEEK, I shared about John Newton’s Don’ts for Choirmasters in my post, and this post is the continuation of “Part 1”. I was told that if you order the book on Amazon, they will only ship within the UK. So, if you are interested in ordering the book and are living outside of the UK, you can place your order with the publisher directly.

In “Part 1” of my post, I shared about Newton’s view and appreciation for Gregorian chant. He encourages choirmasters not to neglect singing plainchant and he states that plainchant is an important field of study. Today, I would like to share some of his very practical advice on choral singing. I found these advice very helpful, especially in laying down a good and strong foundation for a choir.

11. DON’T neglect the starts…All four parts should begin together—precision of attack is very important. Listen to, and learn a lesson from good string quartet playing.

32. DON’T fail to attend to the breathing points; “phrasing” is of vital importance; sometimes it is necessary to mark the points where breath should be taken…

33. DON’T neglect Unisonal singing. Impress upon your choirmen that singing in unison is not mere child’s play. It is a difficult task to get thirty or forty voices to sing a melody exactly in tune, to blend, and to keep together…

34. DON’T let Descant and Faburden remain unexplored any longer. Both of these embroideries make delightful exercises and are electrical reliefs in a long hymn, but a word of caution—do not serve them up too often; their occasional use is very desirable.

40. DON’T neglect antiphonal singing…

55.DON’T rehearse music on Sunday morning for use at a later service. It is scarcely fair to the boys and it is probably too late to have any effect…

These are some of Newton’s very practical advice. Mastering these basic choral techniques is what distinguishes a “great choir” from the “good choirs”. Some of these basic choral skills might seem so easy, but trust me, turning them into a habit (remembering and doing them every time you sing) is not so easy. Consistency with these good techniques are the key to improve choral singing.

POILER ALRET!!! Here are some more “DON’Ts” that you might not be expecting from what seems to be a very serious book! It is a manual for choirmasters, but it is also very fun to read, and some of Newton’s advice are just so specific!

4. DON’T abuse the surplice. Surplices should be put on just before the vestry prayer. Is it seemly to put on a surplice and then to discuss yesterday’s match or tomorrow’s concert?

23. DON’T sing Nunc dimittis painissimo. It is not the lament of a dying man, but the triumph song of one who was full of hope…

41. DON’T forget the power of silence. The other day a priest preached a forty-minute sermon on the great value of silence!…

53. DON’T allow carol singing in the streets by your boys; it is very undignified, and frequently irreverent, besides being very bad for the voice.

59. DON’T sing only music of the modern school; be broad in your taste. Church music did not being in the nineteenth century…

61. DON’T get depressed when the man in the pew—who as a rule does no church work himself, and finds all he wants in Evensong—dares to criticize the music and the singing…“Do not care how many, but whom, you please,”

67. DON’T burst into song on Good Friday. The day is too solemn for much music, and “Passion” music should not be left so late. “But,” it is urged, “people enjoy hearing big works on this day.” I reply—Is it a day for enjoyment? If the world chooses to run concerts and to feast on this day, let the world carry on. There’s money in it. But the church’s command is— “Eyes front! Halt!”

While this book was written over ninety years ago, a lot of the advice is still relevant nowadays. Do consider getting a copy and read through the whole book! Enjoy!

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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Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The effectiveness of liturgy does not lie in experimenting with rites and altering them over and over, nor in a continuous reductionism, but solely in entering more deeply into the word of God and the mystery being celebrated. It is the presence of these two that authenticates the Church’s rites, not what some priest decides, indulging his own preferences.

— Liturgicae Instaurationes (1970)

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