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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Seven Tips • “Directing A Catholic Choir”

Jeff Ostrowski · December 13, 2018

85875 sperabo NLY THOSE who direct choirs know what a demanding job it is. It involves politics, physical endurance, psychology, inhuman determination, and, of course, musical skill. If you’ve read Catholic Church Music by Paul Hume, you realize being a choirmaster in 2018 is remarkably similar to being one in 1956—which is either encouraging or depressing, depending upon how one considers it.

I direct choirs each week: choral vespers, tons of Masses, and numerous rehearsals. As I direct and play for each Mass, I’m astounded at the sheer number of “obstacles” that must be overcome. I’ve been at this twenty years, yet each Mass brings new challenges. I constantly want to jot down ideas that come to me vis-à-vis “choirmaster tips.” Needless to say, most of them are lost—because I can hardly pull out a writing pad in the middle of Mass.

I hope you find the following seven suggestions helpful:

1. Listen To Yourself

It is essential to make recordings of your choir, and (later on) listen to how you sound. So many musicians avoid this crucial procedure, or they record their choir but fail to go back and listen to it! At the conservatory where I studied, we had a rule: one hour performing in front of a live audience was worth eight hours in the practice room. That’s because performing in front of someone—even a stranger—is quite different than rehearsing in privacy. The same is true of recording one’s choir. Deep down, we don’t want to record ourselves because it might reveal something that needs to be changed…which often requires hard work!

2. Sing Don’t Talk

We choirmasters love our field, and we have a billion anecdotes we consider to be fascinating. We love to explain—in great detail—the history of everything. The problem is, choir members are coming to rehearsal to sing; they are not there to hear us talk. We must constantly guard against talking too much. The singers cannot learn how to sing unless they sing: a whole lot! People are often late to rehearsal, but the choirmaster should never wait for everyone to arrive. Have something simple prepared, e.g. a tricky Psalm Tone from Vespers, and always begin rehearsal on time. Even if only one singer is there, don’t get angry—work with that singer. Explain how psalm tones work, and have that person sing. Sing, sing, sing!

3. Don’t Blame Singers On The Wrong Page

Frequently, a singer will be on the wrong page. Sometimes, a singer will be standing there holding a choir binder when we are supposed be singing from the hymnal. The temptation is to become angry at somebody on the wrong page, but we must resist that temptation. A wise choirmaster—instead of becoming angry—will devise new ways to make it even easier for singers to know which piece is coming up, found in which book. I know it’s hard to swallow our pride and accept blame…but the fact is, it’s always possible to do a better job making clear to the singers which pieces will be sung when. In reality, too often we choirmasters expect the singers to “know” a plan that only exists in our mind; but we must avoid expecting volunteer singers to read minds!

4. Avoid A Harsh, Ugly Tone

Fr. William J. Finn used to say “no choir sounds nice louder than MP or MF.” In other words, when singers produce too much sound, their voices often sound harsh. Moreover, if they sing loudly, they cannot listen to the other singers, so they will probably be singing slightly out of tune. During rehearsal, have your singers work at a slightly softer tone, with a perfect blend. (The overall volume will not be greatly reduced, but the sound will be much more pleasant.)

5. Women And Men

Whenever possible, divide the Gregorian chants. For instance, for CREDO and GLORIA, alternate between Treble Voices [Ladies] and Low Voices [Men]. There is nothing more gorgeous than a bunch of women singing plainsong (without vibrato), especially when such singing is combined with an excellent organ accompaniment. And the alternation keeps the voice from getting tired.

6. Your “Private Mass”

The physical and mental demands made upon a choirmaster are considerable. For example, on Sundays, I am at work from 7:30am until 7:30pm. I run multiple rehearsals, play organ for three Masses, conduct a choir of 35 voices at Mass, move around hundreds of chairs and binders and hymnals, and lead and accompany Sung Vespers. I find it helpful to designate one Mass on Sunday as “My Mass”—during which I pray fervently and do not allow myself to be occupied by anything but prayer. It’s true that during “My Mass” I have to play Murray Interludes during the Offertory and Communion, but that’s not very difficult. I would be interested to learn how other choirmasters approach mental prayer during Masses at which they conduct a choir.

7. Some People Are Evil

As musicians, we want to please everybody; we want everyone to love our music. If someone insults our singing—even a person with zero musical knowledge—our soul is fractured. It is absolutely crucial to remember that we will never please everyone. Some people are evil; some are foolish; and some are jealous. Some people are all three; and these tend to be the “loud mouths” who take it upon themselves to speak “on behalf of everyone.”

The following statement will sound obvious, but must be said: If you come across someone who complains about everything and seems very unhappy…avoid that person! When he tries to give you advice, say “thank you”—and then do the opposite.

It’s true there are serious issues that need to be addressed, such as the general trend among priests to avoid paying musicians a just wage—and one of these days I will discuss such things. But if we spend all our time thinking about negative things, 1 we won’t accomplish much. Let’s focus on the things we can control—and we’ll make great progress.

FRIEND OF MINE, let’s call him “Mr. George,” was asked in 2009 why he spent so much free time as a church music volunteer. I’ll never forget his response: “Because I want Mass to stop sounding so bad; please, make it stop!” Many feel this way. We cannot understand why goofy, poorly-performed music is allowed during the Catholic Mass. We want it to stop.

And there is some truly amazing news! A major catalyst has arrived with the publication of Brébeuf Hymnal. I believe this book will make a huge difference at the parish level. At last, we have a truly Catholic hymnal we can recommend without reservation. Best of all, it doesn’t compete with Renaissance polyphony or plainsong; it complements them.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   I get really angry when I consider how the big publishers have treated parishes. Every few months, under the current arrangement, parishes take all their disposable missalettes and throw them in the garbage. Then they purchase more, with the same basic contents. A few months later, they throw those in the garbage and buy more—again, with the same basic contents. This has been going on for fifty years. Why do parishes tolerate this? How did it become acceptable to sell somebody the same stuff over and over for decades? I don’t understand why the current Pope—who has said we must care for Planet Earth—does not immediately put an end to this disgusting arrangement.

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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I prefer to preach,” said one priest “even without immediate preparation, for I can always draw—from the various studies stored away during the seminary years—enough material to interest our good Catholic people. But when I have to go to the altar and sing High Mass or a Requiem, and I know that I cannot read a note of the Preface and the ‘Pater Noster’, I feel like going to martyrdom. Yet the notes are right there before my eyes, but they seem to mock my ignorance.”

— From a 1920 article by Very Rev. Leo P. Manzetti

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