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Views from the Choir Loft

In Gratitude for Choral Singers

Richard J. Clark · July 5, 2019

LEFT FOR LOGAN Airport at 4:45 a.m. Layover in Phoenix. Then on to Burbank “Bob Hope” Airport. I had four hours of sleep having conducted the “The Star Spangled Banner” at Fenway Park the night before with eighty singers of the Boston Archdiocesan Choir including twenty-six children. I had a 1:30 p.m. rehearsal in Los Angeles to get to. I was running on caffeine and adrenalin, but also fortified by the love and joy of the children and adults who sang the night before in Boston.

On the flight I wore a suit jacket and dress shoes so I wouldn’t have to pack them. Getting off the plane I looked around. I appeared and felt very out of place in L. A.

Until I got to choir rehearsal.

Greeting me at the Sacred Music Symposium were seventy-five singers (many in high school!) ready to sing chant and polyphony all day long. These were my people! After a another rehearsal later in the day of Palestrina, Morales, and a brand new work by Kevin Allen, I wasn’t tired. Quite the opposite, I was energized. Why?

      * *  Mp3 • Live Recording at Mass • Sanctus & Benedictus •  Missa Jam Christus, Palestrina

Likewise, upon my return to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Sunday morning, I had another sleep deprived night getting in after midnight followed by an early morning Mass. During a choir rehearsal and Mass I was once again invigorated, not depleted.

It seems I am very fortunate to work with great, positive people. This includes professionals who are sensitive and attentive to the needs of volunteers. I have been the beneficiary of beautiful, dedicated, and talented people, both professional and volunteer from all over the Archdiocese of Boston. This is spiritual and musical gold for which I must get on my knees and thank God every day. I am truly lucky for such people in my life, and I deeply grateful.

HE SALUTARY EFFECTS of choral singing have been often noted. Much has been made of the educational benefits of musical training. Likewise, the release of endorphins while singing in a choir may combat depression, anxiety, or loneliness.

But to achieve this, leaders and directors must be positive. They must love the rehearsal process. They must be excited most of all by improvements made along the way — not just by a polished final product. Conductors must never make sacred music about themselves. How ridiculous and vain!

Most importantly, the environment must be encouraging (especially with children) and relaxed, yet highly focused. Singers cannot be expected to produce beauty in a tense environment. The vocal mechanism must be relaxed by necessity. Making music with fear of reprisal is counterproductive and deleterious to the soul. While there may be tough love for some situations, there must be love — love of God, love of the music, love of God’s people. And there must be gratitude.

HE 2019 SACRED MUSIC Symposium was a model of positivity and healing effects of not only choral singing, but faith-filled choral singing. Making music is an intimate relationship. But to pray and make music together elevates the spirit even further.

As such, I am deeply grateful to faith-filled choral singers because of their willingness to do and understand these ten things. (This also applies to conductors!):

1 • Willingness to serve others. Singing in a choir is not about oneself. Nor is directing a choir! Developing a unified choral sound – where many sing as one voice – requires (and produces) an elevated state of consciousness. There is no room for narcissism, only altruism: prayer and service to others — not service of self.

2 • Willingness to subject to another’s will, vision, or preference.

3 • Willingness to have a spiritual intent of unity, respect, and reverence.

4 • Willingness to practice Christian charity towards your brothers and sisters all the time. Fr. James Fryer, in his Keynote Address at the Symposium, spoke of the necessity of “fraternal charity.” To this end, he emphasized the importance of a choir working towards holiness and attending to their own prayer lives —ironically a challenge for Church musicians! But take heart and remember that all your musical preparation is a prayer!

5 • Willingness to row in the same direction for the greater good — giving glory of God and the edification and sanctification of the people.

6 • Willingness to be flexible and understand there is often more than one correct answer to musical questions.

7 • Willingness to deliver and not let each other down: Because excellent choral singing requires enormous concentration, sustained physical exertion, and consistent commitment to succeed.

8 • Willingness to dedicate large and inconvenient amounts of time — holidays, evenings, weekends, i.e., time away from family and friends

9 • Willingness to grow spiritually, personally, and musically

10 • Willingness to understand life is too short to get bent out of shape over a good many things — yet, willingness to be uncompromising in passing on the traditions of the church. Why? Because our traditions inform us of who we are today! They hold in them a treasure of our ancient wisdom.

11 • Countless more things to be grateful for… (Yes, this list of 10 things goes to 11.)

OSITIVITY IS a strong healer. At the symposium faculty not only got along well, we sang under each other’s direction. This level of mutual respect and cooperation elevated everyone’s performance and spirit. For example, I personally learned a great deal from Dr. Alfred Calabrese while singing under his direction. His technique and clarity is impeccable. His interpretation of chant was transcendent and his rehearsals exceedingly efficient improving the sound of the choir overnight. I left a better conductor than when I arrived because of him.

Likewise, Kevin Allen’s compositions had me in tears. Furthermore, I was amazed at his complete trust in my interpretation of the world premiere of his “Ave Maria.” The determination, towering intellect, talent, and humility of Jeff Ostrowski is a transformative force to behold. He is a true servant leader. Finally, Andrea Leal’s organization (that began in 2018) and generous hospitality was an unseen and vital key to the Symposium’s success.

The level of positivity in such a faith-filled environment leads to an acceleration of energy—spiritual and physical. Despite several hours of rehearsal a day plus Mass and Vespers, the collective group seemed to gather more energy and will as time went on. Jeff Ostrowski tried to give us a break in a recording session, and the singers demanded to keep working more! We didn’t want to let go. This is healing.

F COURSE, there are daily struggles in life. We are called to carry one cross or another for our entire lives. We wish they would go away, but such challenges are the crucible by which we learn to better serve God and one another. When crosses burden us, know that God will also never leave you comfortless. Sing his praises with love!

Let everything that has breath give praise to the LORD! — Psalm 150

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Archdiocese of Boston, Composer Kevin Allen, Gregorian Chant, Renaissance Polyphony, Sacred Music Symposium Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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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

“A theologian who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous since blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental: they are necessarily reflected in his theology.”

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (Interview, 1985)

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