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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

To Breathe or Not To Breathe

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · February 8, 2020

ART of the conductor’s job is to prepare his or her own music so as to then teach it to the choir. This includes preparing the score with all sorts of markings, including dynamics, tempi, phrasing, the occasional redistributing of voices, and breath marks. These markings make for an efficient rehearsal and a unified final performance. The process of making these decisions is, in my experience, possible in only one way: the conductor must sit quietly with the score and sing every part. In this way, not only do conductors learn every part intimately, but they experience all of the challenges each section of the choir will face. One of these challenges is where to breathe.

This may seem simple enough. We should breathe at the end of a phrase. Or should we? Many times, for dramatic effect, or because of our analysis of the phrase structure, or because of the text, or just because we think the music will sound better, we ask the choir not to breathe, but carry over, sometimes staggering the breathing within the section. Often, these places are dramatic because they deny to the listener the natural expectation of a breath. It is here that some real beauty can take place. 

Most choir members, wanting to do things just right, will pencil in exactly what the conductor asks, in this case, a slur over the phrase to indicate a ‘do not breathe here.’  And most of the time even the most professional singer will give back exactly that marking, dutifully singing through the phrase without a breath. Perfect! Except for one thing. It might not sound very interesting. We don’t ever want to our choirs to sound mechanical. Instead, we want to take moments like these and make the most of them. Consider the opening from Thomas Tallis’ famous “If Ye Love Me.”

It would be perfectly acceptable to breathe after “me,” especially considering the comma, but I think that most every choir sings through to make a four-measure phrase.  However, for this to become an important musical moment, something special should happen. Instead of robotically singing past “me” with no change in the sound, the music sounds much better by making a fairly obvious crescendo on the words “love me,” anticipating the moment when the choir will not breathe. This one, small musical gesture provides a wealth of gifts: it provides intensity to the line and a sense of direction; creates a warm, beautiful choral sound; it enlivens the text and gives it real meaning, and finally, it just sounds better.

This is an overly simple example of a spot where a decision not to breathe can create a beautiful phrase. Most decisions like this will be a little more complicated. But only by singing through all the parts on their own, musically and beautifully and sensitively, will conductors be able to test out different ideas or discover a potentially wonderful moment that they can then bring to the rehearsal.

As we make music which adorns the sacred liturgy, our goal should be more than to simply recreate the notes, rhythms, and words found on the page. Beautiful music is everywhere to be discovered. Conductors, find one or two extra special moments and make the most of them. Sometimes the most beautiful musical line happens with the simple decision to not take a breath.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: February 8, 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

    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing—direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: “Even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you: I have carved you in the palm of my hand.”

— Mother Theresa (11 Dec 1979)

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