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Views from the Choir Loft

Choir Roster? No. It’s a Love List!

Keven Smith · May 11, 2020

LL across the U.S., rumors abound that certain dioceses will soon return to some semblance of normal parish life. Indeed, they are mostly just rumors right now—and even if they prove true, they don’t necessarily indicate that we’ll all be given the green light to resume full choral activities right away.

Meanwhile, we all continue to feel a loss of connection with our choirs. If you’re part of a very small group, you may have found ways to stay in close communication—and perhaps even get together—with your colleagues. But if you’ve been blessed with a larger program like mine, you’re probably having trouble even picturing all the faces in your soprano section.

I had an idea the other day about how to overcome this challenge. All it takes is a little time and something you already have: a choir roster.

You’ve written down the names and voice types of all your singers, right? Take that list out of your briefcase, or pull it up on screen. Scan the list. What do you see? Names? No. You see faces. You can’t help but see them. And you hear voices—singing voices, of course, due to the nature of our work. But you also hear speaking voices. The voices that tell you stories at rehearsal break or share jokes after Mass. The voices that occasionally arrive in your voicemail on Sunday morning, sounding swollen, informing you of their absence today.

Your choir roster is full of people. And they’re some of the dearest people you’ll ever meet. You’ve been advised not to spend time with these people right now. But the restrictions don’t say anything about spending time with these people in spirit.

So keep that list handy. Don’t think of it as a choir roster. Think of it as a love list.

Spend time with your love list regularly. You can decide the exact schedule. Let your eyes stop on each one of those names for a few moments. Spend that time thinking about that person. You’ll naturally consider where that person is at in his or her musical and vocal development. But be sure to think also about your relationship with that person. Recall the things you enjoy discussing, the inside jokes you’ve developed, even the misunderstandings or difficulties you’ve encountered.

Take it one step further. Print your love list or make sure it’s accessible on your phone. Go to your church (if the doors aren’t locked) and spend a holy hour in which you pray briefly for each person on the list. Ask for God’s assistance in being exactly the choir director and friend each of those people needs you to be.

Spending time with your love list can help eliminate the possibility of awkwardness when we return to full choral activities—whenever that may be. Your singers will sense that they were never far from your mind. And you’ll feel ready to keep building your relationship with them as you work together to glorify God through music.

Try it. You’ll see.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: choir director Last Updated: May 13, 2020

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About Keven Smith

Keven Smith, music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr, lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“It is very curious, rather barbarous, much too ornate, immeasurably less dignified than ours now, anything in the world rather than archaic or primitive.”

— Fr. Fortescue describing the “Sarum Use” in 1912

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