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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

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

“Of course, the new [Easter Vigil] liturgy has greatly streamlined the symbology. But the exaggerated simplification has removed elements that used to have quite a hold on the mindset of the faithful. […] Is this Easter Vigil liturgy definitive?”

— Paul VI to Virgilio Noè (10 April 1971)

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