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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

On Mistakes (Part I of II)

Keven Smith · May 21, 2022

OUR CHOIR MADE SOME MISTAKES last Sunday. And the Sunday before that. There will be mistakes at your next sung Mass, too. (And at mine.) Should we carry this around with us and let it affect our daily lives?

Mistakes often seem to be a bigger deal than they really are. They make singers feel as if they’ve let down the choir, and can even undermine their confidence.

Due to human frailty, mistakes are inevitable. But they’re not all created equal. By analyzing the reasons for mistakes, we can eliminate many of them. What about the rest? We can learn to deal with them like Catholics.

Why Singers Make Mistakes

To explore this topic thoroughly would require a textbook. Let me instead offer a few quick tips on how to minimize choir mistakes.

Many mistakes happen because a singer isn’t up to the task. He lacks the vocal or audiation skills to sing this music correctly, or he didn’t get enough rehearsal time on it. Here are some rehearsal techniques you can use to reduce these mistakes:

  • Use solfege. Solfege may seem like a hassle, but it’s worth the work. Try one of the many scores here at Corpus Christi Watershed that provides letters to represent the solfege syllables. If your choir recoils at first, be persistent. My singers now prefer to learn pieces on solfege and feel uncomfortable if I rush through this step. And once they’ve learned a piece, it’s learned forever.
  • Don’t overlook rhythm. Nobody wants to sing off key, so most of us focus on pitch and neglect rhythmic precision. Rhythm seems easier because it’s just math. If the tenors come in one beat early, you might assume it’s as correctable as a typo. But maybe they’re getting distracted because the basses enter before them, or because the altos have a busy moving line above them. Tricky rhythms need attention.

Count-singing and pulse-singing are two handy ways of drilling rhythm. In count-singing, everyone sings through their part on “one-and-two-and-tee-and-four-and.” It helps everyone sing in time and makes for cleaner phrase endings.

In pulse-singing, everyone sings their part on text but pulses each note, staccato, on a small note value. For example, if you’re singing Sicut Cervus by Palestrina, the tenors will pulse four times while holding the initial whole note. Pulse-singing not only reinforces subdivision but also forces singers to hit each pitch dead-on because they have only a split second to sing it.

  • Don’t play too much piano in rehearsals. As I recently told a musician friend, I’m glad I’m not much of a pianist. It spares me the temptation to accompany my choir on every note they sing. I believe excessive piano playing becomes a crutch for a choir. Piano is great for letting the choir listen to what they’re about to sing. But if you play with them all the time, you’ll weaken their audiation.
  • Don’t sing with them, at least not always. Singing along with your choir can be a crutch, too. I’ll sing along at first to teach a section their notes, but I don’t want them to lean on me. Of course, like many church choir directors, I’m both director and choir member. We’re always short on tenors, so I sing tenor while I conduct. (I must admit I should ask my tenors to sing without me more often to see how well they’re learning the music.)
  • Build listening skills. Encourage your singers to listen to everything but themselves. Consider rehearsing polyphony in pairs of parts—but not always soprano-alto and tenor-bass. On some pieces, it may make sense to pair up soprano and bass, or the two inner voices. By giving singers at least one other part to listen to, you help increase their musical awareness.

Two Other Species of Mistakes

Some mistakes happen because distractions arise. If, like me, you’re blessed to work in a parish with many families that are open to life, you’ll often hear a baby start crying just as you’re beginning a complex motet. Perhaps the sopranos don’t quite hear their first interval, and it throws off the altos for their entrance. During these challenges, all you can do is concentrate harder.

Other mistakes happen because we let our minds wander. A sung traditional Mass can take 90 minutes or longer, depending on the length of the homily and number of communicants. Some chants or motets require several minutes of intense concentration to sing (try explaining this to a non-musician who thinks we’re merely “doing what we love” like beer league softball players). With 30 or 40 singers in the loft at a large parish, someone will space out eventually.

There’s no easy fix for mental lapses. But we can make sure our singers know why they’re in choir. Provide them with translations for all the Latin they’re singing so they can sing prayerfully rather than just in tune. Reinforce their sense of purpose by reminding them there should be no conversation during Mass. And stress the need for frequent eye contact with you while singing. Remember: eye contact isn’t just about staying in tempo—it’s about directing our attention and energy in the same direction so that we can sound like a choir rather than a random collection of beautiful solo voices.

Developing the Right Mindset Towards Mistakes

We can’t eliminate mistakes. While one choir member may sometimes sing an entire Mass without missing a note or mispronouncing a word, it’s unlikely an entire choir will do it on the same day. So we must cultivate a healthy attitude towards mistakes, both in our singers and in ourselves as choir directors. I’ll address that topic in my next article.

 

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: mistakes, rehearsal technique, Simple Steps To Improve Parish Music Last Updated: May 21, 2022

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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

    New Bulletin Article • “21 September 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 21 September 2025) discusses some theological items—supported by certain verses in ancient Catholic hymns—and ends by explaining why certain folks become delirious with jealousy when they observe feats by Monsignor Ronald Knox.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
    It’s always amusing to see old diocesan newspapers—in huge capital letters—advertising the Cheapest Catholic Paper in the United States. The correspondent who sent this to me added: “I can think of certain composers, published by large companies in our own day, who could truthfully brag about the most tawdry compositions in the world!” I wonder what she could have meant by such a cryptic comment…
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Dom Murray Harmonies
    Along with so many others, I have deep respect for Dom Gregory Gregory Murray, who produced this clever harmonization (PDF) of “O SANCTISSIMA.” It’s always amazed me that Dom Gregory—a truly inspired composer—was so confused when it came to GREGORIAN CHANT. Throughout his life, he published contradictory statements, veering back-and-forth like a weather vane. Toward the end of his life, he declared: “I see clearly that the need for reform in liturgical music arose, not in the 18th and 19th centuries, but a thousand years earlier—in the 8th and 9th centuries, or even before that. The abuses began, not with Mozart and Haydn, but with those over-enthusiastic medieval musicians who developed the elaborate and flamboyant Gregorian Chant.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“It is the same Church which has introduced the vernacular into the sacred liturgy for pastoral reasons, that is, for the sake of people who do not know Latin, which gives you the mandate of preserving the age-old solemnity, beauty and dignity of the choral office, in regard both to language, and to the chant.”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (15 August 1966)

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