OOD SINGERS ENJOY singing with other good singers. Once a parish choral program begins “rolling,” recruiting new members becomes easier and easier—similar to rolling a snowball. Anyone who’s ever made a snowman realizes that the weight of the ball itself eventually begins to crush (and therefore “pack”) the snow, making the ball larger and larger. But what is the conscientious choirmaster supposed to do at the beginning of the process, when only a handful of capable singers are there? Is it possible to begin successfully recruiting choir members if you’re the only singer?
How To Recruit • I painstakingly explained how to recruit choir members during my seminar: Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster. I won’t be repeating all that today. However, a key ingredient when beginning the process has to do with “SYPR” (“Simple Yet Powerful Repertoire”). There’s nothing embarrassing about using SYPR. Indeed, Sir Richard Runciman Terry (d. 1938) wrote:
“It is folly [for choirs] to attempt music beyond their powers, and it is a mistake to despise all but difficult compositions. Some of the sublimest music ever written is simplicity itself.”
An Example • I can think of no better example of SYPR than a hymn tune called IOANNES. Last Sunday, my 100% volunteer choir sang this piece at Mass, and today I release the ‘live’ recording for the first time:
Recruiting • Over the years, I’ve tried 100 billion ways of recruiting choir members. As a high school choir teacher, I gave chocolate bars to students willing to audition. As I already mentioned, I discuss—at length!—the proper way to recruit parishioners in my seminar. Without a doubt SYPR plays a huge role in attracting prospective choir members, especially at the beginning of the process. But how can one determine what is (or is not) SYPR in very truth? When it comes to hymns, 95% of what’s contained in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal is without question SYPR. It’s sold by SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS, which I believe is one of the largest Catholic publishers in America. If you dig polyphony for three voices, Kevin Allen’s MATRI DIVINAE GRATIAE collection is a sine qua non. Furthermore, Sir Richard Runciman Terry wrote an excellent article called: “What Makes A Good Hymn?” I strongly suggest that everyone takes a moment to read it:
The Old Favorites • Needless to say, certain hymns have stood the test of time—and singers love them. An example would be Holy God, We Praise Thy Name, which we sang for TRINITY SUNDAY (a few days ago). Here’s the ‘live’ recording from the Mass:
To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.
