N AN EPISODE of Jackie Gleason’s HONEYMOONERS called The Bensonhurst Bomber (broadcast on 8 September 1956) at marker 19:07 Ralph Kramden says to Ed Norton: “I know all about getting out of it gracefully—but how do you get out of it gracefully?” This line comes to mind whenever I hear a famous American adage: Work smarter, not harder. The real question for the conscientious choirmaster is: “How can one work smarter?” Soliciting advice can be helpful sometimes—but not always. The fact is, many musicians proffer bad advice (to anyone who will listen). Others provide advice not oriented towards one’s particular strengths, weaknesses, circumstances, or goals. But today I will share some good advice that comes from Dr. James Daugherty.
Excellent Choral Sound • Dr. James Daugherty was a professor of choral methods at the UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. By means of a short phrase, Dr. Daugherty gave away the secret of an excellent choral sound: Weak voices sing out, strong voices pull back. Another way to say this would be: “Let loud voices sing softer while soft voices sing louder.” Still another way to say the same thing would be: Dark voices sing out, bright voices pull back. The following example—recorded ‘live’ on Trinity Sunday (26 May 2024) by my choir, which consists 100% of volunteers—demonstrates what I’m talking about. Listen to the beautiful choral sound produced when weak voices sing out and strong voices pull back:
No Rehearsal Time? • The conscientious choirmaster has a duty to recruit people from the pews and teach them sacred music. (For the record, pastors are obligated to pay the choirmaster a “just wage”—yet this seldom happens.) That means the conscientious choirmaster often ends up with choir members who can’t read music. But what can we do when there isn’t sufficient rehearsal time for the PROPRIUM MISSAE? I believe having your choir sing a psalm tone for the Propers is better than “getting through” them in an inartistic way that’s painful to listen to. Indeed, when CARMEN GREGORIANUM is sung poorly, the faithful can develop a contempt for it—and can we blame them? The music at Mass should sound holy (i.e. “set apart”). When Gregorian chant is sung poorly—or too slowly—it ceases to sound holy. But a psalm tone version, although not as difficult as the full Gregorian proper, sounds holy.1
Forbidden To Opine • People on the internet sometimes claim it’s “wrong” or “lazy” or “cheating” to use a psalm tone, but such people (usually) haven’t stood before a choir in real life. For that reason, we can ignore everything they say. We should only seek advice from musicians who have stood in front of a choir in real life. Monsignor Skeris used to ask over and over: “What does his choir sound like?” The point he was trying to make was simple: how one’s choir sounds instantaneously conveys whether somebody should be listened to on the subject of liturgical music. [Similarly, one can discern parents’ skills by observing how their children turned out, not by listening to them pontificate about parenting on Twitter or Facebook.] Over the last fifteen years, it’s broken my heart to see certain Catholic gatherings—even those dedicated to the liturgy and sacred music!—choosing presenters who have never stood in front of a choir in real life. Even some national gatherings routinely choose presenters who have never directed a parish choir, or who have done so with mediocre success.2
Reform of the Reform? • CARMEN GREGORIANUM, if sung moderately well, has the power to evoke sacrality instantly. One’s mind is immediately “pulled” or “summoned” or “lifted up” to that which is holy (i.e. ‘other’). Additionally, I believe that silence is powerful during the Holy Mass. How many of us would describe the typical Mass celebrated in the Ordinary Form as serene? On the contrary, the post-conciliar Mass too often engenders constant “busyness.” I believe modifications will someday be made to the post-conciliar Mass. In particular, I believe periods of silence will be added to it. But that time is not now. These changes will have to be made by a later generation of priests and bishops. Currently, there’s just too much liturgical confusion, contradiction, scandal, and anarchy. Indeed, I was recently told of a cardinal bewildered by so many young priests wanting to offer the Mass using the Church’s traditional lingua sacra. This cardinal—who shall remain nameless—said:
“I simply can’t imagine why any priest would voluntarily offer Mass in Latin, the language used by the soldiers who put Jesus to death.”
Can you imagine? This high-ranking cleric was condemning Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint John Bosco, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Padre Pio, Saint John Mary Vianney, Saint Thomas Aquinas—and thousands of others!—to say nothing of the explicit mandates of the Second Vatican Council. No, the time for reform is not now … but perhaps it will take place before I die.
1 The world has Mr. Benjamin Bloomfield to thank for his magnificent work with GABC. Bloomfield has solved, once and for all, the problem of generating psalm tones. He cannot be commended highly enough for what he created.
2 To illustrate my point, consider RUGBY (an Olympic sport). I’ve never played Rugby in real life; would it make sense to hire me to give presentations on Rugby at a national gathering? Neither does it make sense to hire presenters for national gatherings who have never proven their abilities in a real parish. By the way, singing in a choir is not the same as directing a choir. Furthermore, conducting a college choir—or even a seminary choir—isn’t the same as directing a parish choir.
