You might consider singing 2-part music at the beginning (women-men) until you get to know the voices better. It'll be next to impossible to accurately assign parts to folks with no experience without hearing them sing individually. If they have experience, they could at least tell you what part they have sung in the past. If not, you're mostly guessing.

I think you have to listen to them individually. If it were me, I would have them all come together and I would warm up and sing some simple things in unision, such as the parts of the mass. Have the trebles sing followed by the basses. Have them all sing in unison. Pull out a simple Gregorian tune like the Alma Redemptoris Mater. http://www.mipucpr.org/cantoral/wp-content/uploads/AlmaRedMatGR.pdf and learn a small part of it using call and response, or the whole thing if they are quick.

Then I would make a list (if you don't already have one) and dismiss the group to another place where they might partake in some refreshments. Have each choir member come in, one at a time and listen to each. Ask them if they read music. Give a fifth and see if anyone can sing the third, etc. Then you can roughly fill in your choir.

From there, try a simple three part piece of music, though I would echo the above and consider something in two parts, unless you know there are some good alto readers. From what you heard in the individual singing you will be able to tell if you need to play through each part separately.

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Another 1+ for the Ravanello

You cannot make an intelligent assessment of people's vocal registers (and in what section and next to whom they should be seated) without hearing them individually. This need not be a frightful 'audition' process, but simply less than five minutes of assessing each person's vocal colour, range, and register, music reading ability (if any), and will tip you off to any special ability or any or special lack thereof.

Further, I agree with the suggestions about 2 part music. And, do not be ashamed to give your new group a lot of unison things to do. Nothing will build blend, group choral identity, and basic musical sensitivity as will unison singing. You should not let them sing in parts until they can sing admirably (for them) in unison.

And, of course, there is no better unison repertory with which to begin than chant. Also, if you search the unison anthems available from reputable publishers (such as Oxford, Concordia, etc.) you will discover some very impressive anthems by some premier composers which just happen to be in unison.

I have found rounds/canons useful in the early stages. The singers only have to learn one tune but then (hopefully) can achieve pleasant harmony, which they often find very motivating. Some of them get really excited when they hear the effect. Try Taize things, like Ostende nobis; or Magnificat, both canons.

I tend to let those who can read music sing the harmony parts, otherwise they take ages to learn. And I second the comments about two-part things.

Learning chant first sounds like an excellent idea to me.

Of course people's natural tessitura matters, but I would not discount the importance of musical good sense, especially when the ideal types do not (inevitably) present themselves. If I had to choose which of two baritones to ask to sing tenor, for example, I would be inclined to choose the one with better musicality, in hopes that he would use it to mitigate the negative effects of singing out of his natural range.

I was going to jump in and teach a 3-part (SAB) piece for their first anthem to be sung in Advent, but based upon everyone's recommendations I may have them first sing a two-part ( two equal voices) anthem to they can get used to singing one part while hearing another part being sung. Thanks for the all the suggestions and please keep them coming!

I don't know where I fall. I can sing Alto, Tenor, Baritone, & Bass. On a good day, my falsetto can get up there with the Sopranos.

+1 for unison music and two-part music

Look for a copy good-old Oxford Easy Anthem Book (NOT the New Oxford Easy Anthem Book). There are some good unison and two-part pieces in there--How can you go wrong with Howells?

Also look on CPDL: quite a bit of good two-part pieces there, too.

GIA also has a number of very nice S/B two-part motets which can be sung in English or Latin in the Ars Antiqua Choralis series.

I would recommend taking a look at the (free to download and reasonable to purchase) Catholic Choir Book, which I would have bought instead of the New Oxford Easy Anthem Book, had I known about it! And the CCB has all of those lovely hymns in the back which would also make for some solid, Catholic four part homophonic singing.

Andrew,

Isn't My Country 'tis of thee just the American version of God save the King?

So often in our society, people think "more is better", so a choir may be tempted to think, "If one vocal part is good, four is better! Why aren't we singing in parts!?" If you sense your choristers are disappointed that they don't get to do lots of things in parts right away, I'd recommend talking up the beauty and value of singing in unison.

Learning to sing together-- To sing as one voice by matching tone, breaths, and the endings on words, etc. And to watch and understand the director but also to feel the music (timing, mood, etc) together, etc.-- helps make the music beautiful, and supports solid musicianship. Unison helps develop all those skills.

I'd much rather hear all the music done *well*, than hear anything with parts that's done *just ok* (or worse).

I had the same situation when I started my new choir after moving here in 2012. What I found was that some of the volunteers not only couldn't read music (at all), but also couldn't match pitch. All of these folks (the non-pitch-matchers) have now left the choir, but not without a few problems along the way. The note-reading can be taught (if they are willing), the pitch-matching is a much more difficult problem!

The sooner you listen to each of them sing, the better, imo. I began with mostly unison hymns and added in the chanted unison ordinary (that even took awhile with my non-music readers). I also began immediately to teach them to read the chant notation and solfege. The non-music readers did as well as the note-readers on this, for the most part. Now, after this time, my little choir can successfully learn the new English Introit and Communion chants each time we sing without difficulty. Also, they can learn a simple offertory in either SAB or SATB (if I sing the tenor line) to sing a capella each week (from the Simple Choral Gradual).

With much of the familiar Christmas carols you'll need for the Christmas season, it may not be that hard to get SAB versions from the hymn book in place... (assuming you have some note readers in the alto and baritone sections). I also think you might have good luck with the two-part Veni Emmanuel for Advent.

Over time, I found that I had certain members of the main choir who had superior abilities in note-reading, blending, pitch, etc. I formed a small group to sing the more difficult music there. They show up a 1/2 hour before the rest on the same rehearsal night.

Probably not necessary to say, but everything except the chant ordinary was accompanied at the outset. After 3 years, I now have the entire choir singing some things a capella (Simple Choral Gradual offertories, Mueller Missa pro editione tertia and a simple Anima Christi motet that they love). My progress has been slow, but continues forward. I wish you great success...

(Running for cover): I intended that comment in purple, but it didn't post that way. Could someone delete it before I get banned and accused of things I didn't mean to say?

Please?

Interesting how much support for 2-part music ... but is there any good 2-part music?

I have found some very nice two-part music, ranging from Lassus to Giffen. But, two-part pieces are not as plentiful as other voicings. (BTW: the S/B duet, "Be ye sure" from Handel's Utrecht Jubilate works very nicely as a two-part choir piece.) But I do think that there is a need for really good two-part pieces for choirs who are beginning, but want to sing good music. Most of the two-parters for sale from the publishers are really cheesy things intended for Middle School choruses, and are not worth anything musically. We need MORE quality two part pieces for church choirs, and I do wish that the professional composers out there would do more with this: I am sure that a collection of two-part (Mezzo/Baritone) anthems/motets by composers of the caliber of James MacMillan would be a best seller among church choirs.

I give everyone who is interested in singing in our schola a 'voice check'. I have found that this term is non threatening. What i am MOST interested in is whether they can match a pictch or a melody: ie relative pitch. I my experience: EVERYTHING ELSE can be taught - reading notation, vocal production etc etc. However, if matching pitch is poor, it usually cannot be taught. In some cases it can be imporoved with one on one work, but it is usually a given or not. In the cases where i have let someone sing in the choir who does not have relative pitch, usually it does not work and the other choir members complain. However having said all that i understand that with many choirs you hve to take all comers or you will have no choir! Im which case yes, do unison and two part, and situate the weak singers next to the stronger ones.
I also want to relate to you the story of a singer in a parish in Houston. He had no musical training whatsoever, but loved music. I worked with him one on one for several years. He eventually improved to the point where he was able to sing alongside two professional basses in a performance of the Byrd Mass a' 4. An inspiration!

St. James Music Press has quite a few good two part things.

We used an arrangement of a Charpentier "Laudate Dominum" in SAB from St. James this morning. And the portion of SA duets we simply had the men sing the Soprano, women Alto, quite lovely. Loves me some French double dotted baroque.