Essential Tools (and Tips) for a Beginning Choirmaster
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,919
    Greetings all!

    I've recently taken on the part-time position of establishing a music program for our diocese's local UV chapter, an offer both exhilarating - and daunting. I come to this position having only a practical knowledge of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony, and next to no knowledge of musical theory. My organ playing skills are also non-existent, although I am blessed to have a friend who is willing to play for our Mass on a fairly regular basis. As the community is still in the process of formation, our choir consists of out-of-towners who interest is laudable, but whose availability is irregular. The sad thing is that I myself commute over an hour to conduct this choir.

    So my question to all of you would be - where do I start? What is essential to building up a choir from next to nothing? What sort of tools (i.e., software for printing off music pamphlets, sheet music, etc.) would you suggest a person of my neophytic abilities to use? What knowledge is essential to being a good choral conductor with an energetic music program?

    I apologize if a post of this sort is redundant, but any information is much appreciated. Thank you.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,166
    Well, first let me plug our two educational programs: the Chant Intensive (next offered in January near Phoenix) and the Sacred Music Colloquium (next July in Indianapolis): for info, see http://musicasacra.com/ . They often include training in chant conducting and the Solesmes method, though some of that you probably know already.

    You can search this forum (using the Google box at the upper right) for discussions about "easy polyphony", and download a lot of it free from http://cpdl.org .

    You can also search to find discussions about making music bulletins. Most people use a regular word-processing program. If your PC has one already, that'll be fine. I recommend the free "OpenOffice" program.

    To put music notation into your bulletin, if you don't have a hymnal in the pews, you can use a scanner to copy some existing sheet music (provided that it's not under copyright). If you have an image-editing program like Photoshop, you can use that to adjust the size of the graphics. (I use the free "GIMP" program.) Also, if you need hymns in English, see our "English Hymns in the Commons" project for free PDFs:

    For chant propers, you can download weekly sheets from Corpus Christi Watershed: http://www.ccwatershed.org/goupil/ or download the whole Liber Usualis or the 1961 Graduale Romanum from http://musicasacra.com/ (under "Music PDFs").

    Welcome!
    Thanked by 1Chris Allen
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    I second going to the Colloquium. I've never been to the Intensive, but if I could, I would try it.

    http://choraltracks.com/browse/ is a great site where you can download parts for the pieces you and your choir may want to learn. If they are willing to do some work on their own, this will be of great help to you in your rehearsals.

    God bless you as you begin this exciting journey!
    Thanked by 1Chris Allen
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    UV = "Una Voce"? If that's the case, you need the site

    http://www.institute-christ-king.org/latin-mass-resources/sacred-music/

  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    I was also curious about UV. Is it Una Voce?
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,298
    image
    Thanked by 4CharlesW Adam Wood Ben StimsonInRehab
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    Oh, if it is Una Voce, then, if I were you, I would consider leaving all polyphony and concentrating on perfecting the chant. It is difficult to sit through a Mass where the chant and other music is badly sung.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Go for SEP propers, Gregorian ordinaries and good hymns. There are simple motets which a choir can learn for the offertory which seems to be the best time to do sacred polyphony in the mass
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,941
    Whip, chair and pistol. ;-)
    Thanked by 2Adam Wood StimsonInRehab
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    And learn to play the organ, even if you only play simple manuals-only music.
    Thanked by 2chonak Ben
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,166
    SEP would be good for Masses in English, but Una Voce is all about the traditional Latin Mass.

    If you want simple chant propers for your choir, for example to substitute for the Gradual or Alleluia, see our Latin Resources page to have a look at the recommended "Simpler options".
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    There are lots of good simpler Latin motets on CPDL. But don't fall into the bad habit of just recycling Marian motets constantly.
  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    While I certainly advocate the colloquium and intensives, not everybody is able to afford such trips. But, I've found a plethora of good things on this website, and have found it invaluable to me in my own chant endeavors.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    If you find that the choir struggles to learn all the propers, keep in mind that there are ad libitum communion chants which you can alternative through. I would also recommend that you get into the habit of chanting the psalm verses of the communion and not just the antiphons.
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,919
    Thank you, one and all. I hope at the very least to attend the Colloquium, so perhaps I'll run across a few of you there!

    For those who were unclear - UV is Una Voce, not (unfortunately) the vodka.

    My big issue right now is membership, and how to build it up from almost nothing. What's the best way, in your opinions, to get word out about a new-formed choir?
    Thanked by 1irishtenor
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    UV is Una Voce, not (unfortunately) the vodka.


    I think the vodka was listed as an "essential tool."
    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab irishtenor
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    I've attended five colloquia, two with my wife, two chant intensive's, all on our family budget and all purchased materials from stipends earned or from our "pocket," and what is there to experience is invaluable.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    My big issue right now is membership, and how to build it up from almost nothing. What's the best way, in your opinions, to get word out about a new-formed choir?


    I have a friend who was almost in exactly the same position as you are now. It was a tough road and finally collapsed. Sorry. Do you have a parish or priest with whom you are working? This will be very helpful. I think this was the key which my friend's group lacked.

    As for membership, find the Catholic homeschoolers. If you can formulate it in a way which includes families, or at least some children, this will be helpful. Homeschoolers often have larger families and if they can get some music education for free, they may be more open to going themselves. You could have children as old as 11 or 12 in your choir. They can read and will learn to read music and remember better than the adults. You will be training future adults. Homeschooled kids are used to being with adults and will not find it strange to be included in a choir with their mom or dad. We use Seton, and they could possibly advertise your venture in a future publication. There may be others who would do the same.

    I still think that the ordinary of the Mass is the place to start. Get that going really well. Then move on to the simple propers gradually moving to the Graduale. Someone here will know the best of these. There are simple metrical chants as well.

    This is a good link too: http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/comment/32447



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  • Arthur Connick
    Posts: 494
    hartleymartin - which ad libitum communion chants you are refering to?
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Gustate is the best known one. Manducaverunt is another. I can't remember gor certain but off the top of my head I think Hoc Corpus and Qui Manducat are others.
  • Arthur Connick
    Posts: 494
    So the choir would not sing the text read from the Missal by the celebrant? I know that in 1965, the celebrant no longer read the proper chants sung by the choir, so as a liturgical matter it wouldn't be too much of a problem for the choir to sing ad libitum texts as allowed, say, by the Graduale Simplex (1967). But following the rubrics of 1962, this would seem to cause choir and the celebrant to say different texts. Wouldn't this fracture the unity of the liturgy?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,166
    I know there are ad libitum communion antiphons for the Ordinary Form liturgy (they're listed in the 1974 Graduale Romanum). I'm not familiar with a similar practice for the 1962 Missal; maybe someone can confirm what is legitimate.
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    I concur with canadash about finding homeschoolers. Dedicated kids can take choir/schola for class credit, too.

    Begin ramble.
    In four and a half years I've recruited well over 80 people into three choirs. Our current total membership is 70.

    The most successful ways to recruit for me have been-
    1) Praying for exactly the people- voices and atttitudes- I need.
    2) Pastor's support- he needs singers for a sung mass, just like servers. People think about it a different way
    3) Personal invitation
    4) Choir members asking their friends
    5) Bulletin announcements
    6) chant class

    Keep them by doing your very best at making rehearsal educational and prayerful- in other words worth their free time.


    The most dedicated and willing groups in general have been, in my experience-

    1) homeschoolers
    2) teens, esp homeschool teens
    3) military families
    4) retired people with energy
    5) young adults (though they have an annoying habit of getting married or joining a religious order)


    When recruiting families, be on guard against strong personalities that get a bit tribal. Folks can unintentionally sink the ship of a choir if they think choir is anything but a whole parish team and they pull out their family over petty matters.

    Try not to rely on big families too much for the core of a choir. Though they are wonderful, they can move!

    Thanked by 3CHGiffen JulieColl StimsonInRehab
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