when various people who play instruments want to join the choir
  • mamaherrera
    Posts: 57
    If you have youth who volunteer to play their instruments in church choir, (which is not latin/strict) but rather Spanish choir, how do you organize the, like a sax, a violin, and a flute together. Would you have them all play the melody?or play in different songs, different times?? I never want to turn someone down that gets a call from the Lord. Thanks
    Thanked by 2Priestboi Casavant Organist
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    A Sax., a Violin, a flute... sounds ideal, for a social after Mass.
    Thanked by 6canadash mmeladirectress M. Jackson Osborn Spriggo eft94530 Joseph Mendes
  • Priestboi
    Posts: 155
    Great question!

    I would say that it depends - I would personally not mix them in one hymn, but possibly use them for a prelude/postlude and obbligatos/descants. It sounds like an interesting ensemble to write for. I assume that there is an organ available. What grade level do they play at out of interest?

    The alternative is to ask them to sing instead/"in alternum". I would never turn musicians away because they can usually read music, have trainable ears which is a great help especially when the choristers do not read.

    Heed the call, but do it well - this takes practice and humility from the musician, and a patient choir master/mistress :)

    PM me when you have a moment.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 684
    We have a flute for our Easter services. She will be doing the intonation for all of the responsorial psalms for Easter vigil and she is helping out on a few other things. We've also used oboe for this and I think you could use the violin in a similar manner perhaps the sax as well.
  • KyleM18
    Posts: 150
    The violin and flute would be appropriate together, as well as separately, for the hymns and possibly chants that this forum represents. If a motet needs a solo instrument, use them. I've used both the flute and the violin to intone acapella music, as well as play descants when I do not have the singers.

    The Sax, however, poses some problems for me. It's rare (at least where I am) to find a sax player who is not trained in jazz but in classical music. This goes for most chants, hymns, and motets, which are written in a classical style. (I am presuming that you use at least some of the traditional music this forum focuses on, if not, then this part is not as relevant) You could use the sax during mass, but it may clash with the organ. If you are using flor y canto or another OCP resource, then there are songs with specific Eb Alto Sax parts, I would suggest using those. Otherwise, save the sax for prelude and postlude.
  • ContinuousbassContinuousbass
    Posts: 357
    With those colorful timbers in close simultaneities producing all those extra high frequencies, perfection in intonation should be auditioned prior to service to ascertain the musical usefulness. You wouldn't want to add anything negatively distracting, and neither should the musicians.
  • JesJes
    Posts: 574
    Encourage them to sing, they sound like they might be good readers.
    You CAN do the church sonatas with the others. Use the trumpeter for weddings or special occasions, get them to play te deum etc. actually there is heaps of Spanish trumpet music for the liturgy out there that is from the 1600's.
    Avoid weekly mixing of all three parts.
    I would avoid getting them to play hymns only because I'm not very pro too many instruments in mass.
  • mamaherrera
    Posts: 57
    Thanks all good points made.
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