Happy Easter! Choir makes even more strides

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church choir, conducting

Andrei Rubiev (1360-1430) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Happy Easter, everyone!

My choir sang so well today!  That had a lot to do with everyone showing up on time.  And there was extra bustle to ignore during our rehearsal.

The tempo changes, dynamic changes at exactly the right time, and watching so we could pull it off together were all wonderful.  And the words were the clearest and most expressive ever.  (Singing a “v” sound like you would say it to someone nearby is not nearly enough.  You need to feel your lower lip buzz!  Also, getting “sing” out on a fast note is not so easy!  It’s important to take time to make sound on the vowel and not go to the “ng” too soon.  We took a little more time on “sing” to do this, the result being that the congregation could understand the text.  No one would perceive taking time for clarity of text as bad rhythm!)

Examples 

• The keyboard introduction started on beat 2 of the bar, and was only 4 beats long (rest 2 3 4| 1 sing).
• The first two choral snippets were identical; the next one began one beat later, and was printed on a new system.
• Several words were tricky to enunciate.  To be as expressive as possible, we needed to sing piano, then crescendo immediately beginning with “risen” in the phrase, “Christ is risen from the dead.”  “Christ is risen” is sung on low notes, so making that happen requires work!
  • “Christ is risen, we are risen” (making “we” expressive rather than a bland continuation of the sentence).
  • “Bled” has 2 consonants at the beginning.
  • “Gladness” also has 2 consonants  to start.
• The piece included several sudden tempo changes, fermati, and crescendos through final words in phrases.
• The ending, a long tied note, needed a subito piano inserted so the following crescendo to the end could be effective.  The choir loved experiencing how good they sounded!  (“That really works!”)
  

Results

Everyone put in quite an effort.  Today’s anthem had something new around every corner!

I conducted a lot today.  This anthem would have been less successful without assertive motions, accented playing (piano), and eye contact from the choir.

And, experienced choral singers that they are, the choir took care of the things I forgot.  One singer returned today after an extended illness.  He opted to remain seated during the anthem, which I assured him was fine.  Of course, when four singers stood in front of him, he couldn’t see me.  So the singer who was directly in front of him simply moved over!  Problem solved with no disruption at all.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

 
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Palm Sunday service: some thoughts

Tags

church choir, church music, church musician, Church service, Congregation, hymn playing

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  Fresco in the Parish Church at Zirl, Austria.  Photo credit:  Wikipedia.

Today is Palm Sunday.  Our church service went very well!

The congregational singing was inspiring, and the choir sounded enthusiastic when singing “Hosanna!”

I want to emphasize my belief that the most important elements of good hymn playing are:

• to find a good tempo for congregational singing, and then
• to maintain that steady tempo. 
  • the tempo may vary according to the text, but only rarely.
  • never insert a ritard just before a congregational or choir entrance.  Insert a breath instead.  Using a ritard will only slow down the tempo.

The congregation will respond with confident singing.

Additional important considerations are:

• to sing the hymn yourself:
  • in advance of the service, and
  • during the service.

In this way, you will:

• be breathing with the music and the text, and
• be breathing with the congregation as one group.

We are more inspiring when:

• we vary our playing
  • by changing stops from verse to verse
  • by responding to the text
  • by playing a descant on occasion
  • by playing some, but not all of the parts all the time
  • even by dropping out for one verse.

And the choir and congregation respond very well to all of this!

It is crucial for us to practice the hymns in advance so our musical decisions can come to fruition.  The sloppiness that comes from lack of preparation does not inspire good singing.

Ours is not a large congregation.  Nevertheless, the singing was accomplished as a group today.  The group sounded committed, confident, and expressive.  Mission accomplished!  No wimpy singing allowed.

Related post:

Creative hymn playing

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Weird weather

Tags

hail, nature, New England, weather

weather symbol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just had to say something here about the weather!

Not being a native New Englander, I’m not sure I will ever become used to this.

Today we have snow and HAIL at the same time!  Did you ever?

From the archives: Creative Hymn Playing

Tags

church music, hymns, Music

first published on April 11, 2011.

This has been a popular ~ and needed ~ post. I thought this might be a good time
to repost it, in advance of Holy Week
and Easter.  There is much hymn playing
to be done!

Image via Wikipedia

They look the same in the hymnal, mostly ~ women’s parts in treble clef, men’s in bass, several verses of text printed between the staves, additional verses at the bottom of the page.

They’re meant to be easily singable so the congregation can participate.

But does that have to mean that we use the same sound, same volume, and no variety in expression?

Does anyone want to hear equal quarter notes for 5 verses?

Of course not!  Hymns have words. When we speak, we don’t say everything the same way.  When we sing we shouldn’t, either.

Phrase like a singer!

If you have studied with a good teacher, you have heard this before.  “Phrase like a singer” applies to every musical endeavor.

How does this apply to hymn playing?

1. Breathe as you play.
2. Sing the words to each verse.
3. Stop playing when you see punctuation marks.
4. Carry the congregation over when there is no punctuation.  They may breathe anyway, but the words make more sense when you don’t.
5. Allow time between verses, after fermati, etc., to end the word, take a breath, and resume singing.

Play variations from verse to verse

Use your imagination!  With a little practice, you can make decisions for every hymn in a service within 1/2 hour.  Look at the words for ideas.

Verse 1 should be played as written ~ the hymn may be unfamiliar to some in the congregation.

Listen to the congregation singing.  If they are singing 4 parts easily, you have more freedom.

From there, you can:

1. Play one verse in unison octaves.
2. Omit the soprano part.
3. Play the bass in octaves.
4. Add a descant ~ the alto or tenor part often provides a ready-made descant.
5. Play the right hand an octave higher.
6. Play main beats only.
7. Change volume.
8. Add a walking bass part.
9. Play passing tones.
10. Add ornaments.
11. Arpeggiate chords on main beats ~ change ranges on the keyboard.
12. Play melody in left hand for a change.
13. Drop out for one verse!

While you are providing variety, remember to listen to the singing.  If it starts to sound shaky, return to playing as written.

You must sing every verse of each hymn.  This is the only way you can tell how much time it takes to breathe.

Last Sunday, we sang “Standing on the Promises of God.”  There is a fermata near the end (see score, below).  A lot of time is required to honor the fermata, finish the word, breathe (after a high note!), and start again.  I would prefer taking plenty of time to having the congregation be confused.

You can mark the hymnal in pencil (breath, no breath).  Post-its work well for verse-by-verse reminders.  My Post-its, the narrow kind, go to the left of the first staff.

Rehearse hymns with the choir

Even more variety is available when you enlist the help of your choir.

1. The choir should always face the congregation when singing hymns.
2. Alway ask the choir to sing the first verse in unison.  The congregation will sing much more confidently with their support.
3. Verses can be alternated between congregation and choir (an easy way to indicate this is to print who sings what in the bulletin, with the minister directing people’s attention to the instructions when announcing the hymn).
4. Sopranos can sing a descant.
5. Choir can sing a verse unaccompanied.
6. Two parts rather than four can sound very good as a contrast.
7. Choir can sing an alternate harmonization alone.
8. You can play an alternate harmonization, with everyone singing the melody in unison.
9. Choir can cue changes in volume by the way they sing.
10. The choir can be dispatched to various places in the sanctuary.  Their sound would then come from different places, adding all sorts of interest!
11. Hymns often have more than one musical setting for the same text.  If your forces are up to it, you can do them both!  Just alternate verses.

Places to build on your skills

I strongly recommend going to hymn sings presented by professional church musicians.  Alice Parker, for example, leads hymn sings frequently.

There are workshops available at church-related schools, such as Westminster Choir College.  Look for weekend seminars and summer classes, often offered for a week or two at a time.

Another excellent resource is a large church in a major city.  Organists are expert at keeping their congregations engaged in worship, and creative hymn-playing is a major part of what they do so well.

How do you achieve variety of expression in hymns?  Please share your ideas in the comment section below!

Check out my E-book!  Just click on title near the top of the left sidebar.

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A lovely birthday coincidence

Tags

birthday, Centenarian, choir, Hymn, Music

Today, March 10th, would have been my mother’s 100th birthday.

Caroline Moorman Saathoff (1913-1970)

I am writing this post as a tribute to my mother  as well as to tell you about a wonderful coincidence.

Last Sunday as we were nearing the end of my church choir rehearsal, I asked the choir members what they wanted to sing on March 10th.  One alto stated her choice immediately!  She loves “In the Garden,” and old hymn everyone in the choir (and the congregation) knows very well.

In the Garden

We rehearsed the hymn briefly… I think we had just enough time left before the service to sing one verse.  That went great, so I am not concerned about tomorrow in the least.

Then on Tuesday, I needed to choose a prelude and postlude and send the titles and composers to the office for Sunday’s bulletin.

When I looked at “In the Garden” closely enough to learn the composer’s name and the date it was written, I found that it was composed in 1913, the year of my mother’s birth!  (Other sources put the composition date at 1912.)

So tomorrow, Sunday, I will focus on the coincidence and the hymn rather than the death of my mother 42 years ago.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love you.

Related posts:

If my mother had a Facebook page

Honoring my mother

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Marie-Claire Alain and thoughts about service playing

Tags

choir, Church, Congregation, Daniel Roth, hymns, J.S. Bach, Marie-Claire Alain, Music, organ, piano

Marie-Claire Alain, the masterful French organist, prolific recording artist and teacher, passed away last month. 

Marie-Claire Alain’s NY Times obituary

She approached every composer whose music she played with great integrity, as one of her many former students says:  “…she always regarded the composer, of whatever period, as the ultimate authority.”

~ Daniel Roth

And isn’t that what all of us need to strive for?

Speaking of the organ works of J.S. Bach, which Alain researched and recorded extensively, she said:

“…You can’t play a Bach chorale… without knowing the liturgical text on which it is based, without knowing why it was written.”

We also must translate texts when they are in a foreign language!

Now let’s take some of Alain’s wisdom and talk about congregational singing.

• How well is your congregation singing?
• What can we do to enhance the singing?

Some moments in last Sunday’s service have stayed in my mind:

1. An unfamiliar hymn;
2. A sung response to a reading;
   
3. A well-known hymn; and
   
4. A fun moment!

Unfamiliar hymn

My choir suggested that I play an entire stanza rather than a shorter introduction.  That encouraged everyone to sing out.

Then I made a poor choice.  I played the second stanza much softer.  The congregation sang considerably less well as a result.

The third stanza went much better.  I changed registration, but made sure to play louder.  The congregation should never be drowned out, though.

Sung response

We sang a response that included a 3-note keyboard introduction.  A low pedal note came first, followed by 2 melodic notes leading to the congregational entrance (forming a 3-note scale).

We rehearsed the response in choir rehearsal before the service.  Things went well!

During the service, I played the 3-note introduction and everyone had trouble with the sung entrance.  That gave me a few seconds to figure out what to do.  (The response was interspersed with spoken text.)

Second try:  I look over toward the choir and nodded my head when it was time to sing.  More help was needed.

I hate playing an introduction with a ritard at the end or a fermata on the last note.  Both approaches result most often in a slower tempo.  Accelerating during the singing only works a fraction of the time.

Third try:  I added a breath!  So everyone heard the 3-note introduction with the last note cut off.  It worked!  Everyone came in confidently, right on time and singing the right pitch.

When there is no sound, everyone knows it’s time to sing!

Well-known hymn

Since everyone was so familiar with this hymn, a member of the choir who plays piano decided to play with me (I was playing the organ).  But we weren’t together this time.

The hymn was “Guide Me, O thou Great Jehovah.”  The words demand that it be sung out.  When untrained singers do that, they tend to run out of breath.  And once people feel short of breath, the effect can be cumulative as the music  continues.

As the hymn progressed, I listened to the congregation (always do).  They needed breathing time, often in the middle of a line.  The pianist kept going with no breaths.  And then, when there were words that could go on (phrases that belong together), the pianist played quarter-note chords as they appear in the hymnal.  Vertically.

Next time we’ll have a brief rehearsal together.

Hymns are deceptive that way.  The look alike oftentimes.

Looking at the words is crucial!

Practicing hymns

Sight-reading hymns during the service invites poor outcomes, detracting from the service.  To enhance the service, this is what is needed:

• Sing the hymns out loud while playing.  This is the only way you will know how much time it takes to breathe.
  • Are you running out of breath?  Then the tempo needs to be faster.
  • Are your words unclear in fast passages?  It takes time to get words out.  Adjustment needed!  Slower tempo or give more time to certain passages.
• Look at the words of every verse.  You can change registration to enliven the text, play some parts and not others, play only the tune, cut out completely, etc.
  

A fun moment

We sang “Let Us Break Bread Together” just before communion.  I decided to play this one on the piano, since improvisation comes to me more easily there.

At the end of the last verse, someone in the congregation began harmonizing above the tune.  I found myself adding time to honor the harmony.  The congregation was also listening, and everything worked out perfectly!

For a previous post on hymn playing:  “Creative hymn playing“

Please add your thoughts to the comment section below!

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