How can we improve congregational singing? Part VI

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alternative harmonizations, anthem, church choir, church music, congregational singing, Education, Hymnal, music education, new hymns

Source: Pixabay

The following conversation, in response to Part V of this series, took place on Facebook:

• Contributor Hi Gretchen, what’s your suggestion making sure the congregation doesn’t get thrown off when using alternative arrangements to accompany congregational singing (as opposed to using them when the choir is singing a hymn as an anthem)?
• Gretchen Saathoff  Hmm… I’ll think about it! At Riverside, it’s not a problem. Have the choir sing the melody, disperse the choir throughout the congregation, try the Hymn of the Month approach, Try practicing the alternative arrangement for 2 minutes with the congregation, then use it in the hymn. Use the traditional harmonization for all verses except the last. That way, the congregation has been singing the tune for several verses already.
• Gretchen Saathoff  And try not to go too far afield with the alternate harmonization. The green Lutheran hymnal that replaced the red one had so many funky arrangements, they made very little sense. So why would anyone want to sing them.
• Contributor  Thanks, Gretchen. Good advice here. There is a new red Lutheran hymnal, the ELW, that kept some of the old arrangements from the green LBW, and has lots of new hymns without harmonization, just melodies. So that helps. (But they left off the time  signatures, which leads to confusion.) But if the hymn is new, even if only the melody is printed, the alternative arrangement still challenges the ear. And about the funky arrangements, people who can sing parts, oftentimes can sing even the funky ones, and some need to do that, because the melody is too high for them. I like the idea of practicing the alternative arrangement with the congregation – hadn’t thought of it as a possibility before!
• Gretchen Saathoff  No time sigs? Not especially helpful, I’d think.
  Also, there is no need to use only the arrangements in the book. Change it so it works. Keep some parts and not others. Write a new one. If the melody is too high, something needs to change, such  as trasposing down or maybe singing the melody an octave lower. The congregation needs the choir to sing the melody in unison on alternate harmonizations. When they can hear it, they sing better.
• Contributor  Great advice!
• Gretchen Saathoff  There are lots of alternative harmonizations out there: volumes of hymns for organ, choral anthems, hymnals from other denominations, AGO website, etc. Plenty of hymn improvisations can be heard on YouTube.
• Gretchen Saathoff  Free association, you understand… and now it’s time for dinner! Back later.

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And a followup Facebook Message from yours truly:

During services in various denominations, I sometimes would play an alternative harmonization from a funky organ collection (The Sunday Morning Organist, I think). Just leave out the whiz bang awful parts when they don’t work.

Similarly, there are plenty of anthems that work, for the most part, but also have spots that don’t.  One example is asking the choir to hold the last note for 8 bars.  Does this make the ending better?  Does singing a high note improve the message?  That all depends on the choir, what else is going on (i.e. the keyboard part might be just fine on its own).  Sometimes a “festive” ending will be tacked on that isn’t really needed.  When the rest of the piece works well, I omit the parts that don’t work.

There may be one stanza of an anthem that splits into 8 parts, for example.  When you have 6 people in your choir that Sunday, you have to think on your feet and find something that works.  What do you have to keep?  The melody and the bass line?  Is the alto part more interesting than the tenor, or vice versa? 

If one stanza is too elaborate for your circumstances, then sing the rest of the anthem and omit that one.

If the printed introduction is too long or too short, or is confusing to your choir/congregation, then by all means change it!

Thanks so much to my contributor, who prefers to remain anonymous.

Which approaches have the most success in your church?Comments and suggestions welcome!

Please see previous posts in this series.

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While you’re here, please take a look at my ebook,

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How can we improve congregational singing? Part III

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alternative hymns, chorus, church choir, church music, congregational singing, harmony, hymns, music arrangements, new worship songs, rock music, solo, worship songs

This post is by way of Larry Fried via Twitter.  He responded to my previous post with this intriguing idea:

@GretchensPianos U might be interested in a very good hymn written by a rock band of all things. Cud U adapt it?

@Larry_Fried Super song! Tks for sending! May be better as a solo w/congregation added @ “I’m waiting to be called.” 

@GretchensPianos Really glad u liked it 😉 Was Hoping
u cud use something a little less traditional.The original has harmony on the verse

I’m thinking that a church choir could handle harmony as a backup to a soloist.  Having the congregation join in on the refrain would encourage participation and a sense of belonging, rather than the choir being the only people singing.  (Sometimes people in a congregation can feel removed from the music, and begin to feel like they are not welcome to sing in their own church.  We are interested in fostering the exact opposite!)

What do you think?  Comments welcome!

Thanks so much, Larry.

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While you’re here, please take a look at my ebook,

Goal-oriented Practice.  Now available at 50% off, only $10!

Free of musical jargon, it will save you time.  By identifying practice goals, you will soon be able to learn music more accurately, resulting in confident playing.

Click on the link to see reviews, book intro, and table of contents!

Thank you!

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Our little choir’s 1st success of the new season

Tags

choral singing, Church, church choir, Church service

Copyright 1978 Maranatha! Music, admin. by The Copyright Co.

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord
And He shall lift you up, higher and higher,
And He shall lift you up.

Sources:
Celebration Hymnal  #622
Renew!  #188
Sing the Faith  #2131
Sing with Me  #201
Singing the New Testament  #230
The Faith We Sing  #2131
(as listed at Hymnary.org)

Background

Today was Kickoff Sunday at our church.  Some churches call it Homecoming Sunday, and there are many variations on the theme.  The designation denotes the first Sunday after Labor Day weekend, the beginning of school, the opening of church school, and the return of the choir.

Our “traditional” service began 1/2 hour earlier for the first time, which also moved choir rehearsal to 8:30 from 9:00.

Good morning!

When I arrived at 7:30 to practice, the chairs (a new experiment in lieu of pews) were in place for the parishioners.  The location of the choir was left for us to take care of.

The six people who sang today all arrived at 8:30!  Because of the earlier time, that could have presented a problem.

We welcomed Joyce, a new member who is trying out a new experience.

Logistics

We discussed where everyone would feel comfortable, moved a few chairs, moved the piano so we could all see each other, and had a terrific rehearsal!

The choir wanted to face the congregation throughout the service in order to lead the singing.  I couldn’t agree more!  Finding seats among the parishioners and then walking to the front for the anthem would have disrupted the flow of the service. 

Pam, a choir member, had suggested earlier in the week that we could spend less time rehearsing the hymns and more time looking ahead to the following week’s anthem.  She made a good point.  So today we warmed up on the sung response to a congregational reading.  That only took a minute or two, a good use of our time, as the congregation needed our leadership with the unfamiliar music.

The anthem

Our anthem was perfect for the offertory.  Written like a round, the choir sang the melody.  Sue, a soprano in the choir, handled the descant (essentially the 2nd entrance in the round) beautifully.

I came across this engaging piece while browsing through “The Faith We Sing,” an alternative to the standard hymnal.  Although I didn’t know it, I fell in love with it right away.  I was so happy when the choir had the same experience!

The congregation had a wonderful reaction to the choir’s singing today.

This piece, which can be done in many different ways, turned out to be a great way to begin the new season.  Any number of singers would be appropriate, the placement of the singers for the two parts of the round could be flexible, the number of repeats could be changed during the singing with no problem, and the keyboard part could either be played or omitted.

Compliments to the choir!

I am so proud of my little choir for their enthusiasm, wonderful suggestions, cooperation, and willingness to show up early!  The spirit of collaboration is wonderful, allowing everyone to feel a sense of ownership.

What’s next?

I can’t wait for next week!  We will be singing “Lead Me, Guide Me,” by Doris Akers, followed by “Over My Head,” an African-American spiritual arr. by John Bell, the next week.  “Over My Head” was suggested by a choir member last Spring. Thanks, Carolyn!

Bethel A.M.E. Church in Kirksville, Missouri, where Doris Akers first learned to sing and play Gospel music. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please share your thoughts in the Comment Section below!

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Remembering Kirk Birrell

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church choir, Kirk Birrell, tenor, tribute

The bells at Christ Northampton.  Designer:  Kirk Birrell.  (Photo credit:  Christ Northampton’s Facebook page)

We first met a little over a year ago.  Kirk was 82.  His greeting was, “I’m your tenor.
I have two volumes; on and off.”

This being my first Sunday at a new church job, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  In previous choirs, though, the tenors each had their own take on how to sing.  One made up his own part, and one had a fondness for sliding whenever possible and a wobble in his voice.

My plan was to be friendly and engage in conversation.  I wanted to find out what was in there.

After two or three Sundays, I realized that Kirk wanted his opinions to be heard, but often, further discussion was not necessary.  So I listened and got on with the rehearsal.

The brief conversations had been going well.  Then, one Sunday after church, Kirk approached me to give me a heads up about operating the lights behind the organ.  They were tricky.  And when I am there by myself, knowing how to work the lights is important.  I was surprised by the overture.

About two weeks later, he offered me a ride to the bus stop!  He had no plans to travel in that direction, since his house was on the opposite side of Northampton.  So I was surprised once more.

But that was not all.  We crossed the parking area to his car and got into a Chevy Volt!  Somehow, that didn’t fit the personality profile I had constructed in my mind for him.

The anthem one Sunday was “Children of the Heavenly Father.”  I asked the choir to enter one voice part at a time, S A T B, every 2 measures.  The first two entrances went well, and then Kirk came in.  If this had been a solo entrance in a large hall, it would have been perfect!  However, the tenor part joined the other two in a unison to be sung piano.  It was the complete opposite of a solo entrance.

When I asked Kirk to enter softly, he didn’t think he could.  My hunch was that no one had ever shown him how.  So I suggested that he use less air, and demonstrated doing that.

He did it!  He was happy, and I think everyone else was, too.

After his health began to decline, he sang with the choir one more time.  He opted to remain seated while everyone else stood.  After the choir members in front moved out of the way, he could see me.  I was glad he could be there, and the anthem went well.  I think he enjoyed it.

One Sunday when he wasn’t feeling well, he asked me what we would be singing the following week.  I gave him a copy of the anthem, thinking that maybe he wanted to take it home.  Then I walked away to take care of something else.  When I returned, Kirk was seated on a bench, looking at the music!  I was touched by his commitment, looking at the music while not feeling well.  He told me that it didn’t look too hard.

My take on Kirk’s voice is that he could have been an opera singer, had his family’s circumstances been different when he was younger.  His voice was even throughout his range, and there was no wobble whatsoever.  And I never heard him slide.  

I am grateful to have known him, and for all the ways in which his life touched mine.  My prayers are with Natalie, his lovely wife of 62 years, and his family.

Rest in peace, Kirk.

Obituary

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Happy Easter! Choir makes even more strides

Tags

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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“… a little skinny today…”

Tags

church choir, flexibility

NYC – Brooklyn – Coney Island – You Gotta Believe! (Photo credit: wallyg)

My church choir was missing a tenor and a bass today, leaving 2 sopranos, 2 altos and 1 bass.

On Sunday mornings, you go with what you have.  The 2 absences were due to illness, so there was no advance notice.

Given the circumstances, they sang well.  Everyone listened to each other, and even looked up from the music for the entire 1st verse!  (The anthem was “Away in a Manger” in 3 different versions, one per verse.)

The woman who gave me a ride to the bus stop, age 87, said, “The choir was a little skinny today!  But they sounded good.”

Great choice of words, don’t you think?

Gotta love it.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related articles

• Score! Unpaid church choir watches conductor! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
• Choir Rocks Congregation! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

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Score! Unpaid church choir watches conductor!

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"My Lord, church choir, watch the conductor, What a Morning"

My choir sang so well last Sunday!  We rehearse only on Sunday mornings, with seven people singing last week.

The anthem was “My Lord, What a Morning.”   This particular arrangement included tempo changes, ritards, fermati, and some long phrases.

During the rehearsal, the 3 sopranos were having a discussion on the side.  When I asked if they had a question (so we could proceed as a group), one soprano said, “We were deciding where each of us could breathe to do this phrase.”  YES!  I intend to encourage that sort of discussion in the future.

The ritards and tempo changes required that everyone look at me to stay together.  I ensured that everyone knew exactly where they needed to look up, repeating exactly the same thing 3 times during the rehearsal.  After that, I demonstrated how to hold a choir folder up so as not to be singing to the carpet.  One soprano said, “My glasses don’t do that!”

For the first time since I became Director of Music in late January, everybody looked up!  We were always together.  Tempo changes were no problem, nor were ritards and fermati.  The dynamics were wonderful.  Everyone listened to each other, resulting in good balance.  And the balance adjustments we rehearsed to accommodate the range and voicing of various parts of the piece were there when the time came to sing the piece.

Fourteen eyeballs.  What every conductor loves to see.

Members of the congregation approached me after the service to say how much they had enjoyed the anthem.

I’m happy!  This unpaid, dedicated choir has improved so much!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Q&A: How do you get your congregation to sing?

Tags

church choir, Church service, Congregation

Although I can’t take credit for the singing of “my” congregation, which was already singing well when I took the job, maybe a few suggestions will help.

• Play an introduction:  2 phrases or the refrain usually work well.

• If the hymn is new to the congregation, play an entire verse as the introduction.

• No ritard at the end.  You want the congregation to sing in tempo.

• Add time (silence, to let the congregation know when to breathe) before the 1^st verse, and between verses (at least a one-beat  rest).

• Use 8′ and 4′ stops so the congregation can hear you.
• If you are playing the organ, introduce more silence in hymn-playing than in other music you play.
• If you are playing the piano, your playing needs to be assertive and more percussive in hymns, with less pedal.

• Have the choir face the congregation during hymns.

• Rehearse hymns in advance with the choir (important words, phrasing, tempo).

• Ask the choir to sing the 1^st verse in unison.

• Play the 1^st verse as written (no added notes, no rubato).

• You could have a mini-workshop during the service to introduce an unfamiliar hymn.

• Include notes in the bulletin:  something interesting about the tune, composer, or poet.  Or speak briefly during the service once in a while.

• Ensure that your hymn-playing is very clear, with silence for breaths, good rhythm, and enthusiasm.  Are you playing too slow?  (If everyone keeps running out of breath, it’s too slow.)  Too fast?  (If people don’t have time to get the words out, it’s too fast.)  If the hymn is new to you, ask the choir to help you find the tempo.

• Sing every hymn several times during the week before the service. Singing gives you the tempo, and you will breathe with the congregation.  Keep in mind that you may have more vocal training than those in the congregation.  Untrained singers need more time to breathe, find the next verse, etc.
• Change stops between verses.
• Find other ways to add variety.
• If you want to change key between verses, play an interlude of at least 2 bars so people can tell what’s going on!  (One chord will only confuse them.)
• Listen to what’s going on during the hymn in the service.  You might come up with something on the spur of the moment.

• Attend services at other churches to hear what they do with the hymns.  (I learned a great deal that way!)  Many churches have more than one service on Sundays, or mid-week.  Experiencing the singing in different denominations is fascinating.

• Find a hymn workshop. Whether it be singing or playing, there is a lot to learn.
• Organize a hymn sing.
• If having the choir lead the hymns by facing the congregation still doesn’t result in progress, disperse the choir members throughout the congregation.
• And above all, don’t be boring!

Good luck!

How do you get your congregation to sing?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related post

• Creative hymn playing (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

“Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer” gives every musician a fresh perspective!

My book frees up time to learn more music, memorize, or do something else entirely!

“Goal-oriented Practice” is also available in print!

Goal-oriented Practice

sold in 8 countries!

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

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