Choir Robes

Years ago, an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers wrote about the love-hate relationship he had with his football helmet. While he appreciated its protective qualities and liked its utility as a blocking weapon, it was very uncomfortable to wear.

I have a similar ambivalence about my choir robe. I like to put on the robe Sunday mornings; it's a nice ritual, a final preparation for the morning's singing. But the robe is not very comfortable on warm days. And I constantly bemoan its lack of pockets.

A question heard in the choir room almost every Sunday is "what color stole today?". The stoles that provide the final touch to the robes match the seasonal colors: green for ordinary time, purple for Advent, red for Pentecost, and so on.

Only 50 singing days left...

... till the Lessons and Carols service. So this morning, we gathered in the Sanctuary at 9 am to rehearse the music for that service. Fortified with coffee prepared by Dee, and with food brought by several choir members, we advanced steadily, for the next three hours, through most of the 15 carols in the L&C packet. Beginning the week after next, Rick will lead weekly L&C rehearsals during the Sunday School hour, for those able to attend; and he'll also hold sectional rehearsals a half-hour before regular choir practice on Wednesday evenings.

The Lone Tenor

I noted in an earlier post that tenors are underrepresented in the choir. That was certainly true this evening -- Bill was the only one to show up. This has happened before; I've told Bill that he's a braver man than I. If I were to be the only bass at rehearsal once, I might survive it. If it were to happen a second time, I might not come back.

This Sunday is Youth Sunday, with the kids taking the entire service; so, as it is for some football teams, this is a "bye week" for the choir.

"By George... they don't quite have it yet"

Correct pronunciation and emphasis of certain words is an ongoing challenge. My theory to explain this is simple. It's not that easy for the amateur singer simultaneously to process:

- notes -- pitch and time values

- changes in key and time signatures

- dynamics

- tempo variations

- lyrics

- instructions from the director in addition to those on the printed page

As tenor Bob told Rick, "you can have the right note or the right word -- take your pick!"

Of many examples I could give, here are two recent ones – both pertaining to music for this Sunday’s service:

- In "Marching to Zion", it is "ZI-un" -- not "ZI-ON"

- The "Kum" in "Kum ba ya" does not rhyme with "plume"; the "u" sound is more like the diphthong in "look"

How many times has Rick reminded us of the correct way to sing these words? I lost count a long time ago. Will we, as Eliza Doolittle did, finally "get it"? We’ll find out Sunday.

More Stats

Here are the attendance numbers for rehearsals and for worship services the first seven weeks of the choir year:

I notice a couple of things. First, there is no correlation between attendance at Wednesday rehearsal, and that on the following Sunday's service. Second, while we have the upper and lower registers covered, there's a scarcity of tenors -- and sometimes altos as well.

Ordinary Time

The church year has several different divisions, such as Advent, Easter, and Pentecost. But most of the year is designated "Ordinary Time" -- the weeks between those seasons. In the same way, while some choir rehearsals have special aspects to them, most are "ordinary". Tonight's rehearsal was a good example. A brief summary will give the reader an idea of a typical Wednesday evening:

7:32 Began with "The Church's One Foundation"

7:50 Moved on to "Marching to Zion"

8:10 Rick took the men to the Sanctuary, while Lynda and the women stayed in the choir room, for sectional practice on "Shall We Gather at the River"

8:32 Gathered together in the Sanctuary to go through "Zion" a couple more times (it is this Sunday's anthem)

8:43 Went through "Kum ba ya", the anthem for October 17

8:48 Closing prayers

Does this summary give a complete picture of what rehearsal is like? Not at all. It does not record the atmosphere of camaraderie, the good-natured joking, the sharing of celebrations and concerns. All these things, together, constitute "ordinary time" for choir rehearsal.