As the choir season again approaches, I would bid church choir masters to join with me in establishing a new sense of purpose, or to reconsecrate an old-well-established one.
Within the past few years music has taken a permanent residence in our Christian Reformed Churches, but has been greeted with rather mixed emotions by our people. Many have expressed concern at the intrusion of the choir into the worship service, while others have welcomed the choral program as a fine addition to worship and edification.
Many have asked, “Why do we need a choir at all?” Some have said that they feel that choir practice is one hour a week wasted. I believe that the choir has two basic functions in the worship service. The first is to lead the congregation in the praise of God; and its second purpose is to join with the presentation of the Word for a further edification of both congregation and choir.
The choir members as a rule have a greater aptitude for singing than the average person in the pew; and because of his ability he meets with others of like interest and ability to practice for the church service. He practices so that he might better serve in the leading of praise and worship. His object is to use his talent and to increase it so that he may better serve. A good choir member knows his purpose and keeps it foremost in his mind.
Choir members who do not possess such a sense of purpose soon lose interest and the choir practice begins to be a very “hum drum” affair. Unfortunately a bad attitude is very contagious. I remember preparing one cantata with such a member in my choir. Rehearsals were not going well and her attitude began to undermine the morale of the entire group. Fortunately for the cantata, she took a month’s vacation out of town and by the time she returned, spirits were up and the evening of presentation was successful. The success of that program was due to that month’s vacation.
Music in the worship should both praise God and edify. It should be Godward and manward. It should be the very best we have to offer to our God, while still possessing the highest degree of edification to the worshipper. The choir offering to God is no different than the offerings made to God in Old Testament days. We should remember that God required the best that man had in those days. God still requires our musical offering to be the best that we have. The choral program should be Godward. It should be an attempt to lead in the praise of God in a way in which the ordinary communicant is incapable to doing. Consequently there is the necessity of the choral rehearsal.
An old friend once gave me a good piece of advice. He said, “Always remember that we serve a congregation with varied interests and tastes and that we should remember each group in planning our year’s program. We should never neglect any of the elements of our churches.” This simply means that our program should include the Psalm in Dutch as well as the Messiah Chorus or the service of Gregorian Chant. The choir director should remember that he is trying to lead a congregation in worship. The congregation should remember that the choir has the right to raise its voice in praise in a medium that the average man may not quite fully grasp. Every person of the congregation needs the opportunity to praise God in a way that best meets his needs.
Most directors find that their most difficult task is finding a varied program for their choir. I have always found that this is my most time-consuming task. I believe that music chosen should be chosen first of all to meet the need of the individual service. My present minister provides a list of his sermon topics about three months in advance. This is a great asset to the choosing of a program and is perhaps the ideal way for a good program to be run. In the choosing of a program several things should be remembered. The choice of anthem should bolster the presentation of the Word. It should be doctrinally sound and should never represent a threat to the integrity of the Word. The closer the minister of the Word and the minister of music work together in preparing the service, the more successful the service will be.
I would like to offer a few suggestions of things we have used successfully with my high school age choir at Central Ave. Chr. Ref. Church. Perhaps the one service which we enjoyed most of all, and which drew a great deal of comment from our congregation, was a communion service which included the five propers of the ancient church mass. This very beautiful ancient text has been put into several very good translations we used the service of George Oldrayd. Many of these short services have been composed and make an excellent addition to the worship service.
Another communion service which brought considerable comment was a service based on the hymns of Charpentier (Three Hymns–Concordia). These hymns, based on an old Gregorian Chant, lend a stately solemnity to the interplay of the Word and prayers. We have used the old chants during the passing of the bread and the cup. This keeps a unity within the service and provides a musical beauty unparalleled.
I would also like to suggest several seasonal things which we have found useful and the choirs have enjoyed. For the lenten season, I like to use the “Gallia” by Charles Gounod, scored for Soprano soloist and four part choir. This is a beautiful work based on the Lamentation of Jeremiah. If a string quartet can be added to the organ accompaniment, it greatly adds to the success of the work. For the advent season may I suggest the anthem “Springs in the Desert,” by A. B. Jennings. This very lyrical anthem is based on Isaiah 35 and is again very adaptable to a flute accompaniment.
The Mendelssohn anthem, “There Shall a Star Come out of Jacob” has also been a great favorite with choirs. Most directors find that seasonal music is no problem but the general anthem is the most difficult to find. The music of Healy Willan, Haydn Morgan, Gordon Young, Stanley Clarum, and Ralph Vaughn Williams will provide a goodly selection of anthems to choose from. The Moravian churches have provided a good many anthems of high caliber to the churches’ literature. The best anthems in my opinion are the ones that present a choral setting of a Scripture passage. Haydn Morgan’s “Bow Down Thine Ear, O Lord” is an excellent example of this type of music. An anthem based directly on the Word of God brings very little objection from the congregation. Another thing which greatly aids in the choral number is the printing of the anthem text in the bulletin.
The director should always remember that each service is an opportunity to witness or to “minister” through music, and that his stlldy and planning behind this ministry are his greatest obligation. This obligation is threefold. His first obligation is to God. His second obligation is to his choir. His third obligation is to the congregation.
When the ministry of music finds its rightful place in the service, our choral program will be vital and alive. May I suggest that we begin our programs this year by calling our pastors and saying, “Can we work out a service together next Sunday evening that will be a means whereby this congregation can give glory to God?”
David Naylor is the choir director of the young people in Central Ave Christian Reformed Church, Holland, Michigan.
Many have asked, “Why do we need a choir at all?” Some have said that they feel that choir practice is one hour a week wasted. I believe that the choir has two basic functions in the worship service. The first is to lead the congregation in the praise of God; and its second purpose is to join with the presentation of the Word for a further edification of both congregation and choir.
The choir members as a rule have a greater aptitude for singing than the average person in the pew; and because of his ability he meets with others of like interest and ability to practice for the church service. He practices so that he might better serve in the leading of praise and worship. His object is to use his talent and to increase it so that he may better serve. A good choir member knows his purpose and keeps it foremost in his mind.
Choir members who do not possess such a sense of purpose soon lose interest and the choir practice begins to be a very “hum drum” affair. Unfortunately a bad attitude is very contagious. I remember preparing one cantata with such a member in my choir. Rehearsals were not going well and her attitude began to undermine the morale of the entire group. Fortunately for the cantata, she took a month’s vacation out of town and by the time she returned, spirits were up and the evening of presentation was successful. The success of that program was due to that month’s vacation.
Music in the worship should both praise God and edify. It should be Godward and manward. It should be the very best we have to offer to our God, while still possessing the highest degree of edification to the worshipper. The choir offering to God is no different than the offerings made to God in Old Testament days. We should remember that God required the best that man had in those days. God still requires our musical offering to be the best that we have. The choral program should be Godward. It should be an attempt to lead in the praise of God in a way in which the ordinary communicant is incapable to doing. Consequently there is the necessity of the choral rehearsal.
An old friend once gave me a good piece of advice. He said, “Always remember that we serve a congregation with varied interests and tastes and that we should remember each group in planning our year’s program. We should never neglect any of the elements of our churches.” This simply means that our program should include the Psalm in Dutch as well as the Messiah Chorus or the service of Gregorian Chant. The choir director should remember that he is trying to lead a congregation in worship. The congregation should remember that the choir has the right to raise its voice in praise in a medium that the average man may not quite fully grasp. Every person of the congregation needs the opportunity to praise God in a way that best meets his needs.
Most directors find that their most difficult task is finding a varied program for their choir. I have always found that this is my most time-consuming task. I believe that music chosen should be chosen first of all to meet the need of the individual service. My present minister provides a list of his sermon topics about three months in advance. This is a great asset to the choosing of a program and is perhaps the ideal way for a good program to be run. In the choosing of a program several things should be remembered. The choice of anthem should bolster the presentation of the Word. It should be doctrinally sound and should never represent a threat to the integrity of the Word. The closer the minister of the Word and the minister of music work together in preparing the service, the more successful the service will be.
I would like to offer a few suggestions of things we have used successfully with my high school age choir at Central Ave. Chr. Ref. Church. Perhaps the one service which we enjoyed most of all, and which drew a great deal of comment from our congregation, was a communion service which included the five propers of the ancient church mass. This very beautiful ancient text has been put into several very good translations we used the service of George Oldrayd. Many of these short services have been composed and make an excellent addition to the worship service.
Another communion service which brought considerable comment was a service based on the hymns of Charpentier (Three Hymns–Concordia). These hymns, based on an old Gregorian Chant, lend a stately solemnity to the interplay of the Word and prayers. We have used the old chants during the passing of the bread and the cup. This keeps a unity within the service and provides a musical beauty unparalleled.
I would also like to suggest several seasonal things which we have found useful and the choirs have enjoyed. For the lenten season, I like to use the “Gallia” by Charles Gounod, scored for Soprano soloist and four part choir. This is a beautiful work based on the Lamentation of Jeremiah. If a string quartet can be added to the organ accompaniment, it greatly adds to the success of the work. For the advent season may I suggest the anthem “Springs in the Desert,” by A. B. Jennings. This very lyrical anthem is based on Isaiah 35 and is again very adaptable to a flute accompaniment.
The Mendelssohn anthem, “There Shall a Star Come out of Jacob” has also been a great favorite with choirs. Most directors find that seasonal music is no problem but the general anthem is the most difficult to find. The music of Healy Willan, Haydn Morgan, Gordon Young, Stanley Clarum, and Ralph Vaughn Williams will provide a goodly selection of anthems to choose from. The Moravian churches have provided a good many anthems of high caliber to the churches’ literature. The best anthems in my opinion are the ones that present a choral setting of a Scripture passage. Haydn Morgan’s “Bow Down Thine Ear, O Lord” is an excellent example of this type of music. An anthem based directly on the Word of God brings very little objection from the congregation. Another thing which greatly aids in the choral number is the printing of the anthem text in the bulletin.
The director should always remember that each service is an opportunity to witness or to “minister” through music, and that his stlldy and planning behind this ministry are his greatest obligation. This obligation is threefold. His first obligation is to God. His second obligation is to his choir. His third obligation is to the congregation.
When the ministry of music finds its rightful place in the service, our choral program will be vital and alive. May I suggest that we begin our programs this year by calling our pastors and saying, “Can we work out a service together next Sunday evening that will be a means whereby this congregation can give glory to God?”
David Naylor is the choir director of the young people in Central Ave Christian Reformed Church, Holland, Michigan.