MATER MISERICORDIAE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CATHOLIC CHURCH
Choir Rules & Information
SCHEDULE
Mixed choir rehearsals are held every Tuesday from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Mater Misericordiae, with half-hour sectional rehearsals before and after. The church is normally open 15 minutes before rehearsal. Enter through the east side gate and front door. The mixed choir normally sings for the High Mass at St. Edward the Confessor on the second, fourth, and fifth Sundays of the month, holy days of obligation, and other occasions as announced (e.g., Holy Week and feasts that fall on a Sunday, such as Easter, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Christ the King). Including Mass but not travel time, the average commitment for the mixed choir is about four hours per week.
The treble schola meets during the time allotted for the women’s sectional rehearsal, 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., and sings for the 9:00 a.m. Mass the third Sunday of the month, with warm-up at 8:40 a.m. in the northwest corner office of the old rectory at St. Edward’s.
Men’s schola classes are held every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Mater Misericordiae. The schola sings for nearly all High Masses throughout the year at both churches: Sunday, First Fridays, feast days, etc. Warm-up is 20 minutes before Mass in the northwest corner office of the old rectory at St. Edward’s (or downstairs in the hall at Mater). You should be vested before our opening prayer. In light of the reduction in ensemble rehearsal time in 2020, a reasonable amount of personal practice and study is expected, relative to the abilities and needs of the individual singer. Including Mass but not travel time, the average commitment for the schola is about six hours per week. Men who participate in both ensembles should expect an average commitment of eight hours per week.
For both ensembles:
Attendance is mandatory.
Tardiness is disruptive to your fellow singers when you come to rehearsal late and have to climb over them; be punctual.
Absences, tardiness, and early departure must be communicated to the choirmaster in advance.
Stay home if you have a fever or you’re sick enough to miss work, school, or Mass.
Except in cases of sickness or genuine emergency, you must sign out at least a week in advance for an absence to be considered excused; for the sign-out form, simply click the link of the appropriate date on the schedule page.
More than one unexcused absence within a month is grounds for dismissal.
Unless you’ve made special arrangements with the choirmaster, you should not plan to sing for Mass unless you’ve attended at least one of the two previous rehearsals or classes.
The priests of our parish offer many opportunities for the sacrament of penance throughout the week; going to confession is not an acceptable reason for missing any part of the warm-up before Mass and will not be considered an excused tardy; avail yourself of one of the many other times available weekly.
Diocesan Safe Environment compliance is mandatory for any choir or schola member age 18 or older.
GREGORIAN CHANT
In either the mixed choir or the men’s schola, you will learn two styles of chant interpretation: the Solesmes method, which was devised by Dom Mocquereau in the early twentieth century, incorporating his ictus and nuance theories, and which has been in widespread use since before Vatican II; and proportional rhythm, which is based on the evidence of the oldest extant manuscripts and the doctrine of the medieval music theorists. The men’s schola cantorum is, first and foremost, what its name says: a school of singers. Schola classes include solfege, count-singing, and translation to cultivate strong reading skills and a thorough understanding of the chants. It is not an auditioned ensemble, but it is not the right group for anyone not interested in continuous study and improvement. We offer congregational singing and the informal 9:00 Mass chant choir (chorus choralis) for those who just want to show up and sing.
REHEARSAL TECHNIQUE
We often use a technique called count-singing, which is very effective for correcting rhythmic inaccuracies. Instead of words, solfege, or a neutral syllable such as la, we sing on numbers. Depending on the meter and tempo of the piece or section, we might use “one two three four,” “one-and two-and three-and,” or “1-ee-&-a 2-ee-&-a,” for example. Count-singing has an added benefit in rehearsing polyphonic music: the whole choir says the same thing at the same time. For chant, count-singing requires a solid understanding of the rules for ictus placement, which must be memorized; see Fundamentals of Gregorian Chant for an explanation.
APPEARANCE & DECORUM
Appropriate attire for Mass is expected of all choir members, even if you are not receiving Holy Communion. Compliance with the church dress code is nonnegotiable. For weddings and funerals, appropriate formality should be kept in mind in addition to the standards of modesty. Denim skirts (women) and open collars (men) are examples of clothing that is fine for daily Mass but too casual for a wedding. In consideration of others, please avoid wearing overly strong perfume, cologne, aftershave, or other fragrances. There should be no unnecessary talking or whispering in church before, during, or after Mass. Nothing except bottled water should be consumed in church—no open cups or glasses please. Clean up after yourself. Throw music lists away after Mass. Visitors should normally sit separately from the choir. Any guests at rehearsals should be introduced to the choirmaster beforehand whenever possible.
MINIMIZING DISTRACTIONS
The beat is kept in the choirmaster’s conducting and/or in the organ accompaniment. Do not tap, sway, or direct unless asked to do so. Such visible or audible gestures can be distracting not only to your fellow singers but also to the director. Get into the habit of watching and listening for the tempo and internalizing it. Avoid unnecessary movement and don’t leave during rehearsal or Mass unless absolutely necessary. Stand, sit, and kneel quietly. Be especially cautious with metal water bottles!
COMMUNION
Normally, communicants should go forward after singing the Agnus Dei. If the mixed choir sings a polyphonic Agnus Dei, the schola should wait until they’ve finished before moving. Do not genuflect in the choir loft or back except when actually entering or leaving the church. Do not wait at the back of the church until after the “Domine, non sum dignus,” because then it is too late to get to the rail before the congregation. Schola members and anyone else in cassock and surplice should go forward first. Go to Communion in the same way as the rest of the congregation; do not genuflect before kneeling at the rail, and fill the rail from right to left on either side. For mixed choir Masses, walk double file (this means in pairs!), women to the left, men to the right, schola first. For schola Masses, walk single file and kneel on the right side. When returning to the choir area, do not kneel if there are still people who need to get past you. It is praiseworthy to pray in thanksgiving after Mass, but if you’re kneeling, please be attentive to others who wish to leave and need to get past you.
WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
Unless directly related to the parish music program, any literature distributed before, during, or after rehearsal or Mass should be approved by the choirmaster or pastor. Nothing of a political or controversial nature is to be distributed on church property or in the parking lot. It is important to foster an environment where no one feels unwelcome or excluded because of differing opinions on matters that are not integral to the Catholic faith.
HYMNALS
Hymnals in the choir area are numbered, and there should always be a hymnal at each seat. Please do not take them from the church. Except for corrections of typographical errors, writing anything in the hymnals is discouraged.
WEDDING & FUNERAL PAYMENTS
Families have the option of writing separate checks for each singer, paying cash, or writing a single check to the church. The church will not pay anyone without a tax form on file. If you intend to sing for any weddings and funerals, please send church accountant Mrs. Marsha Livingston (dmliving@marshacpa.com) the first page of your W-9 if we don’t already have one for you.
MEN’S SCHOLA ORGANIZATION
Please be sure that your Liber Usualis has your name or initials penciled in and that your cassock and surplice hangers are also labeled with your name.
MIXED CHOIR ORGANIZATION
New music will be left at your seat in the choir loft or handed out during rehearsal. You may leave unneeded music at your seat, especially whenever your folder is getting too full. Refer to the folder contents list on the choir web page, and don’t be a collector! Keep all music alphabetized in your binder—motets by title, Masses by composer—so you can find pieces quickly in rehearsal. You are welcome to take your music home to practice if you so choose, but please do not ask for the Tuesday rehearsal agenda in advance. If you will be away longer than a month, please leave your folder in the choir loft.
PRACTICE SUGGESTIONS
Although most choir members don’t have the time to utilize all of these techniques for every piece, here are a few ideas for how to get the most out of your personal practice:
Listen to the recordings. Even when you’re unable to sing along or listen with the music in front of you, the recordings help you to get a feel for the melody, harmony, and rhythm. Listening to our own rehearsal and Mass recordings will help you identify problem spots and allow you to hear if your own voice sticks out.
Isolate problem spots. What is giving you trouble? Rhythm or notes? If notes, is it because of a tricky interval, where the phrase lies in your vocal range, or something else?
Count-sing to correct rhythm problems. Pencil in numbers if it helps.
Practice with a metronome. If you don’t have one, there are free apps you can use.
Use solfege and identify intervals to help with note problems. Pencil in solfege syllables if it helps.
Send an e-mail to the choirmaster if you would like to work on a particular section in rehearsal.
Record yourself. Listen for pitch and rhythm accuracy, diction, beauty and evenness of tone.
Practice in front of the mirror. Correct exaggerated or unpleasant facial expressions. Although we are usually not visible to the congregation, this is part of good singing in general. Your upper teeth should be visible on vowels except o and u, and you should have the sensation of an “inside smile” while singing.
Avoid humming the note before singing, for example ndominus instead of Dominus; articulation and onset should be simultaneous.
MUSICALITY
Singing the right notes and rhythm is only the beginning of good musicianship. The following are some considerations, not listed in order of importance, and not necessarily applicable to every style of singing (chant, polyphony, hymns, etc.):
legato (smooth and connected) singing unless there is an indication otherwise
shaping phrases
gentle releases at the ends of phrases instead of slamming final syllables; the last note of a phrase should normally be the softest
diction, especially the i vowel in Latin, consonants in English, and liquescent notes in chant
attentiveness to the text beyond pronunciation (leaning into stressed syllables, observing punctuation, etc.)
listening in order to blend and balance well with the other voices; know your place!
in chant, never crescendo across a bar line!
in chant, always hold the note before a full or double bar line to its full value!
in polyphony, if you can’t hear the altos, you’re probably too loud
meter, hierarchy of beats
and last but not least, watching the director!
Singing the right notes is the BEGINNING of musicality, not the end of it.
VOICE TEACHERS
The following teachers have either sung for Mater Misericordiae or worked with our choir members and may be available for private lessons, either on a continuing basis or occasionally to address specific technical problems:
Chip Bonfanti, south Scottsdale, (480) 518-2537
Nina Cole Garguilo, Glendale Community College, nina@heliosphx.org
Carol Jennings, Glendale Community College, carol.jennings@gccaz.edu
Thomas Jones (semi-retired), north central Phoenix, (602) 568-3457
Claudia Kennedy (semi-retired), north central Phoenix, (602) 690-6546
Jeffrey Strand, Grand Canyon University, jeffreystrand.tenor@gmail.com
WORDS OF WISDOM
“Repetitio est mater studiorum.” / “Repetition is the mother of studies.” – Latin proverb
“You will perform the way you practice.” – Ken Berg
“Don’t make an s of yourself!” – Justin Ward
“Never sing louder than you can sing beautifully.” – Philip Copeland
“The dot is the loudest part of the note.” – Claudia Kennedy
“Keep moving!” – Cal Shenk
“The choir that breathes together sings together.” – Philip Copeland
“Flexibility is only possible where all is exact, where every element is in its right place.” – Dom Joseph Gajard, O.S.B.
“Showing up is 80 percent of life.” – attrib. Woody Allen
“You can observe a lot by just watching.” – Yogi Berra
“If you don’t like it, you can leave!” – Steffen Lehker
“Go practice!”
THE MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
last updated 5/17/24