Page 17 - LOTN Issue 45

LITURGY
Choirs in the time of Covid

Some of the cathedral choir members who took part in an online workshop

BY DR SHELAGH NODEN items: two hymns or a hymn plus a short motet or Taizé
chant. St Joseph’s, Woodside, were the pioneers in this and
o you miss singing in a church choir? Do you we have learned a lot from them.
regret not hearing any singing in church? If How is it done?
you answered ‘yes’ to either question, then Step 1 is to choose a straightforward hymn or choir
Dread on. Despite the current difficulties it can piece, and produce an audio track. We don’t make a video
still be done, and wearing my hat as director of music recording; thankfully this is unnecessary. We are lucky
at St Mary’s cathedral, I’ll share some ideas that the enough to have access to Sibelius, a music program which
cathedral choir has found useful. notates the music and produces a sound file, but this could
Currently, in Catholic churches in Scotland, we are allowed be done equally well by someone recording themselves
one cantor plus one instrumentalist and Masses should not singing and/or playing an instrument. To go with it we
be unduly prolonged. Yes, the cantor could sing a verse or create a ‘click track’, a steady beat heard along with the tune.
two of a few hymns, but we have taken a different approach Sibelius does this for us, but it can be a metronome (you
and opted to use readings from the Mass. Our cantor sings can get one on your phone). The track (tune with clicks) is
(from the organ loft) the introit of the day as found in the then emailed to our choir members, together with a copy
Missal, set to a simple plainchant tone. A responsorial of the music.
psalm tone can equally well be used. If more time is needed Step 2 is for choir members to listen to the audio, then
to accompany the entrance of the clergy, a ‘Glory be..’ can when they are confident with it they record themselves
be added and the introit repeated. The same format is used singing. The crucial thing is to sing in time with the track,
for the Communion antiphon from the Missal. The psalm so they play it through headphones and sing along with it,
and alleluia are sung by the cantor alone, with the response recording only their own voice on another device, such as a
heard only at the beginning and end. mobile phone. This can be a bit challenging as most people
Currently it is not permitted to sing the parts of the Mass (me included) are rather put off by the sound of themselves
itself, so the oft-heard injunction ‘Sing the Mass, don’t just singing solo. Not to worry, it is the blend which is important.
sing AT Mass’ is not appropriate right now. Let’s hope that Step 3; all the recordings are sent back then put together
this will soon change. by our team of two mixers, Jorge and David, who produce
There is also a role for our choir. This was important to me, the finished choral piece. Several software packages exist
because there is a significant social dimension to any choir, to do this; we use Audacity (free) and Garage Band.
and a sense of community which needs to be maintained. This is where the click track is crucial. If the singers are
We also want to continue our task of service to the liturgy. in time with it they should, in theory, all be in perfect time
So for most weeks we aim to provide two pre-recorded with each other. In practice the mixers need to do quite a

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