For the LORD is gracious; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth from generation to generation. (Psalm 100:4)Why these words: “from generation to generation?” Why not “from age to age,” or “for ever and ever?”
His truth endureth not only in the cosmic order, but in his people. And for his truth to endure in the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, it must do so “from generation to generation.” This is because of his own free will and being, the LORD is gracious. It is not only his truth that endureth, it is his mercy, his “Chesed,” the loving-kindness which fills the Sacred Heart of God and pours forth from his pierced side into the world (cf. St. John 19:34).
Specifically, his truth endureth from generation to generation when little ten-and-eleven-year-olds like Lucy and Max (and many others) come to RSCM. They see the older choristers and how they enter into this week; seeing this, they buckle down and work hard in rehearsals.
This was a week of passing the truth – and the loving-kindness – from one generation to another. Two of our older boys were trebles at our last Youth Choir rehearsals in May; Tom is now an Alto, Sam is a Tenor. Now they must be adults in the choir. They learn to do this from those who have gone before: the older teens such as Mike and Mark, adults such as Meredith and Jennifer, Judith, Eric, and me. In due time they will teach others.
Weezer, Michael, H.J., and Jordan were not here. It fell to Eddie, Elizabeth, Caitlin, Jennifer, and Meredith with help from the excellent assistant proctors and “Miz Deb” to fill their shoes. Four of these persons (two proctors, two assistant proctors) are from our parish, and I can remember them all when they were little nine-and-ten-year-olds at their first Course. They have become strong singers, capable of carrying a section – there was a moment when Dr. Adelmann asked some of the decani trebles to double an alto line, then jump an octave to their own part. I saw Meredith and Elizabeth exchange glances that clearly said “We've got it,” and they did it perfectly. The leadership of all of these proctors, musically and otherwise, was outstanding. Lucy and Max and the other first-year choristers saw it, and this week was a step toward doing this sort of thing themselves, whether in music or otherwise in their lives.
At one of the dinner table conversations, Dr. Adelmann commented that when he was at St. John's Cambridge, it would have been possible to leave out the bottom four boys from the treble line without changing the sound. This is true of any choir of this sort, and I have heard similar statements from other directors, such as James Litton. The older ones lead; the younger ones are learning how it is done, how to sing.
And it is not just the younger ones who learn: I have learned to train choirs mostly from observing the directors at RSCM courses, and this year's experience with Dr. Adelmann was one of the best. He in turn learned mostly from Dr. George Guest at St. John's College, Cambridge, singing six choral services a week at a standard which I suspect may no longer exist, not even at Cambridge. I am glad that our choristers had a taste this week of the Anglican choral tradition at its finest.
I am always a bit fearful as to how our choristers will react to a director: one bad experience, and many of them will not come back. I am especially nervous about directors such as Dr. Adelmann, who demand much. In the rehearsals Dr. A. is all business: diction must be precise, phrase shapes are essential, every chorister must pay attention, even at the end of a day with six hours of rehearsal. There are no amusing stories, no jokes, nothing of what our culture would call “fun.” He does not appear to care in the least whether we like him or not. But he cares deeply whether we did our best, personally and as a choir.
I can hear some educators I have known denounce such an approach as neither child-friendly nor age-appropriate. Too much is being asked of the children. They are expected to work at a level that few of our adult choristers at home would tolerate. Should we not “dumb it down” to their level? Entertain them? Give them pseudo-pop songs that use one-syllable words and that they can sing without going into head voice or reading music? We give whole congregations such music and call it “welcoming” and “inclusive.”
To do so would be to cheat them of the work and the delight that is properly theirs. It would make them consumers, not genuine participants in the healing of the world. In a good choir, young people are challenged with the finest of music and they live up to it, as choristers have done for generations. As the Presence of Christ is multiplied in the Holy Eucharist, so is the Song multiplied in this manner through time and space, and through it the loving-kindness of God pours forth into the world.
Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing.
My God and King.
The heav'ns are not too high,
His praise may thither fly:
The earth is not too low,
His praises there may grow.
Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing.
My God and King.
The church with psalms must shout,
No door can keep them out:
But above all, the heart
Must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing.
My God and King.
(George Herbert: Anthem setting by Kenneth Leighton)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment