Things That Cantors Think About

Things that Cantors Think About - At Least Today

I should probably only speak for myself rather than presuming to be the voice of all Cantors, but I imagine that as we go about practicing the organ for worship, choosing music for our choirs to sing, planning the handbell year, recruiting musicians for musical ensembles, handling publicity for special services, trying to decide how best to spend funds authorized for the coming year, and a host of other tasks – there must be some common threads.

Directing a choir requires focus, but where does the Cantor's mind go the rest of the time?

Here are some of the things on my mind today.

Pastor Daniel’s Installation

What a great way to start 2018! There is so much to do!  Thankfully, Pastor Daniel is doing the bulletin.

The Installation service is at 5:00 and will have the same readings and propers* as the service that morning – so how can I make it not seem like a repeat?

First up, choose what the choir will sing. We’ve not rehearsed the last two weeks, so we’re only going to have one rehearsal to get ready. It would probably be wise to do something we already know. I’ve settled on Edvard Grieg’s “God’s Son Has Made Me Free” which we sang for Reformation Sunday.  Another good one would be Aaron David Miller’s “Breathe on Me.”  We haven’t sung it recently, but the choir knows it and it should come together fairly quickly. The breath of the Holy Spirit is a suitable image for an installation service.

Pastor Daniel Locke will soon be installed as our new Pastor.

What about the liturgy?  We’re singing Holy Communion Setting One for the Sundays after Epiphany, so maybe we should do something else in the evening.  Marty Haugen’s “Now the Feast and Celebration” may be just the thing.  Pastor Daniel likes Haugen’s music and it’s a liturgy the congregation enjoys singing. Yes, I’ll have to work on it.  This liturgy composed for guitars and piano doesn't translate easily to the organ, but there are ways to make it work. I know what I’ll be practicing this week!

I don’t want to sing the same psalm setting, so let’s do a setting from the Ionian Psalter.  It will take some extra work from the choir, but they are also excited about this installation and will be up for the challenge!





Lent and Easter

Ash Wednesday is like in two weeks, right? Yikes! I hope I can get some planning done this week.

Purple is coming!

Perhaps I can at least plan all of the choir’s music. It might seem an easy job to decide what the choir will sing, but it actually requires some pretty deep planning.  Do choir members have planned vacation time? I must be careful to choose music that is not too hard, but it also can’t be too easy. How many new pieces should we sing? How many should be repeated from past years. Just don’t pick anything with “Alleluia” in it – at least not until Easter.

Music for Children

I’ve had preliminary discussions with some of our families with children in the early elementary grades.  We don’t have enough for a full choir, but maybe we can do something equally engaging.  Instead of trying to meet every week, we can break it up into shorter sessions of about six weeks.

What might these “classes” include? Here are my initial thoughts:

Singing (I bet you knew that was coming!)

Orff Instruments

Hand Chimes

Musical Games

More Singing

Making music with kids is great fun!

I have a few kids in mind for this. How do I get the word out to others to let them know that all are welcome?

Bach Vespers

Thanks to a generous grant from the St. Mark’s Foundation and money already set aside, there are enough funds to do Bach Vespers this year! 

Which cantata shall we do and when should we do it?  (You can’t just pull a cantata off the shelf and go for it. It must be one that can be learned in three weeks before a final rehearsal with the orchestra.)

Will Ellen Olson hire the orchestra again this year?

 

Bach Vespers 2008 - A cantata by J. S. Bach sung in the context of a Lutheran Evening Prayer (Vespers) Service

We always have amazing soloists. Where do I find them this year?  (They must be of professional or near-professional caliber. We’ve had great success using music students from UNF and JU.)

People can hear Bach any day, but in the Jacksonville area only St. Mark’s performs these devotional works in the context of a Lutheran worship service regularly. This tradition is worth preserving.

Next thought: How do I start raising money for the next Bach Vespers?

Sunday

The coming Sunday is always the most pressing item on the agenda, so I need to allow adequate preparation time for practicing voluntaries and hymns. Fortunately, Jane Daugherty is doing her Field Experience work for Trinity Lutheran Seminary by logging some service-playing experience at St. Mark's,  so this frees me from choosing and practicing a prelude and from worrying about the gathering hymn. Jane has those covered.

How do I handle the rest of the service?

I always try to rely on the wisdom of Barry Rose, the Organist and Choirmaster of Guilford Cathedral in Surrey, England. At a workshop I attended, he advised organists to prioritize according to this scheme:

1. Congregational music (liturgy and hymns)

2. Choir music (anthem accompaniments)

3. Voluntaries (preludes and postludes)

Paying special attention to congregational music seems like a good plan to the Lutheran in me. It’s even the first music we practice in our choir rehearsals.

Saturday Service

Do we have a Saturday service this week? No? Whew!

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA

Conclusion

Seeing my thoughts in writing is a little daunting.  The trick is not to think of all of these things at the same time! I’m grateful for Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s Christmas message this year.  When I engage a task, I will remind myself to think “Just this. Just now.” If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the things you have to do, this message might be exactly what you need – it’s message should not be limited only to the time around Christmas. Following this link might be the two best minutes you spend online today: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuOZY64aZuI&feature=youtu.be

*”Propers” are prayers specific to a day.