Choir Handbook

							Choir Handbook
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Denver
September, 2010


The mission of the St. Andrew’s Music Program is to lift and enhance the beauty of worship at St. Andrew’s through
liturgically appropriate musical expression that is prepared with thoughtfulness and rendered with excellence.

General Introduction
The Choir of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is one of the finest in the region. This level of excellence,
dedicated to the glory of God and to the building up of God’s Church through worship, is achieved by the
laudable effort of musically talented individuals and their commitment to the regular discipline of rehearsals
and services as they are held at St. Andrew’s.

The Choir has certain Anglican attributes, as befits the denominational character of the parish, and takes
pride in exercising these attributes where appropriate and consistent with modern liturgical practice.
Among these Anglican attributes, during most of the year, is the separation of the Choir into two distinct
SATB choirs, with the traditional titles Decani (the ‘firsts,’ or higher-range voices of every section [currently
on the left side of the Quire*, facing the altar]) and Cantoris (the ‘seconds,’ or lower-range voices of every
section [currently on the right side of the Quire]). The Choir is led by a Choirmaster, who is under the
direct supervision of the Rector; and an Organist plays services, under the supervision of the Choirmaster.

Also among these Anglican attributes is the garb of the choir, which follows historical and liturgical norms,
as outlined below.

According to Catholic liturgical practice, the music at most services is divided into three categories: Service
Music (the “Ordinary” of the Mass and certain other canticles that recur at most services – usually these
allow for congregational participation, but occasionally may be sung by the choir only), Hymns (“Proper” to
each day, and usually taken from the Episcopal Hymnal 1982 – these always allow congregational
participation), and Anthems (also “Proper” to each day, but sung by the choir only – sometimes referred to
as “motets”). All three categories are seen as integral to the worship of St. Andrew’s through its liturgy, and
none are considered “performances” by one group for another; all are done to the glory of God, and are
offered on behalf of all present, regardless of who is actually singing.

This Handbook is not so much meant to be a book of rules, still less to govern the choir’s behavior; but
rather to provide useful information for the Choir singer, including some suggestions to facilitate our
communal life as an ensemble dedicated to the singing of God’s praises.

_____________
*Quire – an architectural term denoting that place in the nave where the Choir sits and sings from during
services. It is divided into two banks of facing seats according to ancient monastic and collegiate liturgical
practice.
Attendance Expectations
It is the intention of the Choirmaster to foster a non-threatening environment for talented people with busy
lives to feel welcome to take part in the music-making at this parish, even if they cannot attend every single
“call” (i.e. services and rehearsals). Choir rehearsals and services should not be seen as inflexible burdens
when schedule conflicts arise; yet it is hoped that a sense of personal commitment will make attendance the
norm when it is possible. In view of this, here are a few standards:

        Volunteer membership in the Choir generally comes with the understanding that each individual
         singer feels that s/he can reasonably commit to at least two-thirds (67%+) of Choir calls through a
         year. For a staff singer, this expectation is closer to four-fifths (80%+) of calls.
        Should attendance during an extended period fall below this average, a singer may wish to consider
         whether withdrawing, either temporarily or permanently, might be the best thing for the Choir,
         and talk this over with the Choirmaster.
        In general, permission to sing at a given service is considered automatic when the singer in question
         was in attendance at the most recent rehearsal (i.e. the Wednesday preceding a given Sunday,
         usually). When a singer cannot attend the most recent rehearsal, then permission to sing at a
         service ought to be obtained personally from the Choirmaster.
        When an absence is anticipated, it is a courtesy to inform the Choirmaster (preferably with an e-
         mail) a week or more prior. For staff singers, this is a necessity, and preferably with more than a
         week’s notice, in order that a substitute may be hired, if deemed necessary.
        For the good of the Choir or the parish, the Choirmaster may make occasional exceptions to the
         above.
        A calendar of rehearsals (usually extending 2-3 months into the future) is distributed monthly
         between Sept. and April. In it, an approximate schedule of each individual rehearsal is provided (at
         least in terms of sequence if not exact times). This is, however, subject to change without notice.
        Tardiness to rehearsals is occasionally necessary; when it is not unavoidable, however, it is a matter
         of courtesy to be in your seat, with new music already collected, by the published start time.

The current configuration of Sunday services at St. Andrew’s (September-June) calls for a quartet of staff
singers (“Staff A”) at the 9:00am service (with the normative call time of 8:15am), and for the full Choir
(volunteer and staff singers [“Staff B”]) at 11:00am (with a normative call time of 10:15am).

In addition, there is a weekly Evensong service on Thursdays at 5:30 (September-June), with the full Choir
participating on the first Thursday of each month (the normative call time being 4:30pm), and a quartet of
staff singers or one or two cantors on the remaining Thursdays of the month. While not required, it is
hoped that volunteer Choir members will make an effort to participate in this monthly offering.

During the summer months (June-Labor Day), there is a spoken service at 8:00am, and a Choral Eucharist at
10:00am, with a 9:00am call time for “Summer Choir” (see below).

There is one regular rehearsal (September-June) every Wednesday, 7:00-9:00pm, in the church, and
occasional additional rehearsals when called. For security purposes, during rehearsals the front gate will be
left locked. Arriving singers are asked to enter the front door of the church or the accessible entrance on the
parking lot, and proceed to the Delzell Room to obtain music, and then proceed to the Quire. Once the
rehearsal has started, the accessible entrance will be locked. This insures that the undercroft, sacristy, and
courtyard are not left unlocked and unattended during rehearsals.
Appearance
One of the characteristics of Anglo-Catholic liturgy is the consideration of the Choir as ministers assisting the
Celebrant/Officiant in the conducting of Divine Service. [Many Protestant denominations view the choir as a
group of lay persons offering a musical number now and then (i.e. not intrinsic to the flow of the liturgy) for the praise of
God and the enjoyment of the worshipers. The Oxford Movement (1830s-40s) was instrumental in altering this
perception in the Anglican Church, looking back to the monastic model of the choir being not only participants, but co-
ministers in the sacramental offerings of the Church.] Hence, we are vested according to traditional norms,
similar to other ministers such as acolytes and clergy.

Each singer shall be given use of a cassock (blue) and a cotta (white). Should a set not be available to a new
Choir member, effort shall be made to procure such by the Choirmaster or designee, paid for out of church
funds. It will be the singer’s responsibility to keep the cassock and cotta laundered, pressed, and mended
when necessary. It is suggested that they be laundered at least twice a year (before Christmas and Easter are
the traditional times).

In addition to the vestments, the following norms are suggested:

         Appropriate footwear (no tennis shoes, sneakers, etc.)
         No turtlenecks or anything that protrudes above the collar of the cassock
         No hats/caps
         Pectoral cross (i.e. on a necklace) is acceptable, except in Lent

Finally, it has long been an Anglican peculiarity to wear academic hoods at times of high celebration; Choir
members are therefore free to wear, over the cotta, an academic hood denoting individual educational
achievement, at the following times: 1) Whenever the liturgical color is white (this includes most high feasts
like Christmas and Easter, All Saints, Ascension, Epiphany, Maundy Thursday, all of Eastertide, etc.); 2) on
Pentecost; and 3) at Evensong (except in Lent). It is stressed that hoods are not to be worn out of pride, or in an
effort to exclude; but as a denominationally-traditional adornment to our garb on festive occasions.

Decorum in the Quire
As the Quire area is not only in the Church itself (i.e. a sanctified place of worship), but is also the most
visible aspect of the church upon first entering; and, as explained above, because the Choir are ministers
themselves in our tradition; decorum is to be maintained to preserve a worshipful atmosphere preceding and
during a service; and orderly cleanliness of the area will offer a good impression to entering worshipers. To
these ends, the following items are suggested:

         No open cups or glasses. Sealable, spill-proof water bottles, placed discreetly under chairs, are
          permitted.
         Please pick up after yourselves (pencils, tissues, cough drop wrappers, other refuse), and keep the
          floor around you generally uncluttered, in order to facilitate movement in and out of the stalls.
          Should anyone wish to use the kneelers, please respectfully do not lean folders or other items up
          against them.
         Except when a rehearsal immediately precedes a service, please do not leave any music, choir
          books, or personally assigned hymnals in or around the Quire seats. This also prevents theft or
          accidental disappearance of costly materials.
         No unnecessary milling around either before or during services. Once the pre-service rehearsal has
          been dismissed, please immediately leave the Quire and go either outside or to the undercroft to
          await the procession into the church (exceptions to this may be granted to certain individuals or in
          the case of inclement weather).
        No activities in the Quire during or preceding a service that could be construed as disrespectful or
         distracting, such as conversation, laughter, dressing or undressing, use of cell phones or any
         electronic devices, busy personal activities, etc.
        Have cell phones, etc., turned off before a service begins.
        Quire chairs should be in neat rows when not occupied.
        Choir members should attempt to sit in an orderly fashion, filling in towards the center aisle and
         towards the front (i.e. closest to the altar) when empty seats occur due to absences. Although
         comfort is a consideration, orderliness is of higher importance.

Sheet Music Guidelines
It is intended that every singer will have a copy of every piece of music, when possible. These will be
distributed at Wednesday rehearsals (usually pieces that have not yet been handed out are placed on the
organ console; but occasionally there is so much material to be distributed that a pew in the church will be
used. Usually the music is laid out in chronological order, so keeping it in your folder in this order will
approximate the order in which it will be sung). The rear pew next to the Decani portion of the Quire is
reserved for the Choirmaster on Wednesday evenings for items that are for specific singers only (e.g. staff
singers), or that have been previously handed out and will be given individually to those singers lacking
them. Please consult the Choirmaster before taking anything from this pew.

Each singer will be assigned a choir box number, each choir box (in the Delzell Room closets) containing the
following:

        A black folder (St. Andrew’s provides a regular three-ring binder; but anyone who wishes to use
         their own folder may do so)
        A copy of the Hymnal 1982, numbered so that markings can be personalized and preserved
        A copy of “The New Church Anthem Book” (usually referred to as “the Black Book”)
        A copy of “Anthems for Choirs” Vol. 1 (usually referred to as “the Pink Book”)
        A copy of “Tudor Anthems”
        A copy of “A Stanford Anthology”
        A copy of “Carols for Choirs” (usually referred to as “the Carol Book”)
        A copy of Handel’s Messiah (Watkins Shaw edition)
        Sopranos, and any altos who desire it, will be provided with a packet of hymn descants

There is a dry erase board in the Delzell Room for the Choir’s use, and before a rehearsal or a service the
items required for that “call” will be indicated on the board. Consult this board before coming upstairs to
insure that you are equipped with everything you’ll need.

After a piece has been sung in service, please place it in the wall-slots provided in the Delzell Room.
Generally each piece will have its own slot. A volunteer is in charge of the separation of items and
cleanliness of the area, but each singer is key to keeping pieces separate and turning them in in a timely
manner, thus assisting in the filing of items. Anyone interested in assisting with weekday filing, please
contact the Choirmaster.

When turning in Evensong music, please remember to re-unite the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis settings that
have been separated in your folders for ease of singing; and Preces & Responses settings should be kept
together.

After the conclusion of a service, do not place used service leaflets, covers, or other items of refuse in the
Delzell Room or the Choir Closets. Please dispose of these yourself (recycling bins are in the undercroft).
Processionals
The Choir always processes in pairs, two singers walking up the center aisle abreast and, at the front of the
aisle, reverencing the altar (by bowing together) and then turning to the sides to return to the Quire by the
side aisles. Please leave approximately 1½-to-2 pew-widths’ distance between yourself and the pair in front
of you, so that, as the pair ahead of you reaches the front and bows, you do not have to come to a halt and
thus cause the entire procession to stop and start behind you.

When there are more singers on one side of the Quire than the other, every second singer should “slide”
over to retain the pairing arrangement. The Choirmaster will always go last; when there are an odd number
of choristers, he will pair with the last singer; when an even number, he will process alone. When the
processional includes a hymn, a hymnal should obviously be carried; when the processional does not include
singing, it is suggested that hands should be folded in front of your abdomen.

The Choir goes forward to take communion before the congregation. If the Communion Motet is
accompanied, the organist should be allowed to go first (unless s/he clearly demonstrates no intention of
going up); if the Motet is a cappella, the organist should go last. The Choir moves forward in pairs following
this invitation (or similar words) said by the Celebrant: “The Gifts of God for the People of God . . .” The
above rules governing pairing apply, but not spacing.


Summer Choir
From the Sunday after Trinity until approximately Labor Day (generally June1 – Sept. 5), the rigors of the
Choir are relaxed. For instance, there is no weeknight rehearsal; there is no vesting or processing during
Summer services; Choir members may sit in the nave of the church for the beginning of the service, rather
than the Quire, should they so choose; staff singers are released to vacation; and the membership of the
Choir is opened to all comers. Attendance at a single rehearsal at 9:00am on Summer Sundays is all that is
required to sing at the 10:00am service. In order to make newcomers feel welcome and not frightened, it is
hoped that a goodly number of Choir members will choose to attend whenever they can over the Summer,
thus providing “coverage” on all parts (at some point it is hoped that resources will be available to hire four
staff singers for this purpose, but it is not possible at present).


Miscellaneous
When standing outside awaiting the beginning of a service, please keep a clear path to the front steps for
arriving worshipers, and do not force them to “run the gauntlet” of Choir members. It is suggested that you
remain in the area closest to and under the crab-apple tree, or in the paved area between the public sidewalk
and the street curb, thus leaving the public sidewalk clear, as well as the area immediately between the front
steps and the sidewalk.

Occasionally, the Delzell Room will be used for a post-11:00-service event. It is appreciated by all,
however, that the Choir must have use of the room immediately after the service for unvesting and music
drop-off. In these instances, it would be helpful for Choir members to take not more than 10 minutes from
the end of the service to be finished in the Delzell Room.