New suggestions

I received a suggestion yesterday from someone that the choir members wear choirdress when singing during the Liturgy, i.e. cassock and surplice. What do you guys think?

Another suggestion was to put up pictures of each choir member. However, I don't think this is a good idea as members may come and go and this is a service to Holy Mother Church, not to promote ourselves like some sort of pop star.=))

Choir Prayers

Before the Liturgy:

Almighty God, give us grace to remember that we are in Thy Holy Presence, that we may serve Thee with reverence and godly fear, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

1 Pater, 1 Ave, 1 Gloria.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us (3x)

St Gregory, pray for us.
St Cecilia, pray for us.

After the Liturgy:

Pardon, O Lord, all the faults of our prayers and praises, and help us to worship Thee more worthily, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

1 Pater, 1 Ave, 1 Gloria.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us (3x)

St Gregory, pray for us.
St Cecilia, pray for us.

Some do's and dont's for a choir member (not exhaustive)

As the title goes, this is not an exhaustive list of how a choir member should conduct himself when singing during the Liturgy, but they are based on experience and observations thus far, so here goes:

1. Do not end your singing with an abrupt loud blast unless indicated by the conductor. Usually all pieces should end gently and subtly.
2. Don't sing too fast, similarly don't sing too slow. Follow the conductor's rhythm. He's there not for decoration, but for a practical purpose. Also, do not try to outdo each other in terms of volume. The quality of a Gregorian choir is measured by how well each member merge their individual voices into one single voice. Therefore, all members should sing try to sing at the same volume and pace.
   
3. Do not bury your head in the book or music sheets when singing. Let your voice project out for all to hear.
4. Members should alternate their breathing if they cannot hold the note for too long. However, the alternation should not be distinguishable by the faithful. While breathing in, try not to make that distinct breathing noise.
   
5. While at Mass, wait attentively/meditatively for Mass to begin. Mark your books for the first few parts that would be sung. It goes without saying that you should be aware of what is to be sung next and to have the proper pages marked accordingly.
6. Refrain from starting unnecessary conversations in the pews prior to Mass. Respect other members' time for prayer.
7. Choir members are required to bow at the singing of the Holy Name of Jesus and the first part of the Gloria Patri. Just a simple bow will do (a slight nod of the head). There is no need to use the moderate or even profound bow. Genuflect at the "et incarnatus est......" of the Credo.
8. Inevitably, after Mass, some people will come to speak to us. But under most circumstances, we should all kneel together to pray for a short time and then leave the pews together. Please see the choir members prayer post.
9. Make sure and touch base with the Choir Master before leaving to let him know in advance if one could not make it for the upcoming practice.
10. Do try to listen to a wide variety of chant and sacred music recordings. Listen and see how other professional groups/scholas sing, but do not limit yourselves to any single particular group. One learns chant mainly from listening, not from reading books.
11. Do practice, practice, and practice until everyone gets it right. Never be overconfident over short and seemingly simple pieces.
    

Membership information

If you are interested in participating in this ministry, please contact Cyril at +60 16-361-9104 or send a message to cyrilaugustineyee at gmail dot com for more details.

Requirements for Membership:

• Male (for the Mass propers), regardless of age, as long as determined by the Choir to be able to sing in tune. Under usual circumstances, females are not allowed to sing the Mass propers, but may do so for the hymns, sacred polyphony and Mass ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus). Thus, males and females are encouraged to join us.
  
• Practicing Catholic.
  
• Attendance at practices and scheduled liturgical celebrations at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sungai Buloh. We take our practices very seriously as we want to glorify God and edify the faithful for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, rather than being a source of distraction and annoyance to the senses. Members would not be allowed to sing if they have not practiced beforehand. The principle we take is, we'd rather not sing than to sing badly and distract the faithful.
  
• Practices every week (about 1-2 hours each).
  

Required Equipment:

• Your voice.
  

We do not desire for membership to be cost prohibitive, so music sheets will be provided.

Current Members:

• Cyril Yee
  
• Daryl Lim
  
• Gabriel Lim
  
• Isaac Teng
  
• Jason Undan (away for studies)
• Nigel Lim
  

Sexagesima Sunday

For February 11, 2007 which is Sexagesima Sunday, we are going to sing:

1. Procession: O Thou Immortal Holy Light
2. Asperges me
3. Introit: Exsurge quare obdormis
4. Kyrie XI (Orbis Factor)
5. Gradual: Sciant gentes
6. Tract: Commovisti
7. Credo IV
8. Offertory: Perfice gressus meos
9. Offertory hymn: Ubi caritas et amor
10. Sanctus XI (Orbis Factor)
11. Agnus Dei XI (Orbis Factor)
12. Communion hymn: Was Magnificat with antiphon Vobis datum est. Now changed to Benedictus Qui Venit
    
13. Communion: Introibo
14. Recession: Hail, Jesus, Hail
    

Click on the links to hear samples where available.

In the beginning...

Welcome.

The Sacred Heart Choir is a group of boys and men from the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia in the archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, who share a zeal for sacred music, especially Gregorian Chant, sacred polyphony and Holy Mother Church.

The intention of this blog is to represent our group and help visitors discover the wonderful realities which permeate the liturgies of our rich Catholic tradition through the beauty of Gregorian Chant. It is also meant to inform members (and others too!) about the upcoming chants and hymns to be practiced. We desire to promote the use of traditional sacred music for prayer as best as we possibly can.

We usually sing at every Sung Mass (Tridentine Rite) at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sungai Buloh, which currently occurs on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, plus on major feast-days, if possible.