​In preparation for Tenebrae, the Senior Choir is rehearsing 'Lacrimosa' from the Requiem by Mozart. It is not an easy piece, and all four voice parts are challenged in terms of vocal range and the vocal writing. Mozart does not offer any concessions to a student choir - you either meet him on his terms, or not at all.

     The 'Lacrimosa' has a tragic history -as Mozart completed only the first eight measures of the piece before dying. This was on December 5, 1791, two months before his thirty-sixth birthday. Those eight measures are the last notes he wrote in his own hand-writing. The 'Lacrimosa' was then finished by Franz Sussmayr - Mozart's committed friend, student and disciple. He wrote the rest of the movement modeling it on Mozart's initial theme.
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     Later, at the urging of Mozart's wife, Constanza, Sussmayr went on to complete all the remaining movements of the Requiem. Constanza was naturally anxious to collect the commission that Mozart had been promised. Since Sussmayr's own death, there have been many other attempts by music scholars to complete the Requiem -and this has evolved naturally into different camps - each with their own ideas as to how the work should conclude.
     However, the version that we hear most often is that of Sussmayr - who, for a dear departed friend, wrote what he could in memory of that genius.
Malcolm V. Edwards

Our Nine Lessons and Carols service happens in the season of Advent, and our service this year contains two hymns where that actual music comes to us from thirteen hundred years ago. "Of the Father's Love Begotten" and "Creator of the Stars of Night" are similar in that they both share this ancient heritage.
This is slow-moving, single-line music where stone walls, arches and a high roof reflect sound at odd angles. This is music not designed to impress an audience - but rather to involve the community in an act of worship. This is not a formal concert with visible performers - but rather music intended to evoke mystery - and darkness and candlelight only serve to heighten that mystery. In the music, there is a complete absence of harmony - simply because composers had yet to learn how to combine note with note to form a logical, pleasing sound. 
For the medieval peasant who entered Notre Dame in Paris, it must have been a totally overwhelming experience, where many senses were engaged - sight, hearing, and touch. The vestments, the processions, the stained glass windows and the singing all combined into a unity of beauty and reverence.
It is impossible to replicate this same sense of awe and wonder in our own time - but at our upcoming service, if you are lucky and have read this newsletter, you might catch a faint glimmer of a medieval, earlier time when we sing those two hymns.

Malcolm V.  Edwards

​We are five weeks away from our rehearsal at the Cathedral for 'Nine Lessons and Carols' - and so preparing Christmas music is at the top of our list. One of the selections that the Chamber Choir will sing is one (that to my knowledge) has never been performed at this event. The carol is called "Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day" -and it is a fascinating work - both musically and textually. The carol has a brand-new musical setting by the British composer, John Gardner (1917-2011) and while many carols have a dance element and an infectious rhythm, Gardner takes the rhythmic element to a new height.
The piece is multi-metric - that is, some measures have two beats while others contain one or three (all inter-mixed). Tapping one's foot or trying to clap to the beat can lead to mental breakdown - so I don't recommend it! Gardner's intent with these rhythmic changes is not to show off -but to simply set the text -which in itself is highly irregular. Thus, his combination of both music and text is truly impressive.
'Tomorrow shall be' is unusual in that it is Christ who is the narrator, and it is He who tells his story. There are close Medieval parallels among the many 'cradle prophecy ' carols in which the infant Christ foretells his future to his Mother while seated in her lap.
The repertoire for choirs at Christmas is huge - ranging from the Medieval period to the contemporary. Gardner's 'Tomorrow shall be' somehow synthesizes the very old with the very new - and the result feels like a healthy gust of fresh air into a stuffy room.

Malcolm V. Edwards

This is the final newsletter for this academic year - and so this is an opportunity for me to express my heartfelt thanks to the Senior Choir students for an incredible year. Not only did we sing at eleven Masses -along with numerous Outreach Concerts - but our members took major parts in The Music Man Jr production. 

Topping all of these events, however, was the joint concert with the St. Michael's Choir School from Toronto. On the morning of the concert, I mentioned to the choir that this was the most important concert of their lives at SJCS. Unfortunately, the rehearsal on that morning did not go well - and, I freely admit, that some of that was my fault. But what a contrast on that evening!
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Our students were fired up -and they gave everything that they had with unity, passion, and a visceral connection to the music. For me, this was the highlight of the whole year.
As happens every year, we are losing our Grade Twelves as they depart for 'fresh fields and pastures new'. Every year, I wonder and worry needlessly how we are going to replace those skilled singers. But every Fall, renewal occurs, and other students take their place. The overall musical culture in the choir brings this about - as students over the time that they are in the choir improve their musical skills - and as a result start to show real musical leadership. As an addendum to this thought, I know of several SJCS grads who are now employed in the service of the church -either as a singer, conductor or as an organist. It's good to see that our influence is spreading.

Malcolm V. Edwards

I am aware that the topic of last month's newsletter was the impending musical - and I didn't intend to refer to it again for this month. BUT - it was such an amazing production that I need, at least, to make some remarks about it. There were so many quality aspects about the show - the costumes that complemented the period, the scenery, the heart-stopping moment when that huge Wells Fargo wagon entered the stage, and the way in which our students surrendered their disbelief and became true citizens of River City. It is difficult to have large numbers of people on stage, and have them all react in an authentic way to the spoken dialogue and the plot. Yet this is what I observed even among the minor characters who made up all of the crowd scenes.
Performing with a music track is difficult - but it was entirely necessary. For this show, an orchestral backing was needed, because having the accompaniment played on the piano (however expert the player) would have sounded weak and ineffectual. For the students, singing with a professional orchestra was an added bonus.

There was certainly lots of humour - but for me there were also moments of deep poignant feelings.  "My dear little librarian - pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find you've collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays" - "For the first time in my life I got my foot caught in the door." Leonard Boudreau, who played the salesman, Harold Hill, was a master of the pause - that silence on stage which heightens the emotive moment.
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So, the next musical will be in 2027 - and, whatever is chosen, it will be hard to surpass in sheer dramatic and musical quality what we saw and heard at SJCS in 2025.
Malcolm V. Edwards

​This term promises to be an especially busy time for the Senior Choir. In addition to an extra Mass on February 2, we are learning music for Tenebrae (April 13), St Michael's Joint Concert (April 25), our Year-End concert on May 26, as well as two Outreach performances. Throw in to this list, our production of 'The Music Man' on March 20/21/22 - with over 50% of the senior choir taking part in this musical-  and it follows that we have no time to waste.
I want to give some more information regarding the St. Michael's Concert on April 25 - as many parents will be unaware that this is taking place. St Michael's Choir School in Toronto is a semi-private Catholic choir school for boys from grades three to twelve. It was founded in 1937 and is overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toronto. They are bringing their Junior and Senior Choir on a tour of Western Canada - and one of their stops is in Calgary at SJCS - where we will be hosting a workshop with them and then an evening concert at Knox United Church downtown. St Michael's boasts a long list of alumni who have distinguished themselves in politics, the arts and of course music. This includes opera singers, keyboard virtuosos as well as a member of the band 'Bare Naked Ladies'.
I know that this particular concert will attract a lot of interest from outside our school community -and I can predict that Knox will be at capacity for that evening. This event is a major stimulus for our Senior Choir to be the very best that they can be, and I know that this will be an eye and ear-opening experience for them. St Michael's has over eighty years of tradition behind it, while we are comparative youngsters. It will make for an interesting combination of two traditions and history.
Malcolm V. Edwards

By the time this news-letter is in print, we will be very close to one of our major choral events of the year - Nine Lessons and Carols. The Senior Choir started rehearsing our Christmas music in September. There were many days in September and October when the sun was shining outside, and the temperature read a pleasant 20 degrees. Meanwhile, inside the school we were labouring over 'In the Bleak Mid-Winter.' Starting early is a necessity given the sheer volume of music we have to learn.
In addition to all the music, the choir has to process into the Cathedral - and this is the equivalent of planning a major military campaign. Students line up in two pre-planned lines - one with 43 members and the other with 44 members. Yes, your math is correct - one student does not have a partner. Students then do a slow dignified walk up the main aisle, genuflect at the altar, and then if the lines and partners are correct, students will arrive at their correct chair in their correct section. If this fails to happen, everyone exits the Cathedral, and we reform the lines outside in the middle of the blizzard - just kidding!
The service of Nine Lessons and Carols has a long history. The first event was held in a tiny church in Truro, Cornwall in 1880 -while the move to King's College, Cambridge came about in 1918. In our own school, we have celebrated this service at Assumption Church, St Anthony's and finally, St Mary's Cathedral. Each move was due to the need for more space, as each year, congregations grew larger and larger. For many of our congregants, it represents an authentic welcome to the music and readings of this blessed season.
Malcolm V. Edwards

Over the last couple of months the Senior Choir has learned and performed a short motet called 'Laudate Nomen'(Praise the Name). The work is by Christpher Tye (1505-1571). Tye attained a music degree from Cambridge University in 1537 -again, astonishing to realize that universities such as Oxford and Cambridge were fully functioning that long ago. He then became the choir master at Ely Cathedral -a beautiful church in the county of Norfolk. It is more than likely that his choir in Ely sung 'Laudate Nomen' a number of times during his tenure at the church. However, Tye soon relinquished his musical role and turned to the priesthood -and he was ordained as a priest in 1561. Very little of his music remains.
I mention this only to draw attention to the miracle of musical notation. We are only able to sing Tye's piece in 2024 because he wrote it down. In other words, our students in Calgary were able to gain access to what, originally, was a product of Tye's brain from five hundred years ago.
This is the power of musical literacy. It provides a gateway to the past, and an awareness and a link to that past. This is an extremely important part of any education in music - and one that SJCS does its best to uphold and to teach.
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Malcolm V. Edwards