I have been a church musician for almost 43 years and have been invited by many churches to “clinic” their choirs. Most of the time, I visit choirs with musical and membership issues.
Most churches in Asia physically and compositionally apply choral music in a Western set-up: a mixed-voice adult choir that usually requires a four-voice hierarchy that represents soprano, alto, tenor, and bass; the four-voice component of an ensemble that adheres to the conventional choral requirement of having soprano, alto, tenor, and bass sections.
I have noticed that church choirs in Asia share common denominators: aging members with aging voices, more women, fewer men, and fewer youths. This sectional imbalance implies more audible upper voices like the sopranos and weak bass. With the aging vocal muscles of the choristers, it is a struggle to sing the iconic traditional anthems. There is also the issue of the lack of choir literature that matches the number and strength of the choirs. In addition, since most churches do not use hymnals with music notations, there are fewer music readers in the choir.? ?
What can we do to maintain our choir tradition? How can the choir still sing if some of the voice sections are missing? What is the essential function of the choir in Asia and in this age?
Here are some of my recommendations for the churches that maintain one of the Bible’s prescribed ministries, the choir (e.g., Isa 6:2–4; 2 Chr 20:21; Luke 2:13–14; Rev 5:11–12):
1. Make the congregation a singing community
Choir ministries can have a harvest of potential choristers from a congregation that values singing. Psalm 30:4 says, “Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name” (ESV). It is encouraging to see churches spending significant time in praise and worship, and singing becomes vibrant when a choir leads the people in singing.?
2. Sing choral literature arranged for three or fewer voices
Many composers and arrangers are now writing and publishing two-voice and three-voice anthems. Other composers write pieces with beautiful accompaniments but for unison singing. A choir singing in unison or one melodic line is still a choir, even without the different vocal parts.?
3. Sing new local choral works
We can consider the words NEW SONG literally in Psalm 96:1: “Oh sing to the LORD a NEW SONG; sing to the LORD, all the earth!” Many new Asian liturgical choral compositions use Asian aesthetics like ethnic rhythms, musical scales, and regional dialects, and are accompanied by tribal musical instruments. The world of choral music is expanding, and many believers worldwide regard Asian and global Christian music as equally expressive and potent for worship as Western music. ? ?
4. Make the choir ministry an avenue for discipleship and spiritual growth
The goal of the choir ministry is to glorify God and edify Christ’s body, the church, through our lives. Even Paul encouraged the Romans in the same spirit: “May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (Rom 15:5–6 The Message).
For Discussion
- Based on Revelation 7:9–12, what kind of music do you think we shall experience when we worship Jesus face-to-face?
- What is the essential function of the choir in your church?
