Stop, and listen to the choir

A moment from rehearsal. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Alfred J D'Souza, the founder and conductor of The Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble, is about to begin rehearsals at a Bandra school hall. A fly on the wall, we take a seat to watch and listen. At the centre governing the pitches, the choirmaster is dressed in jeans and Birkenstocks. But nothing is casual about D'Souza when he conducts the choir. With animated precision and grace, he is the infectious source of the choir's rising fervour. The music is festive and playful, interspersed with crescendos and gentle falls. With a final swoosh of the hand, the song is complete and the conductor is pleased.

The group practises for its annual concert, A Festival of Festive Music, which will take place tonight and tomorrow at The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) along with over 15 other choirs from across India. It's the 40th edition of the festival, and the fact of this special milestone seems evident in the manner of the rehearsals; or perhaps the passion is due to the standard D'Souza holds his pupils to. If you know ‘Alfie', you'll know that he can be quite strict, but his chiding is always marked by familiarity, especially if you catch a smile escaping from his lips; his choir loves him. "When it's practice time, we practise," he chuckles, "After all, the memorable concerts are the ones that give you the most trouble."

Alfred J D'Souza

This ruby anniversary is energised by a special launch. D'Souza will unveil his first music book, Because He Became A Child, supported by LM Furtado and Co. and published by Hal Leonard. Later in the week, on December 20, the choir will perform the nine original compositions carried in the book at a concert at The Shrine of Don Bosco's Madonna, Matunga.

Recalling memories of writing the works, D'Souza shares, "When we began the choir in 1972, I wanted to perform new music and so, I began writing my own. I was hesitant to tell the choir they were performing an original piece, but they loved it, and so I decided to write and perform two new compositions every year. After keeping them exclusively for The Stop-Gaps for nearly 50 years, I've decided to publish them along with the stories from which they were born." This includes pieces like Oxen melody inspired by a night in his ancestral home in Chennai when he heard a ruckus from the farm next door. "A cow was giving birth and the rest of the animals were by her side comforting her with moos and cries. It got me wondering about how Jesus Christ too was born in a stable surrounded by a few people to witness the miracle."

The choir performs for the late Pope John Paul II in the Vatican; The choir performs during an earlier edition of a festival concert; A previous Christmas concert

Inspired by folklore, shared experiences and biblical tales, often D'Souza's compositions would put Christmas into an Indian narrative. "We don't talk about snow and snowmen in India; we celebrate this season with rangoli decorations and strings of jasmine. Some of these pieces look at Christmas reimagined in India. My next book will have these Indianised compositions," the conductor reveals.

On December 16 and 17 (festival and book launch), 7 pm; December 20 (concert), 6.30 pm
At NCPA, Nariman Point; The Shrine of Don Bosco's Madonna, Matunga.
Log on to @thestopgaps
Cost Rs 850 onwards (for the choral festival)