22 December,2024 08:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Anand Singh
The choir, UNA, performing at the Catholic Gymkhana carol singing night on December 7
Iron scaffolding, safety nets, and the sharp smell of paint are common sights and smells at the iconic Mount Mary's Basilica in Bandra, which is undergoing renovation. Yet, even amid all this chaos, the choir has been gathering in the back hall for about a month. Most singers are Sunday Mass regulars, but there are some new ones, too. Their harmonics rise over and drown out the carpentry repair on the old furniture around them.
Unlike old times, when choir groups were 40-50 members strong across churches, Mount Mary's choir today has shrunk to only 15 singers. Packed schedules at work and academics are largely to blame. But these are dedicated vocalists. Father Michael Goveas, who heads the choir, explains, "Some of them drop out as the year progresses, but new people join every year. We welcome everyone. Since we are not a parish church, [we are a basilica], we need just one choir."
In the last decade, some members have either stopped attending church or joined other choir groups, the church staff told Sunday mid-day. Yet, they manage to gather between a dozen to 25 singers every year.
The Cathedral Choir in Colaba has a steady membership. Mario Nazareth, an accountant, and conductor of The Cathedral Choir, the official Parish choir of the Holy Name Cathedral, says, "We have been fortunate to have a steady membership. And we are diverse in terms of age, profession and musicality. We have schoolchildren to senior citizens. Only few have had a formal education in music..."
Unlike a trend seen in many choirs where members tend to leave within a short time or come together only for concerts, some singers of The Cathedral Choir have celebrated 25 and even 50 years of musical association. "Singing in a group fulfils an inherent need for self-expression, and binds people by a collective purpose. This could be why we have some longstanding members," Mario explains.
It's no news that today's youth are more drawn to popular music. So, to make church choir performances "attractive", Mario says, "Church music, particularly the music sung during the liturgy, is not always a big draw; and often times hardly poses a challenge for serious choir singers. Hence, as a choir, we also attempt âsecular compositions' - music that is meant to be sung/performed outside of the liturgy, as also music that does not have religious overtones. This also helps the choir to improve its musicality."
In August this year, members of the Cathedral Choir, augmented by many others who come together for such big format performances, did a concert with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra at the Tata Theatre. "It featured a mass written by Puccini, which was well-received by a full house. In the second half, we performed some Beatles songs...," he says.
But this doesn't mean that there is less place for or interest in traditional carols and hymns. Mario explains, "During Christmas [and Easter], people look forward to hearing the perennial favourites such as Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful. One year, I didn't include one of these, and some people immediately remarked that it just isn't Christmas without the traditional carols that are commonly associated with Christmas. So too for traditional hymns that worshippers have grown up with."
The Christmas Eve programme is divided into two parts - into carols that tell the Story of Christmas, and the mass. "The first part must follow the sequence of the Christmas story," Mario says. "The mass, is the main part of the service. The selection of carols and other music for the Christmas Eve service has to be a balance of traditional and newer carols or compositions," he adds.
Space is not an issue for choir groups in Mumbai - the associated church always provides ample room to gather. But time is. Most groups that Sunday mid-day spoke to said that students' coaching classes and late work hours hinder choir practice, which consequently weakens the bond within the community. The groups also say they can only dedicate two to three days a week, and a couple of hours per day to practise, even in December. Adrian Pereira, who heads the choir group at St Michael's Church in Mahim, says, "This is pretty much the same challenge that every city choir faces... But our passion for music keeps us going and ensures we find workarounds for any issues that may arise."
Addressing another challenge regarding the shortage of accompanying instrumentalists, Pereira says, "We're fortunate to have some incredible accompanists. However, there are fewer musicians than vocalists, so when our accompanists can't make it to a performance, we improvise with pre-recorded tracks. We're one of the few choirs in the city to do this. As they say, the show must go on."
