[HANASHIR:6311] Re: solo singing

[ItaSara <ItaSara...>]

I would be interested to hear how you feel about talented congregational 
singers having the opporunity to  have solo parts during a service or hiring 
professional singers. 

This has been an ongoing point of controversy for a a long time at the 
synagogue where I sub for our cantorial soloist (a paying position)  and sing 
 every Shabbat morning as a volunteer choir member.  Although we now have a 
part time cantorial soloist, the issues were present when we had a full time 
cantor. There are pros and cons to both sides of the issue. We have made 
changes over the years that I would consider improvements from hiring only 
non-Jewish professionals in the past to the present where most of us are 
volunteers. 

Here are some of the points involved involving two related issues. What  are 
your thoughts?

Pros for more solo opportunities and/or hiring professionals: 

1. Singers like to have the opportunity to express themselves in song.
2. Singers feel spiritually moved to be part of the service by participating 
with
    a solo, just as congregational members participate in readings; an outlet 
for
    lay participation and lay/clergy cooperation.
3. It adds some individuality to the service.
4. Some congregants are proud to have fellow congregants participate in this 
way
5. It’s an opportunity for singers to learn music as well as introduce other 
Jewish  music to the congregants and to the service. Some choir members have 
a fairly
    good background in Jewish music and can 
6. In a musical community like the one I live it, often Jewish singers 
professional
    or semi professional seek out church jobs because they are more plentiful,
    they pay, and there are more opportunites for a singer to sing. 
7. With paid professionals there is more opportunity to do four part music 
because on
    a volunteer basis most volunteers are women.
8. With an emphasis these days on congregational singing, much of the service 
music
    has become mundane  and too camp like, and to some very boring, sung week 
after   week by the same person and in the same way. Some congregants welcome 
change  others don’t. 
9. With more opportunties, we could attract better singers  and even 
musically   gifted high school congregants and (with pay, which is
    a separate issue) more consistency as to how many singers show up 
everyweek   and the quality of music  might be higher or at least varied. 
Many singers who    have such opportunities in the church setting go on to 
have musical careers. In a  time when we would like to keep Jews in Judaism 
and not in secularism, musical  opportunites might be one way.

Cons to solo singers and/or professionals:
1.  The cantor or cantor soloist is paid to lead the congregation, the choir 
is backup
    and represents  the congregation.
2.  Some volunteers want to sing solo, but they really don’t sing well.
3.  Congregational volunteers who are good singers resent it when 
professionals are
    hired to sing the same music, and professionals usually expect and do get 
solos   
    (whether Jewish or not).
4.  Some congregants only want to hear a cantor or cantor soloist and see no 
reason
    for a choir at all or for individual solos.
5.  oneupmanship and resentment occur between choir members and between choir 
    members     and clergy and between choir members who volunteer and choir    
members who are     paid (depending on the circumstances.)
6.  Focus is lost with solo parts so the service becomes more of a 
performance and 
    less consistent. (although the individual singer may want to perform, I 
don’t 
    myself feel that the result is a performance.)
 

 
      

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