According to a study on
‘Temple Architecture’, a temple or church must be well designed to contain the
church choir and other singing groups so that these ministers of music will be
able to perform their duties very well. According
to the study, the designated areas to position the church choir is Choir
Loft and the Retro-Choir.
Choir Loft:
(also called Quire or Choir): a
raised area above the sanctuary, or a set of risers behind the sanctuary where
the choir sits during services. The part of the church east of the crossing,
usually occupied by the priests and singers of the choir. The name ‘choir’ is used because traditionally
the clergy of the Cathedral stood here as a chorus, chanting, or singing during
the responsive portion of the service. Maynard (n.d.) also writes that “this
area was originally used for the choir to sing responses to the mass with the
congregation. Now, it is used for a choir to sing hymns or Christian songs.”
Ross (n.d.) states emphatically that the choir loft or choir “is the part of a
church were services are sung.”
Retro-choir:
(also known as retroquire or
backchoir): The back-choir or retro-choir is a space behind the
high altar in the choir of a
church.
On choir
architecture, we are talking about where and how the choir loft or choir should
be. The Familypedia informs that,
Architecturally,
the choir (Anglican alt. spelling quire)
is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for
the clergy and choir. It is usually in the eastern
part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary (which houses the altar).
In the Early Church the sanctuary was
connected directly to the nave. Choir was simply the east part of the nave, and
was fenced off by low railing, called cancelli, from which we get our
English word chancel. The development of the
architectural feature known as the choir is the result of the liturgical development brought about
by the end of persecutions under Constantine the Great
and the rise of monasticism. The word
"choir" is first used by writers of the Western Church. Isidore of Seville and Honorius of Autun write
that the term is derived from the "corona", the circle of clergy or
singers who surrounded the altar.
When first
introduced, the choir was attached to the bema, the elevated platform in the
center of the nave on which were placed seats for the higher clergy and a lectern for scripture readings. This
arrangement can still be observed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. Over
time, the bema (or presbytery) and
choir moved eastward to their current position. In some churches the choir is
arranged in the apse behind the altar.
Some European cathedrals ‘also’ have a
retro-choir behind the High Altar, opening eastward towards the chapels (chantries) in the eastern extremity.
The
architectural details of the choir developed in response to its function as the
place where the Divine Office was
chanted by the monastic brotherhood or the chapter of canons.
The choir area is occupied by sometimes finely carved and decorated
wooden seats known as choir stalls, where the clergy (now choristers)
sit, stand or kneel during services. The choir may be furnished either with
long benches (pews) or individual choir stalls. There
may be several rows of seating running parallel to the walls of the church.
The use of
choir stalls (as opposed to benches) is more traditional in monasteries and collegiate churches.
Monastic choir stalls are often fitted with seats that fold up when the monastics stand and fold down when
they sit.
Often the
hinged seat will have a misericord (small wooden seat) on
the underside on which he can lean while standing during the long services. The
upper part of the monk's stall is so shaped as to provide a headrest while
sitting, and arm rests when standing. Monasteries will often have strict rules
as to when the monastics may sit and when they must stand during the services.
Choir benches
are more common in parish churches. Each bench may
have padded kneelers attached to the back of it
so that the person behind may kneel at the appropriate times during services.
The front row will often have a long prie-dieu running in front of it
for the choir members to place their books on, and which may also be fitted
with kneelers.
It is important to know that, aside the original place of the church
choir, some church choirs are found in the gallery; in the church today, a
gallery is the covered corridor in an upper story overlooking the nave, from
the end of the inner chapel.
On how galleries found their way into the church, Ross
(n.d.) writes that,
Gallery is a platform, raised above the church floor. Galleries were
often located at the west end of the church, over the west door, and used to
house musicians or singers performing during church services. For this reason,
they are sometimes called minstrel's galleries or musician's galleries.
Uncommon during the medieval period, galleries came into use in the late 17th
century. During Cromwell's Commmonwealth the playing of organs or similar
instruments in churches was banned, and many organs were destroyed.
When singing and music was reintroduced during the Restoration period
under Charles II, there was a shortage of organs, so local musicians joined
forces and played during services. Galleries were built for the use of these
musicians, often using wood from dismantled rood lofts and screens. When these
musicians played, the congregation would turn to face the gallery. Organ
playing once more gained popularity in the 18th century and many minstrel
galleries were simply used as extra seating.
Recommendations:
Churches who
have their choirs positioned in the rear gallery, must consider (if there is
space) to relocate their choirs closer to the front space of the church. The
choir leads in congregational singing; the conductor directs the choir, as well
as the whole congregation in congregational singing; therefore, both the choir
and the conductor must be visible to the congregation.
A choir, in the
front space of the church, should not just be at the floor level; they must be
on an elevated platform – the risers. This will help provide a good sound, even
without amplifiers. Again, in the choir loft, considering choir architecture,
each member can have access to the conductor during singing.
Churches that
are yet to build their temples, either in a medieval architecture or in a
modern architecture, should greatly consider the ‘temple architecture’. This
will help them know the various inner part of a temple and design the church
accordingly, putting the church choir into a no difficult situation, in the
performance of their role in the church.
If churches are
designed with ‘Temple Architecture’, ‘Choir Architecture’ and ‘Acoustics’ in
mind, a choir loft is the ideal location for the choir. In many churches, the
choir has abandoned the loft to its own detriment. The basic role of the choir
is to complement the clergy in the performance of their role; and to achieve
this very well, the choir should be place in the ‘original or architectural’ part
of the church.
You can also read more on 'THE RIGHT PLACE OF THE CHOIR' via this link http://nanakrhythms.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-right-place-of-choir.html
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