How do you get a 60-plus choir to sing Gounod’s sublime 19th-century Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile beautifully? Choirmaster Hugo Agius Muscat tells Veronica Stivala that the success of such a concert is no random event.

December is always a special month for the St Paul Choral Society (SPCS) because it is when the choir holds numerous Christmas concerts in a number of venues around Malta.

Every alternate year is even more special because the society performs its grand choral and orchestral concert.

This biennial concert has become a popular event for music lovers. As has become the norm, the concert – held a few weeks ago, which I attended – filled St John’s Co-Cathedral with patrons.

Dedicated to St Cecilia, one of the highlights of the Gounod-themed concert was the sublimely beautiful Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile (1854) for soloists, choir, organ and orchestra.

Gounod had made a commitment to restore French religious music to the prestige it previously enjoyed before the Reformation with its attributes of precision, taste and elegance.

The Messe Solennelle is one of the best examples of the composer fulfilling this pledge.

It goes without saying that it is no joke for a 60-plus choir to sing this complex 19th-century French piece so beautifully.

This is all the more impressive when one considers that the choir members are not full-time music professionals. I am curious to find out the process behind the creation of a polyphonic piece such as this.

We work all year round to achieve as high a standard as possible

Briefly put, polyphony means that different melodies play at the same time. In choral music this translates to different melodies being sung concurrently by different voices. Choirmaster Hugo Agius Muscat explains the rehearsal process.

“In simple terms, the choir first divides into four (or more) sections to prepare the different melodic lines separately, then everyone comes together and the choirmaster assembles the whole with careful attention to the composer’s intentions.”

This, he confides, is a pain-staking process but the resulting harmony and counterpoint are very satisfying for all involved.

Because there are so many melodies at play, the choirmaster needs to be more aware of the thematic material and its development than in homophonic music. It is the choirmaster’s role to ensure that the relevant voice is given due prominence.

Hugo Agius Muscat

Agius Muscat says how he is kept busier in such cases because he has to give more cues and has to shape each voice separately.

If the singing is a cappella (i.e. without accompaniment), this is all the more taxing as singers need to place and support their pitch with great care.

Preparation for the St Cecilia concert began last year. While music was naturally the key element of the concert, the next major challenge was the sponsorship needed to meet the hefty expenses involved, especially the cost of the orchestra.

Then came months of hard work by the choristers to learn all the music. Creating and rehearsing the 33-strong orchestra was another major feat.

To this one has to add score preparation, logistics, publicity, programme preparation and a thousand and one other things.

“The success of a concert is not a random event. It is the culmination of a huge amount of work by a large team of people,” says Agius Muscat.

The treats from the SPCS continue this year with a number of Christmas music events. The choral society has a number of similar events to compete with. So why should we attend theirs?

“We work all year round to achieve as high a standard as possible and this naturally attracts people to our events,” says Agius Muscat.

The Anglican Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols are really church services in which reading of Christmas scriptures is intertwined with sacred Christmas music. This is inspired by the service held on Christmas Eve at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.

Many of those who attend these services tell the society that they find the experience truly uplifting.

Speaking about future plans for the SPCS, Agius Muscat says he hopes they will be able to record another CD.

The choir has some vacancies in all sections except altos, he adds.

The ideal chorister starts out with a good musical ear, a reasonably strong well-pitched voice, a basic knowledge of music and, above all, a desire to sing with others more than alone, Agius Muscat says.

Why join? “Any dedicated chorister will tell you that there are few things in life as satisfying as singing in a good choir.”

The SPCS will sing at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, San Pawl tat-Tarġa today at 6.30pm and tomorrow at Holy Trinity church, Sliema, at 6.30pm.

www.spcs.info