For In-Choiring Minds: What Altos Know.

2026 AIC1

Don’t read too much into this little dive into stereotypes. Still, someone with a knack for reading between the lines might spot an analogy or two with other domains of the Church—beyond the choir loft—like the sanctuary, the pews, the parish council, and so on. Roles may differ, but we are one body. One—that is—when grafted (joined, wed and aligned) to Jesus and His Church.

Disclaimer
For the record, the prompt for the first image was “create an SATB choir depicting the singers in a stereotypical way.” At first, the AI produced two images. Then it added a conductor and suggested rendering the image in a Baroque style, which resulted in a third image. Why the conductor was included? Who can say? A rogue AI moment?
The rehearsal begins.

Conductor
Let’s start at measure 47. Sopranos, you have the melody. Altos, you have the countermelody. Tenors, you have… (looks at the score) …whatever this is. And basses, you have a whole note. Enjoy.

Bass
A whole note is a lifestyle.

Tenor
Wait, do I come in on beat two or beat three?

Alto
You come in when the spirit moves you. It’s worked so far.

Conductor
No. He comes in on beat two. Please. For the love of Palestrina.

They sing. Chaos ensues.
The soprano soars.
The alto sings the correct notes with suspicious ease.
The tenor enters on beat three.
The bass enters on beat… a philosophical pause.

Conductor
Stop. Stop! Stop!!

(collects himself)

Let’s try again. Tenor, beat two. Bass, beat one. Soprano, please don’t ascend into the stratosphere unless marked. Alto… keep doing whatever sorcery you’re doing.

Alto
It’s called reading the music.

Soprano
I am reading the music. I’m just reading it… aspirationally.

Final attempt
They sing again. It is imperfect, but mostly recognizable.

Conductor
Yes! That’s it! That’s almost it! That’s adjacent to it!

Bass
Adjacent is good.

Tenor
Adjacent feels safe.

Alto
Adjacent is the best we’ve ever done.

Soprano
I still think my high B‑flat would improve it.

Conductor
No.

2026 AIC3

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments will be appreciated and posted if 1) they are on topic and 2) preserve decorum.

Stand by your word.

Popular Posts

The Pynson Ballad concerning the Story of Walsingham

Image
Screenshot | Artistic impression of Medieval Priory built beside the Holy House (Denny) The Foundation of the Chapel of Walsingham The Pynson Ballad, published by Richard Pynson circa A.D. 1485* https://www.walsinghamanglicanmedieval.org.uk/pynson.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20080725010750/http://www.walsinghamanglicanarchives.org.uk/pynsonballad.htm http://devotiontoourlady.com/shrine-of-walsingham.html Of this chapell se here the fundacyon, Bylded the yere of crystes incarnacyon, A thousande complete syxty and one, The tyme of sent Edward kyng of this region. Beholde and se, ye goostly folkes all, Which to this place have devocyon When ye to Our Lady askynge socoure call Desyrynge here hir helpe in your trybulacyon: Of this hir chapell ye may se the fundacyon. If ye wyll this table overse and rede Howe by myracle it was founded indede. A noble wydowe, somtyme lady of this towne, Called Rychold, in lyvynge full vertuous, Desyred of Oure Lady a petycyowne Hir to honoure with some w...
Read more

Liturgical Literacy Through Gesture

Image
One of the quiet strengths of Divine Worship, the Mass of the Ordinariates, is precisely its preservation of a kind of liturgical literacy through gesture. Many contemporary Christians can read words on a page, but fewer can "read" the language of worship enacted by the body. The Ordinariate tradition tends to retain a richer grammar of bodily signs than is commonly encountered in many parishes. By "literacy with gestures" is meant the ability of the faithful to recognize and understand actions such as: making the sign of the cross in acknowledgement and adoration at particular moments, e.g., as the Body of Christ is elevated and when the Precious Blood (chalice) is elevated bowing at the Holy Name of Jesus bowing in reverence toward the cross (the sign of our salvation) and priest (who acts in the person of Christ, in persona Christi ) as the procession passes striking the breast in humility during the Confiteor,  Agnus Dei, and the Domine, non sum dignus genuflect...
Read more

Why the Altar, Not Administration, Defines the Priesthood

Image
St John the Evangelist Church, Calgary AB The saying, “Without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the clergy are merely bureaucrats,” is intentionally provocative, but it expresses an important truth about the nature of the Church and the priesthood. At its heart lies the conviction that the Church is not fundamentally an institution of administration, but a sacramental communion whose life flows from the Eucharistic sacrifice. The priest certainly has many responsibilities beyond the altar. He teaches the faith, preaches the Gospel, cares for souls, comforts the suffering, and guides the Christian community. These are not bureaucratic tasks but genuine expressions of pastoral and spiritual fatherhood. Yet all of these ministries find their deepest meaning in their relationship to the Eucharist, which the Church calls the source and summit of the Christian life (CCC 1324). When the Mass is forgotten or marginalized, the remaining administrative duties of the clergy can easily come to domi...
Read more

Where Light Dwells, Darkness Cannot Remain: The Christian Call to Holiness

Image
The Christian life is fundamentally a participation in the light of Christ. Throughout Sacred Scripture, light symbolizes truth, holiness, and communion with God, while darkness signifies sin, error, and separation from Him. Because Christ is the Light of the World, those who follow Him cannot persist in a lifestyle of sin without contradicting their identity as His disciples. Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). This statement presents not merely a comforting promise but a moral challenge. To follow Christ is to leave behind the darkness of sin and to walk in the illumination of divine grace. Just as physical light dispels darkness, the presence of Christ transforms the soul and calls believers to conversion. St. John develops this theme even more strongly: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He continues by warning that anyone who claims fellowship with God wh...
Read more

The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.

Image
Yes to Virtue; No to Sin The history of salvation is the drama of two opposing kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Every soul must choose between them. There is no neutrality in the spiritual life. Our Lord Jesus Christ calls His disciples to reject sin and pursue holiness, declaring, "No man can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24). The Christian life is therefore a continual and deliberate "yes" to virtue and a steadfast "no" to sin. Virtue is the beauty of a soul conformed to God. It is not merely the performance of isolated good actions but a stable disposition to choose the good with readiness and joy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines virtue as "a habitual and firm disposition to do the good."¹ St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that virtue perfects the powers of the soul, enabling man to act according to right reason illumined by grace.² Through the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, the Christian particip...
Read more

Inside the Language of the Hail! Mary

Image
Have you noticed that during recitations of the Rosary, or during prayers at the end of Low or Said Mass, there’s often a difference in how the Hail! Mary is spoken among parishioners? If you haven’t observed a variation in translation, this little lesson might not resonate. This exploration may seem nitpicky, but for those who value precision, grammar matters, and a refinement of meaning and understanding could deepen understanding and prayer. In the phrase nunc et in hora mortis nostrae ("now and at the hour of our death"), the more natural English translation is: "now and at the hour of our death." The Latin preposition in with the ablative hora can mean "in," "at," or "during," depending on context. Here it refers to a specific moment in time, not an extended period. English idiom therefore favors "at the hour" rather than "in the hour." Compare: in hora mortis → at the hour of death (the moment when death comes...
Read more

POPE LEO XIV Magnifica Humanitas

Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good” (paragraph 211).

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

I doubt not then but innocence shall make false accusation blush, and tyranny tremble at patience.

WORDS TO THE WHYS

The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive. Thomas Sowell

SENECA

He who spares the wicked injures the good.