Although well-fitted masks covered their mouths and noses, the members of the National Chorale of Jamaica (NCOJ) nonetheless belted out high notes of praise which floated up towards the high ceiling of the St Theresa Roman Catholic Church and resounded throughout the virtual space last Wednesday, at a candle lighting ceremony in honour of lives lost during the pandemic.
Dressed in full black with a pop of bright red around the collar, the men and women of the NCOJ appeared to be quite a happy, carefree bunch as they assembled outside the church, chit-chatting on a variety of topics including a guard of honour, the governor general’s absence and refreshments for the children post-event. However, once inside, they were all sombre and professional as, through their musical selections, the choristers brought to life the evening’s theme – Celebrating the Resilience and Unity of the Human Spirit.
Winston Ewart, producer and musical director of the chorale, took his charges through a selection of hymns, gospel acclamations, prayers in song, arias and anthems, all interspersed with reflective readings. Among the songs of healing performed by the choir were: Walter B. Gilbert’s Pleasant Are Thy Courts Above; the hymn, For All the Saints; Lord For They Tender Mercies; A Joyful Alleluia; When I am Laid in Earth, by Christine MacDonald, director/leader of the Jamaican Folk Singers; the Negro spiritual, I Stood on the River Jordan, arranged by Moses Hogan; and What Sweeter Music and Look at the World, two pieces which incorporated young students from Central Branch, Excelsior, and Jessie Ripoll primary schools.
The centrepiece of the ceremony was the candle lighting which saw Custos of St Thomas Marcia Bennett representing Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, whose name was on the programme to perform the symbolic ‘Lighting of the Candle for the People of the World’. With much pomp and circumstance, Bennett stood in the gap and lit a large candle for the world. Following this, custodes or their representatives from the 14 parishes solemnly lit candles in memory of persons who died from COVID-19 and carefully placed each one on a map of Jamaica which occupied pride of place inside the church. The cameras then zoomed in on people at home who also lit their solitary candles in memory of family members who lost their lives to COVID-19.
“Musically, I am quite pleased with the general flow of the service. My only regret is that all the custodes were not able to attend and the governor general was not present, but nonetheless, it was a lovely service, and I hope that the congregation enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you,” Ewart told The Gleaner.
Regarding the face coverings, he admitted that it was “not easy” to sing with them, but it was important to observe all COVID protocols. “In fact, some were advocating that we [sing] with the mask and the face shield, but that had implications for the sound, so we did away with the face shield and just sang with the mask. Maybe it subdued some of the crescendos a bit. The thing about singing is that we have to adapt to the acoustics of the place and the conditions under which we are singing, so I wouldn’t offer any apologies for that. It’s all in the game,” he said.
IMPORTANT SYMBOL
In a statement of purpose at the start of the ceremony, vice-chair of the National Chorale and political ombudsman, Donna Parchment Brown, noted that “lighting candles is an important symbol used as a tribute in memory of those who have passed away. The chorale believes that music, prayer and these readings can be sources of respect, godly comfort and fellowship. It is our prevent hope that the dearly departed from Jamaica and beyond will rest in peace.”
The National Chorale of Jamaica consists of 25 singing members, and Ewart has been the conductor of the group since 1996. It was founded in 1972 to promote, maintain and conduct a group to perform choral music at the highest level of excellence and bridge the gap in musical presentation in Jamaica.
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