Sacred strains

A STRONG breeze streaming in from the corner window filled the lungs. An occasional rustle of two-wheelers hurtling across the street, broke the silence that prevailed in the room, after each sound. For nearly two hours, the walls of that small room echoed with some of the greatest musical sounds heard in churches across the world. The dedication and commitment shown by the singer's added sweetness to those divine strains.

Indeed, the room has been the meeting place for the John Millns Chorale, a choir group that advocates a disciplined learning and performance of western classical music. The choir was formed 30 years ago from the disbanded youth club choir of the Egmore Wesley church in 1969. "We name our choir after John Millns, a former minister of the Egmore Wesley church. A trained musician himself, Millns had the best choir in Chennai, making them sing the hymns, as they ought to be sung. He was my teacher and remains a major influence in my formative years. So, I have dedicated the choir to him," says Jabez Janakraj, director of John Millns.

He stands erect with head straight, resonating a hymn before his choir. Words come one after the other, with the tone and pitch just right for the song. Jabez owes his music to three important influences during his learning days. While John Millns taught a scientific approach to music that involves techniques to make the voice, Jabez's speech training with Colin Mortimer, a speech expert with the British Council during the 1950s, enables him to understand the nuances of pronunciation, diction and the grammar of speech. Long years of opera lessons with Marina Cocalli, gold medallist from the prestigious Salzburg Academy of Music and prima donna of the Athens Opera, balanced his scientific approach with the sensibility of music. Jabez also mentions that Millns was under the tutelage of Prof. Edward Field Hyd at the Royal School of Music in London. The latter was in turn a student of Manual Garsia, inventor of the laringoscope, and who was also credited for developing a scientific understanding of voice production.

About John Millns ...

During its early days, John Millns functioned as an all male choir. Though the origin of this choir is from the Wesley, it largely stood independent and performed mostly in public. Perhaps the choir is also the only one in Chennai to perform with orchestral accompaniment. "I was also the conductor of the choir in St. Marie's chapel in the Secretariat, since I was a member of the staff there. Many women members of that choir wanted to continue singing with me after my retirement and so John Millns became a mixed choir," says Jabez. Irrespective of their performances, members of John Millns gather for practice sessions twice a week, preparing their voices ready for any song and also to get used to singing as a group. Jabez believes that only through rigorous practice, can a choir perform well. "I think, chorale singing is practised as a professional way of singing. Many mistake it for community singing, but it is not so. We have a commitment to present the best music for our audience. Be it a church service or a public performance," says Jabez.

Though the choir is a voluntary body, regular attendance to the practise sessions is insisted upon and the members are also asked to pay attention to improving their singing. "Here, they don't learn just to sing. They learn their part very well and are made to understand the role of other parts. They even get some inputs on conducting," Jabez says.

Apart from Christmas performances at places like the Gymkhana club, John Millns is also invited to sing in many other programmes. Jabez remembers the appreciation that his choir received for its silver jubilee celebratory programme and during a Christmas performance at the Santhome Cathedral. "We always perform without microphones, it is the tradition. Before performing any oratario, we always understand the age of the composition and try to render it the right way. We always aim for perfection, though we may not achieve it fully," Jabez says.

John Millns is now planning to record a series of sacred music, with their orchestra. They plan to record both the voices and the instruments together, something that has never been attempted before. "The ability of any conductor is put to the test in a recording.

I am prepared to face the challenges in a studio and am training my choir to give their best. We are hopeful that this will happen soon and give us the experience of a life time," adds Jabez.

L. SUBRAMANI

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