Is it appropriate to enter a church while a chorus is performing?
On Sunday, I was walking in Zürich and came across St. Jakob Church. When I approached the door, I saw that a chorus was performing. Since there was nobody around except the people seated in the church, I hesitated to enter.
If that happened at Fraumünster or Grossmünster, probably there would be lots of tourists around and I would follow the crowd. I didn't have that chance at St. Jakob.
Maybe the same rules don't apply to all churches, but I wonder what the best practice is.
Best Answer
If it's a Christian church on a Sunday, it's likely to be a service. Interrupting those, at least as a sightseer rather than a member of the congregation, is likely to be unwelcome. If it's not a Sunday, it may well be a rehearsal for a concert.
As a semi-professional musician, I do concerts like this most weekends, many of them in churches. I personally like it very much when visitors come in during rehearsals. Religious buildings get an extra dimension when they are filled with liturgical music, and the more people that can enjoy it, the better. I can't remember when I last did a rehearsal in a church without a few sightseers.
If you do decide to go in, it is more important than anything else to be quiet. Make sure your phone is set to silent, and don't answer it if it rings. Don't talk to the people you're with in anything above a whisper. For my money, you don't have to sit there; walking around is fine, but not if your footsteps are audible. The orchestra and choir may well have met that day for the first time, and they will have only a couple of hours to put the programme together. The conductor will be trying to get his or her requirements across to about two hundred musicians in a resonant acoustic, and anything that makes that harder is unwelcome.
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What is choir etiquette?
Listen to the people around you, contribute to the best of your abilities, and blend your voice with others. Tips for when you're not singing. Listen to the other voice(s) being rehearsed, think how that part fits with yours, go over your words, etc. Silence, please.What does the Bible say about singing in the choir?
Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 bring this out simply but powerfully, telling us to sing \u201cto God\u201d and \u201cto the Lord\u201d because he is the object of our praise. Ephesians 5:19 says, \u201csinging and making melody to the Lord with your heart.\u201d It is to him and about him that we sing!What does the Bible say about music in church?
The principal direction of congregational singing is to the Lord (Ps. 96:1). Music is made first of all to the Lord and only secondarily to each other. Music should communicate and express a sense of awe and wonder in the presence of God; it should lead our thoughts toward God rather than toward ourselves.What does the Bible say about chorister?
One who sings in the choir is a chorister. Choristers are ministers of the gospel through songs. Choristers are the Levites of today, meant to perform sacred duties in the house of God (Numbers 3:6-12).Choir conducting for complete beginners | Choral conducting for amateur choirs | Amateur conducting
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Answer 2
If there's nobody at the door regulating entrance to the church, then you can assume that the performance is either a concert with no admission fee or a religious service. In either case it would generally be acceptable for you to enter the church.
Answer 3
You tagged "switzerland" but did not mention the denomination of the church.
If it is a Christian church, it should be free to enter. Historically their doors were always open, but in the late 20th century theft became rife, and churches began to lock their doors.
Apart from that, anybody should be able to enter any Christian church, no matter what their own religion, or none, provided they are respectful.
There are tourists who go around blindly, photographing everything but seeing and understanding nothing. I hope your way is more sympathetic and experiential.
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