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DiggJoseph Buchalski’s Trinity Choir Memories
April 7, 2010
Joseph Buchalski in 1933 and in 2010.
By Nicole Seiferth
Like everyone in Trinity Church on Easter Sunday this year, Joseph Buchalski wholeheartedly sang the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah at the end of the service. But Joseph was probably the only one there who could say with authority that that song has been an Easter tradition at Trinity since at least the 1930s.
“Are you kidding? I could sing it backwards,” he said.
Joseph joined the Trinity Choir in 1933, when he was 13 years old. His high school music teacher introduced him to the Peterson brothers, who sang in the Trinity Church Choir. It was the start of a musical career at Trinity that spanned three decades, a World War, and two music directors.
Joseph was no stranger to singing when he auditioned for organist and choirmaster Channing Lefebvre. At an early age, his brothers would take him to singing contests in New Jersey to make money.
“I love singing,” he said. “I sing anything, I don’t care what it is. I love how it sounds in my ear, how it makes me feel.”
Joseph is now 89 and his Easter 2010 visit to Trinity was the first time he’d visited the parish in years. He retired from the choir in 1956 to spend more time with his wife and their two children.
As a young teenager in the choir, he has many happy memories of singing and socializing with his fellow choir members, of whom there were 45 at that time. The boys of the choir rehearsed two days a week at 211 Fulton Street, and one day with the men. After the 11am service at Trinity Church, they would all go out to eat together. Child’s, a neighborhood restaurant, opened a location on Cortland Street just to feed the Trinity Choir, Joseph recalls. For two weeks each summer, the parish would send the choir boys to a summer camp in Great River “just to kid around and have fun.”
But, really, it was the music, from the beginning, that was important to Joseph.
“Channing and [former music director ] George Mead picked out beautiful masses to sing. On Ascension Day we sang with the Philharmonic Orchestra across the front of the altar. We rehearsed from June to the following year to put those masses on. It was beautiful. Great times.”
As Joseph got older, his voice changed and he moved into the men’s section of the choir as an alto. He laughed when he recalled this move, because he said it prepared him well for his singing project after leaving the Trinity Choir: baritone in a barbershop quartet, a group that he has been singing with for more than 20 years.
While Joseph was growing up and getting engaged to his high school sweetheart, Anne, World War II began. In January 1944, like several of his choir friends, Joseph joined the service. He returned to New Jersey briefly to marry Anne, returned to the service and came home for good in October 1945, the same day his infant son, Robert, came home from the hospital.
Several of his fellow choir members were killed overseas or returned home seriously damaged by their war experiences.
“My best friend, he sang with us in the choir,” Joseph recalled quietly. “He came home, I met him at the station, he took his uniform and put it in the furnace. Never talked again about being a Marine because his memories were so bad. That was a sad part of my life.”
Joseph resumed singing with the choir within a month, while embarking on a new career at the Navy shipyard in Brooklyn. When the shipyard closed, he worked for civilian engineering firms, a career that eventually took the Buchalski family all over the world.
“In all my years of working, 50 years, I was never out of work one day. I love the Lord for taking care of me. I say, ‘Hey, Joe here.’ We’re on speaking terms.”
Always singing with the choir on major holidays, Joseph often brought his family to Trinity with him. Although an active Roman Catholic, he had a deep appreciation for Trinity’s liturgy and, of course, music.
“I learned everything I say in mass today in my church in Trinity Church,” he said, laughing. “I just loved everything about it. I loved the people, I loved the way they treated me, and I liked the way they conducted their masses – first class.”
In his years here, Joseph fondly recalls meeting Geoffrey Fischer, then Archbishop of Canterbury, hearing some of the great preachers of the day, and singing with some of the city’s foremost musicians.
“These guys were great people. They were so nice – they weren’t stuffy at all.”
It’s hard to believe that Joseph Buchalski is going to be 90 this year – he projects the kind of energy, enthusiasm, and eagerness for life that one would expect to see in a man of twenty.
“I feel so young here,” he said, his voice full of emotion. “I feel so thrilled that I sang in this place. I can’t say how much I love this church. I just adored everything we did here. One of the best things in my whole life, except when I got married.”
Nicole Seiferth is assistant editor of website and parish publications.
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Comments
I am Joe's son-in-law, who married his daughter Joanne. I can't put into words how happy our visit toTriniity on Easter sunday made dad feel. He is special and has always made an impact on anyone who met him. At the age of 89 he is still full of life and his family is blessed to be a part of that life. Nicole, thanks for the wonderful article about our "Special Guy". jerry
Jerry Krackenfels on April 9, 2010
Our visit to Trinity Church on Easter Sunday had to be one of the most beautiful days we've experienced as a family. My Dad had the opportunity to relive the years he spent at Trinity Church, the fond memories he had singing in the choir. The Easter Sunday service was so beautiful and what a perfect day for Dad to be there. That day has brought so much happiness into his life...with my Mom and all of us right at his side. Thank you, Nicole, for the warmth you showed to my family. Thank you to everyone at Trinity church for the joy and happiness to brought to my Dad and family. Joanne
Joanne on April 9, 2010
Thank you Nicole for the excellent article about my dad. It made his day. Please send our best to the photographer who took the great pictures. Please note: We are planning on bringing Dad back on some more occasions and please set aside some time on Easter Sunday April, 12, 2020 for Dad to return and sing Handle's Messiah with the then current choir........
Robert on April 9, 2010
A wonderful warm, positive, up-lifting story. We really need more of those. Thanks Nicole. Miss you here at Diocesan House :)
Wayne Kempton on April 13, 2010
What a beautiful article! Elaine and I haven't really gotten to know Joe these past 30 years, but we have grown to love his daughter, Joanne. We can now understand where she got her contagious and winning smile that can overcome anything. When he said, "Hey! Joe here!" the Lord filled his family with a very special blessing. He did good!
Bob & Elaine Algeo on April 16, 2010
What a wonderful article and invitation into the life of a very special man.
Susan Garcia on April 20, 2010
I understand that my grandfather William Frederick Behrens was a Choir boy at Trinity. He was born about 1864 and I suppose he would have been there about 1874-1880. I would like to find out anything about him that might be available. I'm 79 and have been a professional cellist. I remember him always having the opera on on Saturday afternoons-kept very low on the radio. He died in Upper darby, Pa. in 1940. For more information, this is my e-mail cello516@aol.com.
Mary Behrens Small on June 4, 2010
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