Bass soloist booms at 84

At 84, Harry Smith is bass soloist for the Latin rendition of the “Salve Mundi” on the Sacred Heart Traditional Choir’s CD RESURREXIT, which is being launched at 10.30 am Mass this morning at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Richmond Street. Harry, who has been singing “since in elementary school,” has never had any sort of professional voice training but has always been a member of a church choir, starting with St Patrick’s in Newtown from 1948 for about 15 years, when the then parish priest decided that he wanted the congregation to be more involved in the singing. Part of the choir, including Harry, moved to the Assumption Church in Maraval, until that choir disintegrated. at that time about 15 years ago one or two of his friends asked him to come across to Sacred Heart , where he has remained. Smith was a foundation member of the Marionettes Chorale, but left when late-night practices started to interfere with having to look after his home.

But he was quick to point out ‘’anytime they were having a concert they asked me if I could come”. During the time that he sang with the Marionettes the chorale won every category in the Music Festival. “And I also sang with them in Grenada, St Vincent, Barbados and the United States of America,” he said. He also sang with the Love Movement for a while. Harry, who comes from a large family of seven boys and three girls, has been happily married to Maria (nee Rauceo) for the past 51 years. They have four sons, Hugh, Kenwyn, Justice Gregory Smith and Dr Harry Smith Jr, and five grandchildren. Harry, who will be 85 on his next birthday, June 11, 2004, is generally in good health. He has had cataract surgery but is still able to drive, still attends choir practice, and sings with the choir at the first Sunday 11 am Latin Mass at Sacred Heart and the second Saturday 6 pm Latin Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Smith has “always liked singing” but says his voice is not as good now “through smoking”. At 84 he is still able to sing the Latin Mass and Latin hymns without looking at music or words. “‘Having sung for that length of time with St Patrick’s, in particular, I have no problems. Some of them I may have to see the music but others I learned years ago and remember them offhand.”

In the early stages of his life Harry was in the army. He then moved to Hardware & Electric, then on to Builders and Hardware, and finally for 35 years until his retirement as Manager Customs, he worked with Mc Enearney. Continuity seems to play an important role in Harry’s life as he has also lived in his Woodbrook home for the past 31 years. Speaking of the production of Resurrexit, Harry said he enjoyed making the recording but felt it should have taken a longer time so that there could have been more appreciation of the music. Not only did he do one complete solo but also about three or four solo parts leading into the choir’s singing.  Harry fears for the continuation of the traditional choir as he believes that “young people are not as interested, perhaps because they do more singing at school, especially since the Mass has changed from Latin to English so they sing a lot at school.” Also, Harry feels “he children now have so much television, radio and this ‘jivey’ kind of music which attracts their interest and so they do not want to sing church music.”