The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-05-08 00:00:00

SALISBURY DIOCESAN CHORAL

ASSOCI ATION.

In skin tb. seventh yesr of the esialenes of the
Asseedation,a grand festival of parochial choir. arranged
to tok. i'ls" in llelsthure Cathedral on the 80th last. '
The object set forth at the foundation d the loth4!
was the isipmeem. tit of biPli choir oh.) cidnoregetiooai
Whiting in parish eithrethee within this die.., end it that '
•ehteree • !erre 'treasure of sneer es shrieks to the s
of the 100.1 secretaries of the severe' districts sod the
painataking or ti • respective choirniastees. The music
for the forththeung festivel hos recently been booed, ,
sod we trust that our reader' feel sofll4ent interest in
the association and its work to warrant no in layieg ,
bsfore them the following candid yet kiodly notes
upon it.
The service is thus ordered :—Procemional hymn, No.
IS, belisherY hymn book, to Handers 148th ;
Proses % Tootle, W. Rumen (1813) in C: Psi..', Dr. I
O,J. Et •sy to E Oat, sod D. Greene (1758) in iet ;
To Deem, client service by Dr. Stodd•11; B". 1114".
T. Paroe1(11882) is ; -nib.., .141 up year heads,
0 ye ga!es," from Hnodsl's Woodall ; hymn lb fore
sermon,liosonaa to tbr bring Lord,' No. 34
bars hymn book, to ahorole from Illeedelatolin's Be. !
Paul. The eords of the anthem aft', sermon are from
Malachi I. 11, sod the !music ivy the Rev. Sir. F. A. 0.
oneley, Bart., RD ; Proosseional by..., No. 168
goftheiry hymn hod,. Oriel.
Prna.'"thithl Rims we think very suitable, both l!
words and music, sod we are pleated with what seems
to be a new idea with regard to processions. It iI be
noticed that the serfhood choristers are to be divided
Into four (in the cloister. before enteriag the
chorea) the drat •erse of the hymn to be sung by all the
divisions together and ofterwards rah divition snip
a verse la turn, so that it will be like four comparatively
small theirs each with It. own song of praise ea it
en•-rs- In be afterwards joined by those already
sevenibled who this sing the him., through.
This Is ••theell/ done to obeiate the difficulty which
...m. to althea itself invariably to mooted sal singing,
namely, to Rom all the voices logrilser ethos they or"
oh "len • dist-the the one from the other. We well
rennirmbrr st the last festival at Swam the difficulty in
this respect; Um long promnsjon m.itomaing indod bat
often you would heir the.. in front singing ose nest of
• rimm, and Worm In Um rear (es. tom•Ilr before the
latter had emerged forte the cloister.) anothtr. Tsia
we believe it is hopossible to obviate whilst " lerie •
body 1,. one es tending no greet a length. It sin's( .1
U. a.m. time. bet me think the plan non proposed will
sneet the coos The chant, for the Veoite, P.•lna
for the day, and Benedietnç sot well chmen
and very 'nitride, though many would much
have preferred Ore 'an tome. to ths A nalimin
chants, and we esslofnly think we mast deplore the
entire shwa of the forever from the festival immune
being more ancient, more eselesiamical, more adapted to
congregational and briefing one the ream of
the words moth better. But It I. well that we have no
doable thaws introduced, they obey do for mietrith.
bins. tithes bat certainly not for palm, sod genteel'.
The antiphonal singles of the pules. in half venom
Indeed of whole menses &abetters ..nrl the &Navaho plll4l
being t-ken by choir and nave hoary( of Depga, agA
antri;vm, is a plea -high was adopted st the leatimil
Beidoort lest year with grass them+. sail moll eaticrobt
he meitiontly thesesefel at &mos It being anew system
im regards the rhabedral festival It is the Rev.Pergivel
Ward's favourite Rae, abd quite owes its introduction
Into this diming to him. It is sertainly mach more
mature' for the geoond half of a worm of the psalm to be
used as a mutinies to the foresee hell than foe ewe
entire verse to be mode to weer to .141.1mr. In rimny
so-se the two Terms suoceedlng such. other will be
found to present no oration at all why on. should be
sung ar an answer to the other, but spite the reverse
with regard to ball verses take sp. the 144th psalm ths
Its' of thews for the festival day, tad me the appro-
priateness of the hal worm system :
Vero. 3: Lord what hi man that Thee haat seek
mood unto him. .

Answer : Or ;kw moo of man thet Thou se regarding
kiln!
Verse 41 Man is like a thing of nimbi.
A wirer : His noie peteeth &nay like • shadow.

And so on with siniosteivery verse f mety psalm ;
they seem LO have been written oo porpoise to be son-
ic that way. Then as regards tin ir being sang by
chancel (or choir) and nave alternately, instead 01 the
two sides of the choir. It is very evident which of the
two plans presents to the mind, of the eiongregetiou the
ant iptionitl character of the singing. In the latter.. .ni
dimly uninitiated persons would tcomely tvesinivii t at
they were being sung antiphonally M all, whilst in ti a
way now proptesid there would be no mi-take at all
about it. About tie Te Demo (Stegall's chant melee
in A) there are very aitillicting overtone entertained he
pelmets who understand tnests--one procounci. g It to
be v. ry good and •nother the very opposite; we citifies
we like it so cell •• if not hatter the any ether
"scryiee" we know, and we think it is libel, go'
better than moot ai,n,lsr anitionitions, bring eery lively,
and as it is written in lariat time Pit mahout it is wit so
likely to more confusion as thous which are written
pertly on recitins notes sod partly otherwise. Not-
withstanding this, we bodice very strongly to the
ovinion *hot no "memos." of this kind otight to be
used •t thee festivals, as are think the use of them,
eapeeiidly for errantry perMitea. ought to be dcpcmated.
We shall mach have pref. rred the old Ambrosial] or
the Te Deans met to a Orrgorian tone or tones. We
think that is the taste that ought to be enpiareg u
even an Anglican chant (as was used at the leek
Hallshary festival) **did be better then • ..serviest.•
The anthem from the Mrs-lob of *tures needs DOI
comment, and the oonoludioa anthem of Mr IP.
Ouceley's is beautiful. Tim hymn "Hosanna' Ii
generally oonaidered very goal, though there may be
• question as to whether it is quite festal enough. The
pro 'visional by.... to the tone Oriel is of mar. every.
Chios that cold be desired for the purpnes. We may
lately conjrnmulate the meoeision on the book as •
whole. Then oomell the question about the evening
seniee and the propriety of hatrilig each • sortie, for
oiler choirs to Perm to. There ore tiro. and oasis
—orgnioos on bah side., cm which much miry be mid. It
may be eminently calculated to improve she Jade of
many • country singer to give them the opportunity of
hearing • flint-rote service given by the mit.Wr•l choir
Mops, and on the other hand it seem. very mach like
turning the church into ationcert hall for the time being
to get • performance gone through at which the choirs
are requested to Abend as listeners and not to slag.
We rather incline to the latter "Hs, though otaniwv
doubt ant take the former as having the balithden lie
favour. W. think we have now touched on mita the
. points of interest, and should Üb., in eonclusion, to
throw net the hint, that et frotivale of this eharsoter—
I the itemise of ell men ices—the eilebrathe of the Holy
Communion ought not to be omitted. We should like
to ow in, a future osemion • Communion service gone
through in • full borad meatier, the noble strains of
t(se some Cold*, the Hanotim. Sonatas, Sancta',
the Gloria in ilsosi.is, the Crete', kg., being
as belittieg, by hundreds of voices in ttotjlling
melody. Th• authorities may have desiaed hitherto
from proposing each a service, partly front &Me-
lee :healer it would have been well received by
U.S choirs generally. so perhime a hint that there m•
some who would rejoice and be sled at the introdection
of ouch • mimics, may have some weighs so to futon
festivals.