Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1841-05-06
Fran a Massachusetts paper.
TROUBLES OF A SINGING CHOIR

MR.. EDIToR-PermN one who knows, by
experience, some of the perplexities which
attend the management of church music, to
lay some of his grievances before you and
your readers. The case calls loudly for
sympathy.
Singing has long been considered part
OF public worship. BY some it has doubtless
been made too conspicuous, and received un-
due attention, while by the majority it hos
recently been too much, far too much under
valued.
It is amusing and sometimes not little
trying to ones feelings, to listen to the vari-
Gus remarks and comments offered, while
retiring from church, on the church music.
You will hear Mr.. A. saying, /" What mis-
cradle singing we have. had to-day! / wish
we could turn all our old singers out of the
seats, and get new set, for our music is re-
ally too bad"
sic to-day. Who was that new singer p
quite an improvement. Think our music, on
the whole, is as good as hear any where"
C. wishes we could have more uariety,
"not be all the time singing the same old
tunes over and over again every Sabbath"
ID. thinks we have altogether too many me,o
tunes, they are not half SO good as the old
fashioned tunes that they used to have when
he was young, such as Near, st. Martins,
Wells, Dundee, and the like.
E. inquiries why "mino-" is never sung.
Minor tunes are much more devotional, and
he wonders we don't have more of them.
F. exclaims, "Oh, horrid! s0hat did you
sing that doleful, sleepy tune for? 1t was
like lively cheerful music in church."
G. thinks the music "quite too load and
noisy; he should think the organist and all
hands tried to see who could make the most
noise"
H. thinks the music avery tame-alto-
gether too slow-not half spirit and anima-
ton enough"
!. thinks i" if they wouldn't hurry quite SO
much, and tumble the words and music all
up together, it would be much better.'
J. thinks 1--WE have quite too many singers
half q dozen good voices would be worth
more than all the host you now have; and
where there are but few, you can give much
better expression to words"
X. inquiries "why we don't get some more
singers, we have not got half enough no
proper effect can be given to church music
without large choir the more the better,
producing grander and more sublime eff
fects. Where there are but few voices, it is
all straining and hallooing when there
comes loud passage"
L. "wishes the singers would pronounce
their tcOrds better-he cannot understand q
single word without a book to look over.'
NJ. does not like to see all the females
"stuck down in 'front.' 1t looks as though
they wanted to be SEEM"
N. would "like to know who that woman
is that makes such horrid faces, and losses
her head about so when she SINGS
O.would inquire " who that young man is
who sits next to Mr.. A. that seosols 50 badly
il is painful to look at him.
p. thinks Mrs. BIS bonnet looks ridicu-
lous, and if he was one of the choir, he
R eez se s1S aaed qHs o3 Toge Is
bad and his TASTE is miserable; he is sure
to sing loud when it should be soft, and soft
when it should be loud and then his selec-
ton Of tunes seems to have no regard to the
sentiment of the hymns" &c.
X. thinks "Mr. c. the chorister, has ve~
ry fine voice, much better than Mr. d., who
formerly led the choir, and he thinks the
singing has very much improved since he
took charge, though he don't pretend to be
much of singer himself, yet he can tell
when music goes to suit him as we'll as any
one"
8. is pleased with Miss E.'s singing. "She
is decidedly the best singer in the choir.
What sweet, melodious voice, and she en-
tiers her whole soul into it, and sings as tho
to see person stand up like a post, and
sing as though the sound came through a
lead pipe"
T. wishes to know "who that lady miss
E.) is, who sings 80 badly. She spoils the
whole music-her voice is harsh, and almost
always tout of tune" and then she makes
such a fuss about it he likes to see Miss w.
sing, she stands up and throws out the sound
without any apparent effOrt-not muscle
OF the face seems to move."
u. inquiries "why we don't invite Mr.. F.
to join the choir, he is a fine singer, and
ought to be invited into their Seats" Though
the choir perchance may think differently
"" dont like the orgGnist-he is a great
bungler; not fit to play hand organ"-(and
although he is not willing to pay dollar
towards the support of the music,) he OK
presses surprise that we don't "ship him
and obtain better one"
w. wonders we don't sing an anthem now
and then; it elevates the feelings, awakes a
devotional spirit, and give life and interest
20 the meeting. ..a
X. complains of tho "practicc Of singing
anthems and select pieces on the Sabbath
it diverts the mind from serious things, and
always looks to him like an attempt to
~shoW off," h. --,
Z. wishes we would "omit the interludes
between the Verses-it is altogether useless,
and occupies time without any profit"
I'll 4. thinks III would DO well to play the
people out of church, It is the practice in
many places, and the effect he thinks good"
AND understands "there il some difficult
~ among the members of the choir. He
considers singers (Which is too true we ad-
mit) the most uneasy, quarrelsome set in the
world, and he is thanAJul he is not a singer"
And 60 we might 60 on, up and down the
alphabet. with such kind Of speeches and
complaints, and we have often been remind