The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-11-23
Church Music in Holland.
BY LOWELL MASON.

BY LOWELL MASON.
During recent tour through some
of the principal places i'll Holland, we
took care to hear the church singing,
and to learn what we could Of tie ac-
tual state Of Psalmody. As the whole
appearance of religious worship differs
from that of Germany, SO also does
this particular branch Of it. 1t is more
like that of the Swiss churches, or like
that Of those German churches Which
border on Switzerland, and where the
Reformation seems to have left more
decided or clearer impressions than
are generally seen in SaXony OF other
German States. The prevailing forms
Of worship arc, SO far as we have OBJ
served, more simple in Holland, or
more like those of our New England
churches. Now, the more simple the
form Of worship, the less, certainly, it
is adapted to anything like artistic dis
| play, il not also to artistic excellence.
AS there arc 10 pictures, and no sta
tuary in the Dutch churches, SO there
is no artistic music. There are no
anthems, no mOtetts, no solos or quar-
tetts there cannot be, for there are
no chors. We do not know but there
may be choirs in some Of the churches
in Holland, but we did not see or hear
Of any.
Holland is the country of BELLS !:
and the merry chimes are to be heard
hourly, from almost every church tow
or. or stecple. 1t is the country Of
ORGANS, also. Every church is sup
piled with keys and pipes, as ncces-
sary part ofts lourniture. The organs,
too, are (many of them) large and ex-
cc.Ient, but are only used as accom-
paniment to the chorus Of the people.
Everybody has heard Of the Ilaarcm
Organ. 1t was for many years the
largest in the world, and is famed for
its size the world over We thought
it as good as it is great, and listened
to its tones with delight. 1t is, indeed,
very powerful, but its full power is
seldom heard, and never i'll public
worship. There are now several or
gans as large, or larger for example,
the organ in the Town Hall, at Bir-
mingham but, although the llaarlcm
organ is now equalled i'll size, and al
though various improvements (espcc-
ally within few years pasD have
been made both III action and III pipes,
yet there is not, perhaps, anywhere to
be found, a more powerful chorus than
that Of this famous instrument. DR..
Burney took particular pains to exam
inc and describe it, many years ago :;
and in his Musical Tour in llol,
land he gives the details, which have
been often copied and published. The
present organist has fine execution,
and appears to understand well lis
instrument but, it is pity that, for
the sake of pleasing his company, and
confirming his hearers i'll bad taste.
he should employ its noble powers i'll
battlc-piece, and thunderstorm repre-
senlations or, at least, that these
should be made the principal feature
Of his exhibitions. There was large
congreg CATION the Sabbath We were in
Ilaarlcm, aud all united in great car
nestucss i'll the psalms. The move
ment was very slow-yery nearly
twice as slow as it is common to sing
the Old Hundred in our American
churches, so that the time was easily
described by counting four to each
note. or eight in a double measure.
No leading voice was heard ; and the
plaving were so near together that no
unpleasant effect was produced. 1t Is
always better that the organ should
lead, than that single voice should
be heard ahead of others but, there
is, indeed, 10 necessity for either,
even in Congregational singing, and
: the idea that a single voice should lead
choir by being always a little IN ad-
, vance in time, is SO entirely at vari-
, ance with good taste that it is not to
, be tolerated. The singing was i'll un-
ison, and the tunes seemed to be per
fectly familiar The tune was not
, played over upon the organ before
the singing, but the organist played
only prelude Of few measures
when all the people joined at once IL
the hymn. The intcrludes we've very
short indeed they could hardly be
! called interludes in the ordinary sense
/ since they were too short to include
!. even a single phrase they consisted
only Of a passing chord or two, mere
ly allowing time to breathe between
the stanzas.
! We have already intimated that th'
n singing was very general in the con
/ grcgatlon in this respect we thlnL
! the Dutch congregations are in advan
8 &C even of the German ; for there wa
, one universal burst ofvocal sound from
f the beginning to the end Of the hymn
, No other musical foIm was attempted
/ than that of the plain metrical tune
!. or choralc.