Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-08-04


The playing Of intcrludcs between the vcr-
ses OF church hymns. has, in our opinion.
grown INTO great abuse. The intcrudc has
lts use, doubtless Its abuse is heard every
| sunday IN our rhur0ha. .'ul"nN are inter-
'''sa dhused in strictly devotional hymns. IN
WhlGh' during direct and consecutive appeal
10 the supreme Being, the or.anist takes oc-
casloh to lntrrject, between every verse. a
i'hg' toiten tiresome,) disconnected. irrele-
want musical episode Of his own. something
having no connection with the preceding SEN
timent OF the verse, (Which is the least we
can demand IN an interiude y musical flour
iSh' or drawl (as the ease may be,) apropos
10 nothing, and nought but the vague strac-
gIlng tancies of the player brain
In the mean time the Almighty (bc it spo-
Ken with revercnce) is waiting for the con-
tlnuation of that prayer-the sense of which
has been interrupted. He is awaiting. doubt
less' also, the recurrence of the thou ghfS of
the assembled people to Him. For, as the
customary lnterlude commenced, the minds
OF the worshipers wandered, and are now oc-
culled with bonnets, and ribbons, and laces
and have quite forgotten the Being they lust
now addressed. Some are listening to the in
terlude, perhaps, and such of the hearers as
have refined musical taste, are tortured with
o'|0rre hourishes on swell-organ and fancy
stops, coupled, perhaps, with the shuidering
thunder oi the heavy sub-bdse pipes or else
their pulse throhs with Impotence at the
dull' drawing chords on each of which the
otrganist tortentously pauses, evidently de-
batting what chord to strike next-a timeless
tuneless, wrctched failure Of a musical idea.
In England, we are reliably informed a
strong sentiment is beginning to prevail
against lnterludes altogether, and they are
fast being dispensed with. But when a dis
tlnctlon is made between impressive and de-
v0tlonal music-between the musical Offices
OF the choir and the congregation-and be-
tween hymns implying an act of worship and
those not implying this act, the interlude
Will fall. we think, into its proper place. and
De confined mainly 10 the one style ofimpres-
sive and choir music
1t always sounds badly, however, to break
verse squarely off and commence the next
verse squarely again, the organ ceasng for IA
moment altogether between the verses
The organiSt ought to HteriCeare the verses
IN some way, even in devotional hymn, in
Producing Il few tones which may serve as
short preiu8c I'm place of an intcrlude) to
the succeeding verse, somewhat after the Ger
man manner. This an organist of ordinary
ingenuity can easily do, giving the worship
er moments breathing time, and vet not
interrupting the sense OF the hymn.
But if, in devotional hymns, no interlude
he played, the number Of verses should al
ways be limited to Il reasonable number In
our humble opinion, no clergyman ought. as
Il general thing, 10 announce more than four
verses Of hymn. 1t is very commcndable
custom in the Episcopal Church to sing hut
three verses of the hymn the succeeding
Giorid P0'ri, or "doXology," forming the
fourth. Where the stanza has six or eight
hneS' three verses, altogether, are certainly
quite enough for the purposes of Worship
lhe powers of performance and of attention,
both ON the part of the choir and people. are
limited, we think, hy such number of stan
zas.
While spcakingof intcrludcs generally, we
omitted one point, of Il somewhat musical
bearing. Nothing is more crude and Juvenile
IN music than constant succession of oRd-
RgS-ln other words, a multiplication of
cdd'nceS. The first thing that young COM
posers have to learn, is to aroid stopping -
to 60 on. Gracetully-avoided cadence is an ac-
complishment of art, and something every
composer has to acquire, For this ason an
organist who understands what is beautiful
in music, will try to avoid the tiresome mono
tony of this constant ending and beginning OF
tour-line tunes, by closing his interludc, not
on the tonica, (thus making still more caden-
ces,) but by leading the interlude oiten-times
to the dominant chord, and then commencing
me nert rcrSe on the tonica--an inexpressible
relief to a refined, and cultivated, and in
structed ear. The ouly organist whom we
ever heard do this, was Mr.. Charles Zeuner,
whom we have always respected ever since for
IT tins being one OF the many incidental
good points of an accomplished musician.
GJ-TnE Mas that undertook To blast his
neighbors prospects, used too short a fuse
and got blown up himself-The fellow who
''took IT coolly,' threw it up again somewhat
heatcd.-fhe lady who ''stuck to her point"
was soaked od with warm uds.-The man
t hat "struck bargain" was fined 4Os. for
the assault.-rhe person that raised Ian OBJ |