Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1854-11-03
ny K~Quest Of one OF en- ]
Are Choir. Singers, Quarrelsome?

10y h~Quest VI QUO VI eml
. Are Choir. Singers, Quarrelsome
Apie in string is troublesome article tn MANAGE tw
pigs in string troublesome still tn q degre,
perhsps in proportion to the squares Of their distances
|, ram in haltrr also proverbAl for ossiuary mule
celebrated for their pertinary and donkeys for thei
stupidity hut nl the pigs rams mules and asses in th
world. put together would he easily managed tha
company Of singers in village church.-lIisroRY
r SSATcHAM CnoIR.
The gasso with which hard things ar
5 said about choir-singers, would in bette
a cause be refreshing. One would think tha
the donation of their time, services, ant
oftentimes money, for the good of the con
gregation, should exempt their private fol
tles from the animadversion to which the
! ! publicity of their position exposes them
but in too many instances this is far from
being the case. The clergyman, if he
, thinks of them at all, regards them only
as a hornets nest into which it is neither
safe nor agreeable to put his head. If,
when buffeted on the one cheek by the
deacon, and members of the congregation
generally, for delinquencies imaginary as
well as real, they do not meekly turn the
other also, and exhibit a superhuman
stoicism to all criticism, whether made in
manner uncalled-for or unkind-they
are at once set down as the most unman-
ngeable, irascible class of persons in the
world Now, we do not deny that singers
have faults as well as other people. They
sometimes entertain no higher ideas of
the solemnity and Importance Of public
praise than do congreg cations that expect
them to sing sacred words while subscrip-
tions are being taken, the contribution-b
passed, and other tedious and perhaps dis
agreeable things done sometimes We are
sorry to confess, their behavior is light,
triAing and unbecoming the house of God;
though if we may trust our own observa-
tion, instances of this are much more rare
then is generally supposed. But even ad-
nii'ting all this, We are by no means pre-
pared, without examination, to accept the
commonly-received opinion that singers
are more irascible than others, or that
choirs are moro unmanngeablc than other
organizations. Why should they be !? Is
there anything in the physical, mental, or
moral conformation of a singer that makes
him a monster? We have never discov-
cred it. To be musician, it is true, one
must have a delicate and well-developed |
sensibili:y-must feel keenly, else he can
not give expression to musical sentiment
and passion. But refinement of sensibili. !
sy does not necessarily make man quar-
relsome. If you could bring together from
all the choirs of the land the persons sho
make trouble in them, they would turn
out to be, not the ones who have the most
music in their souls, not the genuine low
ers of the beautiful, not the most intelli-
gent and refined, not those who have an
elevated conception of divine praise /; bu.
they will be found to belong to one Of the
following classes lst. A stupid, thick
headed class of persons who have no musi-
cal appreciation, and are constantly tread
ing onpeoplc's toes because they don't know
any better. end Persons who have some
little appreciation and love Of music, but
who love their own petty plans Of selfag
more. These are the ones
who, though unfit to occupy the head seats,
care more for them than those do who
really are fit. Sd. A braiDless and con-
narrow minded class of fops and
xould-be bellies, who pretend to be the
'ery quintessence ef refinement, but who
seek to concea! their ignorance and inabil-
ty to read the music selected by the Choir
ster by turning up their delicate noses at
t, and resorting to smelling bottles and
idgcts as means Of indicating the terri
bic martyrdom their musical susceptible
les are undergoing.
These are the different classes of one '
ided, i'll. balanced persons who make trou- S
lie in choirs. A moments reflection will i
how that these three classes put together I
ear very small proportion to the genu- v
ne choirsingers, who sing because they P
ove music, love the praises Of Gods house
nd esteem it privilege no less than a
uty to join their hearts and voices SO 81
ichly fraught with holy joy. 1t is unjust y
nd absurd, therefore, to fasten upon the t.
reat body of sensible, loving choir-singers, al
nc opprobrium that belongs only to few "
ross-grained beings who are totally unfit n
take part in SO solemn and digni6ed fl
,rvice. 1t is unfortunately the case, al
owever, that the slightest difficulty in a
,oir, is from the very relation of that b
ody to the general assembly, blazoned Of
i over the congregation, while the seasons tt
pleasant practice, the kind and affection vi
g regards, and the many, many hours Of m
nalloyed pleasure that gid the choir's di
nwritten history, are unknown and unap-
reciated by the great mass Of the people. ia
his accounts for the gross Injustice done eI