Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-04-28
For The Urbana Union.
EEU = EC.


ONE reason for the inferiority of mu-
steal taste in this country, is to be found
in the chaTacterof the music mostly used
in schools, Sabbath Schools, and some
times even in churches. The country is
flooded with books Of light, common
place music, by no means calculated to
improve the style or taste, while the
really good tunes of the past, are in fair
way Of 5eing thrown entirely out of use.
It is sometimes contended, even by those
whose knowledge and taste would point
to something BETTER that the children
enjoy this kind of music more, and so
they do; but they also like dime novels,
better than books which contain useful
instruction, or more refined entertain
ment. We do not therefore try to cul-
tivate in them a taste for trashy Iitera-
ture. Neither should we give them
husEs in music, when there are 50 many
good kernels, which would soon cuIti-
vate in them a taste for that which
would yield them far more pleasure
And while the good old Psalm tunes will
produce a reverence for sacred things,
we cannot but think, that those tunes
tend to the opposite result. When Mad
anne Bishop was here some years ago,
about fifty persons went to hear this
world renowned artistic, but q minstrel
troupe about the same time command
ed crowded audience I think this
would be different now, for in this region
the taste Of our people is much improv-
ed Of late years We have an excel
lent SaX-hOrn band in our little city
whose performance is credit to all its
members; they discourse excellent mu-
sic, and their leader Mr.. Porter in his
selections and arrangements, shows
himself to be a musician of superior at
tainments, and it should be very graft
flying to our citizens, that we have such
band to entertain us on our summer
evenings and public days.
Our church music is also much better
than it formerly was, the eprogress of mu-
sic amongst us has been onward for the
last ten years. Fourteen years ago there
was only one congregation in Urbana
that used q OIclodeOn and only one choir.
Now in nearly every church in town,
there is an instrument and choir. Many
persons We're prejudiccd against the use
of instruments in churches, and some
times CONGREGATIONS were almost brOk-
en- up by the difference Of opinions
But this is not so much the case now,
nor will il ever be so, after the use of
an instrument has become familiar. I
know of a church that almost split up
on this subject, which after buying an
organ and using il for while, refused
to make the last paymenton it and per-
mitted it to he taken out Of the church.
But they missed il so much that in
short time they bought another, costing
three times as much as the first. 1t
seems strange that such a prejudice
should ever have existed when we are
SO often commanded i'm the Psalms to
praise God with various instrumentsan and
songs. We find i'm the % Chap. Of lst
Chronicles 5th verse that four thousand
praised the Lord with instruments, and
i'm the 25th Chap. verse the number Of.
Lcyiies who were instructed in songs Of.
the Lord was two hundred and eighty
eight. Read also End Chron. Chap. Is
verse. But in % future article / shall
considerchurch music more particularly.