The New York herald., 1871-03-12
Church Mu.ic In New York.

That music is one Of the favorite landmarks
of religion, that beneath its magic spell the
driest homilies and most abstruse and perplex-
ing questions become at least Ineligible and
palatablc, there are very few to-day who can
conscientiously deny. Without dwelling on
those ineradicable instincts of music which
nature has planted in the human heart and
which are inseparable from the commonest
principles OF our acknowledgment Of q Su-
preme Dety-the stiffness Of night, the voices
OF the balmy breeze or the resistless hurri-
cane the bubbling of the fountain or the thun-
der of Niagara, the peace jubilee of the feath-
erod denizens of the grove or the s'cannons
opening roar the glad symphony of praise
that wells up from the heart Of the righteous
or the wall of despair that is coming from the
bosom OF the sinner-none to-day can sensibly
deny the potent influence of music on the hu-
man heart, especially when allied to religion
To be sure, there have been people In.
the days Of Cromwell who held up their
hands in holy horror at the union of muslo
and religion, but their days and ideas are now
regarded as monstrosities in the history of
human progress Next, if not equal, to a
sound sermon and orthodox surroundings,
church music occupies to-day an important
position in. matters of religion We can
safely assert that with the bulk of the people
music is an essential concomitant to religion.
BY it thousands of people have been from
time immemoral attracted to Rome during
| Holy Week, and the infidel Rousseau has
| wept bitter tears when the mournful tones of
Palestina's "Miserere" from the Sstne chapel
fell upon his ear.
| The importance Of music is fully recog-
nized in the New York churches. There
is scarcely temple of worship in this
city which cannot boast of an organ and a
choir All denominations recognize the in
innate relation between music and religion.
This relation is varously interpreted by those
who are entrusted with the charge of the
music for the various churches, and not
always in accordance with the principles of
religion. Some organists, for instance-for
they are responsible for the music in their
| churches-regard this department of religion
| from an operate or concert point of view, and
| treat their hearers to forid overture either
at the commencement or conclusion of divine
| service and torture arias and cavatinas from
Rossini, Donizetti or Verdi Others, pursu-
| ing the other extreme, carefully exclude any
thing in the musical line that may possibly
interest even the dullest comprehension in the
| congregation. Both are wrong, the latter par
ticularly. AS we conceive it, music should
% rcc r~cx
without dragging in unnecessarily love songs
and florid illustrations of domestic infelicities,
it should be dramatic to the highest extent
| The music of the Catholic Church stands
pre-eminent in church music. The best of
English writer's for the Episcopal Church
draw their inspiration from this fount Even
Luthers celebrated hymn, ''Eine Feste Burg"
is an old Catholic anthem, sung years before
the renowned reformer was born. For this
service the grandest minds ever illumined by
| the light of music devoted their best thoughts.
Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart and Cherubni,
with myriad lesser lights, have made the
"mass" their especial study But, unfortu-
nately, in this city the orgsnists Of the Catho-
lie churches neglect those gra nd exponents Of
musical religion, and treat their hearers to
mixture Of opera and plantation dittes.
| There are some honorable exceptions, Of
course, among which we may Mention
| st. Francis Xavier's, ST. Stephens and
| st. AIMS; but the general corrse of
Catholic organists is alike detrimental to
music and religion. In the other churches
it is even worse. The programme, to use the
concert phrase, is made up of the most incon-
gruous elements, few of which have any bear
ing on the subjects they are supposed to illus
trate. Every organist, as general rule, has
hobby Of intruding his own silly works ON
the congregation, and few are worth hearing
Again, there is fault to be found with the
pastors and church committees in great many
cases. They will persist, very often, in fore
ing their own crude ideas in music upon those
to whom they have committed the care Of this
important department, and interfere constantly
in things which they know nothing about. A
volunteer choir Of amateurs may do very well
for small church which can afford no better,
but we believe in choir of good artists, at
least quartet, around which may be gath
cred a capable chorus, and in time tolerable
sololsts. Here the mistaken economy of some
pastors has an injurious effect, aud the music
might be well dispensed with entirely. If the
music in church is not good the sooner it is
improved or entirely done away with the
better. Few of our churches in this city can
congratulate themselves in having an organist,
choir or pastor who thoroughly understands
the first principles of church music. We can
say the same of the neighboring cities. ''The
Messiah Creation or elijah" should be a
model Of church music to the unthinking or
ganists OF the present day.. not selections from
Italian opera, or even the soRcaW ditties of
Ofenbach.
| THE RRRErS r. Snaoinl tel<-