Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-28

A QUESTION OF THE TIMES.
To the Editor Of the Union and Ainerican:l : 4
Fence orno fence--dogs or sheep Grans
or Greeley-choir or congregational sing
ing, are some OF The questions before the
public. = n aa5a a
beg permission to leave at rest fences,
dogs, sheep, Grant and Greeley, and TO dis
cuss choir or congregational singing.
We consider choir singing preferable to
congregational singing for the following
reasons:
q. 1t is IN general so much more artistic
exerting a cultiYstins influence on the
musical taste of the congregation.
b. The support Of a good choir VIII
sometimes require great deal of money,
and thus afford fine opportunity to ex-
hibit the hberality of the church people as
shining light of religious faith.
c. A trained choir viii surely attract an
audience as well as star company of an
opera, let the preaching be OF whatever
quality, aud thus save the minister from
the modification of looking on empty pews
/ d. Members of the congregation may
not feel at afl times In the humor Of prais-
ing God, while choirs may be Justly sup
fOSS- " 10 FhOi III bu1C1 iOi tiiGJ 6lO I~~.
e. The singing of operatic airs ia church
exhibits desirable connection between re-
llgiofi and the world, and though Handel,
Beethoven and Mendelsshor; bishops 10
the church, and other diyines be horror
struck at hearing opera airs sung in the
House OF God, that does not alter the case;
what Is beautiful in an opera house must
be beautiful in church.
I. Choir singing Cfers welcome op-
portunity for individual skill to show of to
the best advantage, Increasing ones re-
nown, and that of the whole community.
It must, however, he confessed that choirs
sometimes labor under great difficulties,
but the energy with which they are sur
mounted only bears the more emphatic
testimony to the superiority of the system.
If the choir consists of quartette-a
prima donna viii not suffer rival singer at
her side, neither will first rate tenor, base
or alto. The soprano may get out of voice
either by cold or an exhausting cGdeREd,
when the watchfll tenor or base will catch
the melody and carry l. by Inversion, as the
learned organist calls It, three, four or five
times below the alto part.
The soprano or the alto, or both together,
or perchance the whole choir may be at
tackled by coughingj then the choir seems to
have played ont; but here the organist may
show himself equal TO the emergency by
drawing all stops, making noise sufficient
to drown twenty voices. The singers re-
cover, the sounds Of the organ decrease and
the pious congregation is carried into costa
cy by that magnificent swell. 'Oh, it acdS
so qrGndr / may be allowed to relate an
;ro;Aapf r-biot fr,ftIy iiIpatrofoa tbo dapcor
to which the devoted choir singers must feel
themselves constantly exposed. Once IA
nous sopranist, while she was singing the
'Grace air from Robert le Diable' was seiz-
ed with such violent toothache that she
could not proceed. The congregation felt
chagrined, and the Lord OF Lords didn't re-
ceive that part of the meted out praise.
Such disasters cannot be retrieved.
Not little annoyance is caused to the
choir, when some old fashioned pious soul,
commonly a female, member Of the con-
gregation, forgets herself 50 far as to join in
the singing of some well-remembered tune,
a proceeding which the choir cannot sub
NIT to. The latter will quietly pat a stop
to it by being silent, when the timid voice
in the congregation viii soon be hushed,
never 10 awake again.
In regard to the improvement Of the
choir-system we have nothing to say, we
consider it perfect abomination In
the sight of the Lord.
CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.
1t was one of the great principles of the
reformation to do away with the order of
priesthood by recognizing in every true
christian Priest of the most High. 1t is
well known that the Anglican church did
not go thus far. On the, contrary, while
abolishing the corruption to which that
Office had led, it retainedj nearly unabridged,
the rites of public worship under the name
of a Cathedral service. The priest,
deacon, and choir, continued
to be the officers and representatives of
the congregation, which latter under such
circumstances could be looked upon not as
paraieipasts bet IS suditors. II cannot be
denied that the Cathedral service is well
calculated TO impress powerfully the minds
of all Who listen 10 it, yet it offers never
theless only the shadow for the substance,
for as much as the text of that service CON
tains the praises of God, petitions for for
giyeness, thanksgiving for blessings,
thoughts and emotions which should burst
forth from the hearts and lips of all christians
at all times, but especially when assembled
for public worship. Parochial churches,
which could not enjoy that service, iuiita-
ted so much of il as could be done with q
slender choir, and the eclat and success
which choirs--aided By novelty often
achieved, induced other denomins-
tions, contrary TO their origin, aim and in
terest, to establish choirs, not unfrequently
against the protest Of farseeing and devoted
members of their churches.
With the exception of the churches of
Bavaria, which, surrounded as they are By
Roman Catholics, resorted to cholr-singing
as a counteracting influence; and of the
Court Chapel at Berlin, where the late
King Fred William ". about 1S49 estab-
lished dome-choir preparatory to q con-
templated union with the Anglican Church
the Protestant churches of Germany do
not countenance choir-Singing; and we
would like that the friends Of choral singing
in this country could listen to those sublime
strains, as: ''Come Holy Spirit" the old
"Veni Creator" which uniformly Is sung
without the organ accompaniment, or
Luther's "a strong tower is cur God,' or
'sChrist is risen," the last known to the
people for thousand years, as they, borne
on the mighty waves of organ tones,
re-eeho from hill aud dale. Think of that,
and then of the little, flimsy singing of a
few husky or so-called, sweet voices of
choir. What difference
There is indeed something similar to be
heard every now and then during the reyiv-
ais in the Methodist churches, when the
spirit rises on the strong wings of faith and
not on the little quillS of a choir. Why
drop that congregational singing again and
again? Why turn from the inspiring grand
eur of the old hymns to littleness and in
significance? Why exchange old, time hon
ored tunes for frivolous and unbecoming
melodies? Why disregard wantcnly the
predictions of so many aged church men,
bers, who yearn for the tunes their mothers
and grandmothers sang? Ye ministers,
watchmen on the towers of Zion, viii you
allow yourselves to be led by the fashion
ables of your churches, who say: sIet us
have choir?" Tell them that their parlors
are more suitable places for fashionable mu-
sic than churches. What is your feeling
when you say, "the congregation will sing
No. - L. M and you know that a slen-
der choir will poorly respondS Old. Hun
dred has become now the only property of
the congregation, which it will sing In spite
Of the sneers and derision Of the members
Of the choir.
Let us bear in mind that congregational
singing may be made attractive not merely
hV itR fOrpp hY1f thof hxy xualI diroatad oxar-