The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-05
r,etsor sro1a aa Oid Fasy.
QUESTION or rfH TiNRs.

are some OF the QueStSOns UefoIossA $500
I beg permission TO leave az Sess ,s ~ AZ,
dogs, sheep, Grant, and Greeley, nno - ui
cuss choir or congregaffona 'psl.sssi
c,ne,,tia,, singing for the following feasons :
= n i in general so much more artistic
ayartiny a cultiYafing influence on tue hsr
sIcal taste OF the congregaton: 4 u
= T,he s,,pport of d good clsoirrWil some
.;r,os rsn,,;re \ great deal Of MONEY, and tslus
saard i fine opportunity to exhibit she hce.
raljty Of the church people as . shiblps hso'
g a trained choir will surely attracs se
a,d,enfe as A star oInpany or an opelas Es
fine mreachinc be Of Whatever qtiaiisy, ,anu
ff,ns gave the minister from tue mortihcatiou
Of looking on empty pews.2 sl5.s.
a: Members Of the congregation nEa! pos
feel At all times i'd the hnpsor OF pralsing
Cad while choirs may be justly supposed W
be ever in tune, for they are paid.
@. The singing Of operate airs 10 churss
exhibits a desirable connection etWse fsi,-
zion and the world, and though Hahael,
Beethoven, and Mendeksohn, JlsnoPs 10 tue
church, and other divincs, be borror-strueh
at hearing opera airs sung IN the Douss "
God, that does not alter the case Whas =
beautiful In an opera-house must NC oeauH'
full in q church.
e chn;r SINGING offers q welcome oppoT;;
4nn;ty for individual skill to show on 70 tbe
hest ADVANTAGE, increasing ones renoWn. anu
that. of the whole community. II must, now
ever he confessed that choirs sometimes
lahor under great difficulties, but the energy
with which Shey are s~urrn0unted oniy Dears
the more emphatic testimony to the supe-
riority Of the system. ar.
III the choir consists OF u quarteue, d pitin"
donna viii not suffer q rival singer ut her
side. neither will a first-rate tenor, lass or
alto. The soprano may get 0Nt on Voee
either by q cold or an exhausting cadenzd'
when the watchfui tenor or bass will catch
the melody and carry 1t by anrerston, as the
learned organist calls it, three, four, or I'VE
times below the alto part.
The soprano or the alto, or both toSether'
or perchabce the whole choir, may he at
lacked by coughing; then the choir, seems
to have played out but here the orsanst
may show himself equal to- the emergency
by drawing all stops and making a noise sum
cient to drown twenty voices. The singers
recover, the sounds Of the organ decrease,
and the pious congregation is carried into
eestacy by that magnificent swell. =" on, ii
aoas 50 grand Z" -
Not a little annoyance is caused to. the
choir when some old fashioucd piotls soul,
commonly q female. member Of the, eopgr!e-.
pition, forgets herself so far asito.Joln lnthe
singing of some well-remembered tune, 2
proceeding, which the choir cannot submit
to. Tile latter will quietly put a. stop to IT
BY being silent, when the titnidi voice IN fte
congregation will soon be hushed,' never to
awake again. I'D ). ~ FL ~. L,L!.t,
I'M regard to the improvement Of the. choir
syster.. we have nothing to say ; we consider
f. perfect = = = abolnination in the sight OF
the Lord, :. 41o ia sl1 ~
toYGREGArloNAL SINGING. 40.
It was one Of the great p~rinciptes'of the
reformation to do aWay with the order or
priesthood by recognizing in every true
Christian q priest of the Most High: It IS
well known that the Anglican Church did
not go thus far. On the contrary; Write
abolishing the corruption to whiehttat office
had led, it retained, nearly unabridged the
rites Of public worship under the name OF u
choir. continued TO be the officers and repre-
sentatives of the congregation, which latter,
under such circumstances, could be looked
Upon not DIS participants but as auditors. 1t
cannot be denied that the cathedral service is
Well calculated to impress powerfully the
minds of ali who listen TO 1t; yet 1t offers.
nevertheless, only the shadow for the sub.
stance. for as much as the text Of that service.
contains the praises Of God, petitions for for
giyeness, tlanksgiyiDgs for blessings
thoughts ahd emotions which should burst
forth from the hearts and Hips. Of all Chris
tiaus at all times, but especially when assem-
bled for public worship. Parochial churches,
which could not enjoy that service, initiated
so much of it as could be done with aslepGe-
choir, and the eclat and success which
choirs-aided by novelty oftcn--achieved ia.
duced other denominations, contrary to theii.
origin, aim, and interest, to establish cholrs,
not ~unfreenentiy ngaiIst the proteSt,of far
seeing and devoted members of, their
churches. ;as 'ntNsi
With the exception Of the churches of Ra-
varia aud Of the Court chapel at Herlin,
where the late King Frederick WiIliau11 NV.
about tS49 established 0 dome choir prepare
tory to a contemplated union With the An.
glican Church the Protestant cl,ui elles OF
Germany do not countenance choir singing;
and Ne would ike that the friends Of choral
singing In this country could listen to those
sublime strains, as "Come, Holy Spirit" the
old "Vehi CREATOR" which uniformly is
sung without the organ accompaniment, or
Luther's "AStrong Tower Is our God" or
"Christ ia Risen"-thes last known to the
people for a thousand years, as they, borne
on the mighty waves OF organ tones, reecho
from hill and dale. Think OF that, and then
Of the little, firnsy singing of q few husky or
so-called sweet voices of o choir. What O
difference! i
There Is indeed something similar to be
heard every now and then during the revi-
walls In the Methodist churches, when the
spirit rises on the strong wings Of faith and
not on the little quilts Of the choir. Why
drop that congregational singing again aud
again? Why turn from the inspiring gran
deur Of the old hymns; to littleness and In
significance? Why exchange old, time-hon-
ored tunes for frivolous and unbeeoHibg
melodiesY Why disregard wantenly the
predictions Of so many aged church mem-
bers, who yearn for the tunes their mothers
and grandmothers sang? 'Ye, ministers,
watchmen on the towers Of Zion, will you
allow yourselves TO be. led by the fashiona,
bles OF your churches, who say: "Let us
have q choir . Tell them that their parlors
are more suitable places for fashionable music
than churches. What is your feeling when.
you say ttthe congregation Will sing no. ~
T.. H." and yon know that a slender choir,
win poorly respoad? Old Hundred has be-
come now the only property OF the congre-
CATION, which liz wiH sing In spite of the
sneers and desisof S ia the members Of the
choir I'll aisf,as Sf a
Let us bear In mind that congregational
singing may be. aladei attractive not merely
by iAs force, but that by weIhsirecsed exer-
.eises ether beauties are attalnabie, IS, for
'instanee, snbduiRg and swelling the voice
according 20 the tenor Of the words or sing
ing In parts, or in an a~nsfphonaf style ny
singing alternate between the male ind fe-t