The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-09-12

LOWELL MASON AS A CHURCH
MUSICIAN.

He was man whose career is worthy
of more than our brief comment. AS the
father of church music in America, he has
welded an influence which has been felt
from Maine to Texas. Before he entered
upon the field which for many years was
almost exclusively his own, the music
sung in our Protestant churches consisted
almost exclusively of quaint old melodies
like "Russia" Or "China," or tunes which
had been sung by the Scotch Covenan-
ters as they hid among the hills from the
persecution, OF chorales brought over by
the emigrants from Holland and Germany.
Lowell Mason, to certain degree, found
ed school. He has been termed a COM
piler rather than composer; and COM
pller he certainly was. But he drew his
ideas from the best sources. He took
fragments from Handel, Hayden, Beetho-
ven and other German composers, and
from these extracts he devised the melo-
dies which for the Last half century have
been sung in every church in America.
Nor did he wholly neglect original com
position. Either as compiler or composer
he has made his music and his name ia
miliar all over our country. And to pro
duce the melodies which have been for
fifty years the medium of Christian praise
over almost an entire continent is no ordi-
nary honor.
The list of tunes and anthems to which
the name Of Lowell Mason is attached
would be too long to reprint here. Ger
tain hymns of universally acknowledge d
merit have been so closely allied to his
music that they would sound strange and
unfamiliar if sung to other strains. That
beautiful aspiration,
Nearer my God, to Thee
which, though written by Unitarian,
holds an honored place in orthodox hy.
mnology, only receives it's fullest musical
expression when sung to Bethany" So,
too, the words.
-" .~ My faith looks up to Thee.
Thou Lamb of Calvary Eng.rt
are best known through the flowing mel
ody of "OliVet." To "Hamburg" seems
to belong by right henoble hymn.
Kingdoms and thrones to God belong.''
and
"Watchman, tell US Of the night"
would lose its significance if divorced
from the simple yet effective tune written
for / ! by Lowell Mason. It is, by the
way, rather touching coincidence that
he passed away almost before the echoes
of the majestic performance of these
hymns at the Boston Jubilee had died on
the New England air.
Mr.. Mason's more elaborate works,
while they did not share the wide popu-
larlty of his hymn tunes-of which we
have only mentioned very fou Of the
best known-are all written with scnoI.
arly taste and correct musical judgement.
In his early years he was a careful stu.
dent, and he. moreover, enjoyed the ad-
vantages of study and observation in Ger
many. His numerous church music
books, beginning with the Handel and
Hayd Collection" have served their
purpose well, and though in few city
churches they have been in a great meas
ure superseded by latter works, many of
their best points have been transferred
to these more recent publications. Thus
the spirit of Lowell Mason still lives.
Some captious musicians of these latter
days have seen fit to take exception to
what they term his "psalm-smiting" style;
but their fault-fnding is not worthy of
notice. Mr.. Mason perhaps admitted in
to his compilations tunes which his bet
ter judgement might have rejected but
he was pioneer in church music in
this country, and has led the people
up to far higher standard in his
art than they occupied before him :.
Even at this day his +, ligious MEL
odies are the most admired Ia America.
They are heard alike in many of the ele-
CANT metropolitan churches, in the vii.
lage meeting houses and in the camp
meeting groves. They have served
for the utterance of the highest Chris,
tian hopes, and they have soothed those
who lay on peaceful deathbeds. Mothers
have sung them to their babies, and to
thousand on thousands Of American men
and women these dear familiar tunes re.
call all that are of good report" Surely
such work it is given to but few men
to achieve. asat
Speaking of Lowell Mason's tunes from
a purely musical standpoint, it may be
observed that the composer has adapted
himself skilfully to the needs Of people
as yet--or in his day--musical beginners
His compositions are all easy and flowing
in style. The melodies are clear and
distinct, and most Of them dignifed or
tender, as the sentiments of the words
might require. There are no hard unvc-
cal intervals, no very CLOSE harmonies,p
no uncouth progressions. The tenor part
is skilfully kept within the best compass
of the average tenor voice, and the fire.
quent use of thirds and sixths makes this
music pleasing to the uncultivated ear,
while it cannos offend the educated mu-
sician, though he may miss that variety