The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-04-16
THE MASSACRE OF CHURCH MUSIC.

THE MASSACRE OF CHURCH MUSIC.
THE Rev. DR.. Talmage of Brooklyn, New York.
sometimes into extravagant sensatonallsms not
at all to our liking. But our readers Will recognize
and relish the capital hits mot say ftSl which he
gives to some who well deserve it ALL There is
good service choirs may and often do render in con.
nection with worship, tor which theS deserve all
commentator. But for the ways III which they
sometimes pervert and desecrate delightful part of
it, we could heartily unite with others in wishing
such rebuked, disgraced cashiered and driven from
the sanctuary. Upon all of tina. pestiferous tribe
we beg leave TO say-"Lay on, DR.. Talmage."-
| Cen. Pres.
There has been an effort made for the last
twenty years to kill congregational singing.
The attempt has been tolerably successful; ;
but it seems to me that some rules might be
given by which the work could be done more
quickly and completely. What is the use of
having it lingering on in this uncertain way?
Why not put it out of its misery? If you
are going to kill snake, kill it thoroughly,
and do not let it keep on wagging its tail
till sundown. Congregational singing is
nuisance anyhow, to many of the people. 1t
interferes with their comfort. 1t ofends
their taste. 1t disposes their nose to fexi-
bility in the upward direction. 1t is too
democratic in its tendency. Down with con-
gregational singing, and let US have no more
of it.
The first rule for killing it is to have only
such tunes as the people cannot sing.
In some churches it is the custom for
choirs at each service to sing one tune which
the people know. 1t is very generous of
the choir to do that. The people ought to
be very thankful for the donation. They do
not deserve it. They are all 4" miserable
offenders" Il heard them say so,) and if
permitted once in service to sing, ought to
think themselves highly favored. But op-
pose this singing of even the one tune that
the people understand. 1t spoils them. 1t
gets them hankering after more. Total
abstinence is the only safety; for, if you
allow them to imbibe at all, they will after
while get in the habit of drinking too
much OF it, and tAe Erst thing you know
they will be going around drunk on sacred
psalmody. Besides that, if you let them
sing one tune at service, they will be put
ting their oar into the other tunes and both
ering the choir. There is nothing more an
noying to the choir than, at some moment
when they have drawn out note to exquisite
.fneness, thin as a split hair, to have some
laundering elder to come in with Praise
ye the Lord !" Total abstinence, say! Let
all the churches take the pledge even against
the milder musical beverages: for they who
tamper with champagne soon get to
Hook and old Burgundy.
Now, if all the tunes are new, there will
be no temptation to the people. They will
not keep humming along, hoping that they
will find some bars down where they can
break into the clover pasture. They will
take the tune as an inextricable conundrum,
and give it up. Besides that, Pisgah, Orton-
vile, and Brattle Street are old fashioned.
They did very well in their day. Our faith
ers were simpleminded people, and the
tunes fitted them. But our fathers are gone,
and they ought to have taken their baggage
with them. 1t is nuisance to have those
old tunes floating around the church; and
some time, just as we have got the music as
fine as an opera, we'll have revival of re-
ligion come, and some newborn soul will
break out with Crock of Ages cleft for me -
till the organist stamps the pedal with in
dignation and the leader of the tune gets
red in the face and -. Certainly, any,
thing that makes man - is wrong
ergo, congregational singing is wrong
QuOd erat demOnstrandum; which being
translated means, Plain as the nose on a
mans face. What right have people to
sing who know nothing about rhythmics,
melodies, dynamics? The old tunes ought
to be ashamed of themselves when compared
with our modern beauties. Let Dundee and
Portuguese Hymn and Silver Street hide
their heads beside what we heard not long
ago in church-just where l shall not tell.
The minister read the programme beautiful
ly. The organ began, and the choir sang,
as near as could understand, as follows:
Oo-aw-gee-bah
Ah-me -la-he
O-pah-sab-dah
Wo-haw-gee.e.e e!
My wife, seated beside me, did not like
the music. But said: "What beautiful
sentiment! My dear, it is pastoral. You
: might have known that from Wo-haw gee !!
You have had your taste ruined by attend
ing the Brooklyn Tabernacle l'' The choir
repeated the last line of the hymn four
times. Then the prima donna leaped on tC
the first line, and slipped, and fell on to the
second, and that broke and let her through
, into the third. The other voices came in tC
pick her up, and got into grand wrangle
and the bass and the soprano had it for about