The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-11-28
CHURCH MUSIC.

EDTToR News: am an occasional
church goer, and have a few thoughts
on singing which would like you to
publish. If they do any good shall
be satisfied. There Is nothing so in
spring or so enjoyable as good church
music on the Sabbath. You may have
a comfortable church, good preach
er, and all; but without good singing
the whole thing is a. drag. There
should be food for the soul in the sing
ing as well IS in the preaching. More
people know what singing is now than
ever before, bee aIise more attention is
paid to musical education than ever
before. More people engage in this
branch of public worship than all 9TH
ers, consequently it comes nearer to
the public heart. Nothing is more
inexcusable than poor church music.
Nothing is q greater nuisance. Good
singing will attract good congrega-
tions, and have a good effect upon
them, while poor singing has the con-
trary effect; therefore it behooves
every church to pay particular atten-
tion to its singing. A few years ago
the churches, especially In cities and
larger towns, ran to quartette chOirs
and artistic squawking, bat congrega-
tional singing led by cholrs and or
gans has happily taken the place of
the former empty shows. Nothing Is
more desirable in church music than
harmony and variety. We know q
church, for instance, where Corona
tion7 has been sung at least fifty
times in the past year, until VIC have
grown heartily sick of it. It is tho
regular diet. 1t is q tune which viii
admit of the greatest liberties, and
yelling misses, loud bassos, squeaking
tenors, and nasal performing ladies of
maturer ages, consider It their chance
to ''let out" whenever sCoronation,' is
to be butchered. We wish sometimes
that the man who discovered Corona
ton" had never been born. When we
hear it in that church, we always think
of the man who said he liked dried ap-
pies for fifty or sixty meals, but
thought they would not do for Greg
ular diet" Then we know OF another
church choir which 'fsaws away" every
all of the same character. While they
have different names they all sound
just alike. They make us blue, and
often cause us to wish we had staid at
home. 1t is like a preacher always
hammering away on "predestination,"
"baptism," or "scolding" his flock.
There is nothing about these tunes
that lifts us up. They are pieces in
tended to develope the lungs and that
Is all. When we go to that church, SO
far as the singing is concerned, we go |
with a good deal the same feeling we |
would go to saw mill 70 hear the |
miller file his saw. There is a chance |
for squawking, which singers who |
have voices that make you shiver, al
ways avail themselves Of. The fellow
with the loud, empty bass voice Is al |
ways on hand, and the tenor who sings |
on high, strained key is there. But |
We now hO PobAOnSS " IoAA aDOuL lLs
There is nothing in such singing to
lift the soul, and carry it upward to /
the contemplation of better things. |
There are no,sweet, harmonious sounds
that float Through the church, and in
spire the soul with sweet thoughts.
We love church music. 1t lifts us up
and makes us feel good. It remiRds
us that there Is a reality in the long
ings of the soul for something better
beyond this world. To the church
which gives us the sweet, melodeous
music which is real comfort and food
for the soul, we always like to go.
From the church which gives us hard,
harsh, loud and grating music, sang all
the way through on the same strain,
with nothing of harmony, or ex-
preston, or tenderness, deliver us.
OCCASIONAL.
~, To.0