Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1874-12-24
Communicated. i
Church Music
By PROF. II, G. cLUTEAM.

In America 1t has become common Tor
those who have use for singing in public
exercises, to confue their efforts fer It's
improvement to talking about what ,sing>
ing ought to be. Such expressions as 1T
is the duty of every Que to sing" "Sing
ing is very important part Of worship
and it is the duty of every one to make
it as good as possible &C., are very com.
mon, but that it is necessary to do any
thing, in order to make singing subserve
any useful purpose when 1t is employed,
is not very generally understood. TAX.
ing produces no more effect in teaching
people to sing, than it does in teaching
people to read or write. All effors for
the Improvement of singing either in a
Church or community, must commence
by establishing a singing school, where
those who wish to be able to sing properly
can be taught how to do it.
Singers inbibe their ideas of music
from the instructions they receive iu SIM
ging Schools. If those instructions are
correct, they will always entertain cor
rest views on music, and will always sing
we'll. II those instructions are incorrect
they will always entertain incorrect views
on music, aud will always sing badly
Worse still, they will think they sing
well, when all who hear them will think
they sing badly. 1t is, therefore, of the
very highest Importance, that the instruc>
tions given in Singing Schools shalt be
those, and only those which are known to
be correct. Nature works by laws, who,
ever would cultivate anything in nature
can only do SO, by learning and obeyiug
The Laws which nature has given for the
cultivation Of that thing. Tha. is what
one must dc who wishes to cultivate what,
that is what we mpst do who wishes to
cultivate music.
II music in church ought to please
and crafty the congregation, it never can
be made to satisfy every member, for
each will have his own whim, and the
most skillfnl musicians could not twist
the singing into shapes enough to crafty
every whm. If each men Dor of cons
gregation ought to sing just as he
pleascs, the singing will not satisfy
every member for some will sing through
their noses, some will sing with shrill
tones, some will sing with gruff tones, and
some will sing with all sJrts Of tone&-
Although their discord and sounds may
oe gratifying to those who produce them,
they are very annoying to all sensitive
ears that hear them, 50 that it is lmpos
sibIe that every member of a congregation
will feel that such singing is what it ought
to be, no matter how earnestly they hear
il asserted that that is the kind of singing
which churches ought to have.
There is kind of singing, though,
which every honest>minded member Of a
congregation will tee is just such sing
ing as every church ought to have. 1t is
the singing Of a large chorus choir drilled
and disciplined so that every member
produces every arch OF singing exactly
alike and exactly together, who have no
other idea in their minds when singing in
public worship than to SO sing as to awak,
en- devotional feelings, stir the religious
emotion, and express the praise and graft
tude of the heart 1t should be composed
of members of all ayes, soy from fifty to
ten or fifteen. A chorus composed ofnll
ages produces a far better effect than one
where the voices are nearly of an age, for
the older voices give it volidity, the mid>
dle-aged voices strength, the young voices
brilliaucTand the childrens voices sparkle.
1t is not very pleasant to belong to
crude, undiscipined choir, where eyery>
thing is without system or order; but no
associations on earth afford more pure, un>
alloyed enjoyment than the practicing
meetings Of such choir although it may
be some labor to form such q choir and
get it started. after it is enee under way.
not the slightest difficulty will be expert
enced in sustaining it, fer the members
will regard the choir meetings as the
pleasantest social meetings of their lives.
Tho existence of such a disciplined
body in church will exercise highly
beneficial influence upon it in many Of its
other exercises, besides the exercises of
singing. 1t is, therefore we'll worthy Of
the vigorous efforts of every church to
corm and sustain such choir.