The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-06
NEW YORK CHURCH MUSIC.
THE CHANCES THAT A QUARTER OF
A CENTURY MAS EFFECTED.
DR. uodges's Work and Dr. CutIrr's-Conarc-
Rationai singing Led BY Choirs-The Full
CharnI- Moznri. Handel. md HnYdn.

DR.. Hodges's Work aud DR.. Cutler's-Conare-
Rationai singing Led bv Choirs-The Full
CboraI Mozart, Handel, and Haydn.
Nothing is more noticeable in New York
church history than the changes that the music
has undergone within a quarter OF a century.
rwenty-nve wears ago there was not pure and
simple boy choir in the city, but there were sew
eral mixed choirs, in which the boys voices were
supplemented by female sopranos and altos,
with due support from the voices OF grown men.
The Rev. DR.. Mublenburg, always a lover Il good
music, was the FIRST TO Introduce the bov ele-
ment into HE choir. Then DR.. Hodges, at that
time oreanist OF Trinity, who had ch arro OF the
music In the three churches OF Trinity parish,
introduced boy singing, sntiphonal chanting,
and a kind OF partial choral service into the
churches under his care; always, however. with
a supplement OF female voices, and II Ia only
within a comparatively few years, and with the
gradual departure OF Trinity from Low Church
to u pretty high order OF Higt Church ceremo-
MES, that the supplied boys and chorist, rs, the
PROFESSIONAL ADD interoosslonal hymns, the in
toned prayers, and the chsnted psalter have
been introduced.
DIR. Hodges. whose memory IL vet green In the
church, and Is perpetuated not only In the many
and pure musical works that attest his weli-de-
served fame, but also In the religious and tn usi
cal reputation OF his son, the rector OF st. Paus,
Baltimore, was tho orRanist par excellence of
| his day in this city. lie had an uncommony
clean touch, and was an admirable PLAYER, pre-
ferrins the old English models, and disiiking
bendslssohu, Schubert. and their coptempors-
ries. was entirely at home In Bach, whose name
| he revered. Among his many duties he found
| time to suporintend the tuning of the chimes IN
Trinity tower. for he was as familiar With triple
bob majors as with his diapasons.
thu FULL CHORAL SERVICE,
| as II 10 performed IN Trinity. was the work Of
DR.. Cutler. DIR. Hodges successor. He COM
piled the "Trnity Psalter," containing all the
psalms and canticlss. properly divided and
| "pointed," which, with slight notifications, Is
| still IN general use. In later years tho great
| organ In the gallery, under the tower. has been
| much enlarged aud Improved, n small organ has
| been erected In the chancsl; and the surpices
worn and the whito-robed cnor,stsrs aud boys,
| their professional entrance into the church, aud
| the quality Of the music, are by no means the
least feature In the service.
| Nor mas church music stood stu among other
denoninations. 1t would be I'm possible, short
Of the great chorus worship Of the l.rge Luz
| thersn churches In Germany, to md better
music Of Its class than can be heard In Ply
| mouth Church, in Mr. Talmare's Tabernacle, in
| DR. Hepwortb's, or IN MIR. Ffotninsham's. though
| N tho latter two the attractions are divided
| with the cboirs. In the hrst-nsmsd ceurobes
the hymns. In many onurcnes OF the Freshly
| terrain, Congregational, Methodist, and Bapsist
n othe1, ,ssv h.,S ,h. eag sns cSoS
| choir. somstimes partly paid and partly volun-
teer. TINS latter feature V found In Mr.
| Beechers church. where a hne quartet and
| chorus render an opening anthem but the great
charm is the vast volume OF voice from the con
| creation. Individual bletnishos, discordsnces,
aud inequalities are lost In the great volume OF
| sound, aud IN cases In which the tune selected
magnificent. We have heard Coronation" sung
by three noussnd voices IN style tina. would
| Dwight of Yale. with whom that emtnently re-
spectacle old melody was fayOrits.
| Congregational music has been In vogue In
Germany for hundreds Of years, and many mod.
| ern church tunes are founded on their grand
Old chorsl.. Among these may be found "old
| Hundred, often wrongly attributed To Luz
Their; the judgement Hymn."" Fine feste burg
ist oassr Got.," and macy otner standard
from thes. old Iounts. aud "st. Paul." Ell h."
and one or two OF his shorter psalms contain
several Of them. ln Germany the melody 10
! generally sung 10y the people In unison, tue or
gan furnishing the birmonies, 80 10 Mt, Tai
melody, was furoishsd by ArbuckIss cornst
After all that NAV DE SAID In favor Of quartet
choirs, We have King David ON the subject: " Let
people praise thee" We listen to the qusrtei or
| The solo rs to an artistic perform ance aud are
disposed rather to cr'ticisr than TO worship.
IN ROMAN CATHOLIC cHuRcHvs
the service OF course Ia ALWAYS substantially the
same, except that Of late years In this city more
attention Is paid TO The music. Iu tue Game
been good. tut wi'nin few years many ostly
OF them the uiusie Of the hish mass End at ves
pers Is Of a very nigh order. and seldom excel
and in ST. stephens, In 1T. Anus. too. the mu-
SIC Is very nnr. The music Of tue mass
forts Of tue composers OF the period,
aud composer Of eminence except
VITA a mass. Mozart and Haydn are, how.
ever, the great apo ties Ot mass N usic. Adapta-
tons from the fAyOnts masses Of botn nave
been made Tor Protestant use, and arranged and
rearanged into anthem and hvmu with Enslish
word. Haydn's third or imperial nj nrst
m An.Aa IN n in nj lf.uh .la.s
ehutcnss almost any sunday, and IN ali pTVbs-
bilt' an English adapt ,tlon Of some portion Of
sounding Gloria from MoEdfIs twelfth, Is a
stock piecs for all great occasions. CIriously,
Composer Of this uass. 1t was, at any rate "A
po-thunous work aud Is In the handwriting OF
tus !, tho theme ~ the minuet IN Don Clio
vannl,' whicu susini would hardly have dared
10 lake to himself so soon after hoI arts death,
N"bls' Is Ozart IN over. IL Susinl could INT
tate his great master so well. 1t IL remark aDle
nincent GLORIA with its bold, effective open
ing and stirring trumpet accom- paniment, and
tue tender Iepelitions Of "paI-paX-psx," with
| the II ites interjected between, Is a perpetual
| usiRht, Joy forever not only TO the mus-
| cian but TO the uncultivated hsarer as we'll.
CHURCH MUSIC BOOKS.
From the nature OF their service the ROM an
| Catholic Cnurcn aud the English Churcn nave
oeen exempt from the necessity Tor many
changes In their books Of musical onipiatiun,
bu. otnor denominations are not 50 fortunate,
and oil tue IA al ing ~ oney music books theirs Is
no end. FLY year. ago, the Boston " Handel
and HAYDN Collection" of church music was GU b.
lished emnOdyins most that seemed worthy Ia
psAlmody Of being preserved. snd emitting the
fugusing and quaint old minor tunes that form
ed the stock IN trade Of the singing masters Of
Revolutionary times The "CHrmina 5acra when
was published about 20 Years ago, Is very mt. rly
IA good. aud still holds IL place, while. actually,
nearly hundred other "Lu es OF Zion" songs
OF the Church" ana books with klndIe ed title s
have faded into oblivion. In these two boo X
hrst appeared many Of the tunes that sun hold q
pi-ce In all congregations OF Professionals, aud
many tunes, SUCH al "Cnristlnas." Thatcher
"St. Thomas" "St. Ann's," "Stephens," aud
others tbHt had been scatte cred through minor
publications were there first asse N bled. Lowell
Mason, tnen 1T the head OF the vocal fraternity
OF America, assisted largely In the cOmpilatl on
OF these books. as OF many after thom. When
he adapted or complied, he within his
powers. but when he tried 10 be original he
failed lamsntably. and OF his " works" so-calied,
all that was original has been forgotten, and
those tunes that are yet popular, such a. from
"Greenland's Icy Mountains" are well-known
pia giarlsms.
hr. Thomas Hastings. one OF Masons contem-
porarles, was man OF Tar purer musical taste,
and has left some dehcAtely conceived music,
although he was not man OF marked origin l.
lily. "Ortonvllle," a fayorite with lovers Of old =
fashioned music, IL one OF bis best tunes. An
otner composer OF psalmody, OF more tale mt
than either, was the late William Ii. BRADBURY.