The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-09-15

courtesy, that song is what It's
singer declares it to be. Amateur vocal
lists have been known to begin with the
tune of " God save the Queen" and end
with that of "Rule Britannia" or con-
versely; and in the cases etiquette pre-
scribes that the doubtful music shall be
accepted as whatever the executant
chooses to call it. 1t may have pleased
him to sing the combined national airs
to the words of God save the Prince OF
Wales" and if on that ground he main
tains that he has sung the melody TO
which those words have been set he must
not be contradicted. In criminal affairs,
however, and of affairs of which the
police magistrate takes cognizance, etl-
Juette is waived, and tune is taken for,
what it really is, not for what 1t is sald
to be by an interested person. Such, at
least, is the theory on hesubject, though.
10 practice IL would be hard -teysay bys
what features tunes are to be recognized
at least by the unmusical. jacob, the
herhalist, was accused Of having sung
Willie brewed. peck o maut; " to
which he made no answer that 30 far
from having sung a profane drinking
song he had, in fact, sung religious
hymn. 1t would have been interesting
to see the witness against Jacob King
cross-examined as to the points by which
he recognized Willie brewed peck o
maui and knew it not to be Hold the
fort, for I am coming" There is, as
matter of fact, no resemblance between
the two airs. But it is often-too often
only necessary to confuse a witness in
order to throw suspicion upon his eyi-
dence; and one melody is sometimes so
like another and there Is occasionally,
note for note, so little difference between
this secular tune and that tune assigned
especially to the service of religion, that
evidence on the subject of profane mu-
sic and music suited to the Sabbath
might very easily be shaken.
Handel borrowed from his operas
many of the airs which now figure in his
oratorios; and that most graceful but
also most mundane, melody, "E Ecco il
ridente," sung by count Almavina in
The Barber OF Seville" has, shorn OF
its adornments, been arranged for mass
The favorite hymn. Sun of my soul"
is, at least so far as regards its opening
bars, identical with FIgaro's first air in
Z" LIE Nozze;" and perhaps this accounts
for the fact-vouched for by our con-
temporary the Choir-that an Anglican
churchman who, dissatisfied with the
dry and barren character of the Presby-
terian service, had, some where in Scot
land, sung for his own private consola-
ton, in his own private lodgings, the
hymn just mentioned, was bitterly re-
preached by his landlady for indulging
on a Sabbath afternoon in unseemly
music. 1t is very difficult in music to
divide by a hard. sharp line the secular
from the religious, aud Jacob King, had
he been we'll counselled. might have
turned this fact to account in his forced
interview with the baillie. Apparently
he was convicted through the words, and
if he really sang the words of 90 Willie
brewed a peck o maui" to the tune of
zone of Moody and Sankey's hymns" he
deserved punishment for indulging in
joke destitute of true humor. He was
condemned in any case to pay fine of
twenty shillings, or IN default to undergo
fourteen days imprisonment. The Scotch
in fact, viii tolerate no pleasantly in con-
nection with Sabbath breaking, whether
intentional or uninteRtional. One of
the most eminent of our musical conduc-
tors has probably not forgotten the day
when, having ventured into the streets
of Glasgow on Sunday morning with a
violin case in his hand, which he was
carrying with him to the adjacent rail-
way station, he was mobbed by relig-
iOus crowd, who apparently imagined
that he proposed to exercise his art
there and then. 1t is said that there are
hotels in Scotland where champagne is
objected to on Sunday as not being "a
Sabbath wine" Perhaps the banging
of the corks suggests military music.
The case of Jacob King shows how
hazardous it is on Sunday in Scotland
to utter sounds of dubious character.
and the safest thing no doubt on that
day in that country is to preserve
decorous silence.