The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-11-14
Good Singing.

To have good singing we must have a
good pitch. Tunes must not be pitched
too high, where they can only be reached
with a scream, or they will set the people
thinking about their throats neither
must they be too Iowa dreary, drawing
grumble-or they will send the people TO
sleep.
How often have l heard people 60
screaming through with a tune and do
their threats up at the beginning of
servicel Especially have l seen this in
the open air. Now, instead of this, how
much better to stop short and say, I'VE
have got this tune little too high let's
try and have it little lower p And if
you fear you cannot alter it yourself, ask
some one else to start it, or talk bit
about the first verse, or make an an
nouncement, and so get the old pitch out
of your head, and then you can do the
right one. That is great deal better
that screaming through with no feeling
or power.
But some one may say, ''What has
the pitch to do with the power ?" Why,
just this, that while the people are Occu-
pied with the tune, their minds are not
free to go out after the meaning of what
they are singing The end of every hymn
sung is to get the people away from the
world and worldly influence. Specially
ought we to aim at accomplishing this in
| the first hymn of the service, to get
everybody woke up and melted down be-
fore the Lord ere we go any further
Most of our congregation come up be-
logged and weighted and saddened with
their worldly anxieties and cares. Now
you want as soon as possible TO draw
them off from these things, TO get their
hearts and thoughts away to God and
salvation. You want that mother to for
get the baby she has left at home that
husband to forget his shop. You want
that business man to forget the bill that
has just been dishonored, and the wife
to forget the unkind words her husband
said while she was dressing that morning.
We want to get the people under the in
fluence of tender, mouldable feelings,
like wax, in pliable state, to receive
the divine impress. Make the iron hot
before you begin to strike it with the
hammer of the Word.
we must have good time-that is, the
tunes must be sung at a proper speed.
Now there are two extremes-either 8
drawl or gable. Avoid both. 1t il
= difficult to give any instruction that viii
be understood on this topic. | may
however, say that very frequently the
lively tunes are sung too quickly, anC
the ordinary tunes too slowly. As 1
rule, let your singing be spirited. W.
really don't want any very slow anC
solemn tunes, unless we are called upor
to bury unconverted people, which,
presume, is not very frequently the case
for when we bury saints, the right kim
of saints, we want the liveliest tunes il
the book.
Still, again, it should not be so quicI
t as to make it difficult for our audiences
large or small, to keep up with it and t.
grasp the words and ideas we are sing
| ing. 1t is a great mistake to sing a
quick time in large congregation, or /
4 the streets, as in a small audience, or q
an indoor service. You must not sin
e so quickly as to render it impossible fc
the people to accompany you. Go aheaC
d but give every one a chance of joinln
you. | have heard some of our peopl
It sing when it seemed like race as to VIII
: should be first at the beginning of til
/ next line. This not only destroys all me
d ody and harmony, but defeats the end {
} all singing, which is, that not only IL
e mind, but the heart, shall keep pace wit
y the music.