The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-02-17

Our CHURCH CHoIRs.-Recently, sew.
eral communications have appeared call.
ing on our church choirs 10 use Han.
delian music more, evidently written
without knowlege Of what Is going on
amongst our church choirs. In our ram.
bles into the different churches, we have
heard at 81. Matthew'S several solos BY
Handel; at the First Presbyterian Church,
quite recently, solo and chorus from
Samson; at the Fourth Street VI. E,
Church several solos and one or two
choruses Of Handel's; ut the Second Pres.
byterian Church, we are informed, quite
a number Of solos from the Messiah,
Theodore and Samson have been sung
and so on. 1t Is quite easy for any one
to say, do so and 90, but the doing il
often very difficult. Music Of the class
referred 10 Is OF a'dificult character 10
properly perform, and in our humble
judgment we feel like thanking the choirs
for not giving US indifferent renditions
OF master works. We deny the asser.
ton that the solos, duets, ETC., Of
Bach, Handel, Haydn, Spohr and
Mendelssohn present little difficulty, the
technical and executive difficulties are
great as agenerAl thing, but in the slip
shod manner we mostly hear them, these
difficulties are quietly ignored. II will
take vast amount Of deeper study than
most Of our singers have undergone to
satisfactorily sing for the people the
sublime solo gems with which The orato.
rios are filled, TO sing them 90 that they
will really be understood and appreciated
Us they should be; but we are glad atten.
ton Is being called TO them, and that some
are being sung. With The choruSes, the
difficulties are not so general, many lie
within the capacity Of the average choir,
but how weak these choruses would be
with but from four to eight voices. The
trouble, too, with singing these choruses
by the average societies or choirs
arises from the almost impossible.
y Of obtaining the proper bal.
snce in the parts, and another trouble
is caused by the want Of leaders for the
parts. Nearly every person who can
read passably we'll, or has moderate
knowledge Of how to sing, will set up as
soloist, and will not come down to assist
in the chorus; SO, for want Of leaders in
the parts, the singers get into muddle,
and want Of satisfaction Is felt by even
the unlearned hearer. How often does
II happen that we hear a chorus sung by
"a many altos as sopranos, perhaps a
dozen bass, and two or three tenors, who
labor TO make Themselves heard against
the mass OF alto and bass. We need
reconstruction in this respect very badly,
but do not despair Of seeing this diff.
Guilty vanish some day.
1t seems 10 be desired to produce the
impression that only the oratorio music
by Handel, ETC., is fit model for us all
10 pattern after. Notably much Of this
had secular origin, for many Of the airs
in various oratorios have been taken
from operate scores, particularly by Ros.
SIM and Handel. One Of Rossini's masses
dated 1879 was almost founded on motives
from his operas, and so delighted the
Neapolitans that the enthusiastic priest
is said TO have told Rossini that "in spite
OF all your sins, knock with that and 81,
Peter cannot refuse you" One can re-
call many songs Of an elevated character,
for instance those OF Schubert, Mozart
and Franz, OF mournful and regretful
character, songs OF sentimental and
slightly passionate cast which only re-
quire union with religious words to be
heard for the first time as religious mu.
sic, to make them essentially a success.
The air "Lord remember David" is
Handles air from his opera Sosarme,
four OF the choruses OF the Messiah, are
out Of his chamber Duets, etc; Although
an air composed for one subject may be
suitable for another, it is not always the
case.
The mania for putting all sorts Of
things into church music after produces
strange incongruities. Once in England
certain conductor had the audacity to
introduce in Israel in Egypt sundry
melodies, such as "Great Jehovah all
adoring," fitted to the music OF ~ borrow
Cupids wings" and in our own churches,
we hear the prayer from "Der
FreiSchutz, Fra Diayalo, Masaniello"
airs from Lucie,' Dun Sebastian
Faust, Don PaSgnale, Don Juan, etc. II
you listen to the Sunday.school songs you
will hear strains reminding you Of
"shermau's March, when Johnny Comes
Marching Home Again" "Up In a Bal
loon, Boys" Down in a Coal Mine" and
other popular melodies Of the day. The
Rev. Rowland Hill was reproaChed for
permitting the introduction Of secular
melodies and wittily replied: "But the
devil must not have all the good tunes"
A man OF wit can always extricate him.
self by good joke but that does not
satisfy the question Of propriety, and it
is astonishing our churchmen do not re-
gard this more seriously in the adapta.
tiana made