, 1877-11-18
RELIGIOUS. -
History of the Old Hundredth
Psalm Tune,
With Notes About Some Old
Psalm and Hymn Tune
Composers.
Miracles Wrought at St. Michaels
Monastery at Hoboken,
N. ].
4Neg Religious Sect in Pittsburg--Aotes
and Personals at Home and
Abroad.
Announcements OF Services Held
in the Chicago Churches
p. To-Day.


OLD UUNDREDTH.
NOTES on THE OLD PSALM AND HYMN TUNE
COMPOSERS.
1v The ia.e Ed.card F. Himtau!t- LID. in Leisure
Hours
chapter or two Of gossip about the old
times, the composers, and the books they pub
1ished for the use Of congregations who took
delight in the "sing'ng OF psalms
.na hymus,'' will not be entirely
devoid Of interest to those who take pleasure in
tie subject at the present time, whilst to those
who profess no such love their historical value
will not be Ignored. Two fcllow-workers in the
sarne feld-thc late Rev. ". Il. Havergal and
the Rev II. Parr-hayc, to certain extent,
cleared the way on the ground We have been
laboriu. and their efforts we most cheerfully
acknowledge They hare not only furnished us
with much information, but have cheered US in
our task and rendered it more pleasant than it
would have been without their aid.
Th: first hook we shall notice is the mctrical
psaln1-book published under the direction OF
Calvin, entitled, Lies Pseauncs de David, mis-
en- rimc Franchise, par Clement Marot ct Theo-
dore de Beza-'' Calvin was decided promoter
Of congregational singing, though he was not,
like Luther, composer. He encouraged Theo-
dore Bcza to finish Clement Marot's Frcuch
version Of the psalms which he had published
1t Paris in 1540 with thirty, and again at Stras-
bourg in 1913 withfifty psalms. He also employed
Guiliaulne Franc to compose and select melodies
for the entire version, completing thereby its use
fnlness There is some obscurity as to the date
OF the first appearance Of these valuable melo-
dies. According to Burncy, the French psalter
in metre was published in q complete form with
the music in 1916. In this there appears to be
an obvious error. as it could only have been that
portion OF the psalms translated by Clement
Marot, who died in 1544. That this portion was
adopted by Calvin and set to music appears
clearly from his preliminary epist1e, dated
10Th June, 1913. 4 reference to the history Of
Theodore Bcza will be sufficient to prove that
the remaining portion Of the psalms was (prob-
ably) not translated or published BY him till the
year 1853.
DR.. Burney has styled Franc an @obscure
musiciau,'' an cpithct which has been industri-
ousty repeated by many editors, who have en-
tirely overlooked its absurdity and injustice.
Franc has the best claim Of authorship to the
Old Hupdredth and many other wcl1-knowu in
valuable psalm-tuncs; and, as Mr.. Dibdin re-
marks, t>supposins tnat he was unknown before
tho publication Of his psalter, .obscure he Ger
tainly has not been since"
When Mr. Havcrgal wrote his "History Of
the Old Hunlrcdth Psalm Tune" In 1854, tho
earliest copy Of this grand old tune with which
be was acquainted WAS in the complete version
OF the psalter printed By Crcspin in 1861. But
since he wrote, ftrec earlier versions hayc been
discovered. one in Gcneyan psaltez printed by
Jean Crespin in 1853, another in p5altcr print
ctl hy y. Barber and T. Conteau {probablT at
Gcn--a) in 1853 and a third BY Crcspin in 1850.
Tie earliest form is this: