Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-01
MUSIC IN THE HOME CIRCLE.

When "the holy Sabbath eve'' approaches
it is our delight to steal away from the
haunts of men and bury ourself in solitude
the most profound not that we love men
and women less, but the integrity of our
tympanium more. And there, far from all
distressing and distracting noises, we wonder
why it is that, as soon as the shades of even
ing begin to fall, it is estee red a religious
duty in every household for all to assemble
around the piano or melodeon and make
night hideous by bowling out some sacred
songs in very profane and profanity
provoking manner. Go where you will,
wherever Christianity holds its
sway, your ears will be
greeted from every open window and
door with strains of sacred song, generally
very badly strained. There is usually
choir of four or five voices. The soprano is
ambitious and possesses good pair of lungs.
She plays the accompaniment and pitches
the tune several Understandings an octave
too high for her voice, and when the high
or notes are reached, her frantic efforts to
compass them become terribly painful, and
impel one, in spite of the suffs ring she in
f1icts, to rush to her assistance to prevent
the bursting of blood-vessel. The alto is
generally a low gutteral, resembling in its in
donations the bleating of sheep in sore dis
tress. She follows the lead of the soprano as
far as possible, but occasionally starts off on
a horo h.
voice generally sig tenor. and the young
man with light tenor squeak attempts to
sing bass, and before half dozen bars are
sung the two parts get inextricably mixed,
like the legs of a drunken man trying to
walk crack. Neither of them find the cor
rect pitch without the most desperate effort,
and when they do, their voices become
husky, and after dropping a note here and
there to enable them to catch their breath,
end up with sonorous below and falsetto
blare IN the key of G.
After listening to "Hold the Fort" 'Only
an Armor Bearer" "The Ninety and Nine"
and "Nearer My God to Thee,' screeched out
of one score of windows, beloved out of
another score, and walled out of third,
even the most inoffensive of mortals
becomes at heart murderer.
He could rush into every house
he passes, strangle the soprano, brain
the alto, draw and quarter the tenor and
disembowel the bass, ending by splitting the
piano into kindling- wood. The inquisition
never contained instruments of such madden
| ing torture o him who has little music in
his soul as these Sunday evening sacred
concerts in the family circle. AS long as the
discords affect only those who make them
society is uninjured, for no punishme Mt is
too great for those who are guilty of such
denominations in the sight-or hearing-o
angels. But unfortunately there are othe rs
who suffer-men guiltless of any wrong
who deserve the sympathy of mankind il
general. These have no family circle O
their own in which they can murder anc
mutilate the melodies they have learned
the Sunday school gatherings, and are en-
titled to so he consldera ionic the sympa
thy OF the community. They are compelled t,
wander the streets of the town by night, and
greeted at every step by the discordant strain
that proceed from the home quartettes, it il
no wonder that they rush for relief to SOM
: friendly haunt of Gambrinus where music i
banished for the nonce, or give vent to thei
injured feelings by murderous assault up
on some unoffending wayfarer whom the,
may chance to meet Men who never swor,
before roll out good round oaths as the
u, ksfsh frantically along the streets, seekin,
4 rest from the discord, but finding none
The infection is becoming too great for hu
man endurance. For heavens sake
cheese it.
The widow Van Colt is still evangelizing a
Oakland CAL and drawino laroo o-n,yd. o.