Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-09-03
The Songs Our Fathers Sang.

AhB oOJsS Oul
Tue music of the past was all feeling
and sympathy, with little that appealed to
the intellect, and nothing that appealed to
Il refined taste. But we have seen a
whole congregation in tears as they sang
that fine old hymn, Taking the Parting
Hand" Who ever saw a tear start at the
bidding of choir? 1t was not the pathos
of the poetry alone that stirred feeling SC
deeply. There were tears in the melody,
sympathy in every note, though there
were graceful harmonies nowhere. Anoth
er grand old hymn. that seems to be rele
gated 10 the limbo of old fashions, is, can
| a Soldier of the Crosse" We believe il
occasionally forces its way up through the
crust of culture, at least in the outlying
mission congregations, but do choirs
ever sing it? 1t is magnificent melody
equal to Luther's Elm festburg," and il
very expressive of Christian resolution
Nothing more admirably adapted to the
force and volume and enthusiasm of con
gregational singing lies within our knowl
edge. Probably that is the reason tha
choirs don't sing it. 1t wants the crast
and roar of thousand voices to give full
expression to the force in it, and then tho
man who can hear it unmoved is pitiablt
animal indeed.
The Methodists used to have, forty year!
ago an air that they probably sang tc
more than one hymn, bat to whatever
words it was fitted, every line was follow
ed by refrain, Glory llalleluiah," the
last one in n stanza closing with ooh
Zion, Hallelujah." 1t was very simple
tune, hardly ranging through single
octave, simpler even than the old hymn
tune now called, John Browns Body
but it had subtle, untraceable power o
expression that made it fit the feelings o
an excited congregation, and an open.
mouthed volume of tone that made it Il
perfect storm of melody. 1t is gone now
though, but we doubt much if anything SC
good has come in its place. A very fine
sacred song, which we rarely hear now,
never hear from choir, has a chorus
"Well Work till Jesus Calls, and then be
Welcome Home" The air is fine, and
finely adapted to congregational singing,
the only singing that has any pretension
to place in genuine worship. A large
choir could give it some of its proper ef-
feet, but it needs house full or woods
full of worshippers to make it ring out all
the force that lies latent in it.
One of the most plaintive of the old
time hymns began, or at least one of its
stanzas did, Time, like an ever rolling
tide, bears all its sons away" and it was
sung to the most lachrymose of all airs,
Dunlaps Creek" 1t was Il doleful
thing, but it had melody, character and
meaning, something that can't be said of
much of our cultured sacred music, which
has no more character than n national
congressman, and no more flavor than a
poplar chip. A song frequently sung in
u hortatory fashion, rs It's language in.
tends it to be, when converts were invited
to "come out from the world" began,
"Come, humble sinner, in whose breast a
thousand thoughts revolve." 1t was sung to
mild adaptation of an Irish air called the
Pecler and the Goat" but the adaptation
suited the song, and the song suited the
occasions on which it was used, and we
have no choir singing half as apt or ef-
fective. A beautiful melody was usually
or always. so far rs we remember, sung
to u song in which occurred this stanza:
"0h, that | could with happy John,
Recline my wcarcd head upon
The blest Rcdecmer's breast
From care and fear and sorrow free,
Give me, oh Lord to find in thee
My everlasting rest"
There is nothing finer in either music
or sentiment in all our latter day "choir.
ing" But it is utterly gone. We can't
take space to notice all the fine old sacred
songs and melodies that have passed away
with the progress Of community from
backwoods simplicity to metropolitan dill.
ettanteism, but we must allude to one,
which seems to us is a positive loss TO the
cause of religion, because it is the
loss of an instrumentality hard to re.
place. How firm foundation, ye
saints Of the Lord" is the first line of as
grand song as can be found in all hym.
noogy. 1t is a jubilant expression ol
Christian faith, the song of u full SOU
pouring out its trust for the encourage
ment of weaker or emptier souls. And
the melody has u movement rs majestic
rs "Old Hundred" and more vivacious
1t is u superb melody, and neither good
taste nor Christian feeling should allow il
to lapse out of the worship it is so wei
adapted to inspirit and elevate. But We
never hear choir sing it. In fact, it is
not a choir song or air. Still, they
rarely sing anything half as good, ever
for choir service.-Indjanapolis Nc0s.