Daily Republican., 1879-09-27
rME SONGS or SUx FATHERS.

rHE sores OF UUx FATHERS.
DeEae ef the Fine Old Melodies
which Have Passed Away.
From the Indianapolis News.
The music Of the pas. was all feeling
and sympathy, with little that appealed
To the intellect and nothing that ap.
pealed to the refined taste. But we
have seen . whole congregation in tears
as they sang that fine old hymn, "Tsk-
ing the parting hand" Whoever saw
q tear start At the bidding Of q choir ?
II was the pathos Of the poetry alone
that stirred feeling SO deeply. There
we're tears in the melody, sympathy in
every note, though there werssgraosful
harmonies nowhere. Another grand
old hymn that seems to be relegated to
the limbo Of old fashions is, "Am q
soldier Of the cross 7" We believe It
occasionally forces It's way up through
the crust Of culture, at least In the out
lying emission" congregations; but do
choirs ever sing iti 1t is . magnificent
melody, equal to Luther's "Ein tester
Burg" and is very expressive Of Chris
tian resolution. Nothing more admir-
ably adapted to the force and volume
and enthusiasm Of congregational sing
ing lies within our knowledge. Prob
ably that is the reason that choirs
dou't sing II. Its wants the crash and
roar Of thousand voices to give full
expression to the force in 1t, and then
the man who can hear 1t unmoved Is .
pitiable animal indeed.
the Methodist, used to have, forty
years ago, an air that they probably
sang more than any one hymn. bu:
to whatever words 1t was fitted every
line was followed by . refrain, "Glory
hallelujah," the last one Of . stanza
closing with "Oh, Zion, hallelujah."
It was a very simple tune, hardly
rauging through single octave. sim
pler than the old tune now called
"John Browns Body" but 1t had that
subtle, untraceabls power Of expression
chat made it fit the feelings Of an excit.
ed congregation, and an open-mouthsd
volume Of tones that made it . perfect
storm Of melody. II is gone now,
though, but ws doubt much II anything
so good has come In Its place. A
very fine sacred song, which We rarely
hear now, never hear from choir, has
q chorus, "Ws'li work till Jesus calls,
and then be welcomed home" The
air is fine and finely adapted to con-
gregational singing, the only singing
tina. has any pretension to q place in
genuine worship. A large choir o"ulL
give it some of its proper effect, bat it
needs house full or woods full Of
worshippers 10 make 1t ring out all the
force that lies latent in 1t.
One Of the most plaint,ve Of tho old
time hymns began, or at least one Of
its stanxas did, "Iime, like an over
rolling tide, ba,s all its sops away,
and it was sung to that lachrymose oil
airs, "Dunlap's Creek" 1t was dole
,ul thing, but it had melody, charac. 81
and meaning, something that can't b.
said Of much of our cultured sacred
music which had on more character
than q national Congressman, and no
more favor than a popular chip. A
song f,equeatly employed in hortatory
foshion, as its language intends IL TO
be, when cosve-ts we're invited to "come
out from the world," began, "Come
humble sinner, in whose breast a
thousand thoughts revolvs." 1t was
sueg to q mild adaptation Of an Old
Irish air called "The Pseler and the
Goat" but the adaptation suited the
song, and The song suited the OCCASION
On which it was used, and we have had
no choir singing half as opt or effective.
A beautiful melody was usually or al"
ways, 10 far as we remember, sung to
yong in which occurred this stanza:
| "Ob that could with happy John
| Re, line nv we,r. ed ieau upon
The b est ReGcemer's breest.
J.om care d iesr and s0lrow Tree,
Give me, oh LORI, 10 fnd In tDee
My everlasting rest"
There is nothing finer in either music
or sentiment in all our latter-day
"chniripg But IL is utterly gone
We can't take space to notice all the
fine old sacred songs aud melodies thai
have passed away with the progress
Of community from bach woods simpli
city TO met, ,opolitan diletfauteism, but
we must alIude to one, which 1t seems
to ur is a positive loss to the cause I"
religion, b, cause il ia the loss Of an In
trumentality nard to replace. "hoW
R,n foundation, ye saints OF the
Lord" il til. first line Of as grand
song az can lie. found in all hymnology
Il IL II juhilAot expression Of Christian
lta.,h, the song Of a full soul pouring
out its trust for the encouragement o.
weaker or emptisr souls. And the
melody has q movement as majestic as
"Old Hundred, and more vivaci0us.
L. ia . superb melody, and Leither good
taste nor Christian feeling should allow
il TO lapse out Of the worship 1t is SC
| we'll adapted to inspire and elevate
But VIZ never hear choir sing 1t. In
fact, it is not choir song or air. Still
they rarely sing anything halt as good,
even for cheir service.
The Constitutt ON OK California.