New-York tribune., 1880-02-29
HUMoRs or ooYGREGArIoNAL SINGING.
From The Bradford OJserrer.


Years ago some of the incidents arising out OF the
slovenly and ignorant manner III which the " con-
gregatiOnal singing was managed was so Iudicrous
that il was impossible 10 resist laughing. Iemem-
Der being asked one fine sunday morning to assist
at village Sunday-sc1ool. he superintenIcnt
was gardTne anG rrs rRe way pd N Mo1a ~ for
the children TO sing was very droIi-tne separation
of verses" of four lines into coup lets of two with
possible nonsense of some. One occurs 20 me now,
which made me smile aloud. Fancy the following
read gravely as though 1t were complete SEN
Birds in their little nests agree
And tbs a shameful sight!
But on the same day. when we attSnde% the service
in the chapel, II was stu worse Ihc OiG gaICeuel
having TO read ont the lines:
God HE own Interpreter,
And lie Will make II plain.
read the first line,
God is His own int7impeter
Sometimes even in the Established Church, the g
norance Of the clerk gave rise TO amusing contTc
temps | remember an old man who clerk at
St Marys az Leicester, forty years ago. who always
boggled at one word in favOritc hymn of the vicar
The hymn was the well-known one
We've no abiding city here.
and one of the verses commences thus:
We've no abiding city here,
This may distress the wOrdlings mind.
That word ,corldlng was indeed pons dsinorun
for the poor old olerk and the congregation were all
in tutor when he came to 1t. his ma-ay DIS;
tress the wOT-rul-wOT-Tul-w ul-wor-ruid-wOr-ruldln
mOlnG,' was generally about what lie made OF IT,,
and the organist the clever Mrs. Wood. always
played the organ its very oudest at that line. to
drown the titterpg of the congregation. The great
est fascOes however, arose from the selections OF
inappropriate times One IN which the words And
bow before the throne" were rendered thus;
And bow-wOw-wow, wOw-wOw- WOW. WOW WOW WOW,
Aud bow-wow-wow before the throne.
have been looking through some letters lately.
and am able now to give a few more specimens.
which the line With Thy benedctiOn seal occurs.
! have a memorandum that this hymn was sung at
chapel in Cheshire, to the tune of Aaron, ?s,"
and tins is how the above line came IN the music
With Thy benny
with Thy benny
With Thy benedIction seal
Another favorte tune in those days was called
Job" winch was made to do duty for all sorts of
L" long metre" hymns. Two singular specimens OF
its inappropraeness are appended. lhe i;ne IA one
was, "SiT up this stupid heart to pray" and this
was the way il was sung;-
Str up this stew
STIR up tins Ste"pid heart, etc.
The other was" And love Thee better than be-
fore (Which was sung
And love Tncc bet
And love Thee better than, etc
There Is n tune-"MileSs Lane "-in which, when
sung to It's own hymn, Crown Him Lord OF all"
very fine effect. Unfortunately In the days am
speaking of the people In charge of the singing
thouQbf more of the music they had to sing than Of
the Words. and the following three examples show
how "Ni,cs's Lane" was made ludicrOus. In Dr..
Watts's collection the hymn 80 in the second book
cOOciuucS- anu bSo o"lN"bi"i "'6"' -A'4S7 !"
Lane" made il thus
Ana see sal-see sal-seo salvation nigh.
The hymn 104, first book, same collection, has
the lines -
We would de1e our hearts no more,
No more poiluie our hands.
The last line being sung to Miiess Lane became
No more poll-Inore poll--more pollute our hands
The 12Gth hymn, second book of d.. Watts, has
Gilds the whole scene with brighter rays,
And more exalts our joys.
"Mless Lane" translated the final line into
And more eggs-mOre eggs--more exalt our Joys.
There is another tune called Boyce." of which
VIII give an example from No. IL hymn, in DR.:
II lfles's Liverpool collection, and the line is And
leaTn to kiss tho rod" Boyce" makes this
And learn TO kiss
And learn to kiss
And learn fO kiss rod.