Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-28

ness to the rehglous thought It snoulo alo III
 expressing, and lastly, good in execution. Without union of these rare qualities I church music cannot be truly good" The l standard is certainly high and hard of at | tainment, but it remains clearly defined, posi- | tive and none the less real because of diff l culty-the very fact that it is not easy fur | nishes added proof of it's value.
 Readers are cautioned against the belief, more or less general, that ''good" music is only or chiefly of the style effective by bril- l liance and dash. or that it is in any degree operatic in character. Solidly "good" church music is oftener digni6ed in measure and deep in skiIlful construction-howingi in time and meter with noble stateliness. soul stirring touching and solemn. For especial occasions 1t is, and ought to be, joyous, jubilant, ,trium- phantl In what other mode could we sing on Easter morning? What other style would harmonize with our feelings on Christmas day?
 The advocate of precentor leading con- gregational singing remarks that, in his opin- ion, only in the grand chorus of the people assembled is to be foHnd the true devotion al spirit and only SO in the soul really uplifted in song.
 It would be idle to deny the inspiring re- suit of mass of voices even trying to sing in unison, and the emotional thrill at times by no means always nor even often-thus produced There must be get in motion simultaneous and sympathetic wave of emo- ton which, swelling and flowing, bathes with &Io rboIa ira der to produce this rare and happy devotion al condition.
 Much more oftenthe organ leads through the tune heavily, noisily and almost without ex- pression, played with little feeling and less taste. The precentor advances to his posi- tion and sings clearly, precisely and well. What an individual can do to preserve order and decorum in song he does, but the good people follow on very much as they please in every variety of time except the correct one and with comfortable and happy indifference to tune. It is possble-as is ssserted-that the people enjoy the so-called singing just as it is and that in it Is contained the spirit of reel worship.
 Exactly the same may be said of the shout ings, wild songs and other eccentricities of the plantation negro camp meeting of twenty years ago It is not doubted that these sav- age songs reached the divine presence and were accepted by him as sincere worship It is not intended to deny that true sincerity of heart may take any form of Christisn worship and be recognized such by the master.
 The excellence attained in service of song marks the degree of musical culture 8 con- gregation as such has attained-records how far the rendering of it's psalms and hymns has advanced and is removed from the level of the plantation service. We wish to offer to him whom we profess to serve the very best we have of everything. It ought not then to ba considered right and fitting to provide for the prayer service at one end of the church the best ability that education can produce and money procure, and then leave the other end-the praise serVice-to chance, or to something much like it, letting it take care of itself, acting, if not saying, as if anything were good enough for that, God will not care and we certainly do not
 Only moderate degree of musical culture would render such service of song intolera- ble as destructive of the devotional spirit. If each individual in 8 congregation were a specially trained musician and vocalist and if the entire assembly met at frequent inter- vals for practice, and rehearsed together the psalms and hymns-not to mention anthems, chants and responses, it might be possible to render these parts of the song service in dignifed, grand and glorious manner, wor- thy Of it's purpose and of the church, pre- senting true choral service as it should be- the ideal form of worship In song
 Can we imagine the heavenly choir chant ing it's glad songs of praise in the sad man. ner win which we but too familiar careless, incorrect, indecorous, undutiful.
 Directors of church song service should have sufficient musical culture to be anxious church songs to 8 becoming level with the church sermons and keep it there. Ignor- ance of what is good" and consequent sat- isfaction with 8 condition of song service discredtable to the church and unworthy of him whom they would worship will not ex- empt it's officers from merited censure. If ignorance and lack of proper training Is per mitted in the orgauist, or is 8 matter of tri- fling importance, as some uncultivated peo- pie actually believe, then it is not SO impor- tant as many of us have been led to think that the minister himself be educated that he be 8 man powerful in brain, brimful of love to God and his fellow man-thoroughly trained in bis sacred profession.
 While unwilling to be understood as esti- mating the services of the organist and his quartette at precisely the same value in inn portapce with those of the minister at the sacred desk, still the writer would insist that the praise service is worthy of the rarest ef- forts of the best musical minds, and has al- ways been SO considered by the greatest mu- sicians. That such musical minds have been among the most profound and brilliant that the world has produced, and that the works of such masters can only be worthily and de- corously interpreted by those familiar with the language of music and who have learned to understand it's beauties. Such an organ ist has worked and studied through the clas- sics of the true masters with quite great an expenditure of time and thorough-going labor as the student of Greek and Latin. He has become conversant with the greatest efforts of the best composers, knows well their various styles and different methods of work, and by more or less fruitless efforts in the same direction has learned in some de- gree to estimate their greatness. He has of course learned the grammar of music and composition. It seems the proper place here to remind those who venture to sound notes upon the organ, not having thus studied and prepared themselves, that without this knowledge they can no more play correctly, and like @ musician, than they can write and speak correctly without grammar. Such would-be players betray their ignorance and