The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-11-13

i The PooRLY DoNE.-The choir thai
3 sits IN this church las rot rehearsed
) for three months. The" tunes" have moi
been selected when church commences.
The organist plays q voluntary from
some book, has only brought it through
the iirst process, no cypression whatever,
no feeling in the least, a mere machine
] performance. The choir ether sing no
voluntary, or, if any, one that they have
learned six months ago, and have never
practlced since. During prayer the
leader hunts the tune for the next HYMN.
and whispers it to the members of the
| choir, who tumble through the book and
lind the place by the time the minister is
through praying not having practiced
together, they sing poorly, and possibly
lsome member will get out two or three
words behind the full chorus. The min
lister rises to preach, feeling badly, the
choir whispers during sermon time, and
the services closes with another miser-
ably sung hymn, with but little good
done, ana the cause of music sadly de-
moralized.
RARE DoNE-Although by no means
of rare occurrence. There is no choir
in this church, small congregation are
scattered over large church (congrega- |
tions are generally small where there. is
no choir or poor singing, the minister
gives out the hymn, all is silent ; the
minister says, Will some brother pitch
the tune? After some coughing and
clearing of throat, some one does start
the tune, but soon finds he has started. a
common meter tune to long meter
hymn he tries again, gets the proper
meter, but pitches the tune too high.
he succeeds, however, in getting through
with the aid of a few high-toned singers
of We olden time. After prayer the
same thing occurs, only this time the
leader breaks down, having e keyed"
entirely too high, and another who is ac-
crstomed to singing treble, an octave too
low, finished out, helped not little byI
the gentleman who sings every tune
alike and all at the same pitch. The
poor minister having been thus tortured
must try to give that congregation a a
warm spiritual sermon, but fails, and no !
wonder. Eternal vigilance and practice
is the price of good singing, and those
who expect to sing well without it, or
churches that expect to have it without
an effort, will find sad disap-
pointment. A chorus choir is the best
for church service. If there is no regu-
lar choir, let all who expect to sing sit
near to each other, as good results can
not be produced when those who are to
sing are in the four corners of the church,
which is sometimes the case. For the
benefit of those who are prejudiced
against an organ in church, let us say
that although it is bitterly opposed as
an invention of satan by some it is in re-
atty an instrument of worship and a
great help in the service Of song. A ]
member who would walk out OF a church
because of an, organ being brought into
it should be told that that was Just what :
the devil did when David played the :
harp before Saul /; he went out.
Permit me to finish this paper with a
picture. The church will hold perhaps 1
400 persons, and every pew is filled.
Punctually to the moment the service
begins by a whisper of delicious melody ,
rom the organ, where Christian is j
breathing out, by means of this noble J
Instrument, the feelings of.his soul. A
loly awe and reverence pervades the
audience; they already begin to have !
with our Lord. In mo-
ment more the choir give utterance to
heir feelings in words perhaps like 1
;hese: Behold what manner of love
he Father hath bestowed upon us that
We should be called the sons of God"
This is followed by the invocation and
hen grand hymn, in which both choir
ind congregation unite heartily and with
leep feeling. The; minister rises strong
or his work, for already the people are
for the reception of the word,
md his own heart is filled full of the love
If God. With glowing eloquence his
message is told, the people hear and are Il
edited, another song of praise from choir
ind congregation, the pastors benedic- b
ion, when all quietly dispense, feeling t
hat it was good for them that they were q
here. p
ITO be COutinatsd.1