Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-04-23
MUSIC IN AMERICA.
what REr. Joseph Bennett mas 10 say
on tine Music of Salt Lake CIsy'

OF London, England, ana appediou III 'ii'''
journal April LIST, 1885. We insert that
part of Mr.. Benefits correspondence
which refers to music and musical mat
tiers in our own city:
Farther West still, 1.-THE reader pleases
this time to the wonderful CITY Wn:on
stands at the foot of its enconipassinS
mountains, monument OF Morlioi,
energy and faith. Gentle beiiel anu
practices have now firm footing III the
Sion founded by Brigham Young ana 'iie
dauntless band who started with MN
from Nauvoo into the then unknown
wilds of Northern Mexico Probably the
Mormons would not have 1t SO IL tney
could help themselves; but Salt Lake
City is under Federal authority, ana OH
slope of the adjacent mountains sIahus
Fort Douglas, armed with hlghly-per,
suasive Federal cannon. All the Woriu
is therefore free to come and 60 Wltnih
the Territory where Mormonism remains,
and promises to remain the dominant
faith. There are several Gentle
churches in Salt Lake City; Eplsco-
palians, Roman Catholics, Presbyterlans,
Methodists, Congregationalists and Bap-
lists having one or more within the shadow
of Brigham Young's great Tabernacle.
The adherents in each case, however, are
comparatively few, and | apprehend that
the enterprise of these sects is regarded
as bearing a missionary character. we
were small band in one of the Eplsco-
palian churches On Christmas morning
last. Pious hands had decorated the
pretty little Gothic building with festoOns
of fir, and many scriptual text, but this
could not have been done for the admira-
ton of crowd. Perhaps twenty people,
all told, had gathered, when choir OF
three young women and two young men,
seated round an American organ near
the chancel, rose and sang CLARK! the
herald angels" to Mendelssohn's we'll
known strain With such humble means
only humble things were attempted, the
musical service being limited to re-
sponses, chants and hymns All these
we're rendered with spirit, and even with
some effect What if the young lady or
ganist occasionally showed inexperience
in dealing with eXtemporized harmOnies.
The entire proceedings were so hearty,
simple, and appropriate to circumstances
that could only regard them as success
! full. | did this none the less readily be-
cause everything served to remind me OF
an English village church, wherein life
reigns rather than the somnolency that is
first cousin to death.
NV experience of Gentle" church
music began and ended as described
above. | shall, perhaps, be expected to
dwell longer upon that of the Latter
day Saints" of whose artistic do
ings it was my privilege to
make close observations, thanks to
the friendly attentions of Mr.. Calder, the
chief music-seller in the place, and him
self not only Mormon, but the son OF
one who held high and honored rank in
his church. Considering all things, espe-
cially the work that devolve upon peo-
pie engaged in the rougher operations OF
founding a State, the Mormons make
very praisewOrthy efforts to secure for
themselves the sweetness and light of art
They support an organization known as
the Careless Orchestra"-a suggestive
name, but meaning no more than that a
Mr.. Careless is it's leader
Regarding the composition and capa-
city of the Careless Orchestra | cannot
speak, but, perhaps, some of its members
were those | heard discoursing solemn
music in the streets of the city during
the small hours of Christmas morning
A theatre is also one OF the appendices
/ of the Mormon Church. Here the young
people who have formed themselves into
dramatic associations make public APP
pearances; among the performers being
! some called by names conspicuous in the
short and stormy record of those
-hn FOL t1n 81 =
The most important musical society is
that which forms the choir of the Taber-
nacle. 1t numbers about $50 voices, and
has been fairly we'll trained for work
making but a moderate demand upon ex-
ecutive power. | attended the TabeS-
nacle service on one occasion, and had
then an opportunity of estimating its
capacity, under the favorable conditions
afforded by a building which, through
chance or otherwise, has solved the prob
lem OF acoustics in large place. The
Tabernacle has room for near upon 10, 00O
people, and is elliptical in form, with low
walls, from which springs roof unsup-
ported by pillars and somewhat resem-
bling the inside of the longitudinal sec
ton of an egg she'll At one of the
curving ends, rising from the level of the
floor to considerable hight, is capa-
ciOus platform for the officers of the
church, behind whom, and on either side,
are the singers, the huge organ lifting
| its vast mass in rear of, and above
all. Round the building, save as
just described, runs deep gallery, and
! seats cover the ample area 1t is literal
fact that, when the building is empty, a
person standing at one end can hear a
pin drop at the other. This was demon
strated to me again and again, the i'm
pact of the little bit of metal against the
floor being distinctly audible 1t follows
that preacher need not speak above a
conversational pitch, in order to be heard
all over the place, even the feeble voice
of the aged President, John Taylor, travels
to every ear. From this it is easy to inn
agine the effect of the great organ,
and the resonant tones of aasingers whose
vocal powers are kept in strength and
vlgor by bracing mountain air. The
Mormon service is, musically speaking
and otherwise, of the plainest character,
resembling that OF an English dissenting
chapel. curious feature is the almost
absolute dnmbness of the congregation.
They do not sing, the whole duty of
vocal praise being delegated to the choir,
and they make no responses to the extern
poraneous prayers; only when some elo-
quent orator-and there are many among
the Mormons-dwells passionately upon
their prosecutions and fortells an ultimate
triumph, loud "Amen' rings through
the building. The hymns are sung to
tunes of an old-fashioned type. such as
may be found in Rippon's English collec-
ton OF sixty or seventy years ago, and in
almost every popular American collection
OF the present day. Even tunes which
necessltate repeated lines, and those con-
tanning passages of imitation, are not dis