The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-28
MUSIC FOR THE CHURCHES.


Stage Is Absorbing the Good Vocalist is.
New York Mail and Express.
The churches of New York are trying to solve
the problem how and where the music for 1887
is to be obtained. There is money enough to
pay for cultivated voices, but the trouble is
AS in times past the church going public
demanded that they should have a preacher
OF celebrity and power so now they
demand that cultivated voices shall be
furnished for the choir Although there is
development of the craving for chorus choirs and
for double quartets nothing short of well-b bal
anced competent choir that can interpret the
most difficult selections will satisfy the average
church goer. In fact the character of the music
rendered by church choir to-day is of as much
importance and as great a drawing-card as the
man who occupies the pulpit Consequently the
church music committees are having very in
dustrious hunt for good voices. Cultivated
soprano and tenor voices are in great
demand, and it seems that the vocalists of New
York are looking for salaries as we'll as fame.
1t is estimated that the salaries paid for church
music in this city, although ranging from 800
to $3.OOO per year, aggregate, without doubt,
manys times the pastoral salaries. 1t has long
been the complaint of those engaged in church
choir work that they were by no means sufi-
GENTLY recompensed for the time and ability il
volved, but so long as volunteers and able
cruiJs could be had almost for the asking, their
plants and criticisms were unheeded.
81 do not think the secret of the present
dearth of good voices is that singers have deter
mined to be paid for their work or not sing"
said a well known wielder of the chorister baton
yesterday. "It is rather that they have found
much better market for their voices Since the
introduction of "Pinafore" into this country
the church choirs have been ransacked and
depleted to the end of furnishing leading
and chorus voices for the multitude of
comic operas that have so quickly and success
fully followed Gilbert and Sulvan's tuneful his
tor nf RQ nh RuNR 20 frand cin
once lent the best endeavors to obtaining a posi-
ton in a church choir, to-day the rule is to seek
out some manager in anticipation of securing an
engagement on the stage. Even those persons
who have not succeeded in finding such an
engagement still refuse church work, because
they hope soon to secure the long coveted place
on the operate or theatrical stage In brief, the
church has been robbed by the stage for the past
five years Not only are our city churches in
need of good voices because of the graduation to
the stage, but because out-of-town churches,
finding 1t difficult to secure competent voices,
have invaded New York and by making liberal
offers have carried away some of our best sing
ers. There are plenty of singers, to be
voices of the requisite cultivation for church
service. Though the main difficulty seems to be
In obtaining sopranos and tenors, the deficiency
Is really not confined to class Of vocalists.
Altos and bass voices can be had but they must
be literally paid for. l call to mind now an in
stance whore one church in this city will pay
newly engaged alto more than double the
salary given to her predecessor. While
many bass and BARTON voices are in
the market, TO speak, the rich,
Deep we'll rounded bass is to be obtained only
with much difficulty. Singers possessing voices
have no cultivation. and those whose voices
show culture are lacking in the desired tmbre.
It is fact that in order to retain the valuable
components of their choirs many of the churches
will have TO increase the salaries next year more
than ever before. AS look back can call to
mind several well-known companies on the road
that represent many of the best voices that have
been heard in church choirs. Germans Church
Choir Company, that sang "Pinafore," PIRATES
of Penzance" and Trial by jury started the
craze, and it has gone on until even the good
voices in such companies as "a Parlor Match"
"a Tin Soldier" "Erminie" and the American
Opera have been recruited from the ranks of
the church choirs.
''The Boston IDEALS Duff's Opera Company,
Haverlys Opera Company, Stetson's .Mikado'
and Princess Ida companies, to say nothing of
the others that travel around the country with
Patience 'Bilee Taylor and Audran's operettas
all have been built up by voices that formerly
did good services in the churches The stage
has even invaded those churches where boy choirs
were engaged and succeeded in winning over the
parents and guardians of many of the boys to
giving their permission for them to travel.
This was notably the case with the Young
Apollo Club, Haverly Juvenile Opera Com,
pany, Dixeys Tigers and others that / might
mention. There is nothing left now for the
church to do but to become rivals of the stage
and pay good voices such salaries as shall insure
their continuance in the service of the church,
for after all there Is no more important depart
ment In the whole list of church belongings than
the music and the choir"