The Irish standard., 1886-10-16
SPECIMEN BRICKS.
The Choir.

We say the "choir down at our place, :
for it is away down, and up at our
place would not be in conformity with
facts.
Our little village was very quiet, IN
fact rather somnolent, everything NOV
ing along in such a jog-trot way that
it could be aptly called Sleepy Hollow.
Suddenly, one fine Autumn evening
the train stopped at our place, and out
came ~ young man with a heavy car
pet-sack, g, walking cane and an UNI
hrella, also wearing gloves. Very few
people ever got off at our station, but
here was young man with gloves on,
looking for the hotel, and evidently not
a drummer.
Pretty soon our place knew all about
him. his name was Samuel Sharp, he
came from Boston, and was going to
form a musical society and teach any
and all Instruments that ever were tor
tured.
The young man proposed 80 play the
organ in church, when we got one:--"e
afterwards did invest in Il secondhand
har,nonlun some twenty-five dollars,
but that is neither here nor there.
Here, indeed, was rumpus III so
ciety, over fifty young men and women
ioined an enthusiastic choir class, to
practice twice week and do or die.
Solemn and melancholy were the sounds
to be heard from yet uneducsted
throats, AZ the scale ran up and down
in varions moods,
Back yards we're made <iscordant
with dos and soils; wou!d-be Jenny
Linds ran up TO unheard Of heights OF
BIS and ,'s, in short, Che whole village
was music mad.
To add TO The confusion, y5oung men
with new end shining cornets, and ele-
phantine hassoons were making night
hideous in vain attempts to climb that
horrid scale, occasionally breathing out
their whole souls in suck internal
olangor, that cid quiet people who had
any hair to tear, were driyen to that
form Of angry expression, but yet
with lingering hope that music would
some day be evolved from the blasted
b3ar;ng, In the mean time the cause Of
al this change was conducting himself
on the very latest Bostonese plan, gen.
tie, self-assertiye, ia q quiet way and
very hopeful Scales and runs and
tootle-tootles we're gradually assuming
musical form.
On quiet nights at unreasonable
hours, the slim berer was NOW and then
wakened up by the sounds ct passing
unconscious serenaders, who, in manly
tanors and basses, were entreating I'M
aginhry people to <'Carry them back to
Ole Yirginny' OF to "Listel1 to the
.Alocling Bird, even giving Invitations
TO sComa Where MY Love Lies Dream
aug a brass instrumcnj coming in,
now and then, at the come, come,
come,'7 part with vvont!arful effect.
Small boys, also, took to whistling
and playing ZONES. a thing never heard
of in our place before. The band was
getting strong on Rnusseaus Dream
- the fortissino cadenza Of the ophec-
hide, with rum-e]un diddy, diddy ri
dum-da at the close being a masterpiece
Of musical effect in that well-known
melody.
But the choir--ah! the choir was do
ing noble work. There were twelve So
7,ranos, two altos, three tenors and tif-
teen basses. It may form matter for
criticism in the musical mind, what
could two altos 90 against twelve so
prsnoes, but even the Bostonian could
not get any one to sing alto, only that
two gentle and passive beings who
would Eear to he trodden under foot
volunteered sud kept to that position,
However, the astute leader hoped
for better things, and like Ma
po]eon had way OF masterly inactivity
which was to eveDt,1ate in victory. We
shall see.
.Arch;medes could move Che world
with 8 lever, If lie could only get a
resting poinl;--the gentleman drones
would die in a hive If left to them
selves, but put i'll amongst them a
-'worker'' and he infuses life into the
whole party, feeds them. brushes them,
and arranges them in suitable places:
thus Samuel Sharp moved our place
into life aud energiZed the whole COM
munity, making them vihrate mellf-
luously to Jenderest chords.
4 concert was to form the grand
opening for the private musical efforts
of Cur choir. The choir, after much
debate. selected the name Of the Mozart
Club, some held cut for Hay den, but q
few unruly punsters made fun Of the
gadies OIL that score, and SO the ma
iority ruled. "Grand Vocal and In
strumen1al Concert by the Hayden
:. ;,>