The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-21

Not many years ago our churches wefo
obliged to depend mainly upon importa-
tions from Europe, but two or three COM
poserS have arisen in this country who
have gained an even greater popularity
| than any of the foreign composers, except
ing, perhaps, Gounod, Sir Arthur Sullivan
and Faure, one of whose songs for sew
eral years remained the most popular OF
all Easter contributions. Chief among
these American composers is Dudley Buck,
who has won both fame and fortune. Mr.
Buck is native of one of the rockiest and
most desolate of Connecticut towns, and
his musical bent Is clearly an inheritance.
because he had nothing in his early youth
to turn his thoughts in that direction ex-
cept the village choir. He, however, man
aged to get fair musical education when
he was still quite young, and he became
the leader of cboirs in Hartford, New
York, Boston and Chicago. He afterward
went to Brooklyn, and there became tho
musical director of the finest choir of that
city and in some respects the finest IN the
United States.
Here Mr.. Buck gave full play to his
talent for composition. He had previously
composed a good deal, seeming to have
been trying his talent in all directions be-
fore he was sure of it. At the time of the
''Pinafore" craze he wrote the music for q
comic opera founded on life in Salt Lake
City under Brigham Young. The opera
was produced in New York for a while,
but was nevertheless dismal failure, al
though this is to be ascribed more to the
Hbretto than to the music. After this ex-
perience Mr.. Buck devoted himself entirely
to religious music, and now his anthems,
hymns, glorias and other church music
are sung every Sunday in every city in the
United States, and he stands probably at
the head of all composers of religious mu-
sic, living or dead, of American birth. 1t
has been very profitable work for him.
Another composer who is now coming
forward is Harry Shelley, who has been an
Organist and choir leader in several of the
leading churches in New York city. He is
a younger man than Dudley Buck, and if
he continues to grow as he has in the last
two or three years he will undoubtedly
take the place now held by Buck when
that composer lays aside his pen. Shelley's
music is almost sensuously religious. Some
Of his hymns are exceedingly sweet, and
melody which he composed for the coming |
Easter festival is pronounced by some of
the musical directors to be the most effect |
i've song of that kind ever written. This |
work is profitable to Dir. Shelley. He feels, |
as Dudley Buck does, that If they could |
only find writer of religious poetry who |
could compose such hymns as. for in |
stance, Phoebe Cary's Zone Sweetly Sol |
emn Thought" or Ray Palmer's "My |
Faith Looks Up TO Thee" or Miss Adams
ITO Thee Look, Protecting Power" they |
would be able to do more effective work.
A great deal of SO called religious poetry |
Is written nowadays, but good deal Of it
is jingle, and it has been long time since
one really great poem which might be
sung by people of all races, and perhaps OF
all creeds, the world over, has appeared
1t is curious illustration of the fact that
solemnity and yet simplicity Of thought Is
the test Of true religious poem that Miss
Cary's verses have been translated into
nearly every language in the world, yet
when she wrote zone Sweetly Solemn
Thought" she was so careless about her
poetic form that it was faulty in meter, In
accurate in its use of English and contained
one or two cases OF bad grammar. But the
sublime thought was there, and that has
carried the hymn the world over. IL there
should happen TO arise a true poet, with
deep religious sense and with capacity to
express the profound yet simple truths OF
religion with true poetic art, and II such
one would collaborste with Dudley Buck
Or with Harry Shelley. it would be OF inn
mense service 20 the church, and would hs
Of both personal aud pecuniry profit 70
the com poser
Probably the largest amount Of money
ever made in religious musical con position
was in the publication OF the Moody and
oankey hymns. The profits amount 20
several hundred thousand dollars, and re:
many Of the hymns were really awkward
arrangements Of old Scotch and Irish bal
ads, and il one Or two cases % negro mel
dies. Down 10 tie tim. Dudley Back
oegan his com positions, probably the most
popular OF American religious music were
Ieorge William Warrens two cOmposi
lous-one CON posed for Rock OF Ages"
md the other for Jesus, Lover of Ny
soul" The sale Of these compositions va
noruous, and they have been sung wber
.yer Protestant services are bid
E j. EDvAEpA