Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-02-25

and Spiritual songs for the Use, Edifica-
ton and Comfort Of the Saints in Public
and Private, especially in New England"
bound up with the Bible in Edinburgh,
1882, and once used in North Haven, oc-
ours this description of "the wicked one,"
taken from the 10th psalm:
In lurking places of the towns
He sits in secret dens
He Stays the harmless; gainst the poor
His eyes down slyly bends.
He closely turks as lyon turks,
In den, the poor to catch;
The afflicted poor doth snatch.
Again in the same volume (22d psalm, Sec
ond parD after describing how many ''great
bulls of Bashan have me round environed,"
he breaks into grand climax as follows:
With their wide open mouths on me
They gaping so appear,
AS if that each a ravening
And rowing lyon were.
Like water am split; my bones
DlsJoynted are likewise;
Like unto melted wax my heart
Amidst my bowels RISE
A truly deplorable condition. A single
quotation further and we are done. This
from the 114th psalm, same volume:
The mountains skipt aloft
AS if they had been rams;
The little hills they also leaped
AS if they had been lambs.
Thou sea, what made thee fly,
Thou Jordan back to go?
Ye mountains that We skip like rams,
Like lambs ye hills also?
These illustrations must not be taken as
a sample of all the hymns of that period
Of course they are from the absurd side,
yet all were characterized by similar
versifcation and a strange tumble of
ideas.
Now as to the manner of singing. Print
ed notes were not introduced into Connec-
ticut until about 100, and then only in
H. 49, 1r11r
reached here till years afterward. Then
how did the people sing? Dear reader, we
wish we knew. We can only give an il
lustration of how they sang in Massachu-
sets at this time, and then leave the field
open to your own conclusions. This is
what Mr. Walter writes of how he heard
it in 1870 in a Congregational meeting
house:
LIT sounded like five hundred different tones
''roared out at one time; no time was kept; the
&C noise SO hideOus and disorderly as is bad be.
"yond expression" 0)
Another writer adds that "the singing
was tedious and drawing; twice on one
note paused to take breath"
There were but few tunes in use in the
Rev. Mr.. Stiles day; perhaps not more
than dozen were known to his congrega-
ton and those only imperfectly. The old
custom of Giving out the psalm" was
prevalent throughout the colonies, and
there is no reason to doubt its use here.
Thus, in word then, the situation can be
stated. Few, very few hymn books, fewer
still land likely no) printed notes, little or
no conception of harmony, lack of all
training and yet the whole congregation
singing e. the lines of the psalms they
were doled out two by two from the sacred
desk. This may seem an extreme view, but
the circumstances warrant it's truth.
When the Rev. Benjamin Trumbull
came here in 1850, his society "agreed by
a vote to sing DR.. Watts psalms for the
future;" no mention Of how, or by whom,
is made. His coming marked change
certainly in church music. We turn the
pages of the record of his society anxious
ly now, in hope to find some allusion to
the practices of his early passionate, but it
is not until twenty years afterward that a
line is written. In 1880, Joshua Chand-
lers' pew in the meeting house was ordered
taken up, ''that the singers might have
proper seats" This is the first reference
to any distinctive musical body. Few
country churches had choir at this date.
In 1887, Trumbull's society voted
"That the prudential committee have
"power to lay out sum not exceeding 93
"for the use of the Singing school"
This provision indicates an interest be-
lug Jdhtll LII Uuo oCiNlCCS VI Guo
church. It was in this year also that Titus
Frost was forming his phenomenal choir
for the Church of England, and North Ha-
ven was being stirred as never before by
the two societies to Guido each other.
In 1899 appears for the first time the
names of the Congregational church
''choristers:"
Caleb Rlaksly, Thomas Cooper, Justus
Bishop Titus Todd, Jairus Sanford Thomas
Pierpont, Ezekiel Jacobs.
These men were authorized to ''take the
lead in singing" and e3 was appropriated
to hire a singing master to instruct the
singers.
There were some infelicities in DR.. Watts
hymns as well as in the Bay Psalm book
The evolution of hymnology was coming
on rapidly, but had not yet cleared up all
the defects. In an edition of the former
printed in 1878 occurs this rather remark
able physiological assertion in the 10th
psalm, Cd book:
He spoke and straight our Hearts and Brains
Let Blood said he flow round the Veins,
And round the Veins it flows.
But the venerable doctor is not to be
judged by these extreme selections. He
had the true spirit of religious song and
scores of his hymns are destined to 90
down the ages giving comfort to saint and
sinner alike. His compositions mark the
transition from the narrative to the
didactic style. Many seem to carry an in
herent music in their own flowing lines.
What devout congregation could possibly
60 wrong on this:
There is a stream whose sacred flow,
Makes glad the City Of our God.
Life Love and Joy still gliding through,
Are watering that divine abode
In 1895 the sum of $50 was applied to
hiring a singing master, and Thomas Ray
was added to the list of choristers. In
1897 "the rates of the leading singers were
abated'' and David Ray was added. In
1898 Theophilus Todd was added and the
Crates" were cancelled again. In 1907 the
committee were instructed to 'sgive such
encouragement to singing as they thought
proper" In 1920 the committee were ad-
vised to exhibit a subscription for sing
| ing" In 1891 it was ordered "that
singing school be set up"
With this latter date we come within
the circle of the memories of many
| living. This singing school will be re-
menbered for its master" if from moth
ing else-Isaac Tibbals. Like some of the
Old Testament worthless his beginning and
end were involved in obscurity, yet it is
thought that he died vagrant in on old
cave in North Guilford.
Tibbals in his meridian, was the dude
of his time. When in town he either re-
manned at Jesse Andrews tavern or with
DR.. Joseph Foot. Faultlessly dressed in
black, with low pumps" and white silk
across the street from the doctors house
to the tavern, frequently stopping to asck