Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-01
LAUDES DOMINI.

LAUDES DOMINI.
 General Horatfo c. Kings Sensible
 Views on Sanctuary Song-The Vet
 eran Chairman of Plymouth
 Church,s Music Committee Tells
 How Beecher PopuIarized Psalmo-
 dy-Ministerial Responsibility for
 the Churchss Music.
 It cannot be questioned that the new generation demands greater variety in church services than satisfied our less or nate fathers in the church, and if Protes tant churches expect to catch and hold fast to the young people there must be something more than praying, preaching and doleful psalm singing to attract them. Hence the necessity for more and better music. It is false economy to stint the musical service. When Congress has its annual spasm of economy it reduces the appropriation for the regular army: when merchant sees his profits diminishing he cuts down the wages of his porters and drivers; and when a church feels the pres sure of hard times it raises the salary of the ten thousand dollar minister and takes it out of the choir loft. I think the time has largely gone by when the intelligen, young people, and for that matter elderly people too, go to church simple from a sense of duty. Of course, in sparsely settled districts, where churches are scarce, church-goers have to take what is offered, but it will always be found that tta oh he hriu and the best music, as they say out west, "has the call" In large, cities we see two churches on the same block. One has full pews, the other is empty, and one need not go far for the cause. Life is short and the average church attend ant declines to be needlessly tortured.
 Now what is the best way to secure good church musicl Twenty-Five years connection with the music in Plymouth church has given me the opportunity to speak from experience. And first let me premise that good music does not come by grace, but by application, and if church wants excellent music it must have appropriate trols. Of these a good organ is a prime requisite. A pipe or gan is to be preferred, and you will be surprised, when you ask for estimates, how cheaply really good pipe organ can be procured. Next to pipe organs come the reed organs (melodeons), and these can be had, according to quality, almost for the asking. An organist and conductor (both, or one in both) follow as the third necessity. Third, good quartet of mixed voices, and, if practicable, volunteer chorus, wherein quality and not quanti- ty, shall be the prime desiderstum. chorus of twenty good voices can do bet ter and more effective work than one of hundred inferior voices. Indeed, the larger it is the more difficult to handle and the less precise and finished it's per formance. While the quartet and chorus have their special duty in giving the mor- artistic music, it has a still more impor- tant duty in acting as the nucleus and guide for the congregational singing, and no church service is complete without con- gregational music. A church wherein the choir does all the singing is cold church How to have good congregational singing ! is the next problem. Primarily, as the veteran John Zundel once said: ''It is ne cessary to have congregation" Next the congregation must be in earnest about 1t. The singing in Plymouth church was all most as famous as its great pastor. The half hearted way with which his people began did not suit this man of many tai ents and expedients. So, at the outset, it was the practice to meet every week and | devote an entire evening to careful rehesr- sals The weekly prayer meeting also served like purpose, and this drill was kept up until the whole body of the church was a mass of song, and it still continues Mir. Beecher's injunction was to every one to sing, with the spirit and the under standing, if they had them both, or with spirit if they had only one of the two qualities. Of course there were great | many who had no more music in them | than clay model, but the occasional dis | cords were swallowed up in the general | harmony. In these days of almost uni- | versal musical instruction in public and | private schools the present generation has more or less knowledge of reading simple tunes at sight. Therefore a most impor- | tant adjunct to successful congregational music is good hymn and tune book MT. Beecher was the pioneer in this work also. | The first of the style now generally in use | was inspired by him and is known as Zun- | del's Temple Melodies. This was wholly | inadequate and MT. Beecher then under | took the then great work of collating the | best hymns from every available source and wedding them to appropriate tunes. l Of course he had the assistance of devoted | friends who made this labor of love. | The copyright fell into other hands, who | industriously and meanly appropriated the steady royalty, which lasted until the expiration of the copyright, two or three years ago. Plymouth Collection thus be- came the standard and model of all the hymn books that followed, and it contains | to-day the most comprehensive and best selection of hymns in this country. Of course it lacks some of the fine hymns and
 tunes since composed, but it will be a diff cult matter to wean Plymouth church from
 it's first love. Some years before he died
 Mir. Beecher with others undertook thor
 ough revision and it was practically com
 pleted. But when he found that he could
 not use the original name, which he him.
 self had chosen, without inviting law
 suit, he let the matter rest.
 | In summing up the requisites of good
 church music it is not right to overlook
 the pastor, who himself must be fond of
 music and take an active interest in its
 advancement. It used to excite wonder
 that a clergyman could write two sermons
 each week, and clergyman themselves Ia
 bored under the impression that their time
 and brains were severely taxed in the ex
 ercise. But in these days, when editoria
 writers furnish two columns, and ofter
 more, daily, without serious strain, thu
 public now think that the clergyman car find little spare time to visit his choir, a least occasionally, and by his presence and
 encouragement manifest personal inter
 est in their work. It is most unfortunate
 however, that too many ministers have nt
 musical taste and regard the music as onl,
 @ breathing spell in which to segregat' material for long prayers and longer ser mons. The practice too common of elimi , hating the hymus, cutting of verses with
 out regard to sense or continuity of senti ment 1. reprehensible and always rouse g my indignation. The audience, In n, D | judgment, would be better satisfied to sinI , the entire hymns and accept with grati
 tude a smaller allowance of the long pray 1, CT and sermon. On the subject of inter a ludes opinions are much divided For m