New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-29
AMERICAN RELIGIOUS MUSIC.
ITS IMPROVEMENT NOT 4 QUESTION OF YIELD
ING TO MERE POPULARITY.

\
ING TO MERE POPULARITY.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir The article on this subject which appeared In
your issue OF last sunday contains the following: In
spte OF the contempt with which many hlgh'class
religious musicians Look upon the socailed Moody ana
sankcy melodies, they have come nearer than ahSthihs
10 expressing the average American conception OF re-
icIous music What is needed therefore, In THIS couh
try is school Of composers who viii take this type
Of music and after eliminating from II It's OCCASIONAL
crudtcs and vuearities and merctIiciousncss VIII
mako il the cXpr sion OF the highest and best religious
aspiration, of the people
That the called Moody and sankev melodies nave
come than anything TO expressing the average
American conception OF religious music is STATE
mcnt many will feel disposed 20 challenge. II INC
mere popularity of these melodies Is to be taken as
evidence OF their prcemincncc over other forms Of
sacred music and their coming nearer than anything
.t o expressing the average American conception OF
religious music then the writer might Just as well
couple Enelud with America III the matter OF religious
musical taste. In the former country ti'se meIh9
were immensely popular with large section OF inc
community stimulated and helped forward a. they
undoubtedly were lv the vocal performances OF Mr.
Sankey. who sang them 10 his own accompaniment lie
fore vas, audiences in London and other large towns IN
rho United KINGDOM where revival services were sue
cc.snv conducted by thee gentlemen. II would seem
10 be lust ~ IT to estimate the taste OF inc
American people I'm secular mu-ic-and. In fact any
other natioaality-by the popularity Of many oil inc
,oncs Of the day which are sung, wl'tleh PaScn o'
m, ncrlni bands and ground ori on the street pianos
and organs eventually 10 d,appear ana b. repaceu W
cthcr Of the same tyrc The appearance and success
mos. certainly IN "A - cuniary sci>cior time ~ music
- the Moody and Saukcy tlT" with IT. nslng ana a.
time, vulgar RHYTHM, all the more conspicuous anu
Objectionable i.,m the character Of tn sacred P1uS
10 which united. arr after all neither new nor I'M
usual Prom time 10 time IN the history OF MUSIC
similar cbh, and nows In The matter 81 musical thse
have occurred I'm almost every country among "rso
section OF The community but such changes transient
, they often nv. d not nccrs-al indicate complete
change 81 front A. that which Is beautiful and ecvat
ihg in art will steadily hold H. own ana ADVANCE
spite the obstacles placed Ia IT, path by lack oil enu
cation and conceptions Of wha Is gooi ana Hsh'
The salvation Army will take any popular secular
tune the more snap and Jingle II has 50 much the
tttcr-nda sacred word, after their own FASHION 10 H.
and .inc n In their service, With evident enjoyment ami
relish to themselves and their hcarcr. Nevertheless IL
is extremely doubtful whether the majority OF chhrch
cccrs would care Ia he RECALLED on sunday win snen
music and such pulpit Ogafory ~ are 10 be heau al 'hc
meetings though the usefulness oi their worh among
certain class Of the population which eAlsuhs ohuron
acencie, apparently fail TO reach II generally admitted
The tendency OF secular music TO influence Tor better
r yorr sarrrd music is neither new nor unusual but
~, the contrary has been or les active at all
tines In the history Of the art. About the sN'e'h"
century, before the time 81 lnlcstrlna 50 deblcu %
secular methods had church music become rs !" d.
viewed with alarm and indignation by The Roman
poniins who threatened to abolish nehShral VI
measured music altogether rom the services Of the
ri,,ch The melody Of a popular drinking or love song
,,ouId ID, taken b, The church musician ~ the ITEMS
mr. subject up,l which g compose his counterpart"
vlil. Tie singer, familiar with the source whence
+, va. taken would jc,,iugy sing 1t at each other
ocr1>, the chancc to the original words secular hu''
may al,o be said 90 have In measure SLOWLY
lint surely ,appcl the foundations OF the Oh chfoh
modes and helped bring about the Introduction ana
aual triumph Of the prcscpt tonal system.
About a century ago psalmody Ia England had SUNK
IA a low level. old tunes, simple yet dEnihcd III
character had become dshgurcd with passing ana
GRACE notes n, TO be almost unrccogniLblc, while many
of those written about that time reflected the preV
tho dca.cmont Of taste both the noid nature OF the
melodies and the mcaningess repetition OF wofns often
hardening on Che udicrous. Nor was music In America
d,,iuc a part Of the present century and better In
fact the reverse solos, duets. trOs and chOruses from
tbe operas secular songs Of all descriptions, III iact
ANYTHING that mclOdiOus ana slngaDlc WAS ht'eu
10 acred words and pressed Into the service OF inc
Church without the slightest computation As 10 inc
sourco from which It was taken. decided chnnge for
the better has. however, for some tne past Dcsh mp
porent. The introduction Of noted hymnals where
une, Of secular character have been to large eA-
tent eliminated old ones restored TO their HBhuui
Mace and new ones composed by musicians OF ment
and rcputnon have done much 10 direct and elevate
popular taste In this branch OF church music
That the old cathedral music seems heavy hhgu-
lar and unimasinauve is probably In measure true
IN those unaccusomed to IT. and whose cars have been
long atunod to the light and secular style oi music
so widely prevalent ia many Of the churches. On
uccount OF which have led to this oihcrchce
OF opinion all allowance should III fnirness he nnde
for those who cannot see English church music IN
| favorable light. III the first place all "ca'hodf'i
musca-though II would be more correct nowadays 70
style IL church muslcr-has been composed Tor per-
formance by men and boys Is the product OF school
OF musical thought which began at TIC ume 9I us
Reformation, has In It's progress reflected nor oy Inc
religious feeling OF tie day and the mum ~ Was 'n
sep araby connected with, but the advance vi sicai
art In lis emancipation from the letters Vi ne ",u
Church modes up the manifold resources anu iiseoo
of the art at the prcsent day Much oil The
music Of the early and middle periods thousn n's Conn,
sidered heavy by modern hearers As matter ~,
fact tle vi IL Is now used. some few eAahpco I'm
| their beauty, dignity OF STYLE and Us cohSPiou!'
| ously showing The advancement OF musie'i "'''
| descrveGN remain 10 use. 1885,.
| In this country church music presents a different
aspect. ChorS, composed Of men ana DoSs, ITIus'
rbe Quartet choir al one Tine universal. still
6incn 10 Understand that English church music writ
ten altogether for different class OF Singers Is not ohy
novel, but not particularly pleasing .. h
Tile muslc written for the quartet choir undoubtedly
affords greater opportunities for ndivdual vocal ds'
play than that written for what we have ho"I H., ds
boy chors.' In fact. that coinlneaauos 10, ,n,,sp
wei ht In the composition OF an anthem 9 .av g. u
school what solos there introduced pehg' as u
rule subordinate TO the general ehohi ,h IN ~
no means intended to exalt one singer AT ,nc
Of the OF the choir and the standard soeTpon o!
what anthem should be. Whllc mail "u
mnsicankc anthems are 10 be found In the repertory
Of exclusively American church must 30 a nr sh nun
Der OF them have obviously been Nilen o n nc,,y s
give that be wondered at ,nns IN hP1oGpa
/ rhes yharn hnu
other That school Of composers shan . sTss VINO D WI
provide a type of mus sic ut once truly reNouh anu IN
harmony with the cha acter Of tho people - heartily
wished for But whether m s Sl 9ns M 10 ny
Snijowed I, cnex,ion which The musician skilled In
the 'ources hS art wy xsT2y RGEaSck o SS1la' 'o
himself. hiVhAnIs NJ W. n r.nt.h
O. Ann,.sn.,h..ue4 shts proshlyn, Feb. 10, 1899.