The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-02-20

IL lHGy bul nCSll JtiCIldliCC u uAli BNO
sound,
Or any air of music touch their ears,
You shall perceive them make mu-
tual stand,
Their savage eyes turned to modest
gaze,
BY the sweet power of music. There
fore the poet,
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees,
stones and floods;
Since nOught so stOckish, hard and
full of rage,
But music for the time doth change
his nature;
The man that hath no music in him
self,
Nor is not moved with concord of
sweet sounds;
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and
spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as
night
And his affections dark as Erebus;
Let no such man be trusted
Though we can hardly go as far as
the poet in his enthusiasm, it is diff
cult to believe that any one devoid of
appreciation of music can be perfectly
happy, or can cherish feelings Ofliveiy
gratitude such as must be given vent
to in songs Of praise and thanksgiV-
ing. But we are principally concerned
with music as it serves to arouse and
promote in us the worship of God. 1t
would be idle to discuss the secret of
the power of music over our souls, or
to attempt to analyze the emotions to
which music gives rise. We know
that music has very powerful i'll
fuence over us, and at the same time,
that its sensations are exceedingly
pleasant. If then, while gratifying
ourselves in its practice, We are lui-
filling the highest duty we have to
perform on earth, we ought to be OF all
creatures most happy.
Though music, in its present Scien-
tific state, is only about four hundred
years old, the earliest records of his
| tory reveal to us that it has always
existed and been practiced rs an art,
both vocally and fundamentally. In
chapter iv. of Genesis we find that
JubaI, son of Cain, was the father of
all such as handle the harp and the
organ. The great deluge did not
sweep away the knowledge of this in
ventOr, for we read that Laban, when
he overlook the flying Jacob, re-
| DIOdCileu w HtIclOIc
thou flee away secretly, and steal away
| from me and diGst not tell me, that |
might have sent thee away with mirth
and with songs, with tabret and with
| harpYp Not even the centuries OF
grinding slavery in Egypt served to
| destroy the art among the ISraelites,
for no sooner are they free from bond
! age and they see their enemy en-
gulphed in the waters, than, Moses
! first, then Miriam and her women,
! burst forth into a song of triumphant
praise.
az will sing unto the Lord, for He
hath triumphed glOriOusly;
The horse and his rider hath He
thrown into the sea-"
Here we have the first instance OF
music being introduced into religious
| offices. No doubt the heather gods
were wOrshipped also with music a
least in Egypt, for the Inauguration o.
the golden calf by Aaron, while Moses
was absent on Mount Sinai, was with
! singing. After the people of Israel
had entered into the Promised Land
their time was fully occupied in sub.
! DUNG the then pOssessOrs, there was
neither time nor inclination for the
cultivation of any of the arts of civil
cation while "every man did that
which was right in his own eyes" II
was not until the reign of Saul, thai
we find professional musicians at the
| Court, and then we read that DaviC
| had the power to soOthe Saul will
! his harp and drive away his evi
spirit. King David gathered rount
! him singers of both sexes, he organ
lied choirs and composed psalms fOl
the service of the Tabernacle. Solo
mon, his son did the same. "His
songs We're n thousand and five
David and all the house of Israe
played before the Lord on all manner
of instruments made of fir-WoOd, ever
on harps and on psalteries, and OF
comets, and on timbrels, and OF
comets and cymbals." So we see that
quite large body of musicians were
in the land. The Temple afterwards
became the great school of music, anC
it was. consecrated to its highest ser
vice in the worship of jehovah
Music was also taught in the colleges
of the sons of the prophets, of which
we read in the books of Samuel and
Kings. In the Chronicles, chapter
xvi, Book |, we read that "FOul
thousand praised the Lord with the
instruments that made, said David
to praise Herewith" and here we
have Il description of the first churcl
choir. Here is also the chant which
David composed. This chant, for age!
afterwards, was known by his name
and was sung by the Levites before
the army of JehOsaphat, King o
Judah, and on laying the foundation
of the second temple; and again 10y
the Maccabean army after their grea
victory over Gorgias, 40 give thank
unto the Lord, for He is good, and Hi
mercy endureth forever" The must
clans were divided into twenty-fOu
courses, and were conducted by tn
skilful sons of Asaph, Heman ant
Jeduthun. The singers We're distinc
from these, for the Psalmist says
"The singers went before, the player
on instruments followed after, in tn
midst of the damsels playing wit
timbrels." This last expression
points to the fact that women too
part in the Temple choir, and anon
the family of Heman are especialI
mentioned three daughters, who, tC
gether with fourteen sons, We're a
"under the hands of their father fo
song in the house of Jehovah" Be
sides, with those of the captivity
who returned with Zerubbabe
were two hundred singing me
and singing women. From this tim
we know that the choir of the Tempt
was regularly on duty in public wOl