The morning call., 1894-11-19
A NEW SERVICE.
1t Is Inaugurated by the
Unitarians.
Ii. j. Stewart Set an Old Form of
Worship to Music at DIR. 4Steb-
bins Church.

An entirely new departure in the way of
Unitarian services was inaugurated yes
terday evening at DR.. Stebbins' church.
Very lutte publicity had been given to the
change beforehand. as it was desired to
see how the new service would pass off be-
fore directing special attention to it.
Everything proved highly satisfactory.
however, and the large congregation went
on its way, rejoicing that the new evening
service would soon prove one of the most
attractive features of the First Unitarian
Church.
Hitherto it has been the custom to make
the sermon the chief feature of eyensong
with DR.. Stebbins' congregation. For
years the church has possessed copies Of
book containing set forms of PRAYER, and
those people who know say that there are
about ten different liturgies in IL that can
be used for evening service. In Eastern
Unitarian churches some one or other of
these liturgies is generally used, but with
out music. In DIR, Stebbins' church, how
ever. the set form Of evensong has never
been adopted.
Partly owing to the efforts of Rev. G.
w. Eliot, the new assistant pastor at the
First Unitarian Church, it was recently
decided to make the evening service
SuUt anu VI ieHsCls Ao tuc COuRE6Sd-
ton has good organist and good organ
it was felt that this could be done most
effectively through the medium of music
The fficulty was that liturgy. contain
ing csnticles, responses, chants. etc., for
which music had never been written, was
a serious undertaking to arrange at short
notice. However. the organist. FL. j.
Stewart, undertook to compose and adapt
music for one of the Unitarian evening
liturgies, and those who heard the service
last night agreed that he had succeeded
admirably.
Both the pastors ana the Organist
sought to avoid merely piecing a collec-
tion of odd numbers together to make
programme. What they wanted was
regular hturgical service that would be at
the same time bright and not lengthy
enough to be a strain on the congregation.
The words to be used were decided upon
and the organist set to work with q will.
he arranged and adapted, and when the
canticles and responses refused to lend
themselves to any adaptations he CON-
posed. The service was more difficult to
arrange, as it had never been written to
be sung.
Last night the first public rendering was
given of the new service. Everything
passed off without hitch. The evensoue
began at half-past and only lasted an
hour. Instead of the sermon being the
chief feature as hitherto, Rev. G. w,
Eliot only preached for quarter of an
hour. With regard to the form of the
new choral service. it resembled the ''eyen-
Ing prayer" of the Anglican church more
than any other. The following was the
musical programme:
Organ prelude, Adagio In G................ Dienel
Responses. ........A Arranged from Tails
T Frsp c i0r rss'.ep oiv sh4snieg
Second canticle Ancient Plain Chant.
Anthem "Sing. o Daughter OF Zion" .. Gansby
n F1rf sInr d.af hro hQ pnO
solo by G. b. Stone.
Organ postlude March in ID ........ Men delssohn
The choir consisted of Mrs. j. NJ. Pierce.
Mrs. J. E. Birmingham, Alfred Wilkie
and G. B. Stone. "a. j. Stewart was the
organist and director.
1t is expected that when the new choral
service becomes more widely known it
will attract large congregations eyery
SUNDAY to the evening services at the
First Unitarian Church.