The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-11
BOY cHOIRS IN HISTORY.
ST. JOHNS MAKES THE ELEVENTH
IN THE DIOCESE OF GEORGIA.


Sang at soIomon's TempIe-The
Parts They Have Taken In Divine
service-The First Boy Choir OF
America Broken Up by Going on
the StaRe-Need of "a Distinctive
Church Music the Reason for Their
Organization.
The eleventh boy choir organized in the
Episcopalian diocese Of Georgia, appeared
FOR the first time yesterday morning al
St. Johns church.
The thirty boys and twelve mems voices
in harmonious accord filled the church
with a volume of hymnal and chanted mu-
sic SUCH as it has not heard in years. if
ever before. The whole musical programme
could hardly have been better rendered
under any circumstances. ST. Johns vest
el choir at its first public appearance
would have done credit TO any OF the prom
incnt churches north where boy choirs
nave been in vogue for years.
The choir gave fun evidence that the
training of its Instructor. Prof. Spencer
Al. White has been thorough i'm every re-
spect Even the most expectan- OF ST.
Johns members were heartily surprised
with the results. The boys voices We're
clear, sweet and voiuminOus, yet there
was nos a discoruant sound noticed
throughout the service. There is no doubt
that this class of church music win es-
tallsh itself ii favor with church goers
al once
The notices published of the work of
the boy Choir aroused interest everywhere,
ana the church was hlled even 10 stand
ms room. me sermon OF Rev Charles
II. Strong on The History and Growth
OF boy Cnoirs in England and This CouH-
Try was interesting and instructive. lie
took ms text from IL Chronicles, " IL,
winch gives the story about the Levitc
men and boys standing in the altar and
chanting praises TO Goa. The story Is THAI
OF the appearance of the LevlIes at the
conservation of SOlomOn's temple.
The services of the old jewish churca
were iturgical,' he said. such a Trims
as an cAtemp0raneous service was not
known TO the Jewish or the early Chris
tlan church. The liturgy was very rich
and adapted for ali the various occasions
OF life. The original vested choir came
into existence at the time of the conse-
Grafton of King Solomons temple. Sec
near the altar, as the priests ministerec
David.
Before we trace out the history of vest
ed choirs let us look at the place of mu-
sic as an art and in the worship OF God.
OI the nne arts painting has to do with
color, sculpture with form, and music
with sound. Painting and sculpture are
called representative, but music is a man
festive art. The difference Is that painting
can bring before the eve some Scene of
the past, but music only can represent
the emotions which we felt at the time
AS an example Beethoven can represent
the motions one feels In seeing a leaf float
down the silver gleni painting can bring
that scene before the eye. Music is the
highest and most mystic and mysterious
of the fine arts since it represents that
indehnabie thing, human emotion.
consequently then we have three diff
Ierent classes OF church music correspond
! ing with three different sets of emotions.
First, there Is church operate music in
which case some light operate airs have
been adapted for quartette in order to
show the voice of eacn OF the sOlOists, and
the briliiancy' of execution, but arousng
no sentiments of piety, devotion or rever-
ence.
THE second is what 1 call church con-
cert hall music. This is a music Of light
frivolous character such as the we'll
known tunes, Hold the Fort for / Am
Coming" which leaving out the words
and sentiment, in the character of the
music differs nothing from the topical
songs of the day. Congregations were
tortured between these two extremes un-
III the necessity arose for a distinctive
church music, for there is just as much
necessity to be educated in sound and in
color as in anything else.
Now let US turn to the history of vested
choirs from the very first. We have seen
in the Jewish church that the Levites vest
ed in white linen, stood upon the temple
steps and performed the service Of the
sanctuary. There were no female voices
| because the females We're separated from
| the males in different court, called the
court of the women. This custom of vest
| ed chOirs passed easily into the early
| Christian church. We find schola can
/ forum in Rome as early as the third CEN
| fury, for singing the liturgy of the church.
| This was sung anuphonally as in the old
! jewish church. We have further evidence
| in the celebrated letter OF Pliny to Had
] rian, describing the Christians, in which
/ he said they sang hymns to Christ as
| God in turns among themselves, that is
a In nal IL cole
/ early spread from Rome through the whole
/ OF the western church, and were found in
| Canterbury, Litchheld, and other English
/ dioceses. Many kinds of music We're then
| written for these vested choirs, such as
! AmbrOsian, by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
/ in 39l, and the Gregorian music which we
! use in the church to-day, by the Bishop
/ of Rome, in $50 so that they came into eX-
! lstence thrOug hOut the entire breadth of
England down to the time of the Puritan
| revolution. Ihen the organs were taken
! out Of the churches, ana the vested choirs
/ abrogated, the stained glass windows bro
! ken and everything that added to the
| richness and beauty of the service de-
| stroyed. Upon the restoration all these
| things came into existence again. and
/ have continued in all the cathedrals and
! parish churches In England down to the
/ present day.
For long time it was a question Of
( dispute when and where the first how
| choir in America originated 1t has been
/ finally settled in favor of st. MichaeIs
| church of Charleston 5. c., in 1895 a bin
!
/ archives for the washing Of the surplices
/ of the clergymen and choristers as far
! back IS lI9s This boy choir, sad TO elate,
/ met an untimely fate. A minstrel troupe
| came to town and engaged the boys 10
( appear upon the stage in their cassocl1s.
! They broke into the church and secured
I the cassocks, and to the horror of the good
I people of Charleston appeared on the stage
/ thar night singing with the MINISTRIES The
next day the vestry met in hot haste and
terminated the existence Of the original
boy choir.
''The Oldest boy choir in America that
has had a continuous existence is TIA;
Of the Church of the Advent in Boston.
/ which was established in lS45. Trinity
/ church, New York, which is the author,
I ity on boy Choirs. has had them at var
4 GUS times since 1910 but il was not until
| 1856 that Trinity church ordered that the
/ choiTs of an of the churches in It's var
Gus parishes should be vested. and these
arc now the most celebrated ones in tho
/ country.
THE antagonism to hoy choirs gave
rise 10 some rather startling incidents Ia
the early days. DR.. Fraucis Hawks. the
eloquent divine of New York lost his cleo
ton TO the see of Mississippi by reaso:.
q having a vested choir in his church.
Rev. Mr.. Tate of Columbus. o.. tried H.
/ establish one in 1871 but he was driver.
rT.s,ss Fe, .ts., q sF.-