The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-10
TRAINED CHOIR.
MIR. Taylor win Have One at Chestnut St.
Church.


The we'll known vocal teacher ana
director, MIR. o. Stewart Taylor
has been engaged by the Cnesehu0
street church to organize and tram
large choir to sing at their morning anu
afternoon services.
Mr. Talyor has gone to WORK ~
quiet and unpretsntions way ana mas al
ready booked nearly one hundred eoou
voices for this work, his aim peing 'o
make the musical service real paro OIL
the worship He believes that tine preacn-
inc holds the central position in the Pro-
testant church and that the singing
should always contribute TO the effective
ness of the sermon and never de-
tract from it. Mr.. Freeman and
Mr. TAYLOR have been discussing this
ouestion freely of late and have come to
a thorough understanding, one with the
other.
Beautiful music bearing directly on the
subjects to be presented have been select
ed as a result of these interviews. Mr..
TAYLOR further makes the following state
ments:
"Perhaps in no other line, during the
past twenty years, has music shown SO
little advancement, as In our cnurones.
the place of all others where it should
have made the greatest progress, Tor 40
the expression of religious feeling lies the
most exalted mission which m2slc is ues-
tined to give to the world.
This condition is due in part to q singu-
lar neglect in theolog icat training. Wniie
music the world over is acknowledged TO
take q prominent part IN our cnufon ssr-
vice as an expression of religious feeling,
yet strangely enough where does one ma
a Theological Seminary where prepara-
ton is deemed necessary to deveiop ID it -
stud nts an appreciation OF that Whlcn Is
Lest in music. The consequence is, tnat
unless the young clergyman has been
bountifully endowed by nature with
musical taste and perception, he goes TO
his work with very little realization OF
the result that might be obtained were ne
entirely in accord with the work OF the
choir master.
In too many churches the music dlrec-
Tor has no idea whatever what the subJecb
of the discourse will be, and naturally
gives himself no concern as to the mean
ing of the words In the anthem, duet. OF
solo which he has selected and TOO olten
alas, he is Influenced by the ambitious
singer whoss only desire seems to % 10
by singing some operatic selection with
the accom- panying cadenzas set to sacred
words for the occasion. l have actually
heard singers in church services do the
'5cod Night quartette In the second act
of Martha, and Lost Prescribed, the
duet for tenor and bass in the first act. as
well as the beautiful love trio OF Lesl1es,
set, OF course, to sacred words. Imagine
ones feelings after listening devoutly 60
a magnificent sermon on the life and
teachings of Christ, or powerful treat
ment of the resurrection and ascension
scene. to have ones thoughts abruptly
torn from the subject of the discourse and
transferred TO the stage scenery, foot
lights, costumes, etc., etc. All right III
their place but all wrong when mixed up
in a church service. How much better
would have been something in the same
line of thought, like for instance, U nfoid
We portals and let the King of Glory in
from Gounod's Redemption or know
that My Rsdeemer Liveth' from the
Messiah. The time is.long past according
to the admitted opinion sof church goers
ana cIergymen when the subject of the
sermon was thought all important. We
all admit that we delight. in a minister
who has tbs knowledge and power to hold
his congregation captive in the words OF
wisdom and truth he discourses from the
pulpit, but does that argue that we get as
III
without the muslc?s No, certainly not.
Does music have a tendency to detraot
ANYTHING from the ser mon? Only where
it is Lot in keeping with the direct line OF
thought expressed at that time. 10 the
multitude who reverently bow their knees
every Sunday, | would say that the great
er and more powerful the speaker the
greater also should be the effort to make
t1s music equally noble and uplifting and
n perIsc5 keeping with the thoughts ut
tered from the pulpit. This can only bs
done when men armed with musical
knowledge. possessing indefatlgble energy
undertake to give this matter their per-
sonaI guidance aided by the clergymen
who would SO lay out their work that the
choir master could select music to lit the
service each sunday.
! believe that grand chorus can be
formed for this congregation and trained
to sing, with far reaching degree OF ex-
csllenee, the music of the grand oratorlos
and centatas composed expressly tor the
church with words selected from scrip
tuTe.
The chorus will sing at Chestnut street
church next Sunday morning for the first
time rendering selection from Messe
Solemne No. 8 by Guilmant.
1t is proposed to make the very best of
chorus and congregational singing feat
ure Of every service. Chestnut street is
prominently peoples church and is
trying by every legitimate means to in
terest the people and help all who want
to lead noble lives.