Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-10-05


But am glad to know that all through
the ages there has been great attention
paid to sacred music. Ambrosius, Angus
tine, Gregory the Great, Charlemagne gave
1t their mighty influence, and in our day
the best musical genius is throwing itself
and Bach and Durante and Wolf and
scores OF other men and women have given
the best part OF their genius to church
music. A truth In words is not halr so
mighty as truth in song. Luther's SER
mons have been forgotten, but the "Judg-
ment Hymn he composed is resounding
yet through all Christendom.
I congratulate the world and the church
on the Advancement made in this art-tho
Edinburgh societies for the improvement
Of music, the Swiss singing societies, the
Exeter hall concerts, the triennial musical
convocation at Dusseldorf Germany, and
Birmingham, England, the conservatories
OF music at Munich and Leipsic, the
Handel and Haydn and Harmonic and
Mozart societies Of this country, the
academies Of music in New York, Brooklyn,
Boston, Charleston, New Orleans, Chicago
and every city which has any enterprise.
Now, my friends, how are we to decide
what is appropriate, especially Tor church
musicp There may be great many differ
ences OF opinion. In some OF the churches
they prefer trained choir; in others. the
old style precentor. In some places they
the organ. In other places they think these
things are the invention of the devil. Some
would have a musical instrument played
so loud you cannot stand It, and others
would have 1t played SO soft you cannot
hear 1t. Some think a musical instrument
ought to be played only in the interstices
of worship and then with indescribable
softness while others are not satisfied un-
less there be startling contrasts and stac-
cato passages that make the audience jump,
with great eyes and hair on end, as from
vision Of the witch of Endor. But. while
there may be great varieties of opinion in
regard to music, 1t seems to me that the
general spirit of the Word OF God indicates
what ought to be the great characteristics
of church music.
And I remark. in the first place, a
prominent characteristic ought to be
adaptiveness to devotion. Music that may
be appropriate for a concert hall, or the
opera house, or the drawing room, may be
inappropriate in church. Glees, madrigals
ballads may be as innocent as psalms In
their places. But church music has only
one design, and that is devotion, and that
the display OF IN opera house is a him
drance to the worship. From such per-
formancea we go away saying: "What
splendid executionl Did you ever hear
such u soprano? Which of those solos did
you like the better?' When, II we had
gone away saying: ooh, how my soul was
lifted up In the presence OF God while they
were singing that first hymn never had
such raDturous views Of Jesus Christ as
my Saviour rs when they %ere singing
that last doxology."
be characteristic Of church music. While
we all ought to take part in this service,
with perhaps o few exceptions, we ought
at the same time to cultivate ourselves in
this sacred art. God loves harmony, and
we ought to love it. There is no devotion
there are go many opportunities OF high
culture in this art, l declare that those
parents are guilty Of neglect who let their
sons and daughters grow up knowing
nothing about music. In some OF the Eu-
ropean cathedrals the choir assemble
every morning and afternoon of every day
the whole year to perfect themselves in
this art, and shall we begrudge the half
hour we spend Friday nights in the re-
hearsnl OF sacred song for the Sabbath
Another characteristic must be spirit
and life. Music ought to rush from the
audience like the water from rock-clear,
bright, sparkling. II all tie other part of
the church service is dull. do not have the
music dull. With so many thrilling things
to sing about, away with all drawing aud
stupidity. There is nothing that makes
me SO nervous as to sit in pulpit aud
look off on an audience with their eyes
three-fourths closed and their lips almost
shut, munbling the praises Of God. Dur
ing one of my journeys l preached to an
audience OF 1000 or 5000 people, and all the
music they made together did not equal
one skylark! People do not sleep at n cor
onation, DO not let us sleep when we come
to Il Saviour's crowning.
Again, / remark church music must be
congregational. This opportunity must
be brought down within the range Of the
whole audience. A song that the wor-
shippers cannot sing is OF no more use to
them than a sermon in Choctaw. What an
easy kind of church 1t must be where the
minister does all the preaching, and the
elders all the praying, and the choir all
the singing! There are but very few
churches where there are two hundred
and forty and five singing men and singing
women"
In some churches 1t is almost considered
disturbance II man let out his voice to
full compass, and the people get up on tip
toe and look over between the spring hats
and wonder what that man is making all
that noise about. In Syracuse In Presby-
terian church there was one member who
came to me whom was the pastor Of an
other church in that city, and told me his
troubie-how that as he persisted in sing
ing on the Sabbath day committee, made
up of the session and the choir, had come
to ask him II he would not just please to
keep still You have no right to sing.
Jonathan Edwards used to set apart whole
days for singing. Let us wake up to this
duty.
want to rouse you to unanimity in
Christian song that has never yet been ex.
hibited. Come, now; clear your throats
and get ready for this duty or you will
never hear the end of this. never shall
forget hearing Frenchman sing the
"Marsellaise' on the Champs Eivsees.
Paris, just before the battle of Sedan in
1870. l never saw such enthusiasm before
or since. AS he sang that national air, oh,
how the Frenchman shouted! Have you
ever In an English assemblage heard band
play "God Save the Queen?" II you have,
you know something about the enthusiasm
of national air. Now, tell you that
these songs we sing Sabbath by Sabbath are
the national airs Of the kingdom of heaven,
and II you do not learn to sing them here,
how do you ever e1 pect to sing the song OF
Moses and the Lamb? I should not be
surprised at all II some Of the best anthems
Of heaven were made up OF some OF the
best songs of earth. May God increase
our reverence for Christian psalmody and
keep US from disgracing it by our indifrer.
ence and frivolity.
Whan Gropo u.lI,c orro ~ ryapt tnto h,Ak1o