Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-09-08

gers play the music OF the spheres.
Music seems dependent on the law OF
acoustics and mathematics, and yet
where these laws are not understood
at all the art Is practiced. There are
today 500 musical journals in China.
Two thousand years before Christ the
Egyptians practiced this art. Pythag-
oras learned it. Lasus Of Hermione
wrote essays on It. Plato and Aristo-
tie introduced 1t into their schools. But
have not much Interest in that. My
chief interest is In the music of the
Bible.
Music of the Bible.
The Bible, like n great harp with in
Vulnerable strings. swept by the fin
gers of inspiration. trembles with it.
So far back as the fourth chapter of
Genesis you find the first organst and
harper-Jubal. SO far back as the
thirty-first chapter Of Genesis you
find the first choir. All up and down
the Bible you find sacred music-at
weddings, at inaugurations, at the
treading Of the wine press. The He
brews understood how to make mu-
sical signs above the musical text.
When the Jews came from their dis
tant homes to the great festivals at
Jerusalem, they brought harp and
timbrel and trumpet and poured along
the great Judaean highways river Of
harmony until in and around the tenn
pie the wealth Of nations song and
gladness had accumulated. In our day
we have a division Of labor in music.
and we have one man to make the
hymn, another man to make the tune,
another man to play it on the piano
and another man to sing il. Not so in
Bible times. Miriam. the sister Of
Moses, after the passage of the Red
sea, composed doXology, set it to
music. clapped it on Il cymbal and at
the same time sang It, David, the
psalmist, was at the same time poet,
musical composer, harpist and singer,
and the majority Of his rhythm goes
vibrating through all the ages.
There were in Bible times stringed
instrumental harp Of three strings
played by fret and bow: 4 harp OF ten
strings. responding only to the fingers
OF the performer. Then there was the
crooked trumpet. fashioned out Of the
horn Of the OK or the ram. Then there
were the sistrum and the cymbals,
clapped in the dance or beaten in the
march. There were 1000 Leyiies, the
best men of the country. whose only
business il was 10 look after the music
of the temple These 1900 LeviteS were
divided into two classes and otliciated
on different days. Can You imagine the
harmony when these white robed Ie
vites. before the symbols of Gods pres
ence. and by the smoking altars. and
the candlesticks that sprang upward
and branched out like trees Of gold,
and under the wings OF the cheruOlm.
chanted the one Hundred and Thirty
| sixth Psalm of David? DO you know
how Il was done? one part Of that
great choir stood up and chanted. "Oh,
give thanks unto the Lord, for he IS
goodw Then the other part OF the
choir. standing in some other part OF
the temple, would come in with the
response. For his mercy endureth for
ever" Then the first part would take
up the song again and say. Unto him
who only doeth great wonders The
other part Of the choir would come in
with overwhelming response, "For his
mercy endureSt forever" until in the
latter part Of the song. the music float
ing backward and forward, harmony
graphing with harmony. every rum'
pet sounding. every bosom heaving, one
part Of this great white robed choir
would lift the anthem. "Oh, give
thanks unto the God Of heaven" and
the other part Of the Levite choir would
come in with the response, For bis
mercy endureth forever
Truth In Song.
But | am glad to know that al
through the ages there has been great
attention paid to sacred music. Am
brosus. Augustine, Gregory the Great
Charlemagne gave it their mighty
influence, and in our day the best mu
steal genius is throwing itself on the
affairs OF God. Handel and Mozart
and Bach and Durante and Wolf anc
scores of other men and women have
given the best part Of their genius t'
church music. a truth in words Is no.
half so mighty as a truth in song
Luther's sermons have been forgotten
but the Judgment Hymn he com
posed is resounding yet all through
Christendom.
congratulate the world and TN
church on the advancement maze II
this art-the Edinburgh societies 10
| the improvement Of music, the Swis
singing societies, the Exeter hall con
certs. the triennial musical conyoca
ton at Dusseldorf. Germany, and BIT
mingham, England. the conservatorie
: Of music at Munich and Leipsic, tn
Handel and Haydn and Harmonic AM
, Mozart societies Of this country. III
/ academies OF music in New York
Brooklyn. Boston, Charleston, aeN
Orleans, Chicago and every city whicI
has any enterprise.
, Now, my friends. how are we 10 ue
, eide what is appropriate, especiall
for church music? There may be
great many differences Of opinion. l.
, some of the churches they prefer
trained choir; in others, the old styl
precentor In some places they preie
the melodeon. the harp, the cornet, u
= organ. In other places they thin
these things are the invention OF 'h
T devil. Some would have musicai IL
> strument played so loud you canno
stand it. and others would haFe
nlayed so soft you cannot hear
, Some think q musical lnstrumen
T ought TO be played only in the intel
stices OF worship and then with II
D describable softness, while others al
: not satisfied unless there be startlin
: contrasts and staccato passages Una
l make the audience jump, with srea
ewes and hair on end. as from Vislo
Of the witch OF Endor. But VIM
there may be great varieties OF opi'