Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-09-21

.hc; OHo part OF. that great |
give thanks unto the Lord, Tor ia eoodI''
: neh the 4Iher part OF the choir. standing |
ia some other part OF the temple. would |
come in with the response, For His mercy
,-n,'it en- 4. ioreVer Then the first part
INTO lin who only doeth great Won,
oef7, Inc other part OF the choir would !
come IN with overwhelming res ponse. "For
MS mercy endureth forever" until in the |
ia..tr part OF the song, the music floating
backward and forward. harmon grapplInc
with harmony. every trumpet sounding.
every bosom heaving. one part of thi.
great white robed choir would lift tho
! anthem. Oh. give thanks unto the God OF
! heaven" and the other part OF the Leyite
choir would come IL with the response,
| For His mercy endureth forever
But am glad to know that all through
he ages there has been great attention
| paid to sacred music. Ambrosius. Augus-
J tine, Gregory the G reat Charlemaonet.
! It their mighty influence, and in our day
! The best musical genius is throwin.. itself
on the altars Of God. Handel and Mozart
and Bach and Durante and Wolf and
I scores OF other men and women have zen
| the best part OF their genius 10 church
| music. A truth in words Is no; halr so
| mighty as a truth in song. Luthers SER
mons have been forgotten but the 'Judg-
| ment Hvnn' he cun,Do,al is resoundlnr
! yet through AL Christ"raon
| l.
on the advancement made in this art-the
| Edinburgh societies for the mproyerneut
! or music the Swiss singing societie- the
| Exeter halt concerts the triennal musical
| convocatOn at Dusseldorf GERMANY and
| Birmingham. England the ronsarvnt orias
OF music at Munich and Leipsic, the
| Handel and 'aydn and Harmonic. and
Mozart societies OF this country. the
academies Of music in New York BROOKLYN
Boston. Charleston. New Orleans. Chicago
and every c,tv which has any ENTERPRISE
! Now, my friends. how are 30 decide
what is appropriate. especially FOR church
| mustct There may be a great MANY differ
ences OF opinion. In some OF the churches
! they prefer a trainnt choir: in others the
! Ole: style preoentOr In some places they
prefer the meodeon. the harp. the corret.
| 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 it. Some think 4 musical instrument
! ought TO be played only in the interstices
, OF worship and then with indescribnble
soltness, while others are not satisfied IN
! less there be startling contrasts and stac-
cato passages that make the audience jump.
with great eyes and hair on end. as from 3
vision Of the witch OF Endor. But. while
there may be great varieties Of opinion liz
regard 10 music It seems to me that the
general spirit Of the Word OF God indicates
: Of church mus..
e And I remark In the first place, p
i prominent characteristic onghs TO be
t adaptiveness to devotion. Music that may
{. be appropriate for u concert hall, or The.
o opera house. or the drawing room, may be
n inappropriate in church. Glees, mad rigais
|. ballads may be as innocent "a psalals i'll
Il their places. But church music has only
r one design. AMI that is devotion, anl that
t which comes with the toss, the swing and
the display OF an opera house is Il him
q dranca to th" worship. From such ner
= formance5 we go away saying: "What
# splendid execution Did you ever haar
g such u soprano? Whnh Of those solos did
r yo' like thu hetter?" When. II we had
r been rightly wrought upon. we would i:avc
Y gone away saving: ''Oh how my sOnl was
l. lifted up in the presence OF God while they
. We're SIM Gng that first hymn. [ never ssat
is such rapturOuS views OF .iesus Christ Il:
It my Saviour rs when they we're singing
,r that last doxologv."
e | remark a:-o that correctness ought {
% be & characteristic OF church music. White
a we all ought to take part in this service
l. with perhaps a few exceptions, we ouSh
tc 1T the same time TO cultivate ourselves II
lie this sacred art. Cod loves harmony, ans
SO we ought 10 love it. There is 10 devotion
u In a howl or n yc'p. In this day. whei
" there are 90 many opportunities OF h:g'
10 culture in this art, | declare thaI thos
to parent, are guilty OF neglect who let thei
~ nothing about music. In some OF the Ia
u ropean cathedrals the choir asscmbl
'e every morning and afternoon Of every da
- tho whole year to perfect themselves !
If this art and shall we becrudge the hal
N hour We spend Friday nights in t!ia re
le hearsaI Of sacred song for the Sahbath3
"e Another chararteristl, must hA splri
at and life. Music ought to rush from tn'
: audience like the water from rock-c.aar
" bright sparkling. II All tie othe, part 0
n ~ |, - Il \ X.
music dull WIZ, 50 many thrilling thing
OF to sing aboi;t. away with all drawing an
re stupditc There i nothing that make
is me 80 uervols as TO sit in q pnlp't an
al lool: OF cn an audience with their eye
,e- three-rourth. closed and their lips aim .;
ri. shu- nunhling the praises OF God. Dui
~, in. one OF nv JOURNEYS l preached to a
IN audience' OF 2Ooo or 5000 people. and all tt
va music they made together did not equt
er one SIX vlark! People DO not sleep at col
onation DO not lot US sleep when We CON
lu to n Saviour's croTninC.
in Again. romark church music must b
n. congregational. This opportunity mi;
ha be brought down within the range OF "a
.,r | whole audience. A song that the Wo
,is sinners cannot sing is OF no moro use
r-, them than a sermon in Choctaw. What a
al easy kind Of church il must be where t!
OF minister does all the preaching. AMI Il
,od elders all the praying, and the cAoir a
~. tne SINGING. There are bu. very fe
oi- cbnrc,,s Vhere there are Two hun r.
eiE tHuItbtS w 49,
az and forty AMI Ave singing men AMI singh
rel women.
a,r Iosone chur,hes il is almost consl ere
in | n disturbance II u ,'''i -
of full comnass, and the people GET M o. u
-, ~, and lo,k over between the spring "a
q, and wnr Ter what .hat man IS maAinc .
:, that noise about. In Syracuse IN l'fe-1
tba t.rinp church tnera WAS one me'uptr ".
IN, came to me when was the pastor Of a
~; 49, ch,Ir.h in tAat citv. and told me ]
-. tronb e-how that a he persisted IN sin
sci in.. on tile sabbath DAY q cominIttee. :na
! mn of the session ani til" choir, hal 60:
II to ask him if he wou'd not Just please
me keep stil!! You .a'c -
VI davs for singing. Let Us wake up TO 4
Inty Terms sing alone, sing in our iaa
in lies. sing in Our schools, sing il 9
vel ! churches
50, Waht . iousc .,.a- -. ha., .
,ef- CnTistlaN SIOUX lIl''' ~ .-,. 80.
hihiteh Come now; clear yOlr thros