The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-09-09

ages,
There were In Bible times stringet
instruments harp OF three strings
playing by fret and bow, harp OF ten
r strings resounding 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
We're the sistrum and the cymbals
clUppcd In the dance or beaten in the
march, There were 1000 Leyites, the
best men of the country whose only
business ID was TO look after the music
Of the temple.
These 1000 Leyites were divided into
two classes and OBLIGATED ON different
days. Can you imagine the harmony
when these white robcd Lcyites, before
the symbols of Gods presence aud by
the smoking affairs and the caudlesticks
that spraug upward and branched out
like trees Of gold and under the wings
of the cherubm, chanted the One
Hundred and Thirty-siNth Psalm OF
David? Do you know how il was done
One part Of that great choir stood up
and chauted: "Oh, give thanks unto the
Lord, for He is good!' Then the other
part of the choir, standing in some
other part of the temple, would come in
| with the response: For His mercy en-
dureth forever" Then the first part
would take up the song again and say:
unto him who only doeth great won
ders." The other part of the choir
would come in with overwhelming re-
spouse: For His mercy endureth for
ever" until in the latter part of the
song, the music floating backward and
| forward, harmony graphing with har-
mony, every trumpet sounding, every
| bosom heaying, one part of this great
white ROBBED choir would lift the an
them "Oh, give thanks unto the God
of Heayen!" and the other part of the
Levite choir would come in with the re-
spouse: For His mercy endureth for
ever"
But lam glad to know that all through
the ages there has been great attention
paid to sacred music. Ambrosius,
Augustine, Gregory the Great, Charlie
magne, gave it their mighty influence,
and in our day the best musical genius
is throwing itself on the affairs of God.
Handel and Mozart and Bach and Du-
rante 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 half so mighty |
as a truth in song. Luther's sermons |
have been forgotten, but the Judgment |
Hymn he composed is resounding yet |
all through Christendom.
l congratulate tile world and the
church on the Advancement made in this
art-the Edinburgh societies for the
improvement of music, the Swiss sing
ing societies, the Exeter hall concerts.
the triennial musical cOnyocation at
Dusseldorf, Germany, and birmingham.
England, the controversies of music at
Munich and Leipsic, the Handel and
Haydn and Harmonic and Mozart So
cieties Of this country the academies of
music in New York, Brooklyn, Boston,
Charleston, New Orleans, Chicago and
every city which has any enterprise.
Now, friends, how are we to decide
what is appropriate especially for
church music? There may be a great
many dlilefences OF OPINION In some
u lhe churcnes lheS prefer d lralheo
5hoIr' IN o'ners theS prefer 'he Nero
leon, the harp, the cornet, the organ;
j otner Places tneS 'll.llh ,Lese 'hlI8S
ire lhe invention OF the ue'I' some
would have a musical instrument
'layeu so iouu you cannot stahd H. ana
'thers Woulu nave II Played so soit you :
'anno' near IT, some thlhk musical
Hsll uIneut ought 10 De P'aNed only III
ne lnlersllces OF worship ana then
WIN lHuesc'IO"ple Sollness' WhlIe ,
'Illers are not satIS1ed unless there be I
'arl"nS contrasts ana staccato pas
ages lhat make the audience jump Z
'Ilh great eyes ana mar on end as I
rom VISION OF the wren Oh Ehdor' =
'u" WINE thert may De great Narle- 7
les Oh OPINION IN regard 10 music, II 9
GEMS 10 me mat the general spirit OF
ne "Olu u you lnui'" tes "hut ought s
= .. 'i'e : cat 'il"i "'' q u 'les % ehurch
Il us'C' 8
Ana l remark IN the frst place, +
u olIliuent characteristic ought TO be q
"aplNeHeSs 10 ueNolloh. Music that h
nay De appropriate 1or concert hall, a
I the opera mousse or the drawing b
oom' may be inappropriate IN church n
ices InaurlSals' DaIIads' may be as s
lhoceh' as psalms IN their places. But G
lurch music mas only one design, and t
l .a ~ ue'o"on' ana lhat winch comes q
l'h 'l'e loss the SWING ana the display o
an opera mousse Is hIndfahce TO the
orslIP' rom such performances we Il
away saSlns' what splenald eXecu- a