Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-09-07
through all the ages.
MuafC of Btb1e Times

resounding only to the fingers OF the per-
former. Then there was the crooked
trumpet, fashioned out OF the horn OF the
OK or the ram. Then there were the Sis
trum and the cymbals, clapped In the
dance or beaten in the march. There
were 1000 Levites, the best men OF the
country. whose only business 1t was TO
look after the music Of the temple.
These 1000 Levites were divided into
two classes and officiated on different
days. Can you imagine the harmony
when these white robed Levites, before
the symbols Of Gods presence and by
the smoking affairs and the candlesticks
that sprang upward and branched out
like trees of gold and under the wings
Of the chcrubim, chanted the One Hun
dred and Thirty-sixth Psalm Of David?
Do you know how it was done? One
part Of that great choir stood up and
chanted, ,SOh, 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
forever" 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 endureth forever" until in
the latter part Of the song, the music
floating backward and forward, har-
mony graphing with harmony, every
trumpet sounding, every bosom hcaving,
one part Of this great white robed choir
would lit 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 his mercy en-
dureth forever"
But | am glad to know that al
through the ages there has been great
attention paid TO sacred music. Am
brosius, Augustine, Gregory the Great,
Charlemaene, gave it their mighty in
fucnce, and in our day the best musical
genius is throwing itself on the affairs of
God. Handel and Mozart and Bach
and Durantc and Wolf and scores OF
other men and women have given the
best part of their genius to church mu-
sic. A truth in words is not half so
mighty as n truth in song. Luther's
sermons have been forgotten, but the
Judgment Hymn" he composed is re-
sounding yet all through Christendom.
Appropriate Church Music.
congratulate the world and the church
on the advancement made in this art
the Edinburgh societies for the improve
ment Of music, the Swiss singing So
cieties, the Exeter hall concerts. the
triennial musical eonvocation at Dusse-
dorf, Germany, and Birmingham, Eng
land, 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, my friends, how are we to decide
what is appropriate, especially for church
music? There may be great many diff
ferences Of opinion. In some Of the
churches they prefer trained choir; in
others they prefer the melodeon. the harp,
the cornet, the organ; in other places
they think these things are the inven-
ton of the devil. Some would have a
musical instrument played so loud you
cannot stand it, and others would have
it played so soft you cannot hear 1t. Some
think a musical instrument ought to be
played on1 in the interstices of worship,
and then with Undesirable softness,
while others are not satisfied unless there
be startling contrasts and staccato pas
sages that make the audience jump, with
great eyes and hair on end, as from a
vision of the witch Of Endor. But, while
there may be great varieties Of opinion
IN regard to music, it seems to me that
the general spirit of the word Of God
indicates what ought to be the great
characteristics of church music.
And | 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 which comes with the
toss. the swing and the display Of an
opera house is a hindrance to the wor'
ship. From such performances we go
away saying: What splendid execution
Did you ever hear such a soprano
Which of those solos did you like the
BETTER" When, il we had been rightly
wrought upon. we would have gone away
saying: ooh, how my soul was lifted NJ
in the presence of God while they were
singing that first hymn! l never had
such rapturous views Of Jesus Christ as
my Saviour as when they were singing
that last doxology'
Music ms q Help to Devotion.
My friends, there is an everlasting dis
tinction between music as an art and
music as a help to devotion. Though q
Schumann composed it, though a Mozart
played it, though n Sontag sang it, away
with it if it does not make the heart bet
ter and honor Christ. Why should We
rob the programmes of worldly gayety
when we have so many appropriate songs
and tunes composed in our own day, as
we'll as that magnificent inheritance OF
church psalmody which has come down
fragrant with the devotions OF Other
generations-tunes no more worn out
than they were when our great-grandfa
theirs climbed up on them from tn,
church pew to glory? Dear old souls
how they used to sing! When they wer,
cheerful, our grandfathers and grand
mothers used to sing Colchester" Whel
they were very meditative, then the
boarded meeting house rang with "Soutf
Street" and 'St. Edmunds.' Were they
struck through with great tenderness
they sang Woodstock" Were they
wrapped in visions OF the glory of tn,
church. they sang "Zion." Were the,
overborne with the love and glory OF
Christ, they sang ariel" And in thos,
days there were certain tunes married t
certain hymns, and they have lived il
peace great while, these two old peo
pie, and we have no right to divorc,
them. What God hath joined together