The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-09-08

wealth of a 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 it. Not so in Bible times
Miriam, the sister of Moses, after the
passage of the Red sea, composed a
doxology, set it to music, clapped it on
a 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
playing by fret and bow, a harp of ten
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
were the sistrum 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 it 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 candlasticks
that sprang upward and branched out
like trees of gold and under the wings
of the cherubim, chanted the One
Hundred and Thirty-sxth Psalm of
David? Do you know how it was done?
One part of that great choir stood up
and ehanted: "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 heaving, one part of this great
white robed choir would lift the an
them: "Oh, give thanks unto the God
of Heaven!" and the other part of the
Levite choir would come in with the re-
spouse: For His mercy endureth for
ever"
ButI am 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.
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 truth in song. Luther's sermons
have been forgotten, but the Judgment |
Hymn" he composed is resounding yet
all through Christendom.
1 congratulate the world and the
church on the advancement made in this
improvement of music, the Swiss sing
ing societies, the Exeter hall concerts,
the triennial musical convocation 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 differences of opinion. In some
of the churches they prefer trained
choir; in others they prefer the melo-
deon, the harp, the cornet, 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 it played so soft you
cannot hear it. 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 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 varie-
ties of opinion in regard TO music, it
eeems to me that the general spirit of
the word of God indicates what ought
to be the great characteristics of church
music.
And l remark, in the first place,
prominent characteristic ought to be
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
as psalms in their places. But ,
church music has only one design, and :
that is devotion, and that which comes q,
with the toss, the swing and the display !
IF an opera house is hindrance to the 8
From such performances we
20 away saying: What splendid execu- :
ion! Did you ever hear such soprano?
Which of those solos did YOU like the