Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-09-09

anu another man 10 SHY IL. MOI SO III
Bible times. Miriam, the sister Of
Moses. after the passage OF the Rcd
sea, composed II doXology, set it to
music, clappcd it Oh Il cymbal and ut
the same time sang 1t. David. the
psulmist, was ut the same time poet,
musical composer, harpist and singer,
md the majority of his rhythm goes
vibrating through Ill the ages.
There were in Bible times stringed
Instruments harp of three strings
played by fret and bow n 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 s;strum and the cymbals,
clapprd in tile dance or beaten in the
march There were 1000 Lcvites, the
best men of the country. whose only
business ii WAS to look after the music
of the temple These 1000 I.crltcs were
divided INFO two classes and otilciated
on different days. Can you imagine the
harmony when these white rObed l.e-
vites. befn:.r the symbols of Gods pres
encc, and hy the smoking affairs. and
the candlcstcks that sprang upward
and brancllch out like trees of gold.
and under The wings OF the chcrubim,
chantcd the Cnc Hundred and Thirty
sixth Psalm of Dnvid? DO you know
how It WAS done? One part of that
great choir stood up and chanted. "Oh,
give thinks unto the Lord. for lie Is
good" Then the other part Of the
choir, standing i'll 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 docth great wonders" The
other part Of the choir would come in
with overwhelming response, For his
mercy cndurest forever" until in the
latter pnlt of the song the music float
ing backward and forward. harmony
graphing with harmony. every trum-
pet sounding, every bosom lcaving, one
part OF this great white robed choir
would lift the anthem, "Oh. give
thanks unto the God Of heaven" and
the other pnrt of the Lcyitc choir would
come in with the response, "For his
mercy endurcth forever.
Truth Ia Song.
But am glad to know that all
through the ages there has been great
attention paid To sacred music. Am
brosius, Augustine Gregory tile Great,
Charlcmagne 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 aud
scores of other men and women have
given the best part Of their genius to
church music \ truth in words is not
half SO mighty rs Il truth III song.
Luthcr's sermons have been forgotten.
but the Judgment Hymn" he COM
posed Is resounding yet NIL through
! Christcndom.
congratulate the world and the
church on the advancement made In
this art-the Edinburgh societies for
the Improvement of music, the Swiss
singing societies, the Exeter hill con-
certs. the tricnnal musical convocn-
tion at Dusseldorf, Germany, and Biz
mingham. England, the Conservatives
of music ut Munich and Leipsic, the
Handel and Haydn and Harmonic and
Mozart societies 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 de-
eide what is appropriate, especially
for church music? There may be q
great many differences of opinion. In
some of tic churches they prefer a
trained choir; In Others the old style
prcccntor. In some places they prefer
the melodeon. the harp, the cornet, the
organ. In other places they think
these things are the invention of the
devil. Some would have musical IN
strrment played so loud you cannot
stand it, and others would have 1t
ulaye1 so soft you cannot hear It,.
Some think musical instrument
ought to he played only in the inter-
stices of worship and then With IN
dcscribnbic softness, while others are
not satisfied unless there be startling
contrasts and staccato passages that
make the audience jump, with great
ewes and hair on end. as FROM vision
of the witch of Eudor. But, while
there NAV BE great varieties of opln-
ion 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.
Adnptivcncsx to Devotion.
And remark, in the first place.
nromincn, characteristic ought TO be
ndaptiycncss to devotion. Music that
may he appropriate for concert hail.
or the opera house. or the drawing
room, may be- inappropriate In church.
Glcrs. madrigals. ballads may be as
innocent as psalms in their places.
But church music has only one design,
and that is devotion. aud that winch
comes with tho toss. the swing ana the
display of an opera house is a him
lrance to the worship. From such per-
formances we go away saying: What
splendid execution! Did you ever hear
such soprano: Which Of those solos
did YOU like the better?" When, if we
had been rightly wrought upon, we
would have gone away saying: "Qh,
how my soul was lifted up in the pres
ence Of God while they were singing
that first hymn. never had such
rapturous views of Jesus Christ as my
Saviour as when they were singing
that last doxology."
My friends, there is an everlasting
distinction between music as an art
and music as q help to devotion.
Though Schumann composed 1t,
though Mozart played 1t, though q
Sontag sang it, away with it If 1t does
not make the heart better and honor
Christ.
Why should we rob the programmes
Of worldly gayety when when we have
| on ,no,,v n Dnronrjo re SONGS and tunes