St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-10-07

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
harp of three strings
playing by fret and bow. 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 cymbais'
claimed in the dance or beaten IN the
march. There were 1900 Levites, the
hest 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 oficiated on Afferent
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 brancned ou.
like trees of gold and under the wings
of the chernbim. chanted the One
Hundred and Thirty-sixth Psaim OF
David? Do you know how it was done:
One part of that great choir stood up
and chanted: "Oh, give thanks unto .ne
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-
sponse: 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-
sponse: "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 altars 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 II not half so mighty
az a 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
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
Murich 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 great
many differences of opinion. In sone
of the churches they prefer trained
choir; in others they prefer the meIo-
deon, the harp, the cornet, the organ;
in other places they think these things
are the invention of the devil. Some
would have Q musical instrument
played so loud you cannot stand il. and
others would have it played so soft you
cannot hear it. Some think q musical
instrument ought to be played only in
the interstices of worship, and then
with indescribable softness, while
| others are net 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, ii
seems to me that the general spirit OF
the word Of God indicates what ought
to be the great characteristics of church
music.
| And I remark, in the first place, q
prominent characteristic ought to be
adaptiveness to devotion. Music that
may be appropriate for 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 m opera house is a hindrance to the
worship. From such performances we
go away saying: "What splendid execu
tion! 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: "Oh, how my soul wa:
lifted up in, the presence Of God while
they were singing that first hymn!
never had such rapturous views O
Jesus Christas my Saviour as when they
were singing that last doxology."
My friend, there il an everlasting dis
tinction between music as an art ant
music as q help to devotion. Though
Schumann composed it, though Mo
zart played it, though a Sontag sang it
away with it If it does not make tn
heart better and honor Christ. VIII,
should we rob the programmes o
worldly gayety when we have SO man.
appropriate songs and tunes compose.
in our own day, as well as that mag
nificent inheritance of church psalm
ody which has come down fragran
with the devotions of other genera
tions-tunes no more worn ont thal
they were when our great-grandfs
theirs climbed up to them from tn
church pew to glory? Dear old souls
how they used to sing! When the
were cheerful, our grandfathers an
grandmothers used to sing "Colche.
ter" When they were very medita
tive, then the boarded meeting hous
i