Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1899-09-09

Jubal so far back "a the thirty-nrst
chapter Of Genesis you find the hrst
choir. All up and down the Bible you
and sacred mude at weddings. ne in
aururatious. a. the treading OF the wine
preas. The Hebrews understood how 10
make musical signs above the musical
text. When the Jews came from their
distant homes 90 ths great festivals st
Jerusalem, they brought harp and tam
brel and trumpet and poured along ths
xrsat Judean highways q river OF har-
-mony ynntilinaAd- d-arOana the temple the
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 10 make the hymn, another
man to make the tune. another man 20
play IL on the piano and another man
20 sing t. Not 90 In Bible times.
Miriam. the sister of Moses, after the T
passage Of the Red sea. composed
/ soxology, set IL 20 music, elapped IL on
q crmbal and NJ the same time sang a.
/ David. the psalmix;, was at the same
time poet, musical cOhPoser, h1rpitt
! and singer. and the majority OF his
! rhythm goes vibrating through all the
ages.
There were IN Bible times stringed
instruments-a harp OF three strings
PLAYING BY fret and bow. harp OK ten
strings r.sounding only 20 the hngera
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 usn of the country. whose only
bukiness n vas 20 look after the music
of the temple.
These 1000 Levites were divided into
= two classes and officiated on dnersnt
dAvS. Can you imagine the harmony
: when these white robed Levitea. befors
e the symbols OF Gods presence and oy
? the .noking affairs aud thecsndlssticks
= that spranr upward and branched out
= like trees Of gold and under the wings
y OF the eheru BIN. chanted the One
q Hundred and Thirty-kAxth Psalm OF
d David? Do you know howl was done
o One part OF tkat great choir stood uI
!, aud shanted: "Oh. give thanks unto th'
p Lord. for lie is good" Then the otheI
y part of the choir. standing In SOM
sf other part of the temple. would come II
r with the response: "For His mercy en-
le dureth forever Then the nrst par
st would take up the song again and say
&, Unto him who only doeth great Won
" ders." The other part Of the ehoi
III would come in with overwhelming r.
e. sponse: For His mercy endureth foi
ln ever" until In the latter part OF IN
re song. the music floating backward an
u forward. harmony graphing with ha
re- mony, every trumpet sounding. ever
OF bosom heaving. one part OF this gre'
white robed choir would lift the a.
them: "Oh. give thanks unto the &c
OF Heaven and the other part Of Il
Leyise choir would come In with the :
IL, sponse: For His mercy endur~ih 70
Do ever"
nd ButIAm glad TO know that all throus
ger the ages there has been great attentu
nd paid TO sacred music. Ambrosi'
,hs Augustine. Gregory the Great. Char
Al. nagne. gave IL their mighty intuen'
.nd and In our day the best musical geni
lin il throwing itself on the affairs orG'
are Handel and Mozart and Bach and
,ek. rants aud Wolf aud scores OF otf
AL men and women have given the ID
We part of their genius 10 church mus
A truth in words IN moi half 80 mig
sic, A. q truth In song. Luiher's sermS
,ule have been forgotten. butt "Judgm'
With HYMN" he composed ia resounding
rens all through Christendom.
med / congratulate the world and
the church on the advancement made In
ard art-the Edinburgh societies for
here Improvement Of music. the Swiss 81
& an ing xocietIes. the Exeter hall coaes
hich the triennial musical convocation
Is a. Dusseldorf, Germany, and Birmingh
'reat England, the controversies OF musi
snds Munich and Leipsic, the Handel
near Haydn and Harmonic and Mozart
usie, cieties Of this country, the Hcademis
: the music IN New York. Brooklyn, Bos
atfal Charleston, New Orleans, Chicago
4 the every city which has any snterpri'
ss 10 Now. friends, how are We TO dc
tinss what is appropriate, especially
q the church nusic? There may be a 9
dous. many differences Of opinion. In Z
mult of the churches they prefer ira
nance choir; in others they prefer the 4
ausie. deon. the harp, the eornet, the or
gresi in other places they think these n
piece are the invention of the devil.
upon would have musical instru
3D. played 90 loud you cannot stand II
'msnt others would have Ia played so sof'
Earth cannot hear IL. Some think a mu
Auon, instrument ought TO be played on
With the iptrrstices of worship, and