The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-12
LECTURE ON SACRED MUSIC.
Professor Parker Talka or Church M

Professor Horatio r. Parker, Of the
| department Of music in Yale university,
| gave a lecture on Sacred Music" in the
Yalc Art School Tuesday evening. The
| south gallery was completely filled with
! listeners, and a most interesting talk
waG duly appreciated. Among other
things Professor Parker said; 1.-THE
early masses We're based on popular
songs. 1T was as If to-day ore should
advertise Star Spangled Banner Ben
edicite' or an Annie Laurie Jubilate,
To Palestrina, properly called the
savior of church music commission
appointed to correct faults in this
branch Of worship is indebted for Its I'LL
innate success. This commission COM
rrised not only members of the clergy
and scholars, but lawyers and profess
slonal men, who passed Judgment, COM
petently enough, on music objectionably
ornate. Paestrina, who had at once in
flexible devotion to ideals, tireless in
dustry, a boundless fund OF musical
knowledge, and, above all, creative gen.
ius was the commissions consulting ex-
pert. Being a gifted composer, he was
able to replace with something better
His was greater than any church music
before or since. And by church I
mean not a carpeted edifice, with vel
vet cushion for the organist, singular
descendant of the Puritan house Of wor-
ship, but a real church Palestrina
perpetuated the spirit, II not the letter,
Of church music.
To-day church music naturally falls
into two classes; that which is merely
artistic and that whicr Is merely useful.
OF course the line of demarcation is not
always distinct, but the proposition Is
nevertheless true. From the stand
point of those who use church music, a
motif Of Bach, Wagner or List is mere
ly artistic. From almost any stand
point the Anglican chants are merely
useful. OF the three essential elements
of music, which are melody, harmony
and rhythm. none is present in the low
est order of music, the utilitarian An
gllcan chant.
Congregational singing is most dasira-
Bile for many reasons, not the least of
which is that the hearing and the join
ing In the making of music have of me-
cessity a Outstanding influence, UNI
less one be totally deaf to the musical
stimulus, a condition which I consider
much rarer than color-blindness. Con-
grcgational singing is so highly priced
and so eagerly desired by the people and
the clergy that the latter often make
humiliating sacrifices to attain OR re-
tain it.
Why should congregations sing at
s,ta
connected by an indissoluble band,
Pagans attribute to music divine ORR
gin. Thus we see that music Is older
than history, and that the music of re-
mote ages was musical religion.
Love joy, anger and hate find no natu-
raj vehicle Of expression in music.
Most modern church music is weak
ening, childish and over-sentimental.
No small part of it is absolutely vulgar.
The minor tunes of our English and
German ancestors were simple, dignified
and expressive. Windsor is case in
point st. Brides is another grand old
tune, now usually omitted from the
hymn books, A fine standard of meas
Anne's' In many hymnals which the
1l1le OH AuNeut Hylfll, ~, Golltt ~,
come, Emanuel are printed two set
tings and the printer who put both on
the same page could have had no sense
of humor. The old setting Is beautiful
In it's grand solemnity, while the new
one is choppy and jerky in the extreme
Also, much of the newed music is puer-
lie, enfeebling, altogether enervating
and humiiating. Sometimes, which
would be altogether sweet, useful and
charming for children, arc solemnly at
tempted by their elders with positively
laughable results. once heard con-
gregation of twenty-five hundred peo-
Pile sing during a church service hymn
like Yankee Doodle 1t is
such a condition of things that made 1t
possible for an organist who was acting
as substitute for friend of mine, to
play, without detection, during a
church service, the tune I had Fifteen |
Dollars in My Inside Pocket
Slovenly translation is a great evil in |
imported music. l once beard an Ave |
Maria translation which began % Haly |
Father"
Professor Parker illustrated the points |
If his talk on the piano. and discussed |
he church organ, commenting favora-
)ly on the results too often attained.