The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10

| Of these organists, who served the congre-
CATION in rotation . week at a time, we're
simple and continual enough. yet Mr.. Order
| says they were required to know about
four hundred church tunes. and to be able
TO play them In any key the officiating min
lister might start them. it being the custom
for the minister to begin singing without
announcement. leaving the organist and
the congregation to join in as soon as they
could catch the words and the tune
The ministers OF tho church were fire.
quently enthusiastic amateur musicians,
and some OF them were even composers.
As for the congregation, 1t sang from Its
infancy, for singing was one Of its birth
rights. The Church OF the Bohemian
Brethren. from which it was branching
shoot, was the forerunner OF the Lutheran
Church in congregational singing. and the
hymn, the great German chorale, which
Bach afterward utilized in his works to
typify and embody the spirit OF Protestant
ism. was one OF the precious herita ages
descended from the earliest history OF the
Hussites. Martin Luther was glad to use
some OF these old Hustle hymns in his
collection. The significance OF this piece
Of history in relation to the Bach festivals
at Bethlehem cannot be overrated.
The liturgical character OF the Moravian
service and the musical inclinations OF the
people bring the Bethlehem congregation
into sympathy with the Bach works in their
general aspects. but the inherited love
OF the German hymn makes the chorales
OF the Bach compositions stand TO these
Moravians as direct and personal utter
anoe OF their own religious lives. They
have known these Bach hymn tunes from
childhood. Their fathers and their fathers
fathers sang them before they themselves
were born. Down through all the centuries
from the foundation OF their church and
their brotherhood, these hymns have been
the voice OF the people and the voice OF
God. Could anything bring Bach closer
TO their hearts,
Already q musical people. a people with
whom music has always been the sister
and the handmade OF religion. they And
in the profoundest of all musical COM
positions their own beloved hymns en-
ployed by a master musician to speak to
all the world the very thoughts which they
themselves have always held most sacred.
1t lie this deep seated sympathy with the
master whom they study that makes the
Moravian singers Of the Bethlehem chorus
willing to rehearse four times q week for
six months In order to perform this music
Correctly. 1t IL the splendid and glowing
enthusiasm OF the religious devotee that
lies behind the success Of the Bethlehem
festivals. II has spread beyond tho Mora
VANS, and many Of the choristers are OF
other scots, but all have the same lovely
enthusiasm.
A word about the pealing Of the from
bones. It has been noticed that the be.
ginning OF the great journey into the here
after Is celebrated musically In Bethlehem,
by the use OF trombones. This custom
dates back to the earliest days OF the town.
A trombone quartet IL employed, and in
Bethlehem one can hardly hear the seldom
used but wonderfully beautiful soprano
trombone. You cannot stay long In Beth
lshem without hearing this trombone quar-
tot engaged In its solemn duty Of announo-
Ing the death Of some member OF the con-
srssation. The congregation 10 divided
into choirs. and for each choir there ia =
specified chorale. SO when some rood
married brother or unmarried sister is
dangerously III, and all the members OF
the church know It. the informing from the
belfry OF the church Of the ohorale assigned
to tho married brothers or the unmarried
sisters tells the town that another soul
has left its earthly tenement. Tho playing
Of the significant ohorales 10 always pro-
coded BY one uttsranos OF the passion
choral, known to al Germans, the lovely
% Haupt vol Blut and wunden," used
BY Bach In his Passion. It 10 impossible
to describe the effect Of this trombone
quartet heard In the belfry Of the church.
No musical eject ever % thoroughly carries
one out Of his surroundings a. this one,
which BOUNDED Ike sonas solemn invitation
from the temples Of . historic past.
And now to describe briefly the festival