The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-23
LECTURE BY PROF. PENNY
An Interesting Talk on Influence of
Music.

Prof. Geo. B. Penny. of Washburn
college, spoke before the Young Peo-
PIES Religious union of Unity church
Sunday afternoon on what Music
Means to Me-" Prof. Penny confined
himself almost entirely to the value of
music to the church service. He said
substantially, in part:
In London there is a beautiful
church built by a wealthy lady in
which there is neither music nor ser
mon. Here the people may come and
be stirred to the spirit of worship by
the effect of the architecture. The
whole design and purpose of the build
ing IS to induce the spirit of worship.
This is the effect it has.
In the same way the purpose of the
music in the church service is to quick
en- and deepen the religious spirit.
There is not a religious thought or feel
ing which has not been expressed in
fitting music. So, whatever the subject
OF the discourse, music may be found
which mt the theme and heighten the
erect. The whole service should be a
unity, hymns, anthems, and voIuntar-
les expressing the sentiment of the ser
mon This the conscientious organist
attempts to do. That he does not sue
coed oftener is frequently due to the
ministers not approaching the power of
music to help produce the effect he is
after. He does not select the hymns
and see that they and the anthems fit
Quently the music and the discourse are
frequently antagOnistic, the music
tending to destroy the effect of the ser
mon.
THE voluntary should be such as to
prepare the congrega ton for worship,
and will always have this effect in the
hands of the skillful organist. The pipe
organ is the only instrument that can
produce this effect in its fullness. Thus
not the piano, or the reed organ, but
the pipe organ is pre- eminently the
musical instrument for the church
There is a distinctively religious
music, dignified and wOrshipful OF this
character should be the music of the
hymns. The good composer meditates
on the words of the hymn for which he
is to write the music until its thought
and feeling possess him. Then he tries
TO give these thoughts and emotions
expression in harmony. The music of
the hymn may be such as to lessen or
destroy the effect of the words. The
poor composer does just this.
THE music of the hymns should be
simple, dignified, religious. 1t is some
times light, trivial, irreligious. This is
particularly apt to be the case with the
music in the books often used in the
services of the young peoples societies.
The hymn books used in the churches
usually have the approval of the denom-
inatiOn, hymns and music being select
ed by competent musicians in the de-
nomination. They are therefore usual
ly good. Too often the books used by
the young people in their services do
not have this UNCONVENTIONAL sanction:
the music is written by those who do
not have or try to express religious
feeling. It is written to be popular,
and to sell. Consequently it is apt to
be trivial irreligious, demOralizing.
Education in religious music tries
to weed out the bad, the merely secular
or the irreligiOuS music, and to culti-
vate a taste for that which expresses
the spirit of worship"