Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-09-17
OUR OWN CHOIR MUSIC.
tnnnnnn nIlnnnnnr nIlnnnnnnnl
Musical Editor News,


Musical Editor News.
TWAS much pleased and interested to
read an article IN the Saturday
News from Mr. John HendrY Ca
wide awake and progressive young
choir leader Of this city, calling for
mere aud varied choir music from our
own composers, and upon subjects dis
tIncty "Mormonistic.' such am awak-
ening upon the part Of our choir leaders
is the very thing that win bring the
result desired, for when a demand be-
comes sufficiently apparent the supply
Is sure to materialze
An anthem book officially accepted
by the Church as the Psalmody Is for
hymnal purposes IN which no subject
out Of complete harmony with our be-
lIefs and mode Of worship should APP
pear, is q real necessity, and some
thing I have been urging for long
time. It is favored by our presiding
leaders, but not yet to the point Of
publication
one Of the chief difficulties in the way
Of the desired result, is the meager way
in which most Of our home compositions
are taken up by the choir leaders IN
our community--m II very risky
proposition financially for both COM
poser and publisher, especially is this
the case n the selection be a little elab-
orate-enough so to be Of some slight
interest 10 any composer Of ordinary
talent. such compositions are shrunk
from as being too difficult On the
other hand pieces Of a simple Charac-
ter are even too unintarestlng for the
choir leaders 10 take up at all, or II
taken up they are soon tired Of by the
choir The happy medium is often
difficult to strike
| would suggest that anything that
could be done to lit the ordinary choir
leader out Of this fear Of attacking
pieces with little something to them
(Say choir conventions held during
conference times, I'm which leaders could
be- interested In and famllarized with
our stronger and better anthems and
concert pieces might do much In this
line, II course of advanced training
IN our Church schools Is outside of their
reach
In my own experience ] have been
fortunate in suiting q great number
Of cholrs with few happy mediums"
like Let the Mountain ShoIt,' Song
NJ DO 3 a 40.
tails" and "Thc Mountain Of the Lord
etc, even the 'Hoslnnah' is much used
by our best choirs, showing that they
could master almost any Of the long
list Of neglected ones IL ;hey could be
awakened to the determination point.
These are sung until they become
rnonoton0us while a large list Of greatly
superior ones are almost totally neg
lected, though ! have gone TO the eX-
pensc and trouble Of placing them be-
fore the public by printing them Let
me here give partial list
There are T. good, effective pieces In
the four Choristers published by the
Deserct News, some n years ago, which
are but little used, While the majority
are by myself and Prof J, J. Dayuos,
they also include BrInley. Richards,
Farmer and Fish. And are all well To
the point, Awake My Soul, one of the
most difficult is perhaps the best
known The Temple dedication collec-
tion contains sin or eight suitable
things, seldom done "Our Father IN
Heaven by l., d, Edwards, and THE
Angels Struck their Harps," Stephens,
are quite easy and effective. believe
most Of the prize pieces mentioned by
Mr. Hcndry could be had from the
News by looking up old plates, The
Lord Hath Redeemed Zion" by A. G.,
Smith, FIRST price, Great is the Lord.
by II. A, Tuckett, first price, Gathered
Saints Stephens, and others OF that
poriod.
Then an anthem book compiled by
Prof Daynes, contains about 30 pieces
in all. whose only fault ! fear Is that