Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-24

stands head and shoulders above all
other natlonalities, and that rs In the
general excellence and high standard
of its congregational singing. Nothing
to compare with it can be heard any
where. When the revival was 1t Is
height in Rhose. special excursion trains
were run from Liverpool. Birkenhead,
Manchester and other places Just TO
listen to the wonderful singing, purely
congregational In many instances,
without aid of organ or choir simply
led by the precentor the audience of
fully 1000 at times singing with the
subdued tones of "A quartet. huge
whisper, then carried off their feet
by a tremendous double forte such as
only Welsh and Yorkshire singers are
capable of producing the bass voice
(and Rhose is noted even in Wales for
its bass) rolling and reverberating like
peals of thunder. No person can pic
ture or imagine what congregational
singing in Wales is like especially
when worked up into a "hwyl' I'm
singing some of them pathetic, weird
like. soul-stirring tunes, mostly in the
minor key. This effective congrega-
tional singing has not been brought
about by either accident or neglect
done even 1.-THE OF what
Welsh churches have done for the de-
Velopment and Improvement of congre-
patonal singing. IT costs untold ef-
fort even IN Wales whose people has
an inbred aptitude for and an intense
love Of choral music. ! wonder, did
Mr. stephens attend any OF the Cy-
manfaoedd Canu congregational mu-
steal festivas), peculiar 10 Wales, of
which hundreds are held during the
year, the combined choruses varying
from as low as $50 voices with harmonl-
n s.HFg 4. an
orchestra Of go, according to popula-
tion of the districts whore the festivals
are held Scores of these festivals are
hold iu the open air IN the summer,
no building being large enough 10 ac-
Cummodate the throng. So the secret
of good congregational psalmody IN
Wales is hard work devotion, both
money ana time being expended on the
attainment of IL, apd the Improvement
Is still going on,
DOWN GRADE IN AMERICA,
In America on the other hand
moro's the ity-congregational singing
H. decidedly on the down grade, the
standard never was very high, and II
Is going i'm one sense from bad 70 worse.
over here. far too much stress Is laid
on ana place given TO the quartet
may Britain be saved from ~, and
far too little on congregational singing.
The average congregation does not get
enough chances 10 sing In the services
to become efficient. while II is the
latter and not the quartet or choir that
should have the premier place Ia public
worship The proper function quartet or
choir IN public worship rs Ike that of an
drgan-to be "a help ana accompaniment
to the congregational singing and not
be- the whole show by Itself, as Is
too often the case. | have been I'm
churches in tns country, evangelical
ones AT that whore the congregation
were merely dummies, simply COOKERS
on" only having chance at one tune
or two at the outside while the pastor
was cut down to IL minute sermon
and the rest simply wasted on some
useless prelimInarics, organ, violin ana
vocal solos, duet and quartet, etc, maxi
ing the church more Ike a music han
than anything else, If this II the only
ioHture that viii attract some people
TO divine service then the church is far
better of without them, | have no OBJ
iectlOns 20 church quartets or chOira
so long as they act IN their proper
sphere, but their efforts however good
should not be at the sacrifice and
expense Of congregational singing, |
am sure the average pastor viii reach
his hock easier after the effective SING
ing OF a soul stirring hymn tune by
the congregation than after the war
hlings of a high toned quartet, no mat
ter how classical their rendering may
have been, II the various churches In
this country desire 10 attain good and