The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-04-13


mothers time, that they would have @
church services without music. On ~
the contrary they recognize that -
music is an important, not to say
essential, feature of devotional ex-
! : : !: : J: :
ercises. What they complain about
though, is the seeming disposition
in some churches, particularly the
fashionable ones to have the musi- II
cal numbers completely overshadow
the sermon and the prayers and
everything else,
But for all that there exists this II M
wide difference of opinion as to the
part music should play in church III
services there is one occasion dur II
ing the year when practically all
churchgoers are agreed that 1t is
fitting and appropriate that melody
should dominate the whole interval
Of worship This exceptional occa-
sion Is, Of course. Easter AS the lF-=====
anniversary of glad tidings-the
most joyous holiday in the whole u
church calendar--it is but natural
that the keynote Of every obsery-
ance should be one of rejoicing and nraise IN
song Consequently the pastors and musical di.
rectors and choir masters of all churches I'm and
down the land devote more attention to their
Easter musical programs than to those of any
other Sunday in the fifty-two and with all due
respect it is the musical programs rather than
the pastors tests which are objects of the keen
est interest when the churches announce their
Easter programs.
Church music, which finds it's best exemplifca.
tion on Easter morning, has undergone marked
development during the past dozen years It ia
well within the memory of the present genera
tion when almost the only music in our churches
was congregational singing. This chorus singing
by the assembled worshipers is still In vogue in
many of the smaller churches, particularly those
in email t0yrr7 NJ
be 1t confessed that there are a good many peo-
pie who to this day declare that it is more devo-
tional and inspiring than the solos of the high
est salaried singers. But be that as it may, the
solosts have supplanted the congregation as
singers in practically every city church and in
many of those in the smaller towns.
The first entry of the sooists into this field
came when one, two, or quartette of singers in
each congregation who possessed the best voices
were induced to specialize to the extent of pre-
pairing one anthem for rendition each Sunday
as we'll as, in effect leading the congregational
singing Or, in some churches where the con-
gTegation was not strong Vocally or the members
were diffident about engaging in the chorus sing
ing, there was organized a choir of anywhere
from eight to sixteen members that bore the
whole burden of the musical responsibility just
as do the vested choirs in many of the Epis-
copal churches. Under this plan the singers
have almost Invariably been members of the
church where they sing and as rule they have
given their services free or have received very
modest sums for their services.
While the above mentioned plan or one in
which choir and congregational singing is COM
blned is still In vogue in thousands of churches
all over the country, a further step in musical
development has been taken by most of the
prominent and wealthy city churches. In these
places Of worship one may hear on Easter morn.
ing music Of as fine quality as can be listened
to in any grand opera house. The secret lies in
the fact that in these fashionable churches the
music is provided by high-salaried musicians who
are engaged solely for their musical ability and
without reference to anything else. Indeed,
since good voices have come to be demanded
above all else find that not once in dozen
cases is a highly-paid choir singer a member of
the church in which she sings. Mayhap she is
not member of any church. There are also
wellknown instances in which Catholic singers
appear regularly in Protestant churches and vice
versa.
Similarly the pipe organist Of the twentieth
century fashionable city church is chosen solely
because Of his musical ability and not because he
Is fellow-Churchman, which he probably is not
Even more odd in the eyes of some folk with old
time ideas is the system of recruiting the orches
tras of the leading churches But perhaps, to
pause for moment the reader had not realized
that an orchestra is now considered essential in
every fashionable church. Such is the case, how
ever. and In majority Of cases the musicians