Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-06
NEW sINGfNG sTYLEs.

NEW SINGING STYLES.
Times change and men change with
them" says the old proverb.
Singing styles have changed also and
singers do not sing as they used to do
either
Doubtless I am an old fogy, have out
lived my time and the styles to which
I was accustomed to in former days,
but the words of a song are the prin-
cipal attraction to me.
I would not give a penny for song
that I could not tell what the songster
was delivering. When l only seek the
tune, then just give it to me on piano,
fiddle, organ or photograph in a regular
| flowing melody, but when a body sings,
for PHYS sake let me know what the
words are, or just give me the tune
without anything else
| I saw a so-called fashionable perform
or on the piano execute running &C
compartment to something a few weeks
ago. and give you my word I did not
understand a single sentence out Of the
whole business. There were high notes
and low notes, elaborate trtlls and demi-
semi-quavers in abundance. but there
was not a. distinctly enunciated word
during the whole time She scared aloft
and filled my ears, with what 1 would
have called yells anywhere else, or she
1 gut III d Jury anu DduSCu tic hCyO WIN
such intensity that the noise of the
! piano even drowned out a part of the
yelling, but she might have been singing
in opera, Arab or Comanche Indian, for
all know about the words, and nave
been told 1 have a keen ear for music.
| 1t is easy to predict that such singing
must at some time yield to a different
style. People are not all the time fools
or entirely consumed with Italian and
French fashions
! When I was a small girl with new
piano in our house, a young bride came
| to call on us. She had been forced, it
was said, to marry her husband and give
up her old lover by her ambitious pa
rents. My mother asked her to sing and
she gave us that old-time song. Joys
| That We've Tasted. with charming
touch and tender feeling.
JOYS THAT WE'VE TASTED.
To Lnis day the memory of that song
and of the beautiful singers face has
been with me. Even the words fasten-
ed themselves on my memory and the
melody only served to convey the spirit
of the song into my heart and brain. Ii
was touchingly beautiful to hear and
remember and it was the sentiment
clearly expressed that captured me.
If somebody is pleased to play for
me shall thank them and fully enjoy
1t all, brit if somebody essays to sing
for me, please Heaven. 1 hope they will
let me know whatsthey are singing
about. sn5 et-
Otherwise L get nothing but. the mel
ody. ass
10 me church singing is greatly dam
aged, where the words are huddled and
crowded, to give place to style. worship
with singing must have sufficient enun-
-. a L NN. 10 ynr~H G
10 the average listener.
Who can ever forget those big meet
ings" of so years ago?
Such singing attuned the hearers TO
what the sermon and the exhortation
was to bring hem and we are encourag-
ed to think and believe that heavenly
choirs will sing together and in unison
and the Eternal City will resound with
praise to the Lamb of God" Who taketh
away the sins of the world"
The very rafters trembled under this
tremendous flood of human voices and
the woods echoed the pious songs that
were sufficiently known to answer all
purposes
1 can understand the craze for operate
music, but / do believe that the effect
would be the same If monograph
could do the singing or copy the sing
| ers voice The words are no account as
now employed. HOW L love the Olu-l lIIlS
method when ''all the people sang IN
church. In my early. days when hymn
| books were scarce the preacher lined
the hymns, and the old-timers learned
the words and never forgot them.
/ do long to see. one more of these
big meetings beforeI go hence.
When my heart is humble before the
Maker of all good, how I like to hear,
"He saved a poor sinner like me!' but
what would the song be If nobody could
| understand the words7
1 have been trying to play, the piano
| nearly 70 years-since L was a little tot
not able to reach an octave, and l was
taught to pronounce the words of the
songs clearly. 1 have sung for the sick,
yes, even the dying, and also for great
crowds packed in large college auditori-
ums, but always felt must enunciate
with enough clearness to allow the peo-
pie to know what I was trying to tell
them in the words Of the music. But 1t
does not matter these days, or so 1t
seems. s.-.
HAVE SYSTEM IN YOUR WORK. /.
genefSus-hearted young matron
wishes me to advise her as to getting
through her daily domestic duties. SO
| that she may have reasonable time to
read and seek healthy recreation.
How I wish 1 could do 1T, in wav
that would bring satisfaction to thou
sands of young matrons hearts all over
our Southland!
If could find formula to make do