The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-02

"A Solo Quartet Choir Is the Ideal Church Choir Sa Mrs Logan, Organst At Highands Methodist Ckurc
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE


 Nothing adds more to the beauty and solemnity of church service than good music, and within the past few years church music has assumed such won- derful proportions such varied avenues, and such a high standard in the south that many of the northsrn and eastern choirs have very little more to boast of in their choir work than we have right here in the south.
 | Especially has Birmingham made marked improvement along these lines. Years ago volunteer" choirs were all | that could be hoped for in the best churches, and everybody who has had any experience in matters of this kind knows how unreliable and unsatisfactory such things are.
 | Later the paid" choir was inaugurated and choir work being put on a business basis, proved far more satisfactory and agreeable to every one concerned. | The Highlands Methodist church has been particularly fortunate in the se}ec- tion of its choiristers Miss Norma | Scholar, whose beautiful voice and sweet, womanly personality has charmed and pleased the congregation of that church during the past year, and the hard work that she did in building up the choir and giving the best music possible made deep impression upon those inter- ested and was an incentive for the music committee to continue the good work she I started and to follow the high standard | she set.
 | Mrs. w. A. Logan who has been the | organist at the Highlands Methodist church for some time past, has assumed l the directorship of the new choir and with her excellent training and fine musician ship she will undoubtedly make 1t one of the best choirs in the city.
 Certainly no better material could be found than Miss Bessie Cunningham as soprano of the Solo Quartet choir, Miss Georgia Taul as contralto, MT. Erin Far ley as basso, and MT. Baxter Eastburn as tenor
 All these musicians are capable and tall ented and their voices have been heard to advantage many times in church work, concert and oratorio.
 Miss Cunningham is famous as an oper- | atic singer not only in the south and north and east, but in Canada, where she has sung before tremendous audiences, l charming all who had the pleasure of hearing her.
 Her beautiful voice, exquisitely trained | and superlatively sweet. has just that | tender, appealing quality which lends it. | self so admirably to church music, and 1 it will indeed be pleasure to the large | congregation of the Highlands Methodist | church and their friends to hear her each | Sabbath
 In speaking with Mrs. Logan about her l plans for the coming year, found that she had many excellent views concerning | choir work and its object.
 q believe in the first place." Mrs. l Logan said, that appropriate music | for the different festivals of the church, and different occasions, Is one of the most necessary things for director to keep in mind. Take the beautiful com munion service--the most sacred and solemn of all the services of the church, the music for this occasion can either enhance the beauty of the ser vice or mar it completely. The Dudley Buck music I find lends itself as well to the communion service as that of any other composer known, his Rock of Ages being especially beautiful and appropriate. and which I have chosen to for the communion services to- morrow. .s atr al
 "The Easter music, Christmas music and other festival music, is limitless in its beauty and scope for a solo quartet choir" Mrs. Logan continued, which l believe is the ideal choir for church. Each member of our choir is an artist; their work in solos as well as in en- SemDle, IS as near perfect as training and talent can make it, and best of all each understands the necessity of balance in quartet work. l mean by that no voice is supreme; no voice leads; the four are so perfectly blend ed that it seems as if the work were in unison. That, to my mind, Is the real beauty of ensemble singing.
 Church music in Birmingham" Mrs. Logan said has improved marvellous ly within the past few years. and l think few cities in the south have bet ter music In their churches now than we do. It will be the object of our choir to present the best music that can be sung. So many people object to severely classical music in the church; by that I mean very diffiult music. but think that is because it has been | poorly sung Classical music-Bach. | Beethoven, Schubert, these and the | others who have contributed the best |