Evening star., 1918-02-03
BY ROBERT MATTHEWS.

L
Pianist and Private Secretary to Billy Sunday
SNLAYlNG the pianos at the Billy
W. Sunday Tabernacle. George Brews-
ter and have taken a little pride
in the fact we were able to COM
nit to memory most of the songs and
play without music. We hoped the stunt
would attract attention and it did The
other day good old lady made her way
to Mr.. Rodeheaver. She told him her
daughter had taken two terms" could
play THE Storm and 1.-THE Maiden's
Prayer and then she added this signifi-
cant statement:
wouldn't it be nice if them pianists
of yourn could study music and learn to
read notes? They play so well by earl
The necessities of an unusual situation
demand a great deal of noise from the
Tabernacle pianos and we try to coax it
from them at the expense of much physi-
cal exertion. And this comment reached
our ears:
'Those fellows aren't piano players. j
knew it the first time heard 'em. Look
at their. hands! They're piano movers
Wherever there are large conferences of
people met together in temporary struc-
lures there is demand for peculiar type
of piano playing, but the great evangelistic
campaigns have emphasized the need par
ticularly and created permanent field
for it.
X y
The task, falling upon the chorus di-
rector. of guiding and supporting a
company of singers agsregating hum
dreds and even thousands of voices
with the instrumental aid of only one
or two pianos is, in the MAN, respon-
sibIe for the peculiar and unique phases
of>the work. And the necessity that
these features be emphasized even to
the point of aggravation is Immediately
understood when consideration is given
to the fact that the average leader Of
a choir Of fifty has also a his command
pipe organ of generous capacity, while
the song leader in a great gospel meet
ing may stand before a chorus many
times greater than the average church
congregation and be dependent upon
piano or two. Consequently the
piano is asked to yield it's full capacity
and to that end strcng hands must be
the possession of the performer.
During most Of the ensemble singing
every note must be struck with clear
ness and sureness and emphasis: and
through forte passages and at the ap-
proach of a climax the fingers must be
capable of carrying and enduring a
terrific onslaught on the key board. To
singers near the instrument this will
seem to be over emphasis. but those in
the far corners of the great tabernacles
will barely hear and the average
throughout the audience is right
The desire for continued song SerE-
ice of considerable length frequently
arises and hands must have the
strength to respond at the end of an
hour as vigorously as at the beginning.
SO that with every other musicianly
qualification equal, the pianist with
the strongest hands may be counted
upon for the greatest achievement.
Were it not for a sort of intuitive
sense of rhythm. which every one pos
sesses in greater or less degree. sing
ing by massed choruses made up of
singers of little and no training would
not be possible. And it is a subtle rec
ognition of just what this mass rhythm
sense amounts to, and a Willingness to
concede its bigness and it's intracta-
bility, which marks the great chorus
director and which guarantees him
perfect support from a pianist SINH
larly disposed
am of the opinion that every gospel
song Written-or any other music, for
that matter-has it's own inherent cor
rect tempo. This tempo will demon
strate itself finally. no matter what ex-
periments are made at the beginning.
The great director will select it at the
outset And the proficient gospel pian-
ist will cling to it and pound it out
with the persistency and the pertinac-
ity of metronome.
This recognition of what must be
considered q sort of natural rhythm
brings the most satisfactory results.