Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-12-09
AN oLD-TINE SINGING Sou
]. o. Knot

4
hart school-house hn-- % the Rs-.
taught the children. on meeting az
L L song, The Master has ','2oa, IN.
Joluah. Out of that SONG 80, In. over
Vitation to Mr.. Beamer - an al. a. Z.
singing school at the Re.7rS-.s game,
mouse. The singing elias, va. s'1ool.
iuli swing and became IN. son "a
tne nelghoorhood. Dave F. psSs Of
one-iegged COnfedera,e s. 'a.l.' on
the acknowledged master ~ 81 .', al:
tion In the neighborhon5 Va 'y.s..la,
gee. He could be seen - III III h.sa
nour In the day coachinS ''T Isl any
pupils on such intricate .Sss AT
bars" "clefs," "scaIes i""''.s's as
MAJOR and minor KEYS ana ,yealS,'
rudiments OF musical ou,1,' al L,aet
Moler was in his glory, fc- h, Hfi
rather sing Thanksgiving ECU. s.u-
eat a good dinner. Co.. r"ISN 70
was our top-notch tenor .i, nlney
those days, and was regarls5 niger IN
nandSomest young fellow IN 49, a. ne
oorhood. | never unierstoo 100 Neigh
what part James Mat Her4,;oI lS
In the singing, for do MT ms, look
was gifted with any strikiro INK s'.AA as
song, but he had a keen poHeF Of
m u,nIi, ana ne took great delipb, !.
watcning MS old Confederate pai C.is
Moier, Try to ring in on "singino I'm !.
note. The writer of this reminigso.,Y
was placed with his brother lake ' g,D'.
and Mrs. Lee H. Moler TO hnII IN nnGN
alto" Of the school. If recall ,us
rectly, such voices as those 80 81 p M,
Reinhart and Milton Skinner n ra.
utilized for basso. "ss
During the day OF the .i..:
schools beginning you could hea- 'Isss
hands while driving their Wagons .s'n
cutting up or husking out corn '' e., VI
ing the scales, "do-re- " os;
occasionally wagner wor4 :.
found, his horses stock still N -.
road, beating time on the no~r-,s, y;
his saddle, to the tune OF "Re,rs,.r"
set to the words, "From every Storm
wind that blows" "9
| | recall the first attemDt Of n. -r,..
to sing real tune after some e~s.
ings spent in teaching the rujime,,,
of music. The old sChoo' horss ~,.
packed with singers AM others D..
lessor Beamer, after REVIEWING N.
rudimentS N detail an t..7 ,.-r.-s
separately each part with s9,r,-H'
alto, bass and tenor. told each sa,.i,,
OF the class to take the key" and
strike the note of his or her part. Tn
with swing of his hand he s,ij
sing" and all of us wadcd in, Wo-i,
do not permit any description of N,
sound that came from that singing az.
sembly after two or three notes Of he
tune "Moulton" had been tried Out
he words, as ] well recall, were:
Your harps, we trembling saints. down
from the willows take" When m.
"harps" were all set agoing. there va,
much trembling" as one singer At.
ter another dropped out. while Others
IN utter regard of being out Of KEY,
out of tune, out of time, kept Straigh,
on, attempting to keep in line with Dns
Fraley, who was sure to DC right. no
matter what the notebook said.
nave since then read somewhere in
Washington Irving where a Christmas
anthem was being fiddled and sung
and where all went pretty well until the
musicians came to the words. Nov
let US sing with one accord" This
says Irving, seemed 10 be the signal
for every musician 10 leave the tun.
and to go his own wav." So was il
with Beamer's music class on this
eventful evening. Fortunately the
singing master had a fine sense Of
humor, and all of us broke out into
hearty laugh and made a better show.
ing on our second attempt.
After some weeks of teaching and
practice, our Reinhart singing class
could meet the Unionvile class. rAa
crack vocalists of the whole musical
circuit under Beamerl ami hold its
own very well. The music in the
church and Sunday school services
greatly improved, and people for miles
would come to the preaching services
to hear the Unionville choriSterS sing,
or to hear the new tunes and fine re.
suits of the Reinhart schoOl-hOuSs
work
Griff Moler and Dave Fraley usual
ly had something of wrangle over
what tune to sing" when the preach.
er would announce his hymn GrNn
was quite devoted to certain melodies,
and those which he diSliked he hated
On one occasion a compromise was
made between Dave and Grtf, on the
basis that Dawes tune should be SUR
first and Griff'S should follow. IN case
the preacher would give out SecOn'
hymn Of the same measure TON.
unately he did, and Griff'S tune was
given. The expression that Grit NOE!
made on the occasion, after his tufs
was sung. has become a CLASSIC IN MI;
Reinhart neighborhoot. rcmemo''sl
by all who are now living and VITO
were present. Looking with Sn'
of triumph on his face over at Dag.
GriF spoke out in meeting, 10 'm.'
amazement of the preacher and au.'
ence: "My tune beat yours al no.e''