Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-16
CHARLES {. kNAUSS

1NHE great advance IN modern American
L church music which has been shown in
the last few years is due principally 10 the
congregations themselves. according 10
Charles E. KnauSs. organist and choir mas
ter at the Woodland Presbyterian Church.
1--WE have just passed through period
Of about twenty five years of exceedingly
bad church music said Mr.. Knauss, but
it has not been the fault of the music itself
in all cases. One great trouble has been
that in the city churches especially there
has been a great deal of music which was
originally written for boy Choirs. and very
effectively written, too. but 1t has been mis-
placed and sung by mixed choirs and by
solo uuartets, and hence the effect intended
by the composer has not been brought ont
The same thing in slightly different
sense is true of the better grade Of English
church music, such as the works Of Barnby,
Skinner and other composers Of the same
clasS These works are essentially choral
works and they cannot be effectively pre-
scnted By a quartet, no matter how well that
quartet sings; and many of them sing very
well. indeed. 1t Is almost as though an
orchestral composition we're played by a
string quartet.
Good American Composers
"A great deal may be said with entire
iustice for many of the American com
nosers such as Dudley Buck and others
| These men have done their full share OF the
! work needed to lift American church music
70 tn. plane which it should rightfully oc-
cupy. But, while II cannot be disputed
that they have done some things well, still
the day of such music is rapidly passing.
The most encouraging thing about the
hetter ComDoSers in this country at the
present time Is the fact that they are de-
| welcoming IL STYLE which is peculiarly their
own, and that it is style which is pre-
| eminently fitted to services in the American
! churches Among these men fOOte, West
| and Flaxington Harkcr are the most promi-
nent,
"rhis new American style is primarily
| based upon the best OF the English style OF
| church music but it does not rigidly adhere
| 70 the stiffness which chHracterizes much OF
| the best British music for the church. II
| NAV be generally described as American
| church music along the best lines, and it IL n
| new and gratifying development of the music
| ~ our country. not only for the church
| alone, but for the art of music generally.
| Causes of the Change
| "This pleasing and interesting change for
| the better in the music Of the American
| churches has been brought about by II com
| bnation of circumstances. The first and
| most important Of these circumstances II the
| NOR. general musical cultivation Of the pub
| lie. and hence of the individual members
| of the congregations. Wher" one person
| twenty years ago had an eclectic knowledge
| of music, today there are literally hundreds
who have it and the number is increasing
all the time.
| ''It follows as matter Of course, that
this knowledge and desire for the better
| things in music must in time reach into the
churches. where the congregations, now
| largely composed of persons who 60 to sym.
| phony concerts and rccitals by the great
| interpretative artists and thus constantly
| hear good music outside the church. will
| demand better music in the services and Il
! congregation is very Likely to get whatever II
| makes up It's mind to have. \ c0ngrcga =
! tion made up Of persons. large percentage
| Of whom have heard the Philadelphia Or
| rhestrn and the grcnt solCists with even
reasonable frequency, will not tolerate for
a moment such music as has been the rule
| in many of the American churches for the
last couple Of decades. They will insist
upon something better and, what is more to
the point, they will get 1t.
1.-The second cause Is that the orgsnists
Of the various churches have fully realized