Evening star., 1937-04-10

social class has been drawn into this
universal determination to learn to ap-
preciate the best in music from the
factory worker and the youngest
child to the exclusive circles of
society, with glee clubs and choruses
gathering in all the unclaSsified music
lovers. With all this expenditure of
energy in a good cause, there remains
one class OF music that tenaciously re-
sSts all efforts toward its betterment,
and that is church music.
Composing for the church has been
the inspiration under which most OF
the great masters have perfected their
talent. Were it not for the appeal
of sacred subjects and of the various
devotional moments OF the service,
music, like painting and sculpture,
would not nave reached the impressive
height which is being SO broadly
recognized today. Yet the progress OF
appreciation of great church music or
the progress toward understanding of
what is really devotional in music has
remained Stagnant in our churches
today. Merely to glance over the pro-
grams planned for the great religious
feaStS. year after year. will convince
one that church groups are taking the
line of least resistance, through con-
inning their selection of works TO those
which have sentimental appeal and
which reduce the work TO learning to
. minimum.
Church music. TO accomplish a re-
lgiouS end must be devotional in
character. The spiritual lplift which
1t should engender must be COM
pletely apart from any of the usual
exaltation which music brings and
arouse in the hearer deeper reaction
than a vague consciousness that it
R pleasant to be good when the world
Is frightened by melodious sound. The
greatest fault has been that choir di
rectors, pastors and congregations do
not realize that, in making music
simply an agreeable adjunct of the
service, they are not gaining the last
ing support in a religious career which
was the intent of the earlier church
music. They are faShioning their re-
ligiouS sentiment on the familiar Sec
ular variety, ditferentiating little be-
tween the type of reaction that should
follow participation in divine service
and that experienced after the most
ordinary pleasant musical program.
The spirit of a church service is
quite positively defined and any de-
parture from its religious form would
be instantly condemned. The music
which is designed for a service should
follow the same pattern of devotion
sisp1 and dignity. Nevertheless, how
often one hears a sacred text set to
music already associated with more
worldly sentiment or finds that COM
poSers of sacred music have allowed
themselves to pander to the ordinary
run of musical taste by writing melo-
dies calculated to catch" the atten-
ton of the congregation. There is
still so much unexplored music Of
devotional character to be drawn upon
that there is no need to employ the
cheaper variety in an effort TO please
the majority of those attending
church.
Naturally, any radical departure
from the accepted form means edu-
eating the congregation as well as
the musicians, for protest will be
bound to follow the aboliShing of all
the sentimental, melodious numbers
which represent the acme of religious
feeling to many. So long have con-
gregations been accustomed to having
their emotions aroused by the kind of
music they are in the habit of hearing
in secular circumstances. and of dig
nifying these sentiments with the
name Of religious fervor, that the
palmer or more serious form of church
music will not Immediately appeal to
them. But If those connected with
planning the church music would take
the initiative and be firm in their
purpose, it would not be long before
q better taste would be cultivated in
their hearers.
The cause Of this lack of initiative
Is due in great part to the system now
in use in most churches in their man
ner of handling the music situa ton.
Practically every denomination recog-
nlzeS the advantage of music as part
OF the divine service, and, according to
their lights, they give considerable at
tention to it. The first step toward
organization is the appointing of a
music committee to select an organist
and perhaps choirmaster and then
members of whatever type of choir is
determined upon. Unfortunately not
many churches are blessed with out
standing musicians in their congrega-
tions, and if such there be, their i'm
portance in the church may not rank
as high as that of some other members
who know little or nothing about
music and particularly the kind ap-
propriate for religious service.
However, a selection is made from