CHURCH MUSIC.
The great variety in Church Music which we have noticed during our tour of the churches naturally leads us to some remarks upon this subject. We cannot doubt that great exertions have been, and are still being made, to secure what is considered by the promoters a becoming performance of this part of public worship. We have not entered a church or chapel where singing the praises of God has not formed a prominent feature of the service, for it so happens that we have not been able to find a Quakers’ Meeting in all the parish of Kensington. In some cases the “service of song” is redundant and all-pervading in the worship, which may be said to consist almost entirely of singing in one form or another, i.e. by the minister, the choir, or the congregation, either in their different parts or together. In Roman Catholic places one is prepared to expect a super-abundance of music of a certain kind; but we have found in at least four English churches in the parish an almost equally exuberant display. In the majority of cases, however, a better proportion is maintained in this in its relation to other parts of Divine Service. In nonconforming congregations there is clearly a general desire to bring up the standard of their musical performances to the requirements of the times, and in several instances this has been accomplished with great success. We find included in their programme the Te Deum Laudamus, and sometimes an anthem with the words taken from Scripture, which, added to the usual hymns in use—sung as simple chorales in unison by the whole congregation—make a pleasing variety in the service, and often conduce to the best devotional effects. The degree of this of course depends greatly upon the skill of the execution, which again depends upon the degree of musical knowledge and capacity possessed. In some cases we observe a tendency to cultivate congregational singing in harmony, but it does not well succeed, for the manifest reason that all the congregation are not adequately trained to part-singing. It thus sometimes happens that a number of the people persist in unisonal singing to the best of their ability, whilst the more educated with their music before them struggle on for the effect of harmony by rigidly adhering to their own parts. This creates confusion, and greatly mars the effect of the whole,—an evil which, we can only hope to see remedied by a more general diffusion of the whole,—an evil which we can only hope to see remedied by a more general diffusion of musical knowledge. If the time has come when music is to be insisted on as one part of ever child’s education, the period cannot be far distant when a more perfect state of things will obtain. We cannot conceive a more delightful effect upon the mind than that producible by a whole congregation singing in perfect harmony some of those beautiful hymns which embody, when merely read, so much of elevating sentiment. We are compelled, however, to notice that the majority of the hymn collections we have seen, both in churches and chapels, contain compositions so inferior to the ideas themselves which possess the mind of any intelligent worshipper, that, guided by the words before the eye, it is impossible to rise to the highest sense of devotion. The conclusion is, therefore, forced upon us, that any considerable advance in musical education must be supplemented by a thorough revision of these collections, or by putting them aside altogether in favour of others that shall comprise all their beauties, and rigidly exclude their deformities—the feebleness of sentiment and expression, the doggerel and frequent lack of good sense. The age is in want of a master-mind in the important department of hymn composition and collation for the service of the sanctuary. If any able writer and compiler should be so inspired, he might now labour with the greatest advantage to Christian worship, if he can combine the religious fervour and enlightenment of some earlier hymnists with the science of the present times.
It should be laid down as an unalterable rule that the object of all sacred music intended for the use of the sanctuary is to enable as many of the congregation as have voice and inclination to join in the service of holy song. Tested by this principle the congregational adaptation of music would seem to be the most, if not the only, suitable method. We would not say that other forms might not occasionally be employed with advantage to musical expression, and, perhaps, to the exciting of religious feeling in the hearer; but choral-singing and anthems ought not to be adopted as constant and principal parts of public worship, as is now the case in many churches. The reasons against this are obvious: it excludes the people from participating in the devotions, and is apt to turn them into mere admirers of human art and skill, whilst it tends to the introduction of a florid style, bordering too closely on secular music, and not consistent with the solemn grandeur, the mingling joyousness, and plaintive emotion which ought ever to attend Christian worship. Some years ago it was felt, and justly so, that the musical part of public worship had been too much neglected, and had fallen into disrepute. A revival to a proper standard of efficiency was necessary, and in seeking to promote this some have fallen into the other extreme. In a number of parish and district churches the choral, that is, cathedral service, is adopted, without any regard to the fact that this form of song was never designed for such use, and intended only for cathedral and college foundations, where the entire body performing it were understood and expected to have a competent knowledge of the musical art. Its general application was never contemplated, and, as far as our observation goes, it cannot be done without prejudice to other and still more important branches of public worship. It will be seen that in some churches nearly the whole of the service is now song, and to such an excess is this carried, that there is scarcely any time left for the sermon. And this is intentionally so; for some clergymen do not hesitate to say that the sermon is of little consequence, and that they make no account of it as compared with the other parts of their service. The minister chants his portions of the Liturgy from beginning to end in a monotone. The choir with the people alternately chant the versicles and responses; the Psalms for the day are chanted. Then there is the service of the hymns, alternate chanting of the Litany, intoning and responding to the commandments in song, singing of the Nicene Creed, the Sanctus, and Gloria in Excelsis, and other parts permitted to be sung by the rubrics, and, added to all, the anthem by the choir, which is often of considerable length. In this kind of service there is scarcely any thing left soberly to be said which the common people can readily appreciate and heartily join in. If they are not up to the music they cannot follow, and if they cannot imbibe the words they have no profit. The music, too, is often of that kind which bars their uniting in it intelligently. It would seem proper that the Psalms should be chanted. Their very name seems to point out that there can be no objection to this; but the objection lies against the music to which they are generally set. The Gregorian and other cognate chants are adopted because of their ease and simplicity, being within the compass and ability of every one’s voice; but the sense of the words, upon the meaning of which the very essence of devotion depends, is almost totally sacrificed to the music. The words are slurred over, and often whole sections of verses are necessarily dropped, so that if what is really sung were put down on paper no sense whatever could be made of it. Unless music can be rendered more conservative of the words and sense of these inspired compositions, it would be better far to read them alternately, as is done with good and lively effect in many churches. On what ground the Nicene Creed is chanted instead of being said, and why the minister monotones the commandments as well as the people sing the responses to them, is not easy to comprehend. Notwithstanding the superstitious belief of the Jewish people, we dare believe that the Ten Commandments were never given by Moses from Mount Sinai in a recitative.
It is therefore evident to us that, whilst in some of the churches the musical standard is slightly too low, both in quality and decree, and a certain languor results therefrom to the service, on the other hand true spiritual vigour in the worship is still more endangered by the opposite extreme to which we have referred. In a just medium lies all the virtue and good effect of Church Music. It should neither be so much as to obscure or invade unduly other parts of public worship and service, nor be so little as not to assist them. It should neither be so florid as to dissipate devotional feeling, nor so dull as to prejudice its cheerfulness.