"I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me." [12]
Can anything be gayer than that? Or anything sweeter than this:
"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." [13]
Or where will you find richer chords that this:
"I will sing of thy power, yea, I will sing of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble." [14]
New, skilful, and then comes in another requirement; songs should be sensible.
"I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." [15]
Know what you sing. Does this keep out all but sacred music? I should not think that. But it does forbid singing you know not what in a foreign tongue, or mere dead nonsense in your own. I cannot see, for my part, why it is much better to sing "idle words" than to say them. How vapid, how senseless, is many a song one hears from a pretty mouth and a sweet voice. And in music as elsewhere, there is no middle ground: whatever does not edify—build up—pulls down.
"It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools." [16]
How run the directions?