| "Those six short tunes, in tuning the first notes,
will bear a cheerful high pitch; in regard to their whole
compass from the lowest note, the highest is not above
five or six notes. |
St. David's Tune.
Martyrs Tune. | }
} | To Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving. |
| "These two tunes are eight notes compass above
the first note, and therefore begin the first note low. |
| "Of five long tunes following: |
| "Hackney Tune--119 Psalm Tune, second metre.
These two tunes begin your first note low, for the compass
is nine notes, and eight above the first note of the tune. |
| "100 Psalm Tune. This one tune begin your note
indifferent high, in regard you are to fall your note
lower than your first pitch note. |
| "113 Psalm Tune, and 148 Psalm Tune.--These
two tunes begin your first note low, in regard the Tune
ascends eight notes above it." |
The turmoil in the churches was settled for a time by Rev. John Cotton, who issued a tract entitled "Singing of Psalms a Gospel ordinance, or a [315] Treatise wherein are handled these four Particulars: I. Touching the duty itself. II. Touching the matter to be sung. III. Touching the singers. IV. Touching the manner of singing." In this tract the author says:--
"For the first Question we lay downe this conclusion for a Doctrine of Truth: That singing of Psalms with a lively voyce, is an holy duty of God's worship now in the day of the New Testament. When we say, singing with lively voyce, we suppose none will so farre misconstrue us as to thinke we exclude singing with the heart; for God is a Spirit, and to worship him with the voyce without the spirit, were but lip-labour; which (being rested in) is but lost labour, or at most profitted but little. Concerning the second Question we hold and believe that not only the Psalms of David, but any other spirituall song recorded in the Scripture, may lawfully be sung in Christian Churches. 2d. We grant also that any private Christian who hath a gifte to frame a spirituall song, may both frame it and sing it privately for his own private comfort, and remembrance of some special benefit or deliverance. Nor do we forbid the private use of any instrument of Music therewithall, so that attention to the instrument does not divert the heart from attention of the matter of song.
"Whether women may sing as well as men: For in this point there be some that deale with us as Pharaoh delt with the Israelites, who, though he was at first utterly unwilling that any should go to sacrifice to the Lord in the Wilderness, yet being at length convinced that they must goe, then he was content that the men should goe, but not the women. So here, [316] some that were altogether against singing of Psalms at all with lively voyce, yet being convinced that it is a morall worship of God warranted in Scripture, then if there must be a Singing, one alone must sing, not all (or if all) the men only, and not the women. And their reason is: Because it is not permitted to a women to speake in the Church, how then shall they sing? Much less is it permitted to them to prophecy in the Church. And singing the Psalms is a kind of Prophecying."
Peace, however, was of short duration. Fresh quarrels arose. The early colonists were good fighters. They quarrelled over the question whether one should sing or the whole congregation; whether women as well as men should sing; whether pagans should be allowed to lift up their voices; and whether the scanty stock of tunes should be enlarged. Learning a tune by note, without having previously heard it, was almost a mortal offence, and at last something like a compromise was effected in some of the churches, where alternate singing by rote and rule satisfied both parties. The ministers added to the general confusion with a flood of circulars on the subject. Several of them issued a tract entitled "Cases of Conscience about singing Psalms," in which they ask:--