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.