4 THOUGHTS ON THE PRESENT PERFORMANCE Of PSALMODY IN THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH OF ENGLAND, ADDRESSED TO THE CLERGY. — ... . . i ■ - ■ . ,i BY EDWARD MILLER, MUS. DOCT. CANTAB. LONDON: TRINTED FOR W. MILLER, OLD BOND-STREET; BOOKSELLER TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF CLARENCE, *79* 4.1 FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D. BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY *?SSO Jmn of pmn* «% ^ NOV 22 1932 & THOUGHTS ON THE PRESENT PERFORMANCE OF PSALMODY. REVEREND SIRS; 1HE neceffity of a reformation in the performance of Parochial Pfalmody, has lately employed the pen of fome eminent divines ; but, as the fubjeft is important, I hope I fhall neither be accufed of prefump- tion by them nor you, for offering, with the utmoft deference and refpe6f, a few more hints for your confideration. Should it be found that I have advanced but little that is new on the fubje6l, yet even a repetition of what has already been B faid, I * 3 faid, may be attended with fome good con- fequences, as this letter may poflibly be circulated among thofe who have never feen the other produitions. In the prefent age, though our parochial mufic has been neglected, yet Jecular mufic has never been more encouraged. At the opera and theatre, mufical per* formances are arrived at a pitch of excel- lence unknown to former times. But even when Mr. Addifon wrote, he complained of the great encouragement given to opera muiic, while that of the church was neglefted. " I could heartily wifh (fays he) there was " the fame application and endeavour to " cultivate and improve our church mufic, K as have been lately beftowed upon that of " the ftage. Our compofers have one very tc great incitement to it ; they are fure to " meet with excellent words, and at the " fame time a w r onderful variety of them. " There is no paflion that is not finely ex- " prefied in thofe parts of the infpired " writings, which are proper for fongs and " anthems/' " Since C 3 J. " Since we have therefore fuch a treafure * c of words fo beautiful in themfelves, and M fo proper for the airs of mufic, I cannot # but wonder that perfons of diftin&ion ** fhould give fo little attention and encou- " ragemeut to that kind of mufic which " would have its foundation in reafon, and <- which would improve our virtue in pro-? M portion as it raifes our delight. The *' paffions that are excited by ordinary com- " pofitions generally flow from fuch filly and " abfurd occafions, that a man is aftiamed P to reflect upon them ferioufly : but the ¥ fear, the love, the forrow, the indigna- {' tion that are awakened in the mind by N hymns and anthems, make the heart bet- M ter, and proceed from fuch caufes as are '* altogether reafonable and praife-. worthy. « Pleafure and duty go hand in hand, and • " The t 5 1 " The whole congregation bore a part, joining " all together in a common celebration ot " the praifes of God." To fhow how little we are influenced by their example, if any one fhould ftep into a parifh church while the pfalm is finging, would he not find the greater part of the congregation totally in- attentive ? Irreverently fitting — talking to each other — taking fnuff- — winding up their watches, or adjufting their apparel? and muft he not think they entered the houfe of God from mere form and cufrom ? Inn pelled by no religious motives, and fo igno- rant as not to know that it is as much their duty to join the clerk in finging the pfalms, as it is their duty to join the minifter in read- ing the pfalms ? Alive to the mufic of dances, cannot the found of the facred organ awaken them? Will they referve their breath for the unhallowed {trains of midnight orgies, and refufe to lift their voices to the Lord their maker ? Surely no. I truft they may be brought more ftrongly to believe that pfalmody is an effential part of divine wor- (hip. — That addreffing our God in fongs of praife C « 3 praife and thankfgiving, is a duty we muft not omit ; and that our facred fongs, equally with our prayers, will be acceptable to the Supreme Being, and tend towards the falva- tion of our own fouls. As it was the cuftom among the primi- tive Chriftians, and ftill is the cuftom in many parts of Europe and America, for all the congregation to join in iinging the pfalms ; it may not be amifs to enquire how this cuftom has been fo generally difcon- tinued in England. So many people in our churches neglect- ing at prefent to join in finging the pfalms, may fometimes proceed from ignorance in not knowing all their duty to God : but does it not generally proceed from pride, and the fear of appearing vulgar ? Let them fearch their own hearts, and with ftiame confefs, that the poor who can readme their fuperiors. The rich fliould imitate the poor in their performance of this part of their duty. — " Blejfed are the poor in fpirit^ "for they Jhall fee God*' In country churches, the congregation not C 7 1 hot joining in the pfalms, may be partly at- tributed to the great indulgence given by many of the clergy to detachedfets of fingers. — The mufic performed by thefe people is too complicated and difficult for the congre- gation to attain by the ear, confequently they cannot join in it. Nor is this the only inconvenience for the performance of this detached choir, being generally as bad as the mufic they perform, rather tends to dif- guft than pleafe the hearers *. Thus are the congregation excluded from perform- ing an effential, and noble part of their duty. The remembrance of the tuiies ori- ginally compofed for them is loft; and they feem to have forgotten alfo, that it is their duty, for the bleffings conferred upon them, to " Praife the name of the Lord ftanding in « the courts of the Lord's houfe!' Pfal. cxxiv. * Our parochial mufic (fays Dr. Brown) in general is folemn and devout, much better calculated for the per- formance of a whole congregation, than if it were more broken and elaborate. In country churches, wherever a more artificial kind hath been imprudently attempted, con- fufion and diflbnance- are the general confequences. In C 8 3 In order to effect a reformation in the performance of parochial pfalmody in vil- lages where there are no organs, the me- thod that appears mod likely to be at- tended with fuccefs, is to engage fome per- fon who knows notes, or country finging- mqfier, to attend one evening in the week (at the parifh expence) to inftruct by the ear only fuch young perfons and other pari- fhioners as may wifh to learn the plain pfalm tunes, to be ufed in the church.— Bijloop Gibfon ftrongly recommends this practice, in his direftions to the clergy of his diocefe. " And to the end (fays he) u that the pfalms may be fung in a more " decent manner, it is further to be wifhed, " that the people of every parifh, and efpe- " cially the youth, w r ere trained up, and ac- " cuftomed to an orderly way of finging ; U fince that is the proper feafon of forming " the voice, as well as the mind, and the " regularity in which it is then caft, with " great eafe will remain with them during « life." If the Bifhop's reafons be well founded, the C 9 3 the practice of pfalmody becomes a na~ iional concern. The eftablifhment of Sun* dayjchook affords a finer profpe6t for the improvement of parochial mufic, than was ever before prefented to. us. The number of fcholars in various parts of the kingdom, are fuppofed to amount to 300,000, The parifh minifters are always truftees for thefe and all other charity fchools ; and it is needlefs to mention how much they muft have it in their power to be of eflential fervice towards the improvement of congre- gational pfalmody. The m afters of Sunday fchools are never chofen but by their ap- probation. They might eafily make choice of one or two perfons who know enough of mufic to teach, by the ear, the children of their fchools; the tunes that are to be ufed in the church. Thefe men might be allowed to fele6l fuch children from the other fchools as were found to poflefs mufical ears, and good voices ; and to thofe children who could not read, they (hould be taught in the courfe of the week, to get the firft C verfe verfe of a pfalm by heart againft the enfu- ing Sunday. In regard to their getting the firit ftanza of a pfalm by heart ; their attention to learn the tunes ; and procur- ing their conftant attendance to the prac- 5 - tices at church, it is aftonifhing what good effects little pecuniary rewards of a penny to each, has upon them. It may be alledged that there are many of the clergy who do not think the culti- vation of pfalmody is a matter of much im- portance ; and, indeed, the wretched man- ner in which it is moft commonly perform- ed, may give them a difguft to it, but they all like to fee their churches well filled ; and could thole who are not ' Tenfible to the power of melody themfelves, be brought to believe the influence which good mufic has upon others poiTefled of mufical ears, there is no doubt but that thev would ex- ert their influence to render the perfor- mance of a noble part of our church fer- vice more decent and attractive. The diflenters from our communion, are well aware of the efficacy of mufic to pro- cure cure them large congregations. It is well known that more people are drawn to the tabernacles of Methodifis by their attrac- tive harmony, than by the do6lrine of their preachers. Why is this? Have their fingers better voices ? No. Have they better mas- ters than we might procure ? No. Are the tunes they fing better ? No. Do their minifters in general take more pains in pro- viding them inftruftors, and keeping them in conftant practice ? Yes. Is it not then to be lamented, that with fuperior advantages in our churches, where there are organs, we {hould pay fo little attention to the inftruftion of youth, as to fuffer, by our negleft, the performance of an important part of divine worfhip to become difagreeable, nay difguftful ? Might not the fame people, whofe melody is fo at- tractive in the tabernacles of Methodifts, had they had the fame inftru6f ion and en- couragement, been ftill kept within the pale of the church ? Surely yes. Where the Methodifts have drawn one perfon from C 3 our our communion by their preaching, they have drawn ten by their mufic*. Confider this, ye rulers of the church ! As minifters of the gofpel of Chrift, ye cannot, but with pain behold part of your flock deferting their fhepherd, and received into other folds. Cherifh the remainder with care, and you will have no reafon to complain of future wanderers. I would not prefume to deliver my fenti- ments thus freely, had I not the authority of the firft characters in the church for abilities, piety, and virtue, to countenance me ; and alfo a defire to induce thofe who feem to be indifferent in what manner the pfalms are lung in their churches, to be- lieve that a more attractive, and more de- cent performance of them is really a matter * A few years fince, an organ was erected in the parifh church of Bradford, in the county of York, and by the at- tention of the prefent vicar to the improvement of pfalmody y the congregations of the numerous dillcnters in that town, and neighbourhood, are leflened ; while that of the efta- bllhed church are increafed in proportion. This informa- tion I had from a clergyman born in the town. fufficiently t *s -a fufficiently important to defer ve their feri- ous confideration. Some clergymen affe6l to defpife mufic, and yet tacitly acknowledge it efficacy ; for, whenever thy itand in need of large con- tributions for any charitable purpofe, they Jiave always recourfe to the aid of mufic for fupply. Could the profeffors of any fcience but mufic procure equal fums to thofe annually railed, by their talents, at St. Pauis ? Raifed for whom ? For the main- tenance and jupport of the dijtrejfed widows and orphans of the clergy. This very circum- ftance alone, Reverend Sirs, it is hoped, will induce you, feelingly, to own the efficacy of choral harmony ; will contribute to pro- cure your zeal for its improvement, and by your influence relieve us from the mifer- able jargon, under the name of mufic, that atprefent difgraces our church iervice. It muft be owned that there are fome clergymen unfriendly to pfalmody, not only from the general bad performance of it, but from trie interruption they think it occa- fions in the fervice. I have heard fuch fen- timents I 14 3 timents with wonder, having been taught, from a child, to regard it as an eflential part of divine worfhip, in which it was my duty to join. The effe6t of mufic upon devout minds, is found to exhilirate the fpirits, and raife devotion ; and even if finging praifes to God were no part of our duty, but optional, the fermon is introduc- ed with much better effe6l in being im- mediately preceded by a pfalm. However, we have the fatisfa&ion to know, that far the greater part of the clergy think very differently to a few of their brethren on this fubje6t, and will coincide in the fentiments of the learned Bifhop Sherlock; who, after proving the great effe6t which founds have on the paf- fions, makes this inference: " Now, if " there is a natural fympathy between " founds and paflions, there is no doubt " but true devotional mufic will excite or " heighten our devotional paflions ; as we w daily fee and complain, that wanton and " amorous airs are apt to kindle wanton *' fires. For nature will a<5t like herfelf, " whether C >5 3 * c whether we apply it to good or bad pur- " pofes. If there is no force in mufic to " give a good or bad tin&ure to the mind, " why do men complain of w T anton fongs ? u If mufic doth no hurt, they may blame " the poet, but neither the compofer, nor " the finger ; but if mufic doth hurt, we " ought certainly to turn the ftream, and " apply the fcience to that which is divine, " which will have as great an influence u upon a devout mind to make it better, " as the other hath upon a bad one to make " it worfe ." I truft enough has been faid on the at- tractive power of mufic, when well per- formed, to induce all thofe concerned in the church, to lend their afliftance towards promoting a reformation in the prefent per- formance of congregational pfalmody. I will now take the liberty of repeating fome methods, and of adding others, which, from experience, appear to me the beft calculat- ed for effecting that purpofe. lft. In towns where there are organs, the organift or his deputy, and the clerk, ihould C l6 3 fhould be engaged for fix months -to attend one evening in the week, and alfo half art hour every Sunday, before morning and evening prayers. 2d. The following notice might be pub- lifhed. That attendance will be given at the organ on a fixed day in the week, and alfo half an hour before morning and even- ing fervice ; when it is expected that the mafters and miftrefies of the Sunday and other charity fchools will attend with their children, to be inftrucfed in properly fing- ing the pfalms to be ufed in this church. It is alfo hoped that thofe parijhioners who are defirous of well performing this part of divine worfhip, will encourage the meeting^ by their appearance and affiftance. 3d. In villages where there are no or-i gans, fome perfon who lings by note, or country finging-mafter, fhould be engaged (at the parifii expence) to attend one even- ing in the week, to inftruct by the ear only > fuch young perfons and other parifhioners, as may with to learn the tunes to be fung in the church : parents fhould be requefted to C *7 1 to lend their children ; and mafters and miftreffes, fuch of their fervants as they could fpare. 4th. Where there are Sunday fchools, the above perfon might be a proper mafter for one of them. In thofe towns where there are many Sunday, or other charity fchools, a perfon with a mufical ear, and good voice, fhould be appointed alfo as a mafter ; and the organift and he fhould have the choice of fuch children from the other fchools, as inight be found beft fuited for their pur- pofe. Thofe children who cannot read, fhould be taught, during the courfe of the week, the firft fianza of each pfalm by heart, that is to be fung on the enfuing Sunday. This method would be an exer- cife for memory, and greatly contribute to their fpeedily learning the tunes. Small premiums fhould be given, occasionally, to thofe who are found to be the moft dili- gent. 5th. Where there is no organ, the clerk or finging-mafter ihould be provided with a concert pitch-pipe \ and they Ihould be D careful C »8 1 careful not to pitch the key of the tune fa high, as that any note in the courfe of it may ftrain the childrens' voices. No note fhould be lower than D, or higher than E; or at moft, the following compafs fhould never be exceeded ; from C to F S-Zrifcz * Nor fhould the children be ever fuffered to fing too loud, or to force the voice, even in notes within their compafs. Great atten^ tion fhould alfo be paid to their right pro- nunciation of the words they fing ; and that they properly accent thofe which are the moft emphatical. No country choirs, in parifh churches, within my knowledge, make any alteration in expreffing, by the tones of their voice, the difference between the penitential pfalms % and thofe of praife and thank/giving ; where* as, in finging the jirft, the tones fhould he * In St. Peter's, Cornhill, London, there is, or was a concert pitch-pipe in the clerk's deik, which founds by the wind it receives from a frnall bellows, both of which axe out of fight. Mt I *9 3 J&/1 and plaintive, and in the fecond, more loud and animated ; — but, in regard to pro- perly accenting the Word* — true pronuncia- tion, and mufical ezprejjhn, it feems as if our village choirs in general were unacquainted with the very alphabet. In the principles of time — in their knowledge of the ffkijor and minor keys — in the fituation of the tones, and femi-tones — in finging with readinefs at fight, and in other effential requifites, they are almolt always found to be well in- formed. As the choice of a qualified clerk is fo effentially requifite towards a decent per- formance of pfalmody, the ninety-firft canon of our church exprefsly enjoins, that they {hall be perfons not only " of honeft " converfations, but fufficient for their read- " ing, writing, and alfo for their competent u {kill in finging ; which canon (fays Bijhop " Gibjon) was made on purpofe to guard " againlt the indecencies that parifh clerks, " who are not duly qualified, always bring • into the public worfhip." And again, in conformity to which canon, it is much to be D 2 hoped, c 20 n hoped, that as there fliall be occafion, mi- niiters (fetting afide all private regards and applications) will choofe fuch perfons to be their clerks, as are known to be of honeft converfation, and ability to per- form the part that belongs to them, de- cently and laudably. Mr. Riley f in his parochial mufic corrected, fays, " That the parifti clerks have been a " company about five hundred years, and u were firft incorporated by King Henry the " Third, who diftinguifhed them by the title " of the brotherhood of St. Nicholas. They " were held in great efteem, even by per- " fons of the firft rank, becaufe they ex- " celled in the performance of church-mufic, " and made it a principal part of their " ftudy. Their charter was again renewed " by King Charles the Firft, who incorpo- " rated them by the name of The Mafler, " Wardens, and Fcllrswjbip of Parifo Clerks of " the city andfuburbs of London, and the liber- «' ties thereof; the city of Wejlminfler, tlie " Borough of Southzvark, and the fifteen out " pariftes adjacent. This charter grants " them I 21 J u them very ample privileges, which would " be of much benefit to the company in ge- u neral, and each member in particular, did " they more Rri6tly abide by it. However, " I fhall only mention one, and that be- " caufe it exactly coincides with the canon " relating to the choice of the parifh clerks, " which is much to the purpofe; viz. That " every per/on who is chofen clerk of a parijh, "fhall firjt givefufficient proof of his abilities to " tojing, at leaf I the tunes which are ufed in " pari/b churches, to the mafier, wardens, and u courts of ajjiftants, of the company of pari/b u clerks. 3 * Though there are undoubtedly many ignorant clerks, yet I have received letters from feveral relative to the fubjeft upon which I am now writing, that (hew them to be well qualified for their offices ; and there is no doubt but all of them will coin- cide in the neceifity there is for a more de- corous and interefting performance of pa- rochial pfalmody, and will cheerfully give their affiitance to whatever methods may be found befl: calculated for that purpofe. There t 22 3 There is one inconvenience which I have experienced from the iinging children of the Sunday fchools, all being collected in one diftinct gallery ; it is apt to occafion a great part of the congregation, nftead of joining in the pfalms, to fit filent hearers only. On afking fome of them the reafon why they did not fing? arid obferving to them that a principal motive for teaching the children was, that their voices might operate as a guide to the reft of the con- gregation, the anfwer was, — That they had more pleafure in liftening to the chil- dren, than in finging themfelves. Thus, the original intention of pfalmody may be fiuftrated, the chorus weakened, and the performance of a noble part of our duty neo-le<5\ed. However, one good effect was produced ; for the congregation, by atten- ding to the children, foon learnt the new tunes. I remember particularly that after they had heard time the tune called Mi-Jfiab. in my book, a great part of them were en- abled to join the third iime it was ufed. It may appear itrange, but it is true, that by the t *3 1 the help of the children, the congregation learn the nezv tunes quicker ; and there is much lefs difficulty in teaching them thofe, than to correct the drawling method they have been accuftomed to, in finging the old me- lodies. After all, if in fome churches it fhould be found that a great part of the congre- gation cannot be prevailed upon to join in the pfalm, but will filently fit, having their eyes and ears direfted to. the fingers' gal- levy ; it were better, as foon as one fet of children had learnt all the tunes fung in the church, to remove them into different parts of it, and have the gallery fupplied by a new fet. If this expedient fail of fuceefs, there fhould be no diftincl gallery at all appropriated to the fingers ; but the children fhould take their feats in the body of the church, among thofe of the refpec- tive fchcols to which they belong. Their being taught, will neverthelefs have its ef- fect, and their finging will ftill operate as a guide to the reft of the congregation. The following plan has been recom- mended by the Rtv. Mr. Warton, in his lately [H3 lately publifhed FJfay on Pfalmody, as a means of inftru<5tion for the congregation. " A finging-mafter of fenfe and judgment, " fele6ted ten perfons with good tenor " voices, and having inftru6ted thefe in a " certain number of plain melodies, till " they fung in time and tune ; he placed " them in different parts of the church : " he next proceeded in the fame manner, * with bafies and counter tenors. By de- 46 grees the whole congregation came to "join with them, fo as to approach as near * c as poffible to perfection/* I fincerely with with the Reverend and ingenious author,that his plan could be generally adopted ; but this is rather to be hoped for, than expec/ted. I allow the poffihility of its being carried in- to execution in a village church ; but in large congregations, it feems im practicable. Every mufician knows, that when he has taught a fcholar, by fokntfatim, any parti- cular voice part, how difficult it is (efpe- cially if it be an inner part) for him to keep firm in it, when the other parts are Ap- plied by different voices. How much more difficult C >*5 3 difficult mu a it then be for people unao quainted with mufic, to fing the counter- teror, or tenor parts ; when, perhaps, they have within a few yards of them the tre- bles in the front, and the baffes in the rear* to diftraft their attention. Except in coun- try churches, where the clergymen are good judges, and encouragers of mufic, and great labour bellowed by a well qualified finging- majier, it feems to be in vain to expert, even by thole who learn fcientifically, that we fhould hear mufic in many parts well per- formed. It is to our cathedrals that we muft commonly repair for the enjoyment of perfect harmony. Let us be contented in parijh churches, with the fimple, elegant, and perhaps no lefs attra<5live charms of melody, aided by the harmonic accompani- ment of a well-tempered, but not controul- ing, organ. But of all the impediments to a refor- mation in congregational pfalmody, the greateft is yet to mention ; I mean the prefent ufe of the old verfion of the pfalms, by Stern- hold and Hopkins, Nothing has brought fo E much t 26 3 much difgrace upon pfalmody, as the ufe of this verfion. Even the accent of mufic becomes ridiculous, as an appendage to fuch nonfenfe. Can we proceed in the ca- reer of reformation, when we have fuch a (tumbling block to retard our progrefs? Can we expect the fenfible part of congre- gations will join in rhymes they treat with derifion and contempt ? No tongue will addrefs his God in fuch language — no voice will utter, in fuch notes, his praife. Dr. Brown, who was not only a good poet, but alfo a good mujlcian, fays, " Our " facred poetry fung in our cathedrals, is " tranfcribed ftriclly from the Holy Scrip- " tures, and moffc commonly from the book " of Pfalms : but while we juftly admire " the facred poetry of our cathedral fervice, " miifl we not lament the ftate of it in our " parocbij! churches, where the cold, the u meagre, the difgufting dullnejs of Sernhold U and his companions, hath quenched all the Ci poetic fire and devout rrugefiy of the royal " ft) The prefent ufe of the old verjvm of pfalms C 2 7 3 pfalms is a grievance which calls loudly for redrefs. It is the with of all judicious per- ibns that it were abolifhed ; yet, ftrange to relate ! it is at prefent ufed in more than half the parifh churches in the kingdom. Many clergymen, who have defired its ex- pulfion, have neverthelefs, been heard to declare, that they have not had fufficient influence on the majority of their parifhion- ers, to effe6l the purpofe. If fo, and they are deaf to the perfualions of thole whofe opini- on, paftoral care, and learning, fhould in- duce them to a compliance, fuffer me, Re- verend Sirs, for the perufal of the laity, to fele6l fuch pafiages from the old verfion, as may convince them how improper it is to addrefs their Maker in fuch ridiculous, nay, often times impious language. The fenfe of fhame may ftrike them, when they are im- penetrable to the moft convincing argu- ments ; and I am well aflured that the meaneft capacity will be fhocked at the abfurdity and impiety of the following ftanzas. E 2 Firft C 28 } Firft lines of different pfalms in the old verfion, many of which are frequently vei\ out by country clerks, and neve 1 fail of exciting the contempt or derifion of the congregation. Psal. Ver. Oxford Edition, Clarendon Press, printed 1781. 41 1 My heart doth take-in hand. 73 ■ 8 Their life is mod licentious and 18 39 The Lord's commands are righteous, and 34 11 Come near to me my children, and 27 15 I utterly fhould faint, but that. j 19 33 Inftruct me, Lord, in the right trade. 141 — And though I be nothing Jet by. Stanzas of different pfalms in the old verfion. Psal. Ver. Oxford Clarendon Press, 1781. 31 12 As men once dead are out of mind, So am I now forgot ; As little ufe of me they find, As of an earthen pot. iS 41 And ftill like duft before the wind I drive them under feet ; And fweep them out like filthy dirt, That liet:-! in the flreet. 35 17 The belly gods and flatt'ring train, That all good things deride ; At me did grin with great difdain, Turning their mouths afide. c 2 9 n Pfal. Ver. Oxford, Clarendon Pie's, 1 78 r- 115 4 And they have ears join'd to their heads,; But do not hear at all; Nofes alfo they formed have, But do notfmell withall. 72 4 The people that in deferts dwell, Shall kneel to Kim full thick. And all his foes that do rebel, The earth and duftjkall lick. Frequently chofen by ignorant clerks in time of war. 35 6 Let all their ways be void of light, And fiipp'ry like to fall, And fend thy angel with thy might, To perfecute them all. 73 7 They arefofd, that e'en with fat Their eyes oft times out ftart ; And as for worldly goods they have More than can zvifli their heart. 29 6 And makes them leap like as a calf Or as the unicorn ; Not only trees, but mountains great Whereon the trees are borne. 27 2 While that my foes with ail their strength, Began with me to drawl, Thinking to eat me up, at length Themfelves have caught the fall. 22 n For many bulls do compafs me, That be full flrong of head ; Yea, bulls {ofat, as tho' they had In Bafonf eld been fed. C so 3 Pfal. Ver. Fiom older editions, but ftill In ufe. 59 6 At night they ftir and feek about, As hountU they howl and grin ; And all the city, clean throughout, From piace to place they run. *j 5 My foul is fill'd as with marrow, Which is both fat are thfj three following ftanzas : — i . O God of hofts, the mighty Lord, How lovely is the place Where thou, enthron'd in glory, fhew'ft The brightnefs of thy face. 2. My longing foul faints with defire, To view thy bleft abode ; My panting heart and flerti cry out For thee, the living God. 3. O Lord of hofts, my King and God, How highly bleft are they Who in thy temple always dwell, And there thy praife difplay ! After the Jirft ftanza, the fecond commen- cing with thefe words, " My longing foul faints with defire," fhould be introduced by a plain- tive interlude, in which, if a modulation were dexteroufly made into the Minor Mood, the effe6l would be increafed. — The next inter- lude to introduce the third ftanza, fhould be of a more animated call. In the ninety- fixth pfalm, page 19, after the line, " Its loud applaufe the ocean roar" the fucceeding cho- rus and interlude fhould be played on the full organ. — The fame attention that is here recommended to be paid by the organift to the finging pfalms, is equally neceflary in the the performance of voluntaries after the read- ing pfalms. — He will find the congregation much pleafed, if, after the hundred and fifti- eth pfalm has been read, he inltantly begin his voluntary on the full organ. — On the con- trary, after a penitential pfalm, the f oft organ and the Minor Key, are extremely proper, and grateful to the ear. To attain a correct and fuitable ftyle in the performance of voluntaries, an organifl fhould accuftom himfelf, always to read the pfalms with the congregation. He will then find his mind properly affe<5ted and elevated for the purpofe. — A negleft of this duty in the reading pfalms, which originates from his not having the words before him while the pfalms arefwging, muft of courfe create many abfurdities in his performance. —The little correspondence between the poetry and mufic of the interludes, as well as the levity of voluntaries, in our parifh churches, no doubt, occaficned thefe fatiri- cal lines from Mr. Pope. — " Light quirks of mufic, broken and uneven, " Make the foul dance upon a jigg to heav'n." Nothing here faid, it is to be hoped, can give n 39 3 give offence to able and judicious organifts. Thofe to whom thefe remarks are needlefs, will excufe the liberty here taken, by con- fidering, that they may be of fome ufe to pur younger brethren : but furely it is no re- fle6tion upon any organift to fay, that he cannot properly accompany words, witfiout he knows them. It would be to expect more from him than Mr. Handel could do. To conclude. What has been advanced upon the fubiecl: of pfalmody, it is requefted rnay be candidly received. A reformation in the performance of it is my ardent vvifh. To effeft it, within mv narrow com- j pafs of action, I have inceffantly laboured ; whether to any purpofe or no, time muft determine. In regard to my lately publiflied work, f Si quid novifti, reSlius iftis, candidus imperii: ffjl ?wn, his utere mecum" Whatever hap- pens, my good intention affords a fufficient folace and compenfation to my mind, for all the pains it has coft me. — ISot attracted by pecuniary reward ? I have the fatisfao tion to find that Lhe plan of my work was approved C 40 j approved by all. Happy fhall I efteem myfelf, if the execution of it anlwers the expectation of the greater part. For the royal patronage — That of the right reverend bijbops — The nobility — The inferior clergy, and the laity, I return my grateful acknow- ledgments. Zealous for an, improvement in the performance of an important and noble part of divine worfhip, I thought it neceffary to give a fuller explanation of fome advantages that may arife from the life of my book, than I had done in the preface to it : but a confideration of more weight with me than all the reit was, to in- duce you, Reverend Sirs, to believe, that by your fan6lion and encouragement, a refor- mation in the performance of congregational Pjalmody is not only practicable, but eafily to be effected. I am, REVEREND SIRS, Your n;oft obliged and grateful fervant. EDWARD MILLER. Doncajler, } . \ 'iary 1791.