on 
 
 Cburcb flbusic. 
 
 Series HI, 
 
 READ AT THIRD [NEW YORK, 1900] 
 AND FOURTH [BUFFALO, 1901] CONVOCATIONS. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/essaysonchurchmuOOunse 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. Where Must We Begin in Order to Improve 
 
 THE Quality of the Music Used in Our 
 Churches? - . . . _ i 
 Thk Rev. J. F. Ohi,, Mus. Doc. 
 
 2. What Can Be Done to Introduce Our German 
 
 Chorai^ into Our Engi^ish I^utheran Con- 
 gregations ? - - - - - 9 
 
 Mr. W11.1.1AM Benbow. 
 
 3. The Interpretative Use of the Organ in the 
 
 Service ------ 12 
 
 The Rev. Geo. C. F. Haas, D. D. 
 
 4. The Child and Music - - - - 18 
 
 The Rev. G. C. Berkemeier, D. D. 
 
 5. Church Music as a Part of Our Educational 
 
 System - - - - - - 29 
 
 The Rev. R. Morris Smith. 
 
 6. The lyOCATioN of the Choir and the Organ - 43 
 
 The Rev. Geo. C. F. Haas, D. D. 
 
 7. The Proposed Summer School for Church Music 49 
 
 The Rev. Luther d. Reed. 
 
 8. Boy Choirs ------ 61 
 
 The Rev. A. L. Steimi^e. 
 
 9. Early I^utheran Choir Music - - - 71 
 
 The Rev. Prof. A. Spaeth, D. D., LL. D. 
 
 10. The Deterioration of Choir Music - - 88 
 
 The Rev. J. F. Ohi,, Mus. Doc. 
 
 11. Church Choir Training - - - - 98 
 
 Mr. C. a. Marks. 
 
 12. Preludes AND Postludks - - - - 105 
 
 Mr. C. a. Marks. 
 
 13. Pastor AND Organist - - - - no 
 
 The Rev. Prof. A. Spaeth, D. D., LL. D. 
 
WHERE MUST WE BEGIN IN ORDER TO IMPROVE 
 THE QUALITY OF THE MUSIC USED 
 IN OUR CHURCHES? 
 
 BY THE REV. J. F. OHL, MUS. DOC. 
 
 The question before us implies two things: First, that in the 
 vast majority of our churches the quality of the music used is 
 not what it should be; and, secondly, that we have done little or 
 nothing to improve it. In discussing the subject I shall have in 
 mind chiefly the conditions that confront us in many of our En- 
 glish churches. 
 
 I am not unmindful of the fact that in criticising the music 
 of these I run the risk of incurring much disfavor. Do we not 
 have many skilful manipulators of the organ keys? Are not 
 many of our so-called choirs composed of four voices that have 
 had months and years of special training? Does not their sing- 
 ing serve to fill the house of God, and to give pleasure to the list- 
 ener? Are not the responses and chants, the hymn- tunes and 
 anthems of precisely that light, airy and mellifluous kind in which 
 most people are supposed to delight? What fault then can be 
 found with a musical service that has all this in its favor? 
 
 But it is at this very point that the issue must be made. 
 Church Music that really deserves the name is not for entertain- 
 ment. No strains should ever be heard in the house of God that 
 do not befit its character as a place of reverent worship, or that 
 interfere with the pious contemplations of the worshiping soul, 
 or that fail to give faithful expression to its spirit of worship. 
 Yet one need not go into many of our churches, even into some 
 
2 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC, 
 
 claiming to have the best music, to find how completely the con- 
 nection with our own musical and hymnological history has been 
 broken, and how absolute has been the surrender to the spirit of 
 the times, and to the influence and the practice of those about us. 
 The org-anist begins the service with a voluntary that fits neither 
 the place nor the season, and closes it with the March from 
 ''Tannhauser/' The service music is perhaps patched together 
 of such odds and ends from every conceivable source as please the 
 fancy of the maker, without any regard whatever to liturgical 
 traditions, requirements and propriety, or even to proper key 
 relationships. The hymn-tunes are as a rule not those which 
 have ever been the crowning glory of our own Church music, nor 
 even the stately melodies that have survived from the earlier and 
 best period of Anglican Church song, but, with a few notable 
 exceptions, too often the shallow compositions of a novice in 
 Church music or the adaptations of an irreverent compiler. And 
 above all is devotional feeling offended and the worshiping con- 
 gregation deprived of many of its rights in those churches in 
 which that very un-Lutheran product — the quartet choir, holds 
 sway. 
 
 All this is, however, in conflict with the principles which 
 underlie the I^utheran Cultus and does violence to those that 
 really come to worship. The Church has a musical art of her 
 own as she has her own pictorial and plastic art; and the object 
 of all Church art must be to excite and express devotion. When 
 it becomes so secularized as to cease to do this; when beauty in- 
 stead of holiness is made its supreme law; when it appeals only 
 to the intellect and not to the heart, then it no longer serves its 
 proper purpose in worship and tends only to disturb and distract. 
 
 Music as the most expressive and widely used of the Church's 
 arts should above all conform to the canons that must regulate 
 all Church art. The music of the Church must therefore in the 
 truest and best sense be worship music. Whether it be the 
 organ voluntary, or the liturgical response, or the congregational 
 hymn- tune, or the polyphonic song of the choir, each and all 
 must give truthful expression to the faith, hope and love, the 
 penitence, joy and praise wrought by the Word as embodied in 
 Liturgy and Sermon. And when this fails to be the case where 
 must we begin in order to bring about a wholesome change? 
 
 To my mind the first step toward a substantial reform lies 
 
IMPROVEMKNT OF OUR CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 3 
 
 in the direction of the organist, who, in our churches, is usually 
 also the choir-master. What should be his qualifications for this 
 double office? 
 
 First and foremost, he should be a devout man. In public 
 worship he occupies a place of importance second only to that of 
 the minister himself. He is, so to speak, the musical pastor of 
 the church. With the opportunities at his command he can do 
 a great deal to further devotion, and a very great deal to hinder 
 it. The latter he is almost sure to do if he be not a Christian. 
 How can one who does not himself know the saving, life-giving 
 power of the Divine Word, and who has not for himself tasted 
 the boundless grace of God in Christ Jesus, enter into the spirit 
 of that w^orship which only God's Word and grace can beget? 
 How can he have a holy reverence for the place which to him is 
 not really "the house of prayer?" How can he feel what befits 
 the holy place and its holy services, and what not? The man 
 who treats an organist's position merely professionally for what he 
 can make out of it, and who perhaps plays in a theatre orchestra 
 for the rest of the week, has no business on an organist's bench; 
 nor is it conceivable how a Christian congregation that wants a 
 godly man in its pulpit can ever give the next most important 
 place to one who is not. 
 
 Again, the organist and choir-master should be musically 
 well-educated. He should not only be technically proficient on his 
 instrument, but also be conversant with the history of music — 
 especially with that of Church music from its earliest beginnings, 
 and know the phases through which this has passed, the influ- 
 ences it has encountered, etc. In addition to this he should also 
 have a large acquaintance wath the music of the different periods 
 and schools. He should be as familiar with the ancient Plain 
 Song as with the Modern Chant; with the a capella works of di 
 Lassus, Palestrina, Hassler, Eccard and others, as with the works 
 of more recent composers; with the stately and vigorous choral 
 melodies of our own Church as with the best tunes from other 
 sources; with the substantial compositions of Bach and his school 
 for the organ, as with the pleasing yet oft-times far less church- 
 ly writings of the present. Only when the organist and choir- 
 master has knowledge and acquaintance of this kind, can he 
 intelligently compare, weigh and select. 
 
 But I gc further, and ask for Lutheran organists for Luther- 
 
4 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 an churches. The organist and choir-master of a Lutheran 
 church ought to be thoroughly famiUar with the principles of 
 Lutheran worship, and with the structure, requirements and 
 spirit of the Lutheran Orders of Service. He must not only have 
 liturgical feeling in general, but Lutheran liturgical feeling in 
 particular. I here note a decided difference between other litur- 
 gical churches and our own. The Liturgy of the Greek and 
 Roman Churches is not only in a tongue unknown to the people, 
 but its various parts are sung solely by priest and choir, and the 
 people remain silent. The Anglican Church indeed has a Liturgy 
 in the vernacular, but in the practice of many of its congrega- 
 tions too large a part is likewise sung by the choir. The Luther- 
 an Church on the contrary has a Liturgy whose first regard is for 
 the people. Not only is it in the vernacular, but almost from 
 beginning to end the rubrics direct: Then shall the congregation 
 sing or say. The choir indeed has its place, but never independ- 
 ent of and superior to the congregation. It has no right to 
 introduce anything that would destroy the unity of the service. 
 Even its own music must be an outgrowth of the Liturgy as ar- 
 ranged for the particular day, season or occasion, and must fit 
 into it as a component part of each particular service. Now to 
 enable the organist and choir-master to choose with due regard 
 to the requirements of the Liturgy on the one hand, and to the 
 rights of the entire worshiping congregation on the other, he 
 must needs be well acquainted with the fundamental principles 
 of Lutheran worship. It is the lack of such knowledge that in 
 many of our churches is responsible for music in which there is 
 hardly a trace of the true Church style, and that has transformed 
 many places of worship into mere concert halls. 
 
 We take a second step toward reform when we banish that 
 abomination of desolation in the holy place, the quartet choir. But 
 what has this to do w^ith the kind of music used ? Much every 
 way. As a rule such choirs are composed of professional sing- 
 ers — some of whom may not even be professing Christians, whose 
 first thought is not worship but the display of their art. This 
 has brought into use numerous compositions written especially 
 for these choirs, in which churchliness is sacrificed to the dramat- 
 ic and subjective element, and which, with their inevitable solo 
 parts, afford the singer the greatly desired opportunity to exhibit 
 his or her vocal ability. Nothing could better illustrate the de- 
 
IMPROVKMKNT OF OUR CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 5 
 
 cay into which Church music has fallen than a comparison of 
 these compositions with the motets of the old masters, or even 
 with the best full anthems of the Anglican school. Spitta drives 
 home a thought on this subject when he says: "To the liberties 
 taken in these days by those who merely seek display we must 
 oppose the clear thought that, as singers in the sanctuary, our 
 aim must not be to obtain concert effects and successes, but rath- 
 er in all humility to bring the offering of our devotions before the 
 lyord, and in the presence of the congregation, whose members 
 we are, to magnify that faith which is our only comfort in life 
 and in death." Nor does the baneful influence of the quartet 
 choir cease with the anthem. For the same selfish reasons that 
 guide it in the selection of anthems, its choice and rendering of 
 hymn- tunes and chants are often of a kind to silence almost com- 
 pletely the congregation. Thus what Rome accomplishes through 
 the medium of an unknown tongue is in many of our churches 
 brought about by the four voices in the organ gallery. 
 
 But I go still further and ask for a musically educated ininis- 
 try. Indeed for securing the best results I deem this altogether 
 essential. I need hardly point out how advantageous it is to the 
 minister himself to have some knowledge of music. Aside from 
 the pleasure and satisfaction he can derive from it, he is often 
 placed in situations where the ability to play a hymn-tune or to 
 lead the singing will avoid much embarrassment. But of still 
 greater advantage is it to a congregation to have a minister who 
 can help to give intelligent direction to its musical affairs. If in 
 addition to some technical proficiency, or even without it, he 
 knows something of the history of Church music, understands 
 the requirements of the I^iturgy, and has a fair acquaintance with 
 the best music of the past and present, it is not likely that his 
 congregation will depart very widely from the right paths, unless 
 he be so unfortunate as to have a recalcitrant and unnecessary 
 music committee to deal with. As a rule, congregations will as 
 readily follow the leadership of the pastor in musical matters as 
 in other affairs, provided he shows himself competent to lead. 
 All other things being equal a pastor who is also proficient in 
 music is indeed often preferred. 
 
 For improving the quality of our Church song these then 
 seem to me to be the necessary conditions: i. Christian organ- 
 ists who to their piety add musical knowledge, and to their mu- 
 
6 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 sical knowledge liturgical understanding, and to their liturgical 
 understanding pure taste, and to their pure taste profound rever- 
 ence for the house of God; 2. Pastors with enough knowledge of 
 the w^hole subject to co-operate intelligently with a model organ- 
 ist, or, if need be, to direct the musical affairs of the congrega- 
 tion themselves; and 3, the banishment of quartet choirs. 
 
 But our main theme now suggests two more questions: How 
 may we get such organists and pastors ? and, What shall take the 
 place of the quartet choir ? 
 
 To get such organists as we need and want, and to give pas- 
 tors a fair musical training, we ought to connect Music Schools 
 with our Colleges and Theological Seminaries. This is not a new 
 idea. Music and sacred poetry were taught in the schools of the 
 prophets. David founded a great music school for the Temple 
 service almost three thousand years ago. Gregory and Charle- 
 magne established similar schools for the cultivation of Christian 
 Church music. At this very day such schools are found in the 
 Greek, the Roman, and the Anglican Churches. In our own 
 land the Theological Seminary of the Congregational Church at 
 Hartford, Conn., has had a professorship of Sacred Music since 
 1882. And in at least four Colleges of our own Church — Beth- 
 any, Augustana, Gustavus Adolphus and Thiel there are well- 
 equipped musical departments that cover a wide range of instruc- 
 tion and practice. 
 
 Why should not all our Colleges and Seminaries afford like 
 opportunities, both to those preparing for the ministry and to 
 those who wish to qualify themselves as organists ? To the the- 
 oretical and practical instruction of such a department, lectures 
 should be added on subjects like these: The Church's lyiturgy; 
 ^ Early Christian Music; Plain Song; Catholic Church Music; Prot- 
 estant Church Music; The Influence of the Opera and the Ora- 
 torio on Church Music; The Anglican Chant; The Motet and 
 Anthem; The Hymn and the Congregational Hymn Tune; The 
 German Choral and its History; The Relations of Minister, 
 Choir and Congregation in the Service; The Organ in Public 
 Worship; Choir Training, etc., etc. Finally a mixed chorus 
 should afford facilities for the practice of service music, hymn- 
 tunes, and the best choir music both for illustrative purposes and 
 for permanent use. If with such provision as this our music 
 failed to improve, it would no longer be the fault of the Church. 
 
IMPROVKMKNT OF OUR CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 7 
 
 As regards the second question, to wit: What shall take 
 the place of the quartet choir? I can only point for the answer 
 to the practice of our own Church wherever she has not fallen 
 under pernicious influences. The Lutheran choir is always a 
 chorus choir, and this must again take the place of the quartet 
 choir. But is it possible to have such choirs in our English 
 churches? Yes, when once our English congregations will spend 
 as much in developing their own musical resources as they now 
 spend on hired singers. At a much smaller outlay our German 
 churches still maintain chorus choirs, and what is possible in 
 these is possible in English congregations, especially in those that 
 have large Sunday-schools and Young People's Societies to fur- 
 nish an abundance of material. That it requires more labor to 
 train and keep together a good chorus choir no one who has had 
 the experience will dispute. But wh}^ should not an organist of 
 the kind I have described find in this labor for God's house and 
 God's glory the very greatest delight? Why should not congre- 
 gations insist on having such a body of singers as will aid their 
 devotions and encourage and strengthen their own song? And 
 why should they not be willing to give a competent organist and 
 choir-master a salary large enough to enable him to give his best 
 energies to his office ? 
 
 It is not to our credit that the Church of the Reformation, 
 with its rich hymnological and musical treasures should in this 
 land have hitherto done so little to foster a taste for the purest 
 and best. We have restored our Eiturgy in its noble complete- 
 ness for all seasons and occasions; we have put into our hymn 
 books many precious lyrics old and new; now let us place Liturgy 
 and hymns into the golden censer of which they are worthy, and 
 in which alone we should offer our incense of pra5^er, praise and 
 thanksgiving to Almighty God. A suggestion made by Thibaut 
 regarding the hymn- tune and the music for the organ applies 
 with equal force to all the other nmsic used in Divine worship. 
 He says: "If I were now shortly to express my wishes, I would 
 say — make a collection of the best church-song, hearty, vigorous, 
 and fervent; choose for this purpose the finest melodies that the 
 old churches have left to us, including everything that in mod- 
 ern times masterly minds have added to them; and lastly provide 
 organists with * a collection of approved preludes and post- 
 ludes, so that they can never waver or wander from the path. 
 
8 
 
 ASSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 But do not do all this in a mean and paltry spirit, under the 
 advice of inferior men. Rather treat the subject as a grave 
 ecclesiastical question, requiring the aid of first-rate counsellors. 
 Then will a noble work have been accomplished that may bid 
 defiance to time. ' ' 
 
WHAT CAN BE DONE 
 TO INTRODUCE OUR GERMAN CHORAE 
 INTO OUR ENGLISH LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS? 
 
 BY MR. WII.LIAM BKNBOW. 
 
 What difficulties confront an English Lutheran organist who 
 wants to introduce the choral ? 
 
 I. He will begin to study the subject by comparing the 
 English and German editions published in America containing 
 chorals. He will also hear the chorals sung in various German 
 churches, as he finds occasion. The result will be somewhat be- 
 wildering. For he finds that there are all sorts of choral-books 
 in use, with the melody of the same choral appearing with differ- 
 ent variations in the different editions. And he also finds organ- 
 ists who have their own manuscript copies of chorals differing 
 from these printed editions. If he is in earnest, he will be 
 prompted to study the conditions at first hand in Germany in or- 
 der to find, if possible, some authentic standard in these matters. 
 But here again he meets an endless variety of editions. And 
 what is more discouraging, he learns that some of the chorals 
 which have already attained popularity in the German and also 
 English churches are not, after all, in their original and best 
 form. He learns also that there are numberless brochures and 
 discussions bearing upon this disputed question, and that the 
 higher critics are trying to arrive at some definite conclusion as 
 to what may be recommended as the textus receptus. Now what 
 shall he do ? — Introduce the equal-note form now in most general 
 use, or the older but newly-revived rhythmical form ? Suppose 
 
 (ix) 
 
10 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC, 
 
 he would prefer the latter. Whose ipse dixit shall he take as to 
 its correct and final form ? 
 
 The first answer, therefore, to the question, "What can be 
 done to introduce the choral ?" is, '%et us know what is its pur- 
 est and final form.'^ 
 
 2. German specialists admit and complain that the German 
 congregations have gotten into the habit of singing the chorals in 
 a slow-paced and schleppend (to quote their own word) fashion 
 which robs them completely of their fresh and noble vigor. The 
 German choir festivals are bringing about a great change for the 
 better in this matter and it is to be hoped that our German con- 
 gregations in America will fall in line with this tendency. For 
 certainly the most common objection that English congregations 
 bring against the choral is that they do not like ''those slow, 
 heavy German tunes." lyet the German pastors, organists and 
 congregations set an example that will tempt the English con- 
 gregations to imitate them. How shall they believe who have 
 not heard? 
 
 As a rule, a new choral is introduced in an English congre- 
 gation because it has been heard under favorable conditions in 
 some German congregation, and it has commanded attention by 
 its intrinsic merits as a song for the people and by the people. 
 The German understands the words of a choral and its wealth of 
 associations, and can enjoy its "linked sweetness, long drawn 
 out," but the English organist generally has to judge of it from 
 the musical standpoint. And if the German sings it in an unin- 
 viting way, it will not appear prepossessing, and the English 
 stranger, while he may "first endure, then pity," will hardly seek 
 to embrace it as a desirable acquisition for his own congregation. 
 Give the choral its original swing and rhythm and it will go far 
 to remove the prejudice that now exists in the minds of many 
 English Eutherans. 
 
 3. English Lutheran congregations have not the opportuni- 
 ty of teaching the chorals as they are taught in German paro- 
 chial schools, so the most available place to teach the choral is 
 the Sunday School. After that, they can be utilized in the Lu- 
 ther League and Young People's meetings, and finally in the 
 Sunday Vesper Service, repeating them rather frequently at first 
 until they secure a definite hold. 
 
 The church choir might sing a choral now and then as an 
 
INTRODUCTION OF TH.^ GERMAN CHORAL. 
 
 11 
 
 ^offertory anthem, the minister announcing the number of the 
 hymn in order that the cong-regation may follow the words. Af- 
 ter two or three repetitions, the congregation will have enough 
 recollection of it to make its introduction as a regular hymn-tune 
 a simple matter. 
 
 The organist can also play chorals during the distribution in 
 the Communion Service. And if he prefers the general non- 
 rhythmic form, he can use choral-preludes, of which there are 
 many collections and forms, as preludes and postludes. 
 
 It would be wise to choose chorals of a bold and joyous 
 character for the first efforts in order to counteract the idea that 
 chorals are m.ournful and tedious. This is an important precau- 
 tion, for it is exceedingly doubtful if some of the beautiful minor 
 chorals will ever find a welcome acceptance in English congrega- 
 tions. Some of them were composed in troubled and distressful 
 times and they are undeniably mournful. The English Eutheran 
 respects the history of such a choral but he hardly feels called 
 upon to use it as the best and most consistent expression of his 
 own religious emotion and experience. 
 
 It would help greatly if a chorus could be organized and 
 trained to sing some of the more vigorous chorals at our Sunday 
 School and Euther League Conventions. This would be still 
 more stimulating if it could be used to illustrate certain distinct- 
 ive features of the choral in the history of its development. 
 
 When we consider what an important part music has in all 
 our services, we are amazed to find so little time or attention 
 given it in our conventions and to find only two or three musical 
 articles in a whole year in our church paper. Can we not have 
 a column at least, to be known as the Church Music Depart- 
 ment, where church musicians could feel free to ask questions 
 and exchange opinions on the history, usage or practice of just 
 such a topic as the choral ? 
 
 In conclusion, in spite of the title of this paper, we wish to 
 protest that the choral has ab-eady been introduced into our En- 
 glish congregations where quite a number of the best ones are 
 in active and popular use. And the number will increase as the 
 difiiculties and prejudices indicated are overcome. 
 
THE INTERPRETATIVE USE OF THE ORGAN 
 IN THE SERVICE. 
 
 BY THE RKV. GKO. C. F. HAAS, D. D. 
 
 The organ has come to be almost universally recognized as the 
 instrument peculiarly fitted for use in the worship of the Christian 
 congregation. The sustained quality of its tone together with 
 the great volume of tone that it is capable of giving forth, afford 
 the desirable and appropriate impression of dignity and stateli- 
 ness, while the easily controlled modification of its tone-color as 
 well as its tone-volume renders it peculiarly adaptable to the 
 varying requirements of the service in the sanctuary. Though 
 often abused, the organ yet has its distinctive uses. These might 
 be classified under three heads. 
 
 In the first place, there is a use almost purely mechanical, in 
 so far as the organ is employed to ijidicate and sustain the pitch 
 and rhythm of the congregational singing. A second use of the 
 organ might be termed the artistic. This comes into play where 
 the organ is used as a means of embellishing and beautifying the 
 Service, as for instance in adding to the plain melody sung by the 
 congregation the appropriate harmony, in supplying independent 
 accompaniments to the singing of the choir, and in rendering 
 preludes, interludes, and postludes. The third use, however, is 
 that which for want of a better term, I have called the interpre- 
 tative. It presupposes and includes the first and second, but 
 goes further and higher than either. It is that use of the organ 
 according to which the dead instrument becomes the handmaid 
 of the living Word. It and it alone will, indeed, make the in- 
 (xii) 
 
THK INTERPRETATIVE USE OF THE ORGAN. 13 
 
 strumental part of the Service an aid to devotion. According to 
 this, its highest use, the king of instruments is to employ its va- 
 rious voices and peculiar powers to interpret, so far as music can 
 interpret, the meaning and sentiment of the words sung and said, 
 and so to attune the mind of the hearer to the thought expressed. 
 That music in itself considered has this interpretative power, es- 
 pecially so far as the emotions are concerned, is freely conceded. 
 Secular music freely uses this power. That the music of the 
 Christian Service should also in a proper measure employ it, 
 would scarcely seem to require proof. 
 
 Before the organ can be put to this most elevated and ele- 
 vating use, two things are necessary: we must have the proper 
 kind of organ and the proper kind of organist. There are organs, 
 and not a few of them, with which an interpretative rendering of 
 anything would be out of the question. What sentiment can you 
 convey by means of a mere box of pipes, mostly little ones. It 
 is a strange and deplorable fact, that many congregations, even 
 such as have the means — for we find no fault with those that 
 have to bow to necessity — devote but little attention and little of 
 their means to the organ. Even architects are again and again 
 guilty of leaving an entirely insufficient or unsuitable space for 
 this instrument. As a rule ever}^ other furnishing of the church 
 is attended to and provided for first, before the organ comes in 
 for its share. As a result, it often has to be built as cheaply as 
 possible — and it is built so. There is, perhaps, a considerable 
 array of draw-stops, but not much back of them. Now an or- 
 gan of that sort, weak, insipid, without character, can scarcely 
 be expected to do much interpreting and be much of an aid to 
 devotion. 
 
 With a poor organ the best organist can do but little, but it 
 is equally true, that even the best organ is of little use unless the 
 organist be the right sort of a man. In order to be able to inter- 
 pret, the organist must understand what he is to interpret and 
 how to interpret it. He must not only be perfectly acquainted 
 with his instrument and its capabilities, — and every organ that 
 deserves the name has peculiar qualities and capabilities, — but 
 he must be equally at home in the Service, the Liturgy and the 
 Hymnolog3^ of the Church. He must not only understand, but he 
 must be in sympathy with and feel the spirit of the Service, so as 
 to be able to give expression to its sentiment. He should enter 
 
14 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 miderstandingl}^ and devoutly into the act of worship in which 
 he is to assist. On the other hand he should, of course, not only 
 know theoreticall}", but be able to bring out practically the points 
 of his instrument. Especially should he be well acquainted with 
 the character of the various stops and their combinations. The 
 stud}^ of instrumentation will be one of the greatest helps to him 
 in striving to render a service understandingly and in an inter- 
 pretative manner. 
 
 Now given the organ and the organist, what is the thing to 
 be aimed at and in what wsiv is it to be attained? As before 
 stated, the aim should be, so to use the instrument at hand, that 
 it will aid devotion hy interpreting as far as possible, what the 
 words of the Service convey. There are limitations, it is true. 
 The exigencies of accompaniment, regard to the necessary vol- 
 um^e or moderation in view of the building, of the number of 
 persons to be accompanied, and the like will to a great extent 
 modify the selection of stops, especially with regard to loudness 
 of tone. No hard and fast rule can be laid down even for any 
 one service or any one particular hymn, but certain principles 
 should guide the organist in the use of his instrument. 
 
 1. ) To begin with he should never lose sight of the fact, 
 that the organ occupies not the first, but only a secondary place 
 in the worship of the congregation. The organ is not mistress, 
 but only handmaid. The first and foremost thing in divine 
 worship is the divine Word. It must remain in the first place 
 whether spoken or sung. It dare not be relegated to a place of 
 secondary importance or of obscurity by crovv^ding into the fore- 
 ground a musical instrument. The object of the service is not to 
 delight the ear and gratify the aesthetic sense, but to edify the 
 heart. This can be done onl}^ by the Word. Even, therefore, 
 where music is employed in divine service it is vocal music, the 
 Word as sung, and not instrumental, the mere accompaniment 
 and embellishment of the singing, that occupies the first place. 
 The aim, therefore, of the organist should never be to assert 
 himself and his artistic abilities, or his instrument and its aesthet- 
 ic beauties, but as an humble servant to assist in bringing the 
 Word to the minds and hearts of the worshippers. 
 
 2. ) Again the service should always be regarded as a unit. 
 Each servace has a character of its own, indicated by the occasion 
 of it, be it its place in the Church Year or some special circum- 
 
THK INTERPRETATIVE USE OF THE ORGAN. 15 
 
 stance. From an artistic, as well as from a psychological point 
 of view this character should dominate the whole service. The 
 Good Friday service, for instance, to take an extreme case, is es- 
 sentially different in character from the Easter ser\dce. The one 
 is subdued, solemn, penitential; the other triumphantly jo3^ous. 
 The note of triumph may indeed not be absent in the Good Fri- 
 day service, nor the reference to death and the grave in the Eas; 
 ter service, yet in each case the whole would dominate the part; 
 the individual response, hymn, or strophe would be in a manner 
 attuned to the general tone pervading the service. The organist 
 too, must be mindful of this in order to avoid incongruity and 
 wrongly placed emphasis, but rather to conform his lights and 
 shadows to the general character of the service. 
 
 3 . ) Another principl e that greatly affects the use of the organ 
 is that the character of our Eutheran Service is that of objectivi- 
 ty, rather than subjectivity. Its key-note is the common praise 
 by the assembled congregation of the grace of God in Jesus Christ 
 to us-ward. What God hath done for his people, not what they 
 have done, is the great theme. "Not unto us, not unto us, but 
 to Thy Name be glor}-," is our constant song. In this respect 
 the Lutheran Service differs from the Service of such churches as 
 lay the great stress upon the human side, and deal in greater 
 part with human emotions and experiences. Accordingly, there- 
 fore, the general character of the music used in a genuine Lu- 
 theran Service would not be of the subjective, sentimental varie- 
 ty, but of the positive type, ex.pressing the firm objective faith of 
 the Church. This would be especially noticeable in the great 
 festivals of the Church Year, when even the instrumental music 
 should triumphantly celebrate the great facts of redemption. 
 According to this principle even the Good Friday service would 
 not degenerate into a mere sentimental moan, nor would the 
 funeral service be like a heathen dirge, but in both the victory of 
 faith would shine through the gloom of death. 
 
 4. ) At the same time the varying themes of the Church 
 Year afford abundant opportunity for variety in the music and 
 its rendering. Nay even the ordinary Sunday service and its 
 Liturgy provides ample room for the interpretative use of the or- 
 gan. There is, for instance, a wonderful progression, in some 
 places an almost dramatic contrast in the Chief Service of our 
 Church, — what an opportunity for the organist ! What would be 
 
16 
 
 ESSAYS OX CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 thought of the minister who should deliver a whole sermon in 
 about the same tone of voice, irrespective of whether it were the 
 statement of a fact, the exultation over a blessing received, an 
 admonition or a warning ? Would he not be unanimously voted 
 monotonous ? How about the organist, then, who plays every 
 h3'mn-tune with about the same stops, or who possibly varies the 
 stops with the tune, but does not consider the hymn ? Should 
 he not be voted equalh' monotonous ? Without going into the 
 great field of choir-music, let me only cite a few examples from 
 the simplest of the simple, the rendering of the tunes sung by 
 the congregation. 
 
 The Evening Ser^'ice is drawing to its close. The Collect for 
 Peace has been spoken. The last hymn is announced: "Abide 
 with me." — Xow as to its general character, it is a petition and 
 an evening hymn. Character: subdued, peaceful. But to come 
 to particulars. "Abide with me," is simple petition, calm and 
 pleading. "Fast falls the eventide" — still peaceful, but with a 
 touch of sadness. ' 'The darkness deepens' ' — with it the gloom — 
 let the gloom of the organ deepen also. "When other helpers 
 fail etc.," continues the same sentiment, but in the last line you 
 again regain confidence: "Help of the helpless, O abide with me." 
 Verse 2, "Swift to its close," is a beautiful anticlimax, until the 
 last line is reached: "O Thou Who changest not, etc." How 
 impressively can the organ render that sentiment ! And what 
 affords greater opportunity- for interpretative rendering than the 
 7th and 8th verses? After the foes, the ills, yea, death's sting, 
 "I triumph still" — and again, "Heaven's morning breaks" — O 
 soul, devoid of music, that does not feel the music in those lines. 
 But lest it be objected that this is a subjective hj-mn, let us take 
 another instance: We are singing the great Reformation hymn: 
 "Bin feste Bin^g, etc." It is, indeed, a hymn of supreme confi- 
 dence and trust in the God that battles for us. We come to the 
 second verse: "With might of ours can naught be done, etc." 
 Will you coimteract that sentiment b}' doing all you can with 
 3^our organ? 'Say, let it recede, let it but be sufficient to retain 
 the lead of the voices, — let it almost come to silence, if such can 
 be. "Naught" can and shall be done b}' us. "But for us fights 
 the Valiant One, \\Tiom God Himself elected." — Who is He? — 
 "Ask 3'e, Who He is?" We are rising to a climax, yet still 
 searching. But now we find the answer: "Jesus Christ it is." — 
 
THK INTERPRETATIVE USE OF THE ORGAN. 17 
 
 Now draw on your organ, let the Double Diapasons with their 
 volume shake the edifice, let the trumpets rejoice, let all the 
 brilliancy of your organ come forth, for "There's no other God, 
 He holds the field for ever." 
 
 Now I venture to say, that such playing will tend to glorify 
 God and aid in bringing the message of His grace to the sinful 
 souls of men. The organist who has attained that, is indeed, an 
 organist ' 'Dei gratia . ' ' 
 
THE CHII.D AND MUSIC. 
 
 BY THK REV. G. C. BERKKMBIBR, D. D. 
 
 When called upon by our .esteemed committee to prepare a pa- 
 per on the above subject, I considered it my duty to accept. I 
 know a little about the first part of the subject, the child — at 
 least I ought to in my capacity as foster-parent of almost two 
 hundred little orphans. But evidently you do not expect to hear 
 of the child alone — the orphan-child. You have asked me to 
 speak of the child and music ^ and if it be true that ''when you 
 listen to fine music you hear your mother tongue," then the child 
 intimately associated with music is no longer a full orphan. 
 History tells us of the "Meistersanger" of the famous German 
 "Wartburg," and if I should name one characteristic and dis- 
 tinguishing feature of our Wartburg, it would be the cultivation 
 of music and song. I believe in music as an educational factor. 
 I hear perhaps more singing than anyone in this audience, listen- 
 ing almost constantly to the sweet chorus of the dear little ones 
 around me and for this, if for no other reason, I will undertake 
 to speak to you on the interesting subject of ''Children and Mu- 
 sic ^ 
 
 "A piano !" exclaimed a father in utter amazement to his 
 daughter, who asked him to purchase this instrument for her. 
 "Never. When I have more money than I want, I will waste it 
 on such a useless thing," and from this he enlarged upon the 
 gross folly of attending to music, which, as he expressed it, "can 
 do nobody any good !" 
 
 This father is the representative of a class of persons in every 
 (xviii) 
 
THK CHII.D AND MUSIC. 
 
 19 
 
 community, who see no benefit resulting from music as an edu- 
 cational factor. It is true, also, that many, who even press their 
 children to give attention to music do so only for superficial rea- 
 sons. Music is an accojnplishment and an amusenie7it and as such 
 it is introduced into the family circle; it is fashionable and charm- 
 ing, and a pianoforte in the parlor is a thing to be proud of, and 
 if it can be cleverly played by a promising daughter it may yet 
 prove an attraction for some desirable visitor. But as for any 
 particular educational influence, as a beneficent discipline of head 
 and heart, the cultivation of musical talent is hardl}^ thought of. 
 A martyr is often made of the poor piano by those who keep it 
 only for ornamental purposes, just as in our day books are pur- 
 chased by the cubic foot and shelved away, buried alive in rose- 
 wood cofiins, called book-cases. That was a capital response 
 made by a great scholar, w^ho when ushered into the library of a 
 wealthy brewer and shown the many and long rows of books 
 with the pompous remark: "These are my friends," took several 
 volumes out and finding that the pages were not cut, observed: 
 "Ah, I see, you don' t cut your friends!''' 
 
 Now, as for music, we are profoundly convinced that, next 
 to religion, there is no other power so strong to affect the mind 
 and heart of man, especially of children, as that of music, and 
 that it often proves successful as a last resort, when parental 
 counsels and authority fall powerless upon the child; and for this 
 reason music should be looked upon as one of the chief factors in 
 educational work and should be cultivated as one of the most im- 
 portant branches in the curriculum of the young. 
 
 Leigh Richmond, who has ever been regarded as one of the 
 best disciplinarians, said: "I am persuaded that music is designed 
 to prepare for Heaven, to educate for the choral enjoyment of 
 Paradise, to form the mind to virtue and devotion, to charm 
 away evil and sanctify the heart to God." 
 
 Calvin, the stern and rugged Calvin, of whom it is said that 
 he never once smiled in his life — even Calvin felt the softening 
 influence of music and admits, "there is scarcely anything in this 
 world which can more powerfully turn or bend hither or thither 
 the manner of men than music, and in fact we experimentally 
 feel that it has secret and incredible power over our hearts to 
 move them one way or the other." 
 
 We read of the fabled Orpheus, who drew after him trees 
 
20 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 and mountains by the melodious strains of his lyre, while enrapt- 
 ured rivers ceased to flow and savage beasts crouched laml^-like 
 at his feet; even Pluto, the king of the infernal regions, was 
 charmed with the bewitching melody, the ''wheel of Ixion 
 stopped, the stone of Sisyphus stood still, Tantalus forgot his 
 perpetual thirst and even the Furies relented." This is fable, 
 and yet not all a fable. It shows what was thought of the power 
 of music in those early days. In later times its charms have been 
 celebrated in poetry and prose. Pope wrote: 
 
 Music the fiercest grief can charm, 
 
 And fate's severest rage disarm; 
 
 Music can soften pain to ease, 
 
 And make despair and madness please; 
 
 Our joys below it can improve, 
 
 And antedate the bliss above. 
 
 Nations have depended upon its power on the field of battle 
 and in political campaigns the brass bands have much to do with 
 the victory on election day. The church, too, from the time of 
 David to the present hour has fought her battles and gained her 
 victories not with the sword, but with her songs. In the time of 
 the Reformation, the Romanists had to confess "the songs of 
 Luther have conquered us !" — those majestic hymns swayed the 
 multitudes and gave a turn to the whole history of our race. 
 
 IvUther himself was a musician and a composer, and I dare 
 ■say that this very fact had a great deal to do with his marvelous 
 success; and at a Convocation like this it would be eminently ap- 
 propriate to display a banner with the following words of lyUther 
 inscribed in golden letters: ''Music is one of the finest and most 
 glorious gifts of God, to which Satan is a bitter e7ie7ny; for it re- 
 moves from the heart the weight of sorrows and the fascination of 
 evil thoughts. Music is a kind of gentle discipliiie; it refines the 
 passions and improves the understanding . Even the dissonance of 
 unskilled fiddlers serves to set off the claims of true 7nelody, as white 
 is made more conspicuous by the opposite of black. Those who love 
 music are gentle and honest in their tempers. I always loved music 
 and would not for a great matter be without the little skill I possess 
 in the art.''' 
 
 I think it will amply repay us to look more particularly at 
 this quoted remark of lyUther. He ascribes several positive re- 
 sults to music, of which the principal four are the following: 
 
THK CHIIvD AND MUSIC. 
 
 21 
 
 It alleviates sorrow, 
 Refines the passions, 
 
 Removes the fascination of evil thoughts, 
 Improves the understanding. 
 
 Music alleviates sorrow. When poor orphan children are 
 brought to our Home with eyes red with weeping and their little 
 hearts pinched with inexpressible anguish, I know of one thing 
 to comfort them, and that is when I bring them in to our evening 
 worship and have them sit down among the other children and 
 / then we sing a sweet and restful evening hymn, a hymn of faith 
 and praise and thanksgiving, and during the singing I can see a 
 change coming over the face of the little one — it seems to realize 
 that "it is good to dwell here," that it shall yet be comforted 
 **even as a mother comforteth her child" — (music is our mother 
 tongue!) — that those who sing such songs must be kind and gen- 
 tle people — 
 
 "Wo man singt, da lasz dich ruhig nieder, 
 Boese Menschen haben keine Lieder !" 
 
 and I thank God for the sweet consolation of music. It is re- 
 lated of Benda, a celebrated German composer, that in a parox- 
 ysm of grief at the sudden death of his wife, he hastened to the 
 piano, and there he became so absorbed in the plaintive strains 
 he produced so much in consonance with the emotions of his 
 wounded heart that when the servant stepped to his door for 
 some directions, he replied, "Ask my wife." He forgot his loss 
 under the soothing influence of the mournful chords. Mr. Bry- 
 ant, in describing his visit to one of the slave states, says that 
 the slaves were in the habit of singing psalm tunes almost con- 
 stantly to relieve the sorrows of their bondage. The overseer 
 remarked to him: "We encourage their singing — for the boys 
 work better while singing." You all know how when lyUther 
 was found in his cell lying on the floor in deepest anguish, with- 
 out showing any signs of life, he was resuscitated only by the 
 power of music. 
 
 Music refines the passions. Volumes of facts on this part of 
 the subject might be written. Think of King Saul, who was 
 calmed and appeased by the sweet music of little David. I had 
 a little namesake of David under my training at the Wartburg, 
 who had the passionate temper of Saul, but who was softened 
 
22 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 down to a remarkable degree of suavit}^ and graduall}^ turned out 
 to be a self -controlled, amiable 3"oung man — and what wrought 
 the change ? I am thoroughly convinced that music contributed, 
 if not all, yet a great part of this transformation. In this con- 
 nection let me say that our children are great singers, they sing 
 half of the time; on one occasion this summer our girls sat to- 
 gether in their sunny sitting room and whilst knitting and darn- 
 ing they sang for four hours, without interruption, one hymn 
 and song after another, German and English, allegro and adagio, 
 solemn and happy — I should say about two hundred pieces and 
 without any book. Our girls almost always sing when they work, 
 and this can't fail and does not fail to refine their characters, and 
 it is no wonder that of late I have received all of two hundred 
 applications for girls from our Home. 
 
 Music removes the fasci7iatio?i of evil thoughts. Pure and 
 chaste music elevates, and a young man, who cultivates the art 
 of music as a heavenly gift and 3delds to its gentle yet constrain- 
 ing power, is less likely to be seduced into vulgar vice by the 
 temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. Shakespeare 
 says: 
 
 The man that hath not music in himself 
 
 And is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, 
 
 Is fit for treasons, strategems and spoils; 
 
 Let no man trust him. 
 
 When a certain Reform School was opened, it was difficult 
 for the chaplain to secure the respect and attention of the boj's. 
 As soon as he began to speak the boys began to stamp, whistle 
 and interrupt him in other ways. The first chaplain did not suc- 
 ceed; the second went before the unmanageable bo3'S well quali- 
 fied to secure their attention. His first efforts were met with all 
 sorts of noise and confusion. He was a good singer, and when 
 there was a lull in the first noise and confusion, he commenced 
 singing a captivating air, which speedily produced perfect silence. 
 In a short time he completely overcame the turbulent spirits in 
 this tender way and never afterward experienced any difficulty 
 in managing them. 
 
 In this connection I ask yoMX permission to read to 3^ou a 
 little poem, which I think is pertinent and which beautifull3^ il- 
 lustrates the elevating and refining power of music, of sacred 
 music: 
 
THB CHII,D AND MUSIC. 
 
 HIS MOTHER'S SONGS. 
 
 Beneath the hot midsummer sun 
 
 The men had marched all day; 
 And now beside a rippling stream 
 
 Upon the grass they lay. 
 
 Tiring of gains and idle jests, 
 
 As swept the hours along, 
 They called to one who mused apart, 
 
 "Come, friend, give us a song." 
 
 *'I fear I can not please," he said; 
 
 "The only songs I know 
 Are those my mother used to sing 
 
 For me long years ago." 
 
 "Sing one of those," a rough voice cried, 
 "There's none but true men here; 
 
 To every mother's son of us 
 A mother's songs are dear." 
 
 Then sweetly rose the singer's voice, 
 
 Amid unwonted calm, 
 *'Am la soldiei'- of the Cross, 
 
 A follower of the Lamb? 
 
 '''And shall I fear to own His cause'" — 
 
 The very stream was stilled. 
 And hearts that never throbbed with fear 
 
 With tender thoughts were filled. 
 
 Ended the song; the singer said, 
 
 As to his feet he rose, 
 ^'Thanks to you all, my friends, good night, 
 
 God grant us sweet repose. ' ' 
 
 "Sing us once more," the Captain begged; 
 
 The soldier bent his head. 
 Then glancing 'round, with smiling lips, 
 
 "You'll join with me," he said. 
 
 "We'll sing this old familiar air, 
 
 Sweet as the bugle call, 
 ''All hail the power of fesus' name. 
 
 Let angels prostrate fall. ' ' ' 
 
 Ah! wondrous was the old tune's spell 
 
 As on the singer sang; 
 Man after man fell into line, 
 
 And loud the voices rang. 
 
24 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 The songs are done, the camp is still, 
 
 Naught but the stream is heard; 
 But, ah! the depths of every soul 
 
 By those old hymns are stirred. 
 
 And up from many a bearded lip, 
 
 In whispers soft and low, 
 Rises the prayer the mother taught • 
 
 The boy long years ago. 
 
 Music improves the understanding . The intellect is quick- 
 ened by its influence. Children commit to memory poetry that 
 is simg more readily than poetry that is spoken. The Greeks 
 and Romans saw this and set maxims of virtue to popular airs 
 for the young, and most other nations have followed their exam- 
 ple. We have among our German hymns so many purely didac- 
 tic verses, which are often criticised and declared as worthless by 
 those who do not understand their purpose — some of these were 
 written by Luther himself, such as "Christ unser Herr zum Jor- 
 dan ging" and "Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot" and they 
 constitute a catechism in song. I think we can all subscribe to 
 the words of a great thinker who said: "When music sounds the 
 sweetest in my ears, truth flows clearest into my mind." Who 
 has not noticed that musical families are distinguished for their 
 intelligence or at least a certain quickness of intellect and refine- 
 ment of manners above the multitude around them? The best 
 music aw^akens the most elevating associations, and it was not far 
 from the truth when Cipriano Potter said concerning a particular 
 chord in one of Mendelssohn's Lieder "that is a peep into Heav- 
 en!" — a remark that he also made about the theme of the slow 
 movement in Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata." The best music 
 awakens the most elevating associations and the more exalted the 
 associations, the greater the mental improvement. The coarse 
 and ignorant youth, who dislikes books and schools, never gives 
 any attention to this art. 
 
 We see then that Luther was not extravagant in his remarks 
 upon the discipline of music. He spoke from experience and ob- 
 servation, and he who speaks thus, usually speaks advisedly. 
 Oh, if we but understood the blessed power of music in the home, 
 better than the rod and dark closets. The story of the clergy- 
 man, whose children were remarkable for cheerfulness and amia- 
 bility, is not at all incredible; some one asked him what was the 
 
THE CHILD AND MUSIC. 
 
 25 
 
 secret of his success in training children? He replied: "When 
 anything disturbs their temper I say to them, sing!'' It is rea- 
 sonable. There is true philosophy in it. If there was more 
 singing, there would be less sinning. We have observed that 
 musical families are affectionate and amiable and seldom if ever 
 disturbed by household quarrels. It is doubtful whether any 
 families can be found, where stronger attachments unite the 
 members than those of this class. 
 
 The same thing has been observed in schools. A teacher 
 once confessed: "I have a piano in school instead of a ferule. It 
 saves me much unpleasant lecturing. When the scholars grow 
 restive, impatient and morose, I go to the piano, and we all sing — 
 and soon it is sunshine." 
 
 What our mother sang to us when she" put us to sleep, is 
 singing yet. We may have forgotten the words, but they went 
 into the fibre of our soul, and will forever be part of it. It is 
 not so much what you formally teach your children as what you 
 sing to them. A hymn has wings and can fly every whither. 
 One hundred and fifty 3^ears after you are dead your great-grand- 
 children will sing the songs wliich this evening you sing to your 
 little ones gathered about your knee. There is a place in Switz- 
 erland where, if 3^011 distinctly utter j^our voice, there come back 
 ten or fifteen echoes — and every Christian song sung by a mother 
 in the ear of her child shall have ten thousand echoes coming 
 back from all the gates of Heaven. Oh, if we only knew the 
 power of this sacred spell, how much oftener the little ones would 
 be gathered and all our homes would chime with the songs of 
 Jesus! 
 
 In 1754 two children were stolen by the Indians from a Ger- 
 man family residing in Pennsylvania. Nine or ten years after 
 Colonel Boquet, of the English army, conquered the Indians and 
 compelled them to give up all their white captives. More than 
 four hundred were brought to him, most of whom were stolen 
 from their parents in early life. The Colonel published the facts 
 and requested all parents who had lost children by the Indians to 
 come to Carlisle on a certain day to receive their offspring. 
 
 Parents came from far and near. The mother of the above 
 named little girls was there, but could not find her children. "Is 
 there nothing," said Col. B., "by which your children can be 
 discovered?" "Oh, sir, nothing — nothing," replied the sobbing 
 
26 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 mother. "Is there nothing you taught them which they could 
 recollect, if they heard it?" "Nothing, sir, nothing — unless it 
 be a hymn which we used to sing with the father." "Sing it, 
 sing it," said the Colonel. The mother began the hymn: 
 
 "Allein, und doch nicht ganz allein, 
 Bin ich in meiner Binsamkeit; 
 Denn wenn ich ganz verlassen schein', 
 Vertreibt mein Heiland mir die Zeit." 
 
 Scarcely had she sung the first two lines ere the youngest 
 child rushed from the crowd into her mother's arms. The sweet 
 hymn was fresh as ever in her child's heart. 
 
 I have said enough to show that music is a power of wonder- 
 ful influence over mind and heart — but whether this influence be 
 for good or for bad depends entirely on the quality of the music. 
 So far I have not said one word on the quality of the music, at 
 least not of bad music and its vicious effects; I have only spoken 
 of the refining, softening, elevating effects of pure and chaste 
 music, of rapturous chords, which give us a "peep into Heaven;" 
 but there is yet another music which opens unto us the very gates 
 of hell, which pollutes the soul and awakens all the beastly pas- 
 sions in the breast of man. There is enough of this sort, yes, I 
 may say it is the prevailing music of the day and to speak a little 
 plainer dare I venture to express it as my opinion, as my well- 
 weighed, candid opinion that even Wagner — much as I admire 
 certain parts of his compositions, but Wagner as a whole, the 
 "Geist" of this stupendous genius inclines alarmingly towards 
 this class of music which serves only the world, the flesh and the 
 devil. 
 
 I am prepared to give you my reasons — but not here and 
 now, and I beg you to let it pass merely as an interlude. In 
 speaking of bad music in this paper I will leave entirely aside 
 that class of corrupted and corrupting music which is prostituted 
 to base and shameful purposes. I wish to add only one word 
 concerning an inferior kind of music intended for children and 
 largely introduced into the homes and Sunday Schools of this 
 country; — I say iyiferior m.\\si<z and if inferior it certainly should 
 be superseded by superior music, for only the best is good enough 
 for children. The selection of music and musical books has too 
 often been left to the whimsical tastes of children or the childish 
 caprices of adults. As a consequence many selections of Sunday 
 
THB CHILD AND MUSIC. 
 
 27 
 
 School songs have teemed with meaningless rhymes and senti- 
 mental ditties, set to music essentially weak and frivolous in its 
 character. Happily there has been of late quite a general move- 
 ment toward better things — but there is yet room for great im- 
 provement. 
 
 In undertaking this much needed reform the subject, ''The 
 Child and Music" has proven to be a very difficult problem, a 
 problem which cannot be solved by professional musicians alone, 
 entirely on the basis of musical aesthetics and scholastic theories — 
 or else the mistake will be made that instead of trying to lead the 
 people gradually to a higher plane, it will be attempted to force 
 and drive the masses to the use of that which they do not under- 
 stand and in which they feel no interest. Can there be no inter- 
 mediate ground between stilted dignity on the one side and gush- 
 ing puerility on the other ? 
 
 The hymns and the music should be no less pure, devout 
 and worshipful in the Sunday School than in the preaching ser- 
 vice, because the Sunday School is (or ought to be) a religious 
 service and a preparation for the formal worship in the sanctuary, 
 where the young should be educated and trained for a reverent 
 service in spirit and in truth; because of the power of music either 
 to deepen religious impressions or to dispel and efface them by 
 exciting superficial and frivolous emotions; because in the words 
 used a mischievous distortion of the truth, an unwarrantable 
 fancy of the imagination, or an insidious heresy may become 
 more easily and firmly fastened in the mind by rhymes and mu- 
 sic than in an}^ other way. 
 
 For this reason the character of the book to be used is of vi- 
 tal importance. The German "Sonntagschul-Buch" of the Gen- 
 eral Council is good — at least better than many others and taken 
 all in all, perhaps, the best we have in this country; the only 
 criticism I have to make is that there is not enough of it; we use 
 it at the Wartburg, but have printed a number of other hymns 
 and added them as supplement. By all means keep out of your 
 Sunday School the trash of our next neighbors, hymnals which 
 are and must be to the taste of an educated lyUtheran very loath- 
 some, not only on account of the "crooked theology" lurking 
 therein, but also on account of the very inferior musical and lyric- 
 al quality; jingling effusions, which are often flippantly irrever- 
 ent, especially in the use of the names of our Savior. 
 
28 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 It is well to pay particular attention to the chorals in the 
 Sunday School, and it is a great mistake to suppose that even 
 children cannot be interested in them if they are only properly 
 introduced. 
 
 And now, in conclusion, let me express the deepest senti- 
 ments of my heart in saying: 
 
 May it ever be true among us that the love of God comes 
 first; then as second the love of children and our love for children 
 sanctified by the love of God — and then the love of music, not 
 third, but as the refining influence pervading and in conjunction 
 with both — God, children and music, these three, they will suf- 
 fice to antedate the bliss of Heaven ! 
 
• CHURCH MUSIC 
 AS A PART OF OUR EDUCATIONAI, SYSTEM. 
 
 BY THK RKV. R. MORRIS SMITH. 
 
 The successful development of Art is largely dependent upon the 
 application of historical principles. Certain well-defined, almost 
 inexorable laws reign in the realm of Art, and deviation means 
 deterioration. The Past has reared its models and the Present 
 can illy afford to ignore the true Art- forms of classic periods. 
 Genius enshrined in human forms has ruled in the different de- 
 partments of Art, and he, who would pose as a leader in any one, 
 must possess more than a mere fleeting knowledge of the great 
 masters. Draughts, frequent and long, are necessary until indi- 
 vidualism, or at least its vagaries, loses itself in a just apprecia- 
 tion of the worth and merit of the Past. 
 
 In the present development of art the labors of the masters 
 are as a rule respected.. A notable exception, however, to this 
 historic respect is encountered in the department of Church Mu- 
 sic. Plere it seems to be the conceit of the day to ignore in a 
 manner most haughty and unbecoming the heritage of the Past. 
 Strange that it should be so! Not only is Music the divinest, 
 but in one sense it is also the first of Arts. 
 
 To be oblivious of the Past and make the Present develop its 
 own forms and standard may be called "the spirit of progress; 
 yet should we, after all, be ashamed of retracing our steps to our 
 great ancestors, and borrowing from them somewhat of their 
 calmness, their stability, their strength, and so gain somewhat of 
 
 (xxix) 
 
30 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 the beautiful and lovely spirit that has given us so many peace- 
 ful, refreshing and lively melodies?"^ 
 
 The dawn of a better era seems to be approaching, so far, at 
 least, as our own Church is concerned. The sacred musical 
 treasures of the Past are being rejuvenated and the solemn tones 
 and devotional melodies that once seemed to impart a sacredness 
 to the Latin language now breathe their expressive, even majes- 
 tic richness in modern Anglo-Saxon. Our organists are begin- 
 ning to turn their eyes backward to the centuries that exhaled 
 the fragrance of a pure type of Church Music and delighted with 
 their retrospective vision the^^ wield their pens to enlighten those 
 less favored. Now and then, only at too long intervals, laymen, 
 whose nerve-centers have been racked almost to distraction by a 
 style of music essentially sensuous, sigh for deliverance from a 
 bondage in which, only too long, the^^ have been held captives. 
 Annual Convocations provoking earnest discussion, illustrating 
 by example what befits the high character of our holy Services, 
 and evincing a spirit of conservatism truly commendable, are 
 teaching our people to appreciate the grandeur of what some 
 sneeringly denominate antiquated music. The dissemination of 
 literature setting forth the beauty of a matchless Liturgy — a Lit- 
 urgy demanding a style of music in harmony with its own spirit, 
 is helping to turn the tide in a favorable direction. However, all 
 these are but isolated instances of a movement that requires con- 
 certed action, and the dynamic force necessary to insure such ac- 
 tion can only be successfully generated in a system of training 
 given by our educational institutions. 
 
 The Reform movements of the past strongly testify to the 
 fact that education played a most important part in their incep- 
 tion and development. The Reformation of the XVI century 
 was preceded by the so-called "revival of learning" of the XV 
 centur^^ The retoration and establishment of the ancient faith 
 were accomplished by Samuel through the "Colleges of the 
 Prophets," of which he was the founder. It is a fact worthy of 
 note that in these "schools of the prophets," however little we 
 know of the details of instruction, the Law did not usurp all the 
 time and attention. The Theological Seminaries at Ramah, 
 Bethel, Gilgal, Gibeah and Jericho cultivated music. 
 
 The history of Church Music abundantly proves that in its 
 
 * Thibaut, Purity in Music, p. 33, 
 
CHURCH MUSIC AND OUR EDUCATION AI. SYSTEM. 31 
 
 rise and progress it received its highest stimulus in schools found- 
 ed by the Church. During the pontificate of Sylvester when 
 music became a separate Art, the Eternal City saw an institution 
 arise for its proper cultivation. This was as early as 330 A. D. 
 The longevity of this school must have been brief, since little is 
 known beyond the mere fact of its existence. The latter part of 
 the VI and beginning of the VII centuries witnessed a glowing 
 fervor for the cultivation and propagation of a pure, churchly 
 type of music. It is at this period we meet with Gregory the 
 Great, whose efforts to recover the music of the Church from the 
 deterioration it experienced during the two previous centuries 
 were so signally crowned with success, and to whom we owe a 
 debt of gratitude for the sublimely solemn and highly devotional 
 form of music that bears his name. Realizing then what it seems 
 we do not realize to-day that purity in music is not preserved by 
 suffering it to be bandied about by the whims and caprices of ig- 
 norance, he founded a choristers' school at Rome, whose influ- 
 ence was felt among the barbarous nations to the North and 
 West. Busy as he was shaping the development of the Church, 
 he yet found time to act personally in the capacity of a teacher 
 of Sacred Song. 
 
 West of Rome was the countr}" of the fair-haired Anglo-Sax- 
 ons. Strongly attracted towards them Gregory sent Augustine 
 accompanied by forty missionaries and several thoroughly trained 
 choristers to their country. A choristers' school was foiuided at 
 Kent, England. Whatever faults Gregory may have had, negli- 
 gence to provide, maintain arid propagate a music suitable for 
 the Church was not one of them. After his death the spirit that 
 animated the master continued to assert itself in the pupils. 
 
 Gregory's particular t3'pe of music was introduced by Pepin 
 into Gaul, whither Pope Stephen II sent two choristers, presum- 
 abl}- as teachers. The wisdom of this act received its justifica- 
 tion in the establishment of a school at Rheims. 
 
 When Boniface, consecrated a bishop at Rome and evidently 
 familiar with the work of the music school there, undertook the 
 conversion of the barbarous hordes of Germany, he was not in- 
 sensible to the powerful influence music often exerts over the 
 uncouth nature. This led him to establish the schools at Fulda, 
 Eichstatt and W^iirzburg, in which the Sacred Art was pursued 
 with untiring energy. 
 
32 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 The maintenance of so high a standard of music, as was set 
 by Gregory, among the untutored and barbarous tribes of Gatil 
 and Germany, was a difficult task, and we are not surprised to 
 hear of deterioration. Fortunately this deterioration was of com- 
 paratively brief duration, as the latter part of the VIII century 
 furnished a patron and promoter of Sacred Music in the person 
 of Charlemange who founded a school at his court in which this 
 Art was cultivated with considerable vigor. Observing that the 
 music of the Church was not the same throughout his realm, he 
 determined to devote all his powers towards the attainment of 
 uniformity. To accomplish this he first journeyed to Rome in 
 company with several of his trained singers, in order to be at the 
 fountain-head of the Church's Song. Noting discrepancies in 
 the art of expression between his singers and those trained in the 
 local school, he placed two of his choristers in the school found- 
 ed by Gregory. Later these were recalled and stationed at the 
 bishop's Church in Metz, where acting as instructors Church 
 Song received a new life throughout Gaul. Pope Hadrian I 
 kindly assisted Charlemange and sent two choristers, Theodore 
 and Benedict. One went to Metz, the other to Soissons, the seat 
 of a flourishing school of Church Music. But the hopes of 
 Charlemange were not realized. Uniformity was not attained, 
 and once more he implored help from the mother school at Rome. 
 Two choristers, Peter and Romanus, were sent. Their destina- 
 tion was Metz, but on the way Romanus was stricken with fever, 
 taken to the cloister of St. Gall, and their nursed to health. The 
 Emperor, thankful to the brothers for the kind attention accord- 
 ed Romanus, permitted him to remain and thus was laid the 
 foundation of the famous school of St. Gall that for centuries 
 shed its benign influence over the Church's Song. In addition 
 to the schools already named, others were established at Mainz, 
 Treves, Corvey, Reichenau, and Hersfeld. How near to the 
 heart of Charlemange a pure type of Church Music lay is evi- 
 denced by the fact that he not only founded special schools for 
 its cultivation, but made it a part of the curricula of studies 
 throughout the ordinary schools of his realm. 
 
 In the XVI century, music of the most trivial and flippant 
 type became associated with the Services of the Church of Rome. 
 The great Council of Trent (1562) emphatically denounced the 
 frivolities that were rapidly secularizing worship and demanded 
 
CHURCH MUSIC AND OUR KDUCATIONAI, SYSTEM. 33 
 
 a return to the Plain Song of Gregory; but the Council was pre- 
 vailed upon to hold its demand in abeyance until a new work by 
 Palestrina should be completed. The compositions at onc£ 
 brought Palestrina into deserved prominence. A school was 
 founded in Rome where his style of music characterized by a 
 deeply religious and devotional tone was faithfully taught. 
 
 The music condemned by the Council of Trent was dignity 
 and decorum itself compared with that which dominated in the 
 Roman Church during the XVIII and XIX centuries. This 
 was the era of floridity and dramatic sentimentality. . The music 
 of the world entered the sacred temples of worship and robbed 
 the lyiturgy of its beauty and solemnity. It was not until 1868 
 that the current was stemmed by the Cecilian movement, now 
 such a powerful factor in the Roman Church in behalf of a pure, 
 Churchly type. The Music schools at Regensburg, Germany, 
 and St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wis., besides numberless 
 societies give their most earnest and hearty support to this move- 
 ment. 
 
 . The Reformation of the XVI century with its awakened 
 spiritual life evidenced its change from the old order of affairs 
 not simply in doctrine but also in worship. The universal priest- 
 hood of all believers was a doctrine that broke the barrier inter- 
 posed by the Roman Church between man and God, and man's 
 aspirations soared on the wings of Song to the Eternal throne. 
 The outburst of Song during that period created a new era in the 
 history of Church Music. The schools of the day were the pow- 
 erful factors in developing and shaping the life of Church Song. 
 One needs only to examine the old Agenda in order to be con- 
 vinced that Church Music formed one of the essential subjects of 
 instruction. The smallest village school was not exempt from 
 this duty. To the honor of the age and the schools be it said 
 that the whole range of Church Song received most careful and 
 thoughtful attention. In the schools of the larger towns and 
 cities the children of the lowest classes committed to memory and 
 learned to sing the magnificent inheritances from former ages, 
 set forth in a purified Liturgy, as well as a number of festival 
 Hymns. The higher grades wrestled with the entire Psalter, 
 principal Hymns and even artistic polyphonic compositions. The 
 music of the school was the music of the Church and therein re- 
 ceived its practical application. The scholars were the choristers 
 
'34 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 and in turn became the teacheivS of the congregation. No won- 
 der the stately Chorals entered the homes of the people aijd ex- 
 erted a gracious influence over their daily life. 
 
 We have purposely entered somewhat fully into historical 
 details in order to show 
 
 I . That the Church of the Past always endeavored to foster 
 a proper type of music in schools founded through her instru- 
 mentality or by her sanction; and 2. That whenever the music 
 of the Church began to deteriorate, its restoration was accom- 
 plished through a system of training given in schools. We al- 
 most hesitate to turn away from the delightful contemplation of 
 the musical status, particularly within the borders of our own 
 Church in the Fatherland more than 300 years ago, to look at 
 present conditions and remedies in utilitarian America. 
 
 In general it may be stated that in matters pertaining to mu- 
 sic the Protestant Church in this country is in a lamentable con- 
 dition. Many causes have contributed to this result, chief among^ 
 which are depraved taste, musical ignorance, disdain for the 
 Past, denominational rivalry, and monetary greed. Many of the 
 sects, whose Hymnals contain much that is worthy, have ungra- 
 ciously flung these aside and are feasting in a most voracious 
 manner upon the subjective sentimentalities, oft insipid produc- 
 tions, and religious abominations of incorrectly-called "Gospel 
 Hymns. ' ' There is a strong suspicion that in some quarters our 
 own Church lies in the path of this blighting Sirocco. The high- 
 ly emotional alone satisfies, while the calm, decorous, objective 
 and spiritually edifying is relegated to the shades of a dead form- 
 alism. 
 
 The chaotic condition so marked in the music of the sects 
 does, happily, not apply in an equal degree to our Church; yet 
 who is so bold as to affirm that we have reached the top step of 
 ideality? It may not be very palatable to us who glory in our 
 faith and could with equal consistency glor}^ in our worship with 
 all that it includes, if we would only return for our music to the 
 period that gave us the faith, to heai the editor of one of our 
 foremost periodicals say: — "There is no one department of all our 
 Church Praxis, in which opinion is so unsettled, in which varia- 
 tion is so striking, in which caprice and ignorance waltz so airily 
 and delightfully together through the sacred realm; where choir- 
 masters are so uncertain as tp what ought and ought not to be 
 
CHURCH MUSIC AND OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. 35 
 
 sung; where organists cannot say what should and what should 
 not be excluded; where ideas from outside denominations, and 
 suggestions from the world, the flesh and the devil are so freely 
 drawn upon, as is the case in the music of our Churches."^ 
 
 The truth of these arraigning words cannot be challenged. 
 It is undeniably true that in almost every department of our Cul- 
 tus we approach the ideal nearer than in that of Church Music. 
 This ought not to be so. With us music is an integral part of 
 worship. Sectarians employ it largely as an ornament helping 
 to adorn an otherwise bleak and unsatisfactory service. Want of 
 knowledge is largely responsible for the lack of appreciation 
 shown our musical treasures. One of the enigmas of the day is 
 the fact that men will brook a style of music in the Church, 
 which produced in the concert- hall would disgust. In other 
 words they demand a higher standard for the theatre than for the 
 Church. For us a distinct line of demarcation must run between 
 the music of the Church and that of the world. The music of 
 the street and the theatre has no place in the Services of our 
 Church. 
 
 It is a comparatively easy matter for us to theorize; but the- 
 orizing has never won a battle. Lamentation after lamentation 
 and sigh after sigh have gone forth from those who would wish 
 to see a different state of affairs in our Church, but lamentations' 
 and sighs have never rectified our musical sins. That our Church 
 from a musical standpoint has advanced during the past quarter 
 of a century cannot be denied; but her advancement in this direc- 
 tion has not kept pace with her progress in other directions. 
 There seems to be but one solution to the difficult and perplexing 
 question — How shall we attain an approximate ideality in our 
 Church Music? — and the solution rests with our educational in- 
 stitutions. 
 
 We have thus far looked at the subject rather from a nega- 
 tive viewpoint, stating facts and conditions, and permitting the 
 inference that Church music should form a part of our education- 
 al system. Let us now view the subject positively. 
 
 The distinctive position of our Church demands that Church 
 Music become a part of systematic education. The very fact 
 that we have an existence independent of sectarian bodies is evi- 
 dence that we have something distinctive. This distinctiveness 
 * Lutheran Church Review, XVII, p. 382. 
 
36 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 is characteristic not of our doctrine onl}^, but of our Cultus like- 
 wise. Doctrine and Cultus are related parts of an organic 
 whole. Purit}^ in the one demands an equal purity in the other. 
 Just as our faith is rooted in the precious soil of the Divine Word, 
 so our Cultus does not contravene the spirit of that Word. As 
 little as our Reformers could accept the doctrines of the Reformed 
 school of theologians, just as little could the}^ accept the Re- 
 formed tendencies in worship. Our doctrine of the Word deter- 
 mined our attitude as to Cultus. Our Church has always mag- 
 nified the Sacramental element in worship; the Reformed, the 
 Sacrificial. What God brings to man is Lutheran; what man 
 brings to God is Roman and Reformed. True, our Church does 
 not lose sight of the Sacrificial according it its proper place; but 
 objective realit}^ is ever of higher importance than subjective 
 emotionalism or individualism. Excepting the Reformers none 
 understood this distinctive position of our Church better than did 
 the Lutheran composers of Church Music during the XVI cen- 
 tury' . Hence their music breathes the beautifully calm, contem- 
 plative and reflective spirit, admired by those whose taste has not 
 been vitiated by the husks of musical charlatans. 
 
 There is another element that enters here into our consider- 
 ation. Our Church is essentiall}^ a liturgical Church. The Re- 
 former whose name she bears was iconoclastic onh^ in so far as 
 error was concerned. He failed not to appreciate the helpful- 
 ness, the beauty, the majest}^ of the Liturgy. Like appreciative 
 were his co-laborers and followers. But there came the era of 
 Pietism and the noble structure received a ruinous and uncalled- 
 for blow. The reaction that followed in the days of Illumination 
 and Rationalism completed the ruin. The fate of the Liturgy 
 was the fate of the music. The Church lost sight of the truly 
 artistic and edifying and chaos reigned on ever}^ side. But it 
 was not ever to be thus. A period of Restoration came and that 
 period is happily marching onward with ourselves as factors in 
 shaping the affairs and life of the Church. With a restored Lit- 
 urg;^' should we not also have a restored music? How illy adapt- 
 ed is much of the music we hear in our day, when tested by the 
 standard of the Liturgy. We must not be oblivious of the fact 
 that the Liturgy^ presents organic unity. It is not a mixture of 
 incoherent and unrelated parts, but a living embodiment of ex- 
 quisitely dovetailed harmom\ Resting securely upon the foun- 
 
CHURCH MUSIC AND OUR KDUCATIONAI. SYSTEM. 37 
 
 dation of the Church Year, its sweep is broad and comprehensive; 
 yet, cone-like, it ever narrows to a decided point. Like our 
 doctrine, our Liturgy is Christocentric. Hence from the very 
 nature of things and with a sense of eternal fitness in view, the 
 jarring tones of a rasping music cannot adequatel}^ and worship- 
 fully express the spirit df our matchless Service. 
 
 The point of application is this — we need in our system of 
 education thorough instruction in the principles of Church Mu- 
 sic. But our Church demands more. She requires that her in- 
 structors in this Sacred Art be men qualified to teach the cognate 
 subj ect — Liturgies . 
 
 Where shall this instruction begin? Undoubtedly the most 
 natural place is the Theological Seminary. Here are trained 
 those who will be the moulders of the Church's life in the 3'ears 
 to come. The careful, judicious pastor exerts a vast influence 
 over the flock in his charge. If qualified to speak of the sur- 
 passing merits of our own musical treasures and competent to 
 point out the defects of much that passes for Church music, ad- 
 vancement along the line of correct, churchly taste will inevita- 
 bly result. The hymnological and liturgical treasures of our 
 Church remain unused principally because our pastors have not 
 had their attention directed to them in a practical way. Zealous- 
 ly careful to warn against all negative tendencies and rigidly ad- 
 hering to a positive theology, our Theological Seminaries neglect 
 what is of equal importance — the teaching of a pure type of 
 Church Music. We seem to forget that through the medium of 
 music error is propagated in a more subtle way than through that 
 of oral or written speech. Much of the music we hear in our 
 Churches to-day "voices the restlessness, the discontent, the 
 rationalistic temper of our century. The intentional discords, 
 the startling, peculiar and novel harmonic effects are typical, not 
 of the spirit of worship, but of the conflict and mental unrest of 
 modern thought."* 
 
 Should not our Seminaries arm our students against this in- 
 sidious foe? While it is true that our Church does not offend as 
 heinously, and in the day of judgment will not have to answer 
 for as man3^ musical sins as some other Protestant bodies, it is 
 also true that perfection is not one of our attributes and the soon- 
 er we enter, in our Theological Seminaries, upon a course of re- 
 * Humphreys, The Evolution of Music, p. 149. 
 
38 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 pentance for musical iniquities committed, the happier will be the 
 day of reckoning for our Zion. It is a fact not without signifi- 
 cance that those sects disturbed by doctrinal dissatisfaction and 
 negative disquietude, have permitted "the world, the flesh and 
 the devil" to make "merrie music" in their Churches. 
 
 Furthermore, our Theological Seminaries should fit our pas- 
 tors to be leaders not in the Church's thought only, but in her 
 life and worship also. As at present constituted our Theological 
 education promotes a one-sided development, exalting Doctrine 
 at the expense of Cultus. In making this statement we do not 
 wish to be misunderstood. In none of the departments of Theol- 
 ogy should there be a lowering of the standard now pursued, but 
 in some there should be a decided advance. We do not want less 
 Systematic Theology taught in our Seminaries, but we do want 
 more Practical. Even where the Cultus of the Church receives 
 attention, the element of Church Music as an integrant of Cultus 
 is woefully neglected. 
 
 The necessity for instruction in the subject at hand is height- 
 ened by the fact that the taste of so many of our Church mem- 
 bers has been utterly destroyed or at least fearfully perverted by 
 a degenerate class of music; and that our organists, as a rule, are 
 either woefully ignorant of I^utheran Church music, or else have 
 very little sympathy with it. 
 
 We think we are not far wrong in asserting that outside of 
 the cities and larger towns of our country, few of our organists 
 have even a speaking acquaintance with pure, Lutheran Church 
 music. Add to this the fact that many of our organists often oc- 
 cupy their positions by virtue of their skill as executants; that 
 conscious of their ability they are fond of displaying their virtu- 
 osity; that few possess the knowledge or feel the spirit of that 
 beautifully subtile relation existing between Liturgy and Music, 
 and we have a chain of events hard to break under the most fa- 
 vorable circumstances and a hundredfold harder if our pastors 
 lack both theoretical and practical knowledge of true music for 
 the Church, preventing them from applying in a mild, kind and 
 intelligent manner the rod of correction. A pastor should be 
 able to deal intelligently with all phases of our multiform Church 
 life. This he cannot do if ignorant of one of its chief factors — 
 Church Music. 
 
 After accepting the invitation to speak upon this subject, we 
 
CHURCH MUSIC AND OUR KDUCATlONAI, SYSTEM. 39 
 
 addressed a letter to each, of the 23 Theological Seminaries of our 
 Church in this country, asking the question, — "Is Church Music 
 taught in your Seminary? If so, to what extent?' ' Twenty-two 
 answers were received. So uniformly negative were they, with 
 shame either expressed or implied, that the following five afford 
 refreshing relief from the monotonous list of NOES: — 
 
 "lyiturgical singing is taught in the regular course of the Senior year 
 and practiced, by the students in the presence of the Professor." — [Concordia 
 Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.] 
 
 "Yes, we try to give our students a little of the theoretical and the 
 practical in Church Music. It is not much, but we hope to improve this 
 part of the course materially this year." — [Chicago Theological Seminary.] 
 
 "Connected with our College and Theological Seminar}^ is a good and 
 flourishing Musical Conservatory, where special instruction is giv^en for or- 
 ganists. A Professor of this Conservatory gives also weekly instruction in 
 Church Music to the students in our Seminary." — [Swedish Augustana, 
 Rock Island, 111.] 
 
 "I have the pleasure to inform you that song and Church Music are 
 taught in our Seminary. Two hours a week are devoted to this study." — 
 [Hauge Norwegian, Red Wing, Minn.] 
 
 "From two to three hours weekly, practical instruction in singing the 
 liturgical responses and Chorals is given in our Seminary. Regular Matin 
 Services are held every day alternating in German and English. 
 
 The German 'Hauptgottesdienst' is rendered by students every Mon- 
 day morning and once a month a German Vesper Service is held in which 
 the well-trained choir of St. Johannis takes part. This Service is intoned by 
 the pastor. The Professor of Liturgies pays a good deal of attention to the 
 musical rendering of the Services." — [Mt. Airy Seminary, Philadelphia, Pa.] 
 The only comment we desire to make on our experience with 
 these answers is that our English congregations which need a 
 purer type of Church Music most, have least of it taught in their 
 Seminaries. May the time soon draw apace when the faculty 
 roster of every one of our Seminaries shall display, in heavy type, 
 
 the name of Dr. , Professor of I^iturgics and Church 
 
 Music. 
 
 We proceed, however, a step further, and venture to assert 
 that not only our Theological Seminaries, but also our Academic 
 institutions should come to our relief and help us meet a long- felt 
 want. Our Colleges are the offspring of the Church, They 
 "live, move and have their being" in the life of the Church. A 
 bond of the closest sympathy should unite the Church and her 
 schools of learning. The College through its students is able to 
 swell the power and influence of the Church. We know what 
 
40 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 a power for good laymen, educated along conservative lines, exert 
 in congregations. Our young people, trained in our institutions, 
 should be and usually are the Aarons and Hurs upholding the 
 arms of their leaders — the pastors. Let Church Music be a part 
 of the curricula of studies and who is able to foretell w^hat excel- 
 lent fruitage will in time mature upon the tree growm from the 
 seed of this most noble instruction. 
 
 No adequate reasons can be assigned why our institutions of 
 learning, established and supported by the Church, should not 
 express their devotions in the restored Matins and Vespers of the 
 Common Service; and if their use be re- enforced by a clear under- 
 standing of their idea, history and structure, how far more im- 
 pressive they become. Clothe their mute forms in the musical 
 melodies and tones that have been hallow^ed by time and the de- 
 votions of unnumbered millions and they become vibrant with a 
 speech that lifts the soul into Jehovah's presence. Who, familiar 
 with these Services, has not felt their spiritually uplifting influ- 
 ence, as they have touched his soul, w^arming it with the glow of 
 a holy joy, thus making it impossible for him to descend from 
 the sublime, their characteristic, to the ridiculous, the character- 
 istic of so much that passes for Church music? 
 
 Supplementary to a thorough acquaintance with the Minor 
 Services should be a most intimate know^ledge with the Chief 
 Service; not simply a general idea of its history- but a clear, in- 
 trospective view of its structure. The relation of part to part 
 and to the whole; the beautiful chord of harm on 3^ vibrating 
 through Introit, Collect, Epistle and Gospel; the division of the 
 Service into its Sacramental and Sacrificial elements; the strong 
 doctrinal emphasis everywhere affirmed; its distinctiveness in the 
 realm of Liturgiology ; the environments necessary for a proper 
 presentation and correct expression — these with many others are 
 points that should receive attention in our Collegiate institutions. 
 Then inasmuch as these liturgical forms are historic they should 
 also have the historic musical settings, the oldest, best and pur- 
 est music for the Church. Nothing but the very best should en- 
 gage the minds and rivet the attention of our 3'oung people. To 
 a certain extent we are responsible for the inartistic and pen^erted 
 taste displa5^ed in matters musical. People will sing and, in lieu 
 of the best, shoddy will find substitution. Much of the very 
 best Church Music is not adapted to the necessities of our En- 
 
CHURCH MUSIC AND OUR KDUCATIONAI, SYSTEM. 41 
 
 glish congregations. Our Church possesses musical ability suf- 
 ficient to make the proper adaptations. 
 
 We should also remember that College days form the plastic 
 and moulding era in the lives of our young people; and that 
 tastes cultivated in early years will cling tenaciously to the un- 
 folding, even the matured life. The natural gaiety of young 
 persons will incline to the trivial and sentimental, and it requires 
 constant and systematic instruction to direct their tastes into 
 churchly channels and make them realize that there is one kind 
 of music for the Church and another for amusemxcnt, and that 
 the two are antipodal in character. 
 
 Suppose our higher institutions of learning should use the 
 liturgical Services with the musical settings referred to; supple- 
 ment these by such hymn-tunes as have well-rounded melodies 
 and good, broad harmonies; and in particular satisfy the musical 
 palates of the students with the precious Chorals in their original 
 rhythmical settings, what a powerful influence such examples 
 would exert. Among the student body the organization of a 
 choir capable of utilizing the polyphonic compositions of the old 
 masters should not be an impossibility. In this manner the 
 whole gamut of music necessary for the correct, churchly render- 
 ing of our Services would receive intelligent treatment. Four 
 years of such training in the College would result in the cultiva- 
 tion of a taste incapable of being satisfied with anything of lower 
 form. 
 
 Thus equipped let these young persons take their places in 
 the congregations, and if "knowledge is power," there will soon 
 be forces in operation that can only inure to the best interests of 
 our Church. To plead lack of time is only another form of ex- 
 pressing unwillingness or disapprobation. Glee Clubs, orchestras 
 and brass bands, consuming more time than would the introduc- 
 tion and practice of Church music, find favor; and yet these are 
 often the very media responsible for infatuation with either a de- 
 praved taste or an unchurchly type of music. 
 
 The Church has for years been aiming at uniformity, not 
 .only as to forms but also as to music, and if ever this blessed re- 
 sult is to be attained, it must follow the course of all true Reform 
 and work not from below upward but from above downward. It 
 must have its unifying basis first and foremost in the ministry; 
 be fostered in the liturgical atmosphere of our Theological 
 
42 
 
 ESSAYS OX CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 schools; be developed in the growing intelligence of the students 
 in our Academic institutions; and receive due and worthy recog- 
 nition in the exercises of other branches of our educational sj's- 
 tem — the Parochial and Sunday Schools. 
 
 Though uniformity as to form, practice and music is not an 
 element essential to worship, still it would be fraught wdth mani- 
 fold advantages both to minister and laj-men; and our la3'men ed- 
 ucated in our higher institutions and trained therein in liturgical 
 and churchly modes of thought could wonderfully assist in the 
 process of Reform b}- reason of the respect accorded their superior 
 intelligence. What we long for and most earnestly desire is a 
 churchl}- type of music — a tj-pe that per se expresses liturgical 
 feeling. To deny the possibilitj" of attainment in this age of 
 sentimentalism and disunion is to acknowledge defeat b}' an in- 
 ferior enemy, and confess the triumph of the base over the re- 
 fined. We believe there is enough of true aesthetic sentiment 
 within the portals of otu' Zion not simpl}" to affirm the possibility 
 of attainment but to liberate possibility itself from the gloom}^ 
 realm of half doubt and permit it to enjoy the clear atmosphere 
 of actuality. The practices of sectarianism and the teaching of 
 our public school S3^stem may oppose but cannot finalh' prevent 
 victor}' if true liturgical consciousness and all implied in it be in- 
 spired through systematic training given by our theological, aca- 
 demic, parochial and Sundaj^ schools. 
 
 We must, how^ever, iise our treasures, and make their power 
 felt by actual contact, for this is, after all, the most effectual 
 method to elevate the standard of Church Music. 
 
 Pursuing this method w^e shall in truth return to the classic 
 Art-forms of the Past while retaining the progressive spirit of the 
 Present. The banner of a pure, decorous and uplifting worship 
 music will then once again float in graceful folds over our beloved 
 Church, and possibly then, as in the daj^s of the Reformation, the 
 music of the Church will be the music of daih* life. 
 
THE IvOCATION OF THE CHOIR AND THE ORGAN. 
 
 BY THK REV. GKO. C. F. HAAS, D. D. 
 
 The location of the choir and the organ in the Evangehcal Eu- 
 theran Church, hke other similar questions concerning the style 
 of the church building and the arrangement of its parts and fur- 
 nishings, and to a greater degree than many of them, is a mooted 
 point. Not only does usage in this matter differ widely, but the 
 reasons, both practical and theoretical, assigned for this variation 
 in usage are equally at variance. It cannot, therefore, be the 
 purpose of this short paper to decide a question, on which even 
 those who have made a special study of the subject entertain views 
 so diverse, but rather only to point out the varying usage and to 
 deduce a few principles to guide in locating the choir and the or- 
 gan. 
 
 It may be stated by way of preface, that the literature of 
 this particular subject is not very extensive. Reference is made 
 to it, generally only en passant, in larger works on practical the- 
 ology, of which may be mentioned: G. Rietschel, Lehrbuch der 
 Liturgik and E. Chr. Achelis, Lelu^biich der praktischen Theolo- 
 gie. Monographs on the subject, to which the writer found ref- 
 erence, but to which unfortunately, in the limited time at his 
 disposal he could not get access, are: Plass, Der Platz fuer Orgel 
 und Saengerchor; Redlin, Orgelempore imd Saengerchor; Brathe, 
 Die Stellung der Orgel in der Kirche; and Fr. Spitta, Die Prin- 
 cipien fuer die Anf stellung der Orgel im evangelischen Gottes- 
 hause. 
 
 In approaching the subject it may be well too to direct at- 
 tention to the fact, that not only must the choir be located near 
 
 (xliii) 
 
44 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 the organ, but that it is the location of the choir which in princi- 
 ple determines the location of the organ, and not the reverse. 
 The choir is a useful and important factor in the service of the 
 Church, the organ is only secondar}^ in point of importance and 
 necessity. 
 
 In trying to determine the proper location of choir and or- 
 gan we can proceed from three different points of view, the kzs- 
 torical, the theoretical and the practical. We can inquire what the 
 usage of the past has been, in order, so far as it is a correct 
 usage, to be guided by it in the present. This procedure would 
 be quite in accordance with the conservative character of our 
 Church. Again we can seek theoretically to define the relation of 
 the choir to the congregation and its position in the w^orship of 
 the Church, and from these data try to deduce its proper location 
 in the house of worship. Finally we can see what influence the 
 practical requirements of the Service and the limitations of actu- 
 ality exercise on this location. 
 
 Looking at the matter from the historical point of view, we 
 shall not be able to return a definite answer to the question: 
 Where shall the choir and the organ be located ? The reason for 
 this is not alone that usage varies, and that an appeal might be 
 made to it to sanction widely different locations, but also that a 
 considerable part of this usage developed under a system of doc- 
 trine and worship at variance with the evangelical idea. There 
 is not as yet a specifically Lutheran style of church- architecture, 
 nor a specifically Lutheran location of the choir and organ. At 
 least three different locations are possible and each of the three is 
 represented by many actual examples even in Lutheran churches. 
 The organ may be placed in or near the chancel on one side of it 
 (the pipe-w^ork sometimes divided on the two sides of the chan- 
 cel) and the choir also in stalls or seats within the chancel-space, 
 elevated a few steps above the main floor of the church. The 
 location of the choir, as well as the organ, in this place can, per- 
 haps, claim greater antiquity than any other location. It is the 
 most prevalent location in the Romish church and the most nat- 
 ural where the choir is clerical rather than lay. A variant of 
 this location is to be found w^here the organ, especially in cruci- 
 form churches, occupies a place in one of the transepts or what 
 corresponds to such, usually on an elevated gallery, the choir be- 
 ing either in the chancel or on the same gallery near the organ. 
 
THE LOCATION OF THE CHOIR AND THE ORGAN. 45 
 
 Again the organ and choir may be placed directly opposite the 
 chancel and altar at the other (west) end of the church, elevated 
 on a galler>^ above the main entrance. Since the end of the 13th 
 century larger churches often had two organs, a larger one on the 
 west gallery and a smaller one in the chancel to accompany the 
 choir which had its place there. Still another location of organ 
 and choir is at the end of the church where the chancel is, but in 
 a central position and back of and above the altar and pulpit, 
 the latter being also central in position and directly behind and 
 above the altar. This arrangement is not so modern as many 
 suppose. Credit for suggesting it as practical and expedient 
 must be given to Joseph Furttenbach, municipal architect (Stadt- 
 baumeister) of Ulm, who in 1649, just after the close of the 
 Thirty Years' War, published a book to show how "congregations 
 drained by the war might, at a relatively small cost, erect a suita- 
 ble church-building."-''^ The yery reason given for suggesting it 
 shows this location of the organ, considered the acme of modern 
 progress by some, together with the arrangement of the pulpit 
 behind and above the altar- table, so lovingly cherished by others, 
 to have been the makeshift of necessity rather than the develop- 
 ment of an ecclesiastical or architectural idea. From the histor- 
 ical point of view this arrangement has, therefore, nothing to 
 recommend it. Locations other than those referred to, as e. g., 
 on a galler}' in the middle of the long side of a rectangular build- 
 ing, are too exceptional in character to require mention, whilst 
 the location near the chancel and that at the opposite end of the 
 church can both claim consideration, with the greater weight of 
 usage, perhaps, in favor of the former. 
 
 From the theoretical point of view we must consider the 
 relation of the choir to the congregation and its function in the 
 Service. With regard to this relation the correct principle is 
 enunciated by Th. Harnack f as follows: "A choir separate from 
 and independent of the congregation is at variance with evangel- 
 ical worship." The assembled congregation and it alone is the 
 subject that executes the act of worship. Even the minister, 
 whether acting in a sacrificial or a sacramental capacity, acts in 
 and with the congregation. So the function of the choir too is 
 not to sing at the congregation, nor yet in a priestly sense /or the 
 
 * G. Rietschel, Liturgik, p. iii. 
 t Praktische Theo/ogie, I, 519. 
 
46 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 congregation, but hi and with it. If then the choir is a part of 
 the congregation, this would seem to require in order to its visi- 
 ble expression, that the choir should not be located in a place 
 opposite to, and entirely separated from the congregation. It 
 should not directly face the congregation, but turn with it towards 
 the altar. This would exclude its location behind and above the 
 pulpit and altar, which location is unliturgical also because the 
 organ usurps the place in the sanctuary that is the most central 
 and the most conspicuous, which, according to the analogy of the 
 whole lyUtheran service, belongs to the altar only. The require- 
 ment, that the choir should not face the congregation, does not 
 of necessity exclude the placing of the choir in the chancel or in 
 the transept. As to whether this position or that on the west 
 gallery is more in accord with the idea of the evangelical church- 
 arrangement, opinions differ widely. The Eisenacher Regulativ, 
 a statement of the principles of evangelical church-architecture 
 and arrangement laid down by the Conference of the German 
 Evangelical Church- governments in connection with several emi- 
 nent ecclesiastical architects, held in Eisenach in 1861, favors the 
 west gallery. The 7th thesis, speaking of the chancel (choir), 
 says: "Other stalls than those for the minister and the vestry, 
 and, where it is sanctioned b}^ usage, the confessional, do not be- 
 long there." Thesis 11, which deals with the organ, expressly 
 states: "The organ, near which also the precentor with the choir 
 must be placed, finds its natural place opposite the altar at the 
 western end of the church on a gallery above the main entrance."* 
 A diametrically opposite view is held and advocated by P. Veese- 
 meyer of Wiesbaden, who would have the organ and choir located 
 in the rear of the altar. His entire proposals, however, seem to 
 be more in accord with the Reformed than with the I^utheran view 
 of the church-edifice. Dr. Achelis in his Praktische Theologie 
 (p. 241) draws the conclusion: "The organ finally is to be re- 
 leased from its unnatural and inappropriate position in the rear 
 of the congregation and to be united with the pulpit and the al- 
 tar in one group." From the theoretical point of view so much 
 is evident, but in spite of various and insistent advocates, the 
 central position in the face of the congregation and above the al- 
 tar cannot be maintained. As to the location in the chancel or 
 in the west gallery it is difficult to decide, proper safeguards be- 
 * Cf. Rietschel, pp. 1 20-1 21. 
 
THE IvOCATlON OF THE CHOIR AND THE ORGAN. 47 
 
 ing observed, which is more in accord with the idea and principle 
 of the evangehcal service. 
 
 If now we turn to the practical point of view, that of adap- 
 tation to the needs and requirements of the actual congregation 
 at the present time, the indications seem to point in the same 
 direction. To place choir and organ in full view of the congre- 
 gation, especially in a central and elevated position, where they 
 can and must be seen, is decidedly objectionable, not onl}^ because 
 the necessary moving about, turning of music, manipulating of 
 stops and the like — not to mention the frequent, unnecessary 
 restlessness of the choir — is bound to distract the congregation, 
 but also because the personal element, especially in a mixed 
 choir, becomes obtrusive, and how Miss A. opens her mouth 
 when she sings, and what kind of millinery Miss B. displays, and 
 how the organist perspires over his hard work is not particularly 
 conducive to edification. Moreover when we are sung at, we are 
 involuntarily reminded of the concert-hall and the stage. It is 
 not the singer, but the song, it is not even the song in its ses- 
 thetical, but only in its devotional aspect as a part of our worship 
 that we want to be aware of. All else distracts. Whether the 
 choir and organ are to be in the chancel or on the gallery as a 
 practical question, would depend largely on the architecture of 
 the church, the kind of choir, mixed or boy -choir, and like con- 
 siderations. 
 
 Summing up the results of our investigation, the following 
 principles should be observed in the choice of the location for the 
 organ and the choir. 
 
 1. This location is not fixed by any definite rule, but is 
 to be determined by what is appropriate in an Evangelical Lu- 
 
 ^ theran Church. 
 
 2. In determining what is appropriate, the usage of the 
 past, while affording valuable hints, is too diverse to be conclu- 
 sive. 
 
 3. The theoretical consideration of what is most in ac- 
 cord with the idea of the lyUtheran Service offers the most valua- 
 ble help toward solving the question before us. 
 
 4. The negative consideration of avoiding w^hat is inap- 
 propriate, as being either unevangelical or unliturgical, should 
 be accorded its full value. 
 
 5. The location of choir and organ so as to face the con- 
 
48 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 gregation, especially directly and centrally, is to be discouraged. 
 
 6. The location in the chancel, while in accord with the 
 most ancient usage and not objectionable as such, may easily be 
 conceived as expressing the Romish idea of the separation of the 
 active factors in the Service from the congregation and their rele- 
 gation to a place of special sanctity, rather than their unity with 
 the congregation. 
 
 7. The location on the west gallery seems in general 
 most easily to accord with the greatest number of theoretical and 
 practical demands of the Lutheran Service. 
 
THE PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOE FOR 
 CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 BY THE REV. I.UTHER D. REED. 
 
 At the last Convocation held in New York City some attention 
 was given to a proposition looking to the establishment of a Sum- 
 mer School for Church Music. By resolution the whole subject 
 was referred to the Convocation Committee appointed by the 
 General Council for further consideration and report. At sever- 
 al meetings of the Connnittee held in Philadelphia the plan was 
 briefly discussed and the writer was asked to give further study 
 to the subject and to outhne the plan and work of such a School 
 in a paper to be read at this Convocation as a means of bringing 
 the topic definitely and clearly before us for the fullest discussion 
 and further action. 
 
 New conditions confront us as a Church. New problems are 
 ever arising and calling for solution. Matters which gave our 
 fathers the greatest concern, no longer disturb us. Questions of 
 Church life and government unthought of forty years ago, now 
 press upon us insistentl}-. Doctrinally we are at peace, and when 
 the gates of Janus are closed Minerva reigns. Denominational 
 chaos has given way before the light of confessional truth. The 
 historic foundations of our Church have been discovered. We 
 have gone back to the Rock from which we were hewn and have 
 begun again, upon its enduring verities, to erect our temple of 
 worship. The God-given talents of her loyal children are being 
 consecrated to the fashioning and adorning of this structure in 
 
 (xlix) 
 
50 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 reverent beauty. The rapid progress of Anglicization, the growth 
 in general intelligence, culture and wealth of our people, have 
 prepared the way for an intensive development that must go hand 
 in hand with the extensive. We say that the present widespread 
 interest and activity in the field of lyitiirgical study, with all that 
 this includes in Christian Art and Church Music, is not simply 
 the result of the zeal of a few enthusiastic pastors, but is the re- 
 sultant of the interworking of important present-day factors and 
 conditions. This development must be guided, it must be con- 
 trolled. It must, furthermore, be controlled by principles which 
 can only be known from a thorough study of the history and 
 genius of our own Church, as well as from an appreciation of the 
 historic continuity of all Christian Art as an expression of Chris- 
 tian truth. These principles must determine our ideals. If 
 these principles do not control we shall soon have deformity in- 
 stead of development. Upon our knowledge and application of 
 these correct principles in the solution of the present problems 
 depends much of the future history of our Church, the charac- 
 ter she will bear in the world and the influence she will exert 
 over her own children. 
 
 Necessarily there is an inner relation and harmony between 
 all the Arts. And yet, like advancing columns of a single army, 
 some may enter upon the march before others. In this manner 
 we can say that of all the Liturgical Arts, Music has perhaps 
 been the latest to move along the lines of conservative, historical, 
 adequate ideals. The liturgical impulse, the desire to adequately 
 and fittingly express common Christian devotion in artistic forms, 
 has already manifested itself more or less clearly and truly in a 
 restored Liturgy and in an improved Church Architecture. It 
 has hardly begun to influence our Church Music to any apprecia- 
 ble degree. We are just coming to appreciate the real spirit of 
 Church Music — its relation to everything else; just beginning to 
 understand the true criteria by which it must be determined, and 
 just commencing to grasp the vast possibilities before our Art 
 when it once unites its talents with its sister Arts in giving ade- 
 quate expression to a worthy ideal of Divine Service. It is true, 
 earnest students in various parts of the Church have been for 
 years pointing out the way, but the Church as such is just be- 
 ginning to respond to their calls and placing itself in a position 
 to be taught. 
 
TETB PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOI. FOR CHURCH MUSIC. 51 
 
 So much is to be done that at times it seems almost discour- 
 aging. Error must be dislodged, and a desire for truth implanted. 
 Eyes so familiar with error cannot be brought at once to recog- 
 nize and to love the truthful forms. It is true something has 
 been done — a clearing has been made in the wilderness. It is 
 generally admitted that Moody and Sankey hymns and tunes are 
 to be discouraged, but little use is made of our wealth of Choral 
 melodies. Organists have come to pay some attention to the 
 Church Year and its demands, but they still quite generally seem 
 to suppose, as a German critic expresses it, that ^'ever)^ operatic 
 selection is sanctified by being played on the Church organ." 
 The great number of our Church musicians have not even a 
 speaking acquaintance with the noblest, the most beautiful forms 
 of our true Church Music of the past, while of the great, all-de- 
 termining principles of liturgical unitj' and coherence — the har- 
 monious co-operation of all the Arts and their subordination to 
 the Liturgy and the Church Year — even less is appreciated. We 
 are a Church with the richest liturgical and musical history of 
 Protestantism. But this history was all written in centuries past. 
 Our recent histor}'-, until within a generation or more, savors of 
 the unhappy wanderings of the Prodigal Son, who forsook the 
 treasures of his father's house to dwell with strangers and was 
 soon reduced to abject poverty and a fare of the veriest husks. 
 Happily the present spirit of sorrow for past sins promises a full 
 and blessed return to all possessions and privileges guaranteed us 
 by our birthright. 
 
 But, really, the present confusion and lack of adequate litur- 
 gical and musical knowledge in our Church is appalling. Pastors 
 and organists are alike guilty. The very consciousness of ignor- 
 ance and the desire to improve is often an element of danger, be- 
 cause individual taste and chance environment largely determine 
 the direction of the further study of many. Hence too frequent- 
 ly some of our liturgical practice and nearly all of our musical 
 furnishing is drawn from foreign sources or comes to us from our 
 own second or third-handed, and of course mutilated and de- 
 formed. But little attention is paid in the Seminaries, even at the 
 present, to systematic instruction in the theoretical and practical 
 departments of liturgical study. Men go out into the ministry 
 from many different Seminaries, each of which has a different 
 liturgical atmosphere — some indeed so rare that it barely suffices 
 
52 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 to keep alive a semblance of liturgical life. Local practices, tra- 
 ditions or prejudices continue to perpetuate themselves in the 
 mental attitude of the minister or of the individual congregation. 
 Some enthusiasts, with a zeal that is not according to knowledge, 
 seek to graft Anglican shoots upon our Lutheran stock; some 
 transplant local German customs and usages into soil often un- 
 congenial; some are attracted by the sensuous power of Roman 
 practice and would freely borrow anything that is pre-Reforma- 
 tion, while the great majority still give no thought to the whole 
 subject, but live and move and have their being in a practically 
 unliturgical- atmosphere, even though they mechanically read the 
 forms in the Church Book every Lord's Day. For the mechan- 
 ical conformity to the Church Book and its forms is the charitable 
 mantle that frequently covers a multitude of liturgical sins. 
 Then add to this that the average theological student and pastor 
 knows absolutely nothing about Church Music, in either a theo- 
 retical or practical sense, beyond a possible ability to sing by note 
 and play a hymn tune. If this were all it were good. But what 
 of the state of affairs on the organ bench and in the choir loft ? 
 Even in point of technical abilit}^ and expression, we must con- 
 fess that the great majority of our organists are lamentably weak. 
 Outside of a very few Churches in our largest cities and towns, 
 our organs and choirs are in the hands of those who, however 
 earnest and devout, have had but the most inadequate training; 
 and of those who have had larger opportunities and experience, 
 no two express the same distinctive apprehension of Church Mu- 
 sic. We have organists whose ideals have been determined by 
 Anglican or Episcopalian canons, organists of German training 
 and thinking, organists self-educated — of little training and less 
 thinking, organists influenced by Roman Catholic atmospheres, 
 and organists who have never felt the influence of any churchly 
 school, but who supposed their office to be the mere making of 
 music m the Church — who know nothing of the cultivation and 
 expression of the Music of the Church. Then add to this the 
 fact that not one in a hundred has any acquaintance with the 
 liturgical side of the question, and that this one is probably the 
 only one who considers it of any importance at all, and it is not 
 difficult to realize that our present condition as a Church in the 
 matter of Church Music is anything but encouraging to those 
 who know of past achievement and who realize future possibility. 
 
THE PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOI. FOR CHURCH MUSIC. 53 
 
 But I am no pessimist. I do not gloat over the gruesome 
 list of deformities and enormities I have enumerated. My pur- 
 pose has been simply to point out that a calm and unbiased study 
 of the situation shows that a condition of awakened liturgical 
 and musical interest is evident in our Church, and that the situ- 
 ation must be met and controlled; and that the forces to be or- 
 ganized and led forth to future achievement are in confusion and 
 disorder dire. 
 
 How shall w^e reach and amalgamate them? The Seminaries 
 can do much for our future pastors, if they will provide adequate 
 courses in I^iturgics and Church Music. But what about the 
 host of workers in the ministr)^ and the many organists and choir- 
 masters who are already in the work ? There is no possible way 
 for even our forthcoming organists to acquire either the necessa- 
 ry liturgical knowledge or the highly necessary uniformity of 
 Church style. How shall we reach the Church of the present, 
 the Church as it is at work to-day ? I think w^e will all agree 
 that as a means to this end our Convocations are quite helpful 
 within a limited sphere, and particularly as we are able to dis- 
 tribute literature will our influence widen. But it has been the 
 opinion of some who have given the subject some thought, that 
 by the establishment of a Summer School for Church Music it 
 might be possible to do still more effective work in this important 
 field. 
 
 Investigation discloses the fact that the Summer School has 
 attained a remarkable importance and influence in the education- 
 al world. The first serious attempt to hold such a school seems 
 to have been made by Professor Agassiz on the Island of Peni- 
 kese. Dr. Sauveur almost immediately began his Summer School 
 of I^anguages at Plymouth, and in 1874 Dr. J. H. Vincent in- 
 augurated the work at Chautauqua. Critics immediately urged 
 the numerous disadvantages of Summer study and predicted a 
 short life for the institution. But the Summer School came to 
 stay. It has accomplished and is accomplishing a great mission. 
 Of course there are Summer Schools and Summer Schools. Some 
 one has characterized the rush to Chautauqua as two-thirds camp- 
 meeting or picnic and one- third intellectual tickle. But in many 
 of the Schools much serious work is done, especially in the de- 
 jjartments of Pedagogy, Languages (Ancient and Modern) and 
 Science. The great majority of students in the University 
 
54 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 Courses are teachers in the various High and Normal Schools, 
 School Superintendents and College Professors, who avail them- 
 selves of the opportunity to learn the latest methods of work, to 
 meet the great investigators and teachers of their various depart- 
 ments, to get new points of view, and in general to keep abreast^ 
 of the intellectual progress of the day, precisely as the University 
 Professors themselves go to Berlin, I^eipsic, Paris or Rome for 
 the very same purpose. Many come to the large eastern Univer- 
 sities from the Pacific Coast and the South West at an expendi- 
 ture of money, time and strength that is quite commensurate 
 with the eastern man's going abroad. 
 
 Statistics gathered from individual catalogues and from a 
 Report of Melvil Dewey, Director, to the Regents of the Univer- 
 sity of the State of New York in 1898 on the general subject of 
 Summer Schools, are surprising and interesting. Eleven Schools 
 were reported in New York State, including Chautauqua, Cornell, 
 New York University, Columbia College, and a Catholic Summer 
 School. Two Summer Schools are reported in Canada. Nearly 
 every State and Territory in the United States is represented b}^ 
 at least one or more. A Summer course is provided at the Uni- 
 versity of Edinburgh, Scotland, of four weeks, with a fee of 
 2£ 2S. Here every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday af- 
 ternoon and all of Saturday is spent in special excursions. There 
 is a school of two weeks at Oxford University and at Jena, Ger- 
 many, one of three weeks. A course at the University of Greifs- 
 wold, Germany, continues for six weeks. At the University of 
 Geneva, Switzerland, there is a course in modern French lasting 
 twelve weeks. In July and August of last year seven hundred 
 public school teachers studied methods of teaching music in pub- 
 lic schools in various summer schools supported by the different 
 publishers. In 1900, seven hundred and eighty-four students 
 pursued several courses offered by the Harvard Faculty of Arts 
 and Sciences, and fifty- four students were registered in the Sum- 
 mer School of Theology. Altogether statistics have been re- 
 ceived from one hundred and eighty-one separate Summer Schools 
 all over the world. The probability is that many of these will 
 have but a short life. The tendency is toward centralization. 
 The smaller and least equipped will die; those connected with the 
 larger Universities will increase. But many smaller Schools de- 
 voted to some particular study or controlled by distinctively de- 
 
THE PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOL FOR CHURCH MUSIC. 55 
 
 nominational influence, will continue to develop and to exert an 
 influence that is inestimable. 
 
 All this simply indicates something of the influence which 
 the application of the Summer School idea has been made to exert 
 in many lines of educational development, especiall}^ in our own 
 country. Our public school teachers, our College Professors, 
 our pastors and general students in every department of thought 
 have freely availed themselves of the advantages offered in Sum- 
 mer Schools established to teach Science, the Languages, Philos- 
 ophy, Pedagogy, Music and strictly Denominational Theology. 
 Why can we not use the Summer School for the training of our 
 pastors and organists in the wonderfully important field of our 
 Church Music? 
 
 The plan I would suggest is briefly as follows: — Secure, if 
 possible, the use of the Seminar}- grounds and buildings at Mt. 
 Airy, Philadelphia, for a term of two weeks in the latter part of 
 July or the beginning of August. Choose a Dean who would be 
 in a sense the Manager of the School and who would have all the 
 business details in charge. Select certain Professors who shall 
 be responsible for certain departments, as I shall develop later. 
 Let three hours of each morning be devoted to lectures, demon- 
 strations and conferences under the direction of the Professors. 
 Occasional evening programs of concerts, organ recitals, choir 
 Works, or special Services could doubtless be arranged, as the use 
 of St. Michael's Church, Germantown, and the assistance of 
 man}^ Philadelphia singers and others could in all probability be 
 secured. The Seminary buildings could be used for lectures and 
 the rooms in the dormitory might be available for the use of those 
 attending for a reasonable consideration. Families in the neigh- 
 borhood, who furnish board to the Seminar)^ students, would no 
 doubt be glad to do the same for the students of the Summer 
 School. There are two large boarding houses (the Mt. Pleasant 
 House and the Mt. Air}^ House) within three squares of the Sem- 
 inary, that would doubtless be willing to ^upply both board and 
 lodging to students at reasonable rates, — rates that would com- 
 pare ver}- favorably with those that would have to be paid at any 
 cottage or hotel at mountain or seashore. 
 
 The location of the Seminary and its environments would 
 make an ideal place for such a School. The Seminary grounds 
 in themselves are spacious and beautifully shaded. Croquet and 
 
56 
 
 KSSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 tennis courts, with delightful walks to the beautiful Wissaliickon 
 and occasional trolley parties to Willow Grove where the Dam- 
 rosch Orchestra may be heard daily, and many other outing^ 
 that might be taken, would supply abundant healthful recreation 
 and pleasure. The Seminary Library and convenient public li- 
 braries together with the many advantages of close proximity to 
 the city, might be features that would be attractive to others. 
 
 Establish the fee for the entire course of two weeks at $5.00, 
 one week $3.00 — tickets to admit to all lectures and special con- 
 certs or recitals. 
 
 I would suggest six departments in the course of study, each 
 department to be in charge of one Professor, who could arrange 
 with others to deliver lectures upon certain topics with which he 
 might be especially familiar, if he so desired. But at all events 
 he would be responsible for his department whether he delivered 
 all the lectures upon its subjects himself or had assistance from 
 others. 
 
 I. DEPARTMENT OF THH LITURGY. 
 
 Theory of Worship. 
 
 History of the Liturgy. 
 
 Relation of the Liturgy to Church Music. 
 
 Analysis of Our Services, etc. 
 
 II. DEPARTMENT OF THEORY AND HISTORY OF CHURCH 
 MUSIC. 
 
 Art in Worship. 
 
 Historical: — Old Testament, Early Christian, Reforma- 
 tion, Modern. 
 
 Service Music — Choral — Choir Music. 
 
 Instrumental Music. 
 
 Music in Sunday Schools, etc. 
 
 III. DEPARTMENT OF SERVICE MUSIC. 
 
 Characteristics of Gregorian Music, Historical and Theo- 
 retical. 
 
 Intonation, Response, Psalmody, etc. 
 Analysis of the Service Music. 
 
 IV. DEPARTMENT OF THE CONGREGATIONAL HYMN. 
 
 Hymnology — Hymn Writers, Periods, etc. 
 Characteristics of Pure Hymns. 
 
THE PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOI. FOR CHURCH MUSIC. 57 
 
 Hymn Melodies — German Choral, Anglican Hymn Tune. 
 Congregational Singing. 
 
 V. DEPARTMENT OF THE CHOIR. 
 
 Theoretical — Sphere of — Personnel, etc. 
 Literature— Choir Music. 
 
 Practical — Rehearsals, Methods, Volunteer Choir, Boy 
 Choir, lyocation, Vestments, etc. 
 
 VI. DEPARTMENT OF THE ORGAN. 
 
 Historical and Theoretical. 
 
 Technical — Style, etc. 
 
 Accompaniments. 
 
 Playing the Service, Chorals, etc. 
 
 Preludes, Postludes, etc. 
 
 Organ Literature. 
 Such in brief is the outline of the plan I would suggest. 
 Careful discussion here and further consideration by the Com- 
 mittee and others might amend and greatly improve it. I believe 
 that the plan of a Summer School should receive our most earnest 
 consideration as a Convocation. If deemed advisable it might be 
 referred through the Committee to the General Council for en- 
 dorsement. I believe that it is feasible in every respect. I be- 
 lieve that it will accomplish results that cannot be obtained in 
 any other wa}- . Our present unsatisfactory state of Musical and 
 Liturgical knowledge as a Church is one that cannot be entirely 
 remedied by the mere distribution of literature, even if that were 
 available for the purpose. 
 
 Our pastors would have lacked one of the most powerful in- 
 fluences of their training and one of the greatest elements of their 
 efficiency if they had not had the advantage of systematic instruc- 
 tion in regularly conducted Theological Institutions. And I 
 think every pastor will agree with me that the mere study of 
 books — the mere absorbing of printed facts and theories — how- 
 ever carefully directed, was the least of all the influences that 
 combined to shape and mould his thinking. Personal contact 
 with men and institutions, professors, leaders of thought and fel- 
 low students, clear and deep insight into the methods and spirit 
 of the Church at work, close study and observation of existing 
 conditions and requirements, and some practical personal endeav- 
 or to meet these — all these things and many more of similar char- 
 
58 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 acter were the really determining influences that gave him a true 
 and definite orientation — an estimate of true values and relations. 
 It is just this training of our clergy with its later immeasurable 
 influence, that gives us a clean, clear-cut, definite character as a 
 Church, especially in the theological, the doctrinal fields. Now 
 the same may be true of conditions in the department of Church 
 Music. In this field we are, at present, much in the condition of 
 our Church, doctrinally, before the establishment of our Theo- 
 logical Seminaries and the beginnings of a theological literature 
 in English. All was confusion, uncertainty, disorder. So now 
 we have no definite type or style (in its best sense) of Church 
 Music. There is no uniformity. Our best musicians necessarily 
 reflect widely divergent training. There has never been any op- 
 portunity for amalgamation, for conference and mutual influence. 
 By far the greater amount of our true Church Music whether in 
 Service Music, Chorals or Choir Music, is still locked up with its 
 Latin and German text and is unavailable for present use. 
 Nothing that I can think of could be of greater service and be 
 more fruitful of results than the establishment of such a Summer 
 School where there would be abundant opportunity for the per- 
 sonal association and contact of our ablest Church Musicians. 
 The lectures would be followed by informal conferences and these 
 again supplemented by private discussion. Practical demonstra- 
 tions in the methods and manner of rendering the Service Music, 
 the Choral melodies and Choir Music would be of inestimable 
 value to all. From it all would result not only a deeper love for 
 our Church, her Services, her Music; not only enthusiastic study 
 and earnest effort to cultivate this great field; but what would be 
 of equal if not greater importance, a definite, concrete, churchly 
 style, which, determined as it w^ould be by the most careful his- 
 torical and theoretical principles, would be normative and all-pow- 
 erful in controlling the future development of our Church Music. 
 
 Such a school shotild reach and aid both pastors and organ- 
 ists. Pastors must sooner or later come to realize that they have 
 not discharged their full duty in the Public Service when they 
 have prepared and delivered a sermon. Organists must know that 
 their work is infinitely more than simply the making of music. 
 The minister must be more than preacher and the organist more 
 than player. The work of Palestrina, Orlando de Lasso, Kccard, 
 Praetorius, Hassler, Lossius, Spangenberg, Rigel, Herzog, Kade, 
 
THK PROPOSED SUMMER SCHOOI. FOR CHURCH MUSIC. 59 
 
 Witt, Singenberger and dozens of others was only possible be- 
 cause they added to thorough musicianship profound liturgical 
 understanding and feeling. The work of Gregory, of Luther, of 
 Helmore, Schoeberlein and hosts of others whose influence ha5 
 been immeasurable, was only possible because true musical 
 appreciation and knowledge was combined with complete theo- 
 logical and liturgical training. So our future true and worthy 
 development in the field of Church Music will only be possible 
 when both pastors and organists have a satisfactory command of 
 the principles and forms of both the departments of Liturgy and 
 Music. 
 
 Such a school would necessarily have to provide for those 
 whose opportunities for instruction have been limited. It is as 
 important for us to control and elevate the standard of liturgical 
 and musical life in our smallest parishes as it is to promote uni- 
 formity and clearness of Churchly style in our strongest congre- 
 gations and institutions. The same principles of churchliness 
 and propriety should rule in the construction of the modest chap- 
 el that speak in the lines of the lofty cathedral. So the music of 
 our small churches may have the same churchly tone, the same 
 dignity and beauty, may express the same characteristics within 
 its limited sphere, as the more elaborate Service of the great city 
 congregation. To this end the simplest forms of our Church 
 Music should receive careful consideration, and the effort should 
 be made to reach the pastors and organists of the smallest con- 
 gregations no matter how limited their parish resources. Knowl- 
 edge, liturgical and musical, will be more valuable in the devel- 
 opmxcnt of their parish Services and music than mere money or 
 members. 
 
 Musical reform is only possible to a liturgical Church. Un- 
 liturgical denominations can never hope to have Church Music of 
 any real character or permanence. At best it will be music in 
 the Church, vague and uncertain in character, ever changing and 
 reflecting individual vagaries and caprices; often absolutely irrel- 
 evant and incongruous. It will be all this no matter how finished 
 it may be artistically. For it is not the degree but the kind that 
 is at fault. Church Music in the numerous sects about us is of 
 very necessity a species of religious vaudeville. Lacking in 
 liturgical vertebrae to give it form and character it is shapeless, 
 purposeless, meaningless. The principles of true Art — unity, 
 
60 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 coherence, definite purpose — have all been forsaken. Bach with 
 his fugues, Handel and Mozart and their theatrical strains, Mas- 
 cagni with his sensuous melodies, Wagner and Tschaikdwsky 
 with their acrobatic feats of musical contortion, diminished and 
 iaugmented intervals and astonishing harmonic progressions, — are 
 all brought forward in an indiscriminate effort to entertain a blase 
 audience, w^hich has little interest in the w^hole performance be- 
 yond a critical estimate of the technical skill of organist or the 
 tone production and personal peculiarities of individual soloists. 
 The music has no connection with the Service. Of necessit}' it 
 but rarel}" comes into touch with the fundamental principles of 
 devotion and religious feeling which should determine eveiything 
 in the Service, but w^hich, under the debasing influence of a 
 worldly music, are too soon dissipated. Conditions with us are 
 entirely different. The principles of reverence, of devotion, of 
 worship, of organic unity and completeness in every Service, 
 must rule. With our history, our traditions, our liturgical and 
 musical treasures and our latent powers and abilities there should 
 be a path of most w^orthy and wonderful achievement before us. 
 There is much land to be possessed — but let us not be faint-heart- 
 ed, but go forth in faith and earnestness and it shall be ours. 
 
BOY CHOIRS. 
 
 BY THE REV. A. I.. STEIMI.E. 
 
 There is no article under this head in the Lutheran Cyclopedia. 
 That demonstrates the very recent interest of Lutherans in 
 America in this subject. A superficial observer would remark, 
 perhaps, that in this matter we are invading the exclusive domain 
 of that Communion, whose one modest service in New York City 
 was rudely disturbed by Muhlenberg's loud preaching. It is the 
 purpose of this paper to show that no departure from Lutheran 
 and churchly principles is involved in the introduction of the 
 Boy Choir. 
 
 The Boy Choir in the Lutheran Church, for it has come, and 
 come to stay, is another evidence of the firm hold that distinctive- 
 ness has taken upon the Lutheran mind, or in other words, it is 
 a carrying out of churchliness in the rendering of the music of 
 the sanctuary. 
 
 We have adopted churchly ideas in almost every other re- 
 spect. We are assembled in a church, which under the wise 
 guidance of its energetic pastor has secured a beautiful, churchly 
 interior, that announces itself at once as distinctive and instruct- 
 ive. The exterior has not yet been altered and a glance will 
 show us that it dates from a period of construction, when the 
 Lutheran consciousness had not yet asserted itself in the style of 
 architecture. We all rejoice in the fact that our newer church 
 buildings are expressive of a churchly idea, that distinctiveness 
 in church architecture is gaining a foothold among us, and though 
 our mode of worship, and scheme of congregational activity and 
 ill success in money-gathering perhaps forever debar us from ral- 
 
 (Ixi) 
 
62 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 lying around a center, in this city, or in any other, that will at 
 all compare with the dizzy heights of St. Patrick's on Fifth Ave- 
 nue, or the cluster of chapels out of which will ultimately rise 
 majestic St, John's on Morningside Heights, nevertheless we can 
 and do point with satisfaction to the many church buildings 
 erected in the metropolis within the last ten years, which are, 
 with few exceptions, a credit to us, because expressive of our 
 Church's devotional spirit in their very exterior. 
 
 The Common Service has unified our liturgical aspirations. 
 It has emphasized our historic basis and devotional life and the 
 conservative and well-ordered expression of our piety. It satis- 
 fies the deep-rooted desire of Lutherans for a distinctive Scriptur- 
 al Service, neither permitting the minister's personality nor his 
 idiosyncrasies to encroach upon the worshipper's privilege to ap- 
 proach God in a devout and yet beautiful way, his very petitions 
 to the Throne being borne by words and phrases hallowed and 
 sanctified by the armies of the ransomed souls of many centuries, 
 who have prayed them and chanted them and warded off tempta- 
 tion with them and welcomed eternal glory by their use. 
 
 The Boy Choir is a product of the development of lyUtheran 
 distinctiveness exhibited in architecture and liturgy. Distinctive 
 Church music distinctively rendered, that is the last link in the 
 chain of a perfect Church Service. 
 
 There is a distinctive Church music. Though our conscious- 
 ness and conscientiousness in this matter is hardly fully devel- 
 oped, we do recognize that our Church music should center about 
 the solemn Gregorian plain-song in chant and versicle, the state- 
 ly choral in congregational hymn and the majestic fugue in choir 
 anthem and organ voluntary. Preserving the liberty essential to 
 all art, we recognize in these three the forms of music which ex- 
 press devotion, and which therefore constitute true Church mu- 
 sic. The Gloria will have a different setting from the Kyrie, and 
 the Sanctus from the Nunc Dimittis, and the latter various set- 
 tings according to its use in the Communio or in the Vesper; 
 there must be the satisfying element in them all which indicates 
 peace and rest and worship. 
 
 Nor should we forget that the Lutheran Church recognizes 
 the artistic element in its Service. The office of music in relig- 
 ious worship is to excite devotion as well as to express it. Bach's 
 Passion Music, a product of our own type of religious life, is 
 
BOY CHOIRS. 
 
 63 
 
 written for trained soloists and a trained chorus as well as the 
 great congregation. 
 
 The choir- anthem might be called the expression of the mu- 
 sical ckarzsma, the congregation offering its very best of God- 
 given art to the great Giver. It is perfectly legitimate for the 
 congregation to have periods of silence, when the choir shall ren- 
 der selections far too difficult for the average worshipper to act- 
 ively unite in, but tending to elevate his thoughts and leading 
 his devotions Heavenward to the Father of lights, from Whom 
 Cometh every good and perfect gift, from Whom cometh also that 
 most delicate of instruments, far superior to all man-made music- 
 al devices, the human voice. 
 
 There is a distinctive Church instrument, universally adopted 
 and adapted for devotion's aid — the organ, which in its volume 
 of sound, like the surging sea, suggests the endlessness of eter- 
 nity. There should be a distinctive Church choir. The sanctu- 
 ary, so different from the places where the multitude has spent 
 its days of labor with and for material things, the robed minister, 
 his very appearance untouched by the changing modes of a fitful 
 world, shall they and their influence upon the worshipper be dis- 
 turbed by the entrance of the hired singers, whom some of the 
 attending people — I will not say worshippers — recognize as the 
 interpreters of opera on week-days ? That extreme will probably 
 be rarely met, but there is an instance on record where a member 
 of a Church quartette, a Roman Catholic, devoutly attended ear- 
 ly mass, every Sunday before coming to the Lutheran Church 
 and taking a leading part in its worship. 
 
 Nor is the chorus choir of mixed voices entirely removed 
 from other associations. The chorus is heard in concert and mu- 
 sic-drama and in many travesties on music perpetrated by the 
 theatre. I do not wish to be misunderstood, and therefore I ex- 
 pressly state that there is no condemnation of the chorus choir as 
 an auxiliary to Divine worship in my thought, but I would show 
 you a more excellent way. 
 
 The Boy Choir is distinctively a Church choir, and nothing 
 else. There are no other associations connected with it. It ap- 
 pears nowhere else. And what is more, the boy's voice is pecul- 
 iarly adapted to produce the exact results in the devout worship- 
 per which are intended by the distinctive Church music. Though 
 not naturally musical, as a rule, there is a freshness and buoyan- 
 
64 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 cy and peculiar loftiness of tone in the boy's voice, that alone ex- 
 plains why congregations, not of our communion, whose unlim- 
 ited resources place the very best soloists at their command, have 
 changed from quartette and chorus choirs to Boy Choirs, and 
 have maintained them ever since. 
 
 The exclusive use of the male voice in the Church choir has 
 historical precedent, although sometimes based on false and un- 
 scriptural grounds. The great Temple-choir, composed of lyC- 
 vites, arrayed in white linen, a vested choir, if you please, was 
 instituted according to God's command and perhaps even the de- 
 tail of the vestment was divinely ordained. In the Ancient and 
 Mediaeval Church the early appearance of asceticism favored the 
 exclusion of women from the prominent places in the sanctuary 
 and from participation in services which would require entrance 
 into monasteries and other abodes of men. In the papal chapel 
 at Rome men were employed in the choir, even singing soprano 
 with falsetto voice, until 1625, when boys were introduced. They 
 were eunuchs. 
 
 In I^utheran Orders we meet with references to the "school- 
 children." So e. g. Wiirtemberg Agenda of 1553: "If no Com- 
 munion be held the school shall sing the Introit in I^atin." In 
 the Coburg Agenda of 1626: "After the ringing of the bell, the 
 scholars in the cities shall sing ' Veni Sancti Spiritus,' after that, 
 the Introit." Others also refer to the ''Chor fuer die Schueler 
 und den Kantory^ In this country I have seen, in German 
 churches that had preserved the various features of their Church- 
 life over the sea, the school children sitting in the organ-loft and 
 leading the singing, under the direction of the schoolmaster. In 
 some churches which had no organ, the music was furnished with 
 a number of brass instruments, the players constituting a male 
 chorus and regularly singing choir- anthems. This is still the 
 case in some churches of the Missouri and Buffalo Synods. In 
 St. Johannis, Philadelphia, the Rev. Dr. A. Spaeth, pastor, the 
 boys of the parish and Sunday Schools have been frequently em- 
 ployed on festival occasions to intone the antiphons. 
 
 It is a curious fact that the pioneers of the cause of the 
 Boy Choir in the Episcopal Church faced continual opposition. 
 Trinity Episcopal parish in New York was organized in 1697 ^^^^ 
 
 * '^Die Kirchenordnung der ev. luth. Kirche Deutschlands in ihrem ersten 
 Jahrkunderl.'^ Berlin, 1824. 
 
BOY CHOIRS. 
 
 65 
 
 boys were used to lead the singing as early as 1710. They were 
 the boys of the Trinity Charity school which had been founded 
 the year previous. In 1776 both church and school were de- 
 stroyed by fire and we have no further evidence of the employ- 
 ment of boys as singers until 1846, when the present Trinity 
 church building was erected. From this time on boys were con- 
 tinuously used, first in connection with a double quartette and 
 mixed chorus, all placed in the organ gallery at the West end. 
 In 1859 the feminine element was dropped, and the choir was 
 moved from the gallery to the seats reserved for the Sunday 
 School scholars, between the congregation and the clergy. Here 
 it was in the way, and then it was moved to what henceforth was 
 known as "the choir" of the church, near the chancel-rail. A 
 year later the choir was vested. This is the history of the most 
 famous Boy Choir in America. Other churches (Episcopal) em- 
 ployed boys, St. Michael's, Charleston, S. C, in 1798; Christ 
 church, Philadelphia, 1816, Advent, Boston, 1852. A Boy Choir 
 was introduced in Appleton chapel of Harvard College in 1892, 
 to render the service for the daily prayers and weekly Vesper 
 services. Thus we have a Unitarian Boy Choir, too. 
 
 The first Lutheran Boy Choir, so-called, in this country, if 
 we do not count the parish scholars in some German churches as 
 such, was instituted in Utica, N. Y., in the Church of the Re- 
 deemer, on Palm Sunday, 1885, by Dr. T. B. Roth. At Albany, 
 in Rev. Seegers' charge, a Boy Choir was staited in 1888, the 
 Utica choir giving an object-leSvSon to the newly organized Church 
 of the Redeemer. Mr. Auteman is the pioneer in the latter 
 church. Since then various churches have interested themselves 
 in the matter, congregations in Brooklyn, Rochester and Buffalo 
 in New York State and in various cities in Pennsylvania recog- 
 nizing the value and churchliness of the institution. As far as I 
 am aware, not one of the congregations that has tried it, has ever 
 given it up again. 
 
 A Boy Choir should be robed. The distinctive Church-choir 
 ought to be distinctively dressed. The matter of vestments for 
 a choir is perhaps the chief difiiculty with which we have to deal 
 in this connection. The most simple explanation of the reason 
 why a Boy Choir should be robed is the story of the introduction 
 of vestments in Trinity church choir of New York, referred to 
 above. As stated, the choir occupied the prominent seats near 
 
66 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 the chancel, and even choir vestments had been presented by a 
 generous parishioner. But the vestry was obdurate and the vest- 
 ments were packed away. Dr. Cutler, the organist, had set his 
 heart upon it however, and his opportunity came with the visit 
 of the Prince of Wales to New York in the fall of i860. He was 
 to be in the city from the eleventh to the fifteenth of October. 
 The fourteenth was a Sunday. Dr. Cutler at once consulted the 
 proper authorities and argued for the use of the vestments while 
 the Prince attended service. It would disturb his sense of pro- 
 priety to see the assorted and variegated clothes of the choir boys 
 in front of him, being accustomed to the decorous and churchly 
 w^aj^s of England. The argument won the day. The Prince 
 must have a good impression — and vestments were ever after 
 worn by Trinity choir. St. Michael's choir in Charleston, S. C, 
 was vested in 1798. The first vested choir in the North was in- 
 troduced by Dr. Hawkes in St. Thomas Hall, Flushing, L. I., in 
 1 84 1. On this account he was afterward defeated in the election 
 for bishop of Mississippi. A short time after a Rev. Mr. Tate 
 endeavored to establish a vested choir in Columbus, O., and the 
 result was that he was driven from the State and threatened with 
 deposition from the ministry. Times have changed in the Epis- 
 copal Church. 
 
 The beauty, utility and churchliness of a vested choir cannot 
 be denied. Actual experience with a Boy Choir without them 
 has taught me the desirability of vestments. They are exceed- 
 ingly useful w^hen the choir is placed in the front of the church, 
 where it ought to be, and thus comes into full view^ of the people. 
 They level the distinction betw^een rich and poor, they hide what 
 might be unbecoming in a place of prominence in the house of 
 God, they teach reverence for the sanctuary and help to cultivate 
 the aesthetic taste of choir and congregation. 
 
 Kliefoth in discussing the principles governing the Lutheran 
 Church in the retention of the Church Year and its Festival and 
 Saints days, speaks of her consciousness of being one with the 
 hoping Church before Christ and the triumphant Church of 
 saints and angels in Heaven, and states that "the Lutheran 
 Church (Gemeinde) endeavored not only to journey toward the 
 latter, but in its ver^^ Services to be a type and representation of 
 it." Therefore St. John the Baptist's Day was retained, repre- 
 senting the hoping Church, and St. Michael's Day, representing 
 
BOY CHOIRS. 
 
 67 
 
 the congregation of saints and angels in Heaven. This idea, of 
 the views of the struggling Church on earth with the hoping 
 Church of the Old Testament and the triumphant Church in glo- 
 ry, is most beautifully carried out in our Chief Service. In the 
 words of Dr. Seiss: ''How sublimely the worshipping soul soars 
 away to the feet of Deity in that grand old morning hymn, the 
 Gloria in Excelsis! Yet it was first sung, in its grandest part by 
 the angels, and from their lips the Church has transferred it to 
 her own. How are our hearts uplifted for that holiest of eucha- 
 ristic feasts, by the grand Communion Canticle: 'Holy, holy, ho- 
 ly, lyord God of Sabaoth!' Yet these words, by which we join 
 *with angels and archangels, and with the whole company of 
 Heaven,' to 'laud and magnify' Jehovah's name, have been bor- 
 rowed from the six-winged Seraphim whom Isaiah heard trilling 
 their Trisagioji in the celestial temple till the door-posts moved." 
 Thus we also use the Psalms in the Vesper Service, though ad- 
 ding, as Christians, the Gloria Patri. 
 
 The struggling Church, then, robes her choir, even as the 
 choir of the hoping Church was arrayed in fine white linen (II 
 Chron. 5:12) and the triumphant hosts of Heaven, singing be- 
 fore the Lamb, are clothed with white robes (Rev. 7:9; chapter 
 19) — the Church in completion, the type and picture of which is 
 to be found in our earthly Service. That which practical neces- 
 vsity stamps as useful is thus the means to incite devotion and 
 emphasizes to the believer's thought the unity of the whole 
 Church of Christ. And if the choir be held to represent the 
 Church Universal in the local congregation, this idea suffers no 
 loss in having the choir robed. 
 
 The nature of the vestments is hinted at in the Old and New 
 Testament passages quoted above. The early Christian Church 
 followed the precedent of the Levites and robed its singers in 
 white. The Council of Laodicea, A. D. 361, passed two canons 
 concerning habits, which presuppose singers vested in white. 
 The bishops of Constantinople and the higher order of clergy 
 definitely assumed the black robe in the fourth century. From 
 the sub-deacons on down the scale of what was rapidly coming to 
 be considered the lower order of clergy, and which included the 
 singers, the white surplice or alb was worn. More than once we 
 read in the Church fathers of this period, of the "bright and 
 shining garments." The fourth Council of Carthage (399) men- 
 
68 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 tions the alba. So does Marbonne (589). There is also Luther- 
 an authority for the retention of white vestments. The *'Chor- 
 hemd" was forbidden in Prussia in 1737 by King Frederick 
 William I and permitted again by Frederick II in 1740, on the 
 fourth of July — an ecclesiastical day of independence. This 
 shows its wide use and an evident strong desire for its retention, 
 the royal prohibition lasting less than three years. A writer of 
 the eighteenth century mentions the alba as being used at a 
 church service in Saxony, as well as the loud ringing of a bell 
 after the elements were consecrated.* Even Wiirtemberg, not 
 usually a field for liturgical or churchly authority has retained 
 the alba for sacramental occasions. It is also used by Dr. Spaeth, 
 In Sweden and Norway and among their representatives in this 
 country, the white robe figures in important ecclesiastical func- 
 tions. 
 
 The vested choir ought to be seated in the front of the 
 church. The Ancient Church, when the organ was still un- 
 known, placed its singers on the ambo, the platform or elevation 
 where the reading-desk was. The Council of Laodicea mentions 
 this as a familiar practice. The Mediaeval Church left its testi- 
 mony in this matter in the name 'choir' as applied to a portion of 
 the church edifice near the altar. The function of leading con- 
 gregational song can be better carried out and the boys kept un- 
 der better control, if the choir sits in its proper place. 
 
 The entrance of the choir, the processional, still remains to 
 be considered. Religious processions were customary among 
 Greeks and Romans and even the Old Testament contains allu- 
 sions to them (Josh, vi, Neh. xii, etc.). David brought up the 
 ark with two Choral Processional Services, the first of which was 
 interrupted on account of a ritual irregularity. We are told that 
 among the Jews processions around the altar were usual in the 
 feast of tabernacles. 
 
 In the Christian Church Chrysostom introduced processions 
 as an antidote to the Arians who went to their meetings at night, 
 singing hymns. Processions at funeral occasions are of great an- 
 tiquity. At an early age the Litany processions came into vogue, 
 in which crosses were carried. The Litany Prayer was the pro- 
 cessional prayer of the Church. Litanies were sung in mediaeval 
 times, the choir and clergy marching around various parts of the 
 * Gerber, 1732. 
 
BOY CHOIRS. 
 
 69 
 
 great cathedral in order to get into nearer reach of each worship- 
 per. Litanies were sung about the streets of a city in times of 
 pestilence, when it was impossible for the people to come to 
 church. Episcopal writers trace the processions of their church 
 to the lyitany processions of ancient times. In I^utheran Agenda 
 we also find references to processions. Palm Sunday shall be cel- 
 ebrated "mit Procession und Gesengen."* At Christmas Matins 
 "a number of boys, robed like angels and carrying tapers, shall 
 proceed, two by two, down the main aisle to the altar. "f 
 
 The Lutheran Church of the present day, in our country 
 practices the procession at Sunday School celebrations, Confirma- 
 tion services. Church consecrations and similar occasions. 
 
 There is no thought of ritualism about the entrance of a Lu- 
 theran vested choir. It is the most simple and orderly way for 
 the choir to proceed to its place. In England the custom of 
 "singing themselves into their seats" is quite unknown, the chor- 
 isters merely marching in and taking their seats during the organ 
 prelude. With us it is the opening hymn, sung by choir and 
 congregation, during which the choir takes its place. When the 
 choir is composed of boys, this will be found to be by far the 
 easiest and most decorous way of obviating the tendency of many 
 choirs and many congregations to disturb the devout worshipper 
 by engaging in conversation before the beginning of the Service. 
 There is an aesthetic element in it, too, which S. B. Whitney de- 
 scribes: "It is a beautiful thing to see as well as to hear a well- 
 trained choir singing the processional hymn as it goes marching 
 up through the midst of the congregation followed by the clergy 
 and headed by the cross, illustrating as it does the march of 
 Christianity through the world and coming more in touch with 
 the great body of worshippers. ' ' 
 
 Is the Boy Choir practicable? Mr. Krehbiel, the musical 
 critic, has said that "no choir is so poor as a poor boy choir and 
 no choir so costly in money and care as a good boy choir." He 
 also states (in Harper's, 1888) that in the Episcopal choirs the 
 number of those who are "sons of Episcopal communicants are 
 scarcely worth mentioning. German boys are much sought af- 
 ter." Thus an outsider has to tell us of the wealth of our ma- 
 terial in this direction. It is not less true of Scandinavian boys, 
 
 * Mark Brandenburg, 1540. 
 t Agenda Ruthenica, 1766. 
 
70 
 
 ESSAYS OX CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 as the writer became aware in his Western ministr}^ It ought 
 not to be so difl&cult, then, for us to keep our own boys and to 
 give them that musical and churchly training that will make 
 them valuable factors in the Ser^'ice, and the life of the congre- 
 gation when they grow up. Especially in our English Lutheran 
 churches, where parish schools do not exist, it creates a bond of 
 affection for the Church among the boj^s, that is indeed invalua- 
 ble. The parents are interested, there is a diffusion of a knowl- 
 edge of churchliness and of the Church Year, that is as gratif^nng 
 as it is surprising. And the music is not too difficult. The 
 range of a bo^-'s voice is very large. And the Plain Song so much 
 loved of us finds its very best interpreters in boys, and even the 
 artistic element can be retained according to the abilities of or- 
 ganist and choir. The chief difficulty with a Boy Choir is its 
 want of permanence. There must be a constant lookout for new 
 material, as boys' voices change and they are compelled to drop 
 out. Organists and choir-masters will be compelled to study the 
 subject of the cultivation of a boy's voice very carefully. It is 
 no bed of roses for the instructor. But the advantages to boys 
 and congregation far outweigh all disadvantages. A vested Boy 
 Choir, if properly- trained and conducted, will be an inspiration 
 to all concerned. But more important will be — and this pertains 
 to any choir — that the singers msiy bring to a realization in their 
 daily life the beautiful sentiment which the foin-th Cormcil of 
 Carthage decreed should be the form of admittance to the choir: 
 "See that what thou singest with thy mouth thou believest also 
 with thy heart; and that what thou believest in thy heart, thou 
 confirmest in thy life." 
 
EARIvY IvUTHKRAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 BY THE RKV. PROF. A. SPAETH, D. D., LL. D. 
 
 On former occasions we have repeatedly called attention to the 
 three distinct elements of pure Church Music, the Gregorian, in 
 the responses of the Service proper, representing chiefly the 
 Recitative, the popular Choral, for congregational singing, repre- 
 senting chiefly the Melodic; and the artistic settings, polyphonic 
 and figurated, representing chiefly the Harmonic. The latter is, 
 in a special sense the domain of the early Choir Music of the 
 Lutheran Church, 
 
 The Lutheran Reformation proved its conservative character 
 in retaining whatever was pure not only in the structure of its 
 Service but also in its forms of musical expression. One element, 
 however, was new and peculiar to the Service and the music of 
 the Lutheran Reformation, the introduction of the popular hymns 
 and tunes of the congregation, the "Choral." And it was this 
 element that furnished the principal material, and determined the 
 character of the artistic Choir Music of the Lutheran Church in 
 the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A new spiritual life 
 was infused into the art of contrapuntal writing which flourished 
 at the close of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth 
 century. Here the masters found the most beautiful and sug- 
 gestive themes to be harmonized, elaborated, enlarged and devel- 
 oped in their artistic settings. To appreciate and understand the 
 character of early Lutheran Choir Music we must appreciate and 
 understand the Choral itself. 
 
 It might be said that even in the Choral tunes there was a 
 combination of Pre-Reformation music and of the new popular 
 
 (Ixxi) 
 
72 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC, 
 
 element introduced b}' the Reformation. Out of the old Gregori- 
 an Cantus Firmus the people had adapted certain tunes, cast 
 them into the form of hymns, found texts for them in their na- 
 tive tongue, and gradually forced their toleration upon the 
 Church even in the ser^'ice of the Roman Mass. But grand and 
 beautiful as these tunes were they do not yet represent the full 
 true "Geistliche Volkslied," the Church hymn of the Reforma- 
 tion. This was possible onh^ as the result of the restoration of 
 the pure Gospel, justification by faith, God's free grace through 
 Jesus Christ, the onty Mediator and Saviour, the filial spirit of 
 adoption with its peace and joy, its confidence and trust, its evan- 
 gelical freedom. Here is the true fountain head of the Choral of 
 the Evangelical Church, — the "New Song," which the Lord 
 Himself had put into the mouth of His people. 
 
 We have, then, two principal sources of the Choral tunes of 
 the Reformation Church, First, the ancient and mediaeval Church 
 Song, Ambrosian and Gregorian, and Second, the German popu- 
 lar song of the centuries preceding the Reformation, (12th to 
 1 6th). To the former belong the following tunes: A.) — From 
 Ambrosia7i sources: Te Deum, (Endlich I, No. 135. Schober- 
 lein I, 361). Veni Redeviptor Gentium^ (Schoberlein II, 14. 
 Zahn, Melodieen der Deutschen Evang. Kirchenlieder, No. 307). 
 Based on this tune. Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland, (Zahn No, 
 1 1 74, also in Sweden and Norway, Church Book with Music, No, 
 118, 278). Erhalt uns, Herr, bei Deinem Wort, (Endlich II, 74, 
 Ch. B. 188, 316). Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich, (Endlich 
 II, 206. Ch. B. 174a). Christ, Der Du bist der helle Tag. 
 (Endlich II, 196). B.) — From Gi'cgorian sources: Allein Gott 
 in der Hoeh sei Ehr (Endlich II, 176. Ch. B. 9). O Lamm 
 Gottes unschuldig, (Endlich II, 176). Jesaja, dem Propheten 
 das geschah, (Endlich, II, 173). — From the later Latin Church 
 Song of the Middle Ages; Media m vita, (Endlich II, 208). Veni 
 Sancte Spij^itiis, (Endlich II, 51). Christ ist erstanden, from the 
 Sequens VictimcE Paschalis, (Endlich II, 38, comp. Ch. B, 
 192 a). 
 
 A certain middle ground between ancient Church Song and 
 Popular Song is occupied b}^ the following tunes which, from the 
 beginning, were sung to German words: Nun bitten wir den 
 Heiligen Geist, (Endlich II, 50). Gelobet seist Du, Jesu Christ, 
 (Endlich II, 12). Dies sind die heiligen zehn Gebot, (Endlich 
 
^:ARI,Y I.UTHKRAN CHOrR. MUSIC, 
 
 73 
 
 II, 79). Wir glauben all an Einen Gott, (Kndlich II, 97). Gott 
 der Vater wohn uns bei, (Endlich II, 167). Ks ist das Heil uns 
 kommen her, (Kndlich II, 98, Ch. B, 10). In Dich hab ich 
 gehoffet, Herr, (Endlich II, 170). 
 
 But the richest storehouse of the German Choral to which, 
 up to the year 1570, most of the popular tunes must be ascribed, 
 is the secular folks' song of the twelfth to the sixteenth century, 
 that artless art , , , characterized by the beauty of innocence, 
 which does not know itself, and its own precious value." 
 ( Vischer) . Only since the end of the sixteenth and the begin- 
 ning of the seventeenth century w^ere added to these songs some 
 original tunes, written by Masters of Church Music first for ar- 
 tistic singing of the Choir, and later on, directl}^ for congrega- 
 tional singing. 
 
 Now the Choral itself found its way into the congregation 
 mostly through the instrumentality of the Choir. The tunes 
 were first set in more or less artistic style, for four, five, six, and 
 even eight part singing, and only by a gradual process they were 
 presented in simpler forms so that the congregation itself could 
 take part in the singing. 
 
 The earliest document containing artistic settings for the 
 Lutheran choirs is the little Choir Book by John Walther, the 
 first ''Cantor" of the Lutheran Church of the sixteenth century. 
 It appeared under the title "'Das Wittcnbergisch Gesajigbuechlein'''' 
 in 1524. Recently it has been republished by Otto Kade, as Vol- 
 ume VII of the publications of the Society for Musical Research, 
 (Gesellschaft fuer Musikforschung). Zahn gives a description 
 of the original editions of 1524, 1537, 1544, 1551, in his "Melo- 
 dieen der Deutschen Evangelischen Kirchenlieder," Vol. VI. 2, 
 16, 25, 31. The book was printed in five sections, containing, 
 respectively, the Discantus, Altus, Tenor, Bassus, Vagans. The 
 Choral is treated exactly in the same manner as the vocal music 
 of the Catholic Church song treated the Cantus Firmus in those 
 days. As a rule, the tune is given to the Tenor, the other voices 
 being woven around it according to the rules of elaborate counter- 
 point. 
 
 John Wai^ther, Luther's intimate friend and faithful co- 
 worker in the musical arrangement of the early Reformation 
 Service, (German Mass of 1526) was born in the year 1496 in a 
 village of Thuringia, near Cola (Kahla?). Little is known about 
 
74 
 
 ESSAYS OX CHURCH MrSIC. 
 
 his earh' years. He probabh' received a musical training as one 
 of the choir boys in Torgau, under Conrad Rupff. There we 
 find him a. 1524 as "Bassist" and "Componist/' the latter posi- 
 tion being next to the leader himself. Luther called him to Wit- 
 tenberg to assist him in the musical setting of his German Mass, 
 first rendered October 29, 1525, The danger of having the Tor- 
 gau Choir dissolved after the death of Elector Frederic was for- 
 tunately averted through the influence of Luther and Melanch- 
 thon, and Walther was now promoted to the position of Director. 
 Nevertheless, a few years later, in 1530, the "Kantorei" was, 
 after all, dissolved, to Luther's great disgust, ''to save 3000 
 florins," as he complained, "while for other imnecessary things 
 30,000 were recklessly thrown away." The citizens of Torgau, 
 however, volunteered to form a private " Kantorei- Gessellschaft" 
 (Singing Societ}") which was quite prosperous under the able 
 leadership of John Walther, In 1548 Walther became musical 
 Director in Dresden. He filled that office to the year 1554, when 
 Matth. Le Maistre succeeded him. The rest of his life was spent 
 at Torgau, where he died a. 1570 at the age of 74 j'ears. 
 
 He also wrote a Passion Music for Palm Sunday', based on 
 the Gospel according to St, Matthew, and one for Good Friday-, 
 based upon St. John. Both have been used in the Lutheran 
 Cantionales of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including 
 Keuchenthal, 1573 and Ludecus, 1589. Walther is duh' con- 
 sidered as one of the founders of Lutheran Choir- Music, and 
 justl}' holds a prominent place in the illustrious line of our 
 Church musicians, even if he should not have invented the glori- 
 ous tune of "Ein feste Burg," which Kade ascribes to him. 
 
 Half a dozen of his settings are accessible to us in Schober- 
 lein, Schatz des liturgischen Chor-und Gemeinde-Gesangs: 
 
 Christ lag in Todesbanden, ii, 355 a. (Melod}' in Soprano) . % 
 Jesus Christus unser Heiland, ii, 357 a. (Dto.) 
 Wohlauf, wohlauf mit lauter Stimm, ii, 568 i^Cantus in 
 Tenor). 
 
 Es woll uns Gott genaedig sein, ii, 610. (Mel. in Sopr.) 
 Mein Eltern mich verlassen han, iii, 358. (Cantus in 
 Tenor.) 
 
 Der Tag vertreibt die finstre Xacht, iii, 456. (Mel. in Sopr.) 
 Probably not one of the above mentioned tunes belongs orig- 
 inally to Walther himself. It was a time not of original produc- 
 
BARLY I.UTHKRAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 75 
 
 tion, but of revising, collecting, adapting and reconstructing the 
 musical material found in Pre-Reformation Church Song and in 
 the popular tunes which were being transferred into Church use. 
 As a general rule it may be stated that, in those days, the names 
 of musicians inscribed on the different settings do not mark the 
 original author of the tune, but the man who harmonized it, the 
 "Symphonetes," not the "Phonascus." 
 
 There has been a good deal of dispute concerning the char- 
 acter and intention of Walther's musical work, whether his com- 
 positions and settings were intended for congregational singing 
 or for the choir exclusively. Prominent authorities like Kade 
 and Winterfeld, hold that Walther's settings were intended for 
 a combined rendering by choir and congregation. But the fact 
 that the melody is mostly given to the Tenor seems to indicate 
 that the congregation was not yet expected to take an active part 
 in the rendering of these compositions, but that they were chiefly 
 intended for choir singing, as Zahn also contends. 
 
 This same controversy extends in fact to all the musical set- 
 tings of the Reformation era, down to near the end of the six- 
 teenth century. Koch, Geschichte des Kirchenlieds und Kirchen- 
 gesangs, i, 475, asserts that the Cantus Firmits, or melody, was 
 sung in unison by the congregation, while the choir accompanied 
 it with its harmonies in four, five or even more parts. "Thus 
 the dignity of the ancient Plain song was blending with the 
 beauty of new full harmonies. True, in this first period, the 
 melody, or Cantus Firmits, was given to the Tenor, while the 
 other voices surrounded it in figurated settings, according to the 
 rules of the counterpoint. Thus the composer or harmonizer hid 
 the melody under his artistic figurated setting so that it was al- 
 most lost to the hearer." The question naturally presents itself 
 whether, with such an arrangement, it was at all possible that 
 the congregation should join in the rendering of such composi- 
 tions, or whether these were not rather a kind of motettos, and 
 not the popular choral, as we understand and use it. Luther 
 certainly, in his well known praise of the art of music, (Witten- 
 berg 1538) seems to have in his mind the artistic Motette, with 
 its figurated setting, when he says: "Where natural music is 
 sharpened and polished by art there we begin to recognize, with 
 praise and admiration, the great and perfect wisdom of God in 
 His wonderful gift of music. Here it seems so strange and as- 
 
76 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 tonishing that one sings the simple melody or tenor (yCantus 
 Firmus). But along with it three, four or five other voices are 
 also sung, playing around that tenor in jubilant strains and 
 adorning that melody in various ways and sounds, performing a 
 sort of heavenly dance, lovingly meeting, caressing and embracing 
 each other . . . Whosoever is not deeply moved by such a work 
 of art must indeed be a coarse clod, unworthy to hear such love- 
 1}^ music." 
 
 Koch admits, however, that it would have required a most 
 extraordinary musical training of the people to join with the 
 choir in such music, and thinks that only in towns and high 
 schools such a thing was possible. 
 
 It is evident that with such an artistic treatment the Choral 
 of the Evangelical L^utheran Church was not very well adapted 
 for congregational singing, and that a simpler, less polyphonous 
 and more harmonistic treatment, with greater prominence given 
 to the melody, was needed to make the choral truly and fully the 
 property of the congregation. The decisive change in this direc- 
 tion is generally ascribed to I^UCAS Osiandkr, court preacher in 
 Stuttgart, in his ''Fuenfzig Geistliche Lieder und Psalmen. Mit 
 vier Stimmen contrapunctweise fuer die Schulen und Kirchen im 
 Fuerstentum Wiirttemberg also gesetzt, dass eine ganze christ- 
 liche Gemein durchaus mitsingen kann. Niirnberg 1586." In 
 the preface he says: "There are many excellent spiritual songs 
 arranged for part singing. But even when the melody and text 
 are understood a layman who knows nothing of figurated music 
 cannot possibly join in the singing. He has only to listen. I 
 have therefore, for some time, been considering how such a music 
 could be arranged for a Christian congregation in which four 
 parts should go together and yet every Christian would be able 
 to join in the singing. For this reason I have, as a specimen, 
 arranged these fifty songs and psalms in four parts so that the 
 whole congregation, even the little children, could join in the 
 singing, feeling confident that by this modest effort the general 
 singing in the church would not only not be hindered, but that 
 well meaning Christians would thereby all the more be stirred up 
 by such lovely tunes to sing their psalms. I am well aware that 
 the composers usually carry the choral in the Tenor. But, wher- 
 ever this is done, the choral cannot be recognized among the 
 other voices. The common people do not know which psalm it 
 
BARI.Y I^UTHBRAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 77 
 
 is and are excluded from singing. I therefore put the choral in 
 the Discant so that it might be readily known and every layman 
 be able to join." Osiander's aim then was a purely practical one. 
 The melody sung by the congregation was to-be the main thing. 
 The harmony, represented in the voices of the choir, was to be 
 simply an accompaniment, doing in fact what our organs do at 
 the present day (but did not in those days) viz., furnish a suita- 
 ble running harmony {nota co7itra notain) for the unison singing 
 of the congregation. To this practical consideration the finer 
 artistic, figurated setting of the choral tunes was sacrificed. 
 
 Schoberlein has the following numbers from lyucas Osiander: 
 Frohlich wollen wir Hallelujah sin gen. I, 143. 
 Ve7ii Redemptor Gentimn. II, 14 a. 
 Der Thoricht spricht: Es ist kein Gott. Ill, 228. 
 O Herr, wer wird sein Wohnung han. Ill, 330. 
 
 Whatever the influence of this arrangement of Osiander's 
 may have been, it must not be forgotten that it was not altogeth- 
 er a new departure. Long before his time when the polyphonous 
 style ruled supreme in Church music, there are instances, when 
 the melody was given to the Soprano. So in Heinrich Isaac's 
 famous "O Welt, ich muss dich lassen," (so beautifully rendered 
 by our friends of the Leipzig Quartet), also in Goudimel's Psalms, 
 and sometimes even in John Walther's settings. But for the re- 
 mainder of the century Osiander's advice and example was pretty 
 generally followed by the most prominent composers who pro- 
 fessed themselves anxious, as it was stated in the "Melodeyeu- 
 bucli .... durch Hieron. Prsetorius, Joachim Decker, J. 
 Prsetorius u., David Scheidemann, Hamburg." 1604: "That 
 every Christian should cheerfully and loudly raise his plain lay- 
 man's voice, and no longer as a fifth wheel, but as a regular 
 fourth wheel vigorously pull the Music wagon of praise and 
 thanksgiving to the name of the Lord," 
 
 Among the most prominent composers of this class we men- 
 tion in particular the following: 
 
 Seth Calvisius, born 1556 in Thuringia, in 1594 Cantor of 
 St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, died 16 15. He was famous also 
 as an astronomer and mathematician, (See: Opus Chronologictan 
 S. Scriptures ad notum luminarium ccelestium co7itextuni. 1605) 
 so that he received calls to various universities. He was a prom- 
 inent writer on the theory of music, especially the rules and prin- 
 
78 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 ciples underlying the ancient Church tones. As a composer he 
 developed the plain setting of the choral by paying more atten- 
 tion to the subordinate voices, giving them more fluency and 
 independence, and making them more singable, more living mem- 
 bers of the musical organism. He wrote Hymni Sacri Lathii Et 
 Germayii. 1594. Krfurt. Harmonia Cantionum Ecclesiasticarum. 
 1597. I^eipzig. Der Psalter Davids gesangweis. 1602. I^eipzig. 
 (Dr. Cornelius Becker's gereimte Psalmenbearbeitung). Besides 
 these, various Motettes, Hymns, Psalms, the manuscript of 
 which is preserved in St. Thomas School in Leipzig. Schober- 
 lein contains the following numbers of Calvisius: 
 
 Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen. Offertory. 
 Psalm III. Schbb. i, 201 b. 
 
 O, lyamm Gottes unschuldig. i, 263 a. 
 
 Te Deiim. i. 362. 
 
 hi Natali Domini. (Da Christus geboren war), ii, 55. 
 Ex Legis Observantia. (Da Jesus Christ Marise Kind), 
 ii, 174. 
 
 Veni Sancte Spiritus Et Emitte. (Sequenz). ii, 444. 
 Hat's Gott Versehn. Hymn of Consolation. Mel. by 
 Calvisius. iii, 364. 
 Hans IvKO HasslKR, in the language of his epitaph, ''Mu- 
 sicus Inter Germanos Sua Aetate Summits,^'' was born a. 1564 at 
 Niirnberg, to which city his father Isaac Hassler, a musician of 
 Joachimsthal, had moved. In the year 1584 the wealthy house 
 of the Fuggers in Augsburg sent him to Venice to finish his mu- 
 sical education under the celebrated Andrea Gabrieli, — a most 
 important event in the development of German Church Music, 
 signifying a turn from the influence of Netherlandish (Dutch) 
 art to that of the Italians. In 1585 he returned to Augsburg as 
 the Organist of Count Ottaviano Fugger, and during the fifteen 
 years spent in that city his most important compositions in the 
 sphere of Church Music were produced. In 1601 he took charge 
 of the Church Music of his native town, Niirnberg, serving also 
 as organist in one of its churches. In the following year he was 
 honored by the German Emperor Rudolph II with the title "His 
 Roman Imperial Majesty's Courtservant," which secured to him 
 an annual stipend without any fixed obligations on his part. In 
 1608 he received the appointment from the Elector of Saxony as 
 "Musicus u. Kammer-Organist" in Dresden. In 161 2 he died 
 
KARI,Y LUTHERAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 79 
 
 at Frankfurt a. Main, to which city he had accompanied the 
 Elector. 
 
 We mention Hassler with the class of composers that fol- 
 lowed the example of Osiander, chiefly on account of his Kirchen- 
 gesaeng: Psalmen u. Geistliche Lieder, auf die gemeinen Melo- 
 dieen mit vier Stimmen simpliciter gesetzt. Niirnberg, 1607. 
 (71 numbers with complete texts.) In the preface he declares 
 his purpose very much in the same spirit as Osiander, "that in 
 the Christian assembly the common people might be able to join 
 in these songs, — 'neben dem Figural' along with the figurated 
 setting. ' ' 
 
 This work however, by no means exhausts the list of Hass- 
 ler' s compositions. He wrote eight masses, for four, five, six 
 and eight voices, (Niirnberg, 1599) which give him a place side by 
 side with Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Siona, that excellent 
 monthly for Church Music, edited by Dr. Theol. Max Herold, 
 reprints from his Mass ''Super Dixit Maria ad Ayigelum^'" the 
 Kyrie (IX, 193), Gloria in Excelsis (X, 16), Credo (X, 102), 
 Sanctus (X, 160), Ag7ius (XI, 16). 
 
 For the Choirs of Evangelical Churches Hassler composed 
 his ''Psalmen u. Christliche Gesaeng, mit vier Stimmen, auf die 
 Melodieen fugweis componirt." Niirnberg, 1607. There are 
 fifty-two numbers, including thirty choral tunes, — models of 
 •counterpoint work in the treatment of the choral. In his secular 
 songs, " Lustgarten Neuer Teutscher Gesaeng,'' etc., Niirnberg, 
 1 60 1, he gave to the Church that jewel of a tune (Endlich II, 
 220) of which Bach, in his Passion Music (Matthseus) and other- 
 wise, made such extensive use. He wrote the tune originally for 
 the German Folks' Song, "Mein Gmuet ist mir verwirret." The 
 text of Christopher Knoll's hymn, "Herzlich thut mich verlan- 
 gen' ' was for the first time used with this tune in a School Hymn 
 Book, HarinonicE Sacra:, Goerlitz, 161 3. 
 
 Schoberlein gives the following numbers of Hassler' s com- 
 positions: 
 
 Komm Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott. i, 28. 
 
 Antiphonal between Choir and Congregation. 
 Als Jesus Christus unser Herr. (Communion Hymn i, 
 202 a.) 
 
 (O mensch, bewein dein Suende gross). 
 Ve7ii Redejnptor Ge7itium, ii, 14 b. 
 
ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn. ii, 23. 
 A Solis Ortus Car dine, ii, 51 a. 
 In Dulci Jubilo. ii. 71a. 
 
 Vom Himmel hoch. ii, 74 a. (Two Sopr. Alto, Bariton). 
 Von Gott will ich nicht lassen. ii, 119 a. 
 
 (Helft mir Gotts Guete preisen). 
 So sprach Maria zu Gabriel, ii, 191. 
 
 Responsory for Choir. 
 Ave Maris Stella, ii, 192. (Hymnus for Choir). 
 Christus, der uns selig macht. ii, 249 a. (Mel. Bohem. 
 
 Brethren.) 
 
 Herr Jesu Christ, wahrr Mensch und Gott. ii, 298 a. 
 (Mel. Bohem. Br.) 
 
 Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund. ii, 299. 
 
 Herzlich thut mich verlangen. ii, 306 a. 
 
 Christ ist erstanden. ii, 354 a. 
 
 Christ lag in Todesbanden. ii, 355 b. 
 
 Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der den Tod. ii, 357 b. 
 
 Christ fuhr gen Himmel. ii, 406 a. Sequenz for Ascen- 
 sion Day. 
 
 Tune: Christ ist erstanden. 
 
 Gott der Vater wohn uns bei. ii, 474. 
 
 Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist. ii, 445 b. (Choir in 
 five parts) . 
 
 Sequenz for Pentecost. 
 
 Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam. ii, 504. 
 Sequenz for the Day of John the Baptist. 
 
 Magnificat. Tonus Peregrinus. ii, 516. 
 
 Aus tiefer Not. The North German Tune, for Choir, 
 ii, 587 a. 
 
 Nun freut euch lieben Christen gmein. ii, 618. 
 Es ist das Heil uns kommen her. ii, 619 a. 
 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. ii, 620 a. 
 Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein. ii, 622. 
 Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns haelt. ii, 623. 
 Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl. iii, 234. 
 Aus tiefer Not. South Germ. Mel. iii, 259 a. 
 Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ, iii, 304 a. 
 Herr Gott, der Du erforschest mich. iii, 306. 
 Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt. iii, 316 a. 
 
KARI^Y LUTHERAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 81 
 
 Da Israel aus ^gypten zog. Hi, 317. 
 Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot. iii, 326 a. 
 Warum betruebst du dich mein Herz. iii, 348. 
 Mag ich Unglueck nit widerstahn. iii, 353 a. 
 Herr Gott, ich trau allein auf dich. iii, 361. 
 Herr, wie lang willst vergessen mein. iii, 362. 
 Cantate Domino. Choir for Alto, two Tenors and Bass, 
 iii, 438. 
 
 Gratias agimus. The same, iii, 439. 
 
 Christe qui Lux es et Dies, iii, 488 a. 
 
 Wo Gott zum Haus nicht gibt sein Gunst. iii, 534 a. 
 
 Wir glauben all an Einen Gott. iii, 627 a. 
 
 Sanctus. Choir in four parts, iii, 630. 
 
 Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah. iii, 631. 
 
 Nicene Creed. After H. L. Hassler. iii. 664. 
 By far the most prolific writer of Church music in this 
 period, and indeed, in the whole domain of Lutheran Church 
 Music, is 
 
 Michael Praetorius, born a. 1571 in Creutzberg, in 
 Thuringia. He usually signs himself "M. P. C." that is, Mich. 
 Praet. Creutzenbergensis, to distinguish his name from the Ham- 
 burg Praetoriuses of those days. In 1604 he became "Kapell- 
 meister" of the Duke of Brunswick at Wolfenbiittel, and a. 1613 
 he was honored with the same title by the Elector of Saxony, 
 which put him under no other obligation except that he had now 
 and then to send one of his compositions to Dresden. He died 
 a. 1 62 1 at Wolfenbiittel. His work as a composer covers the 
 whole field of the Service music of the Lutheran Church, in his 
 Leiturgodia Sionia, four parts, Wolfenbiittel, 1611. But here 
 he shows himself entirely too much under the influence of the 
 Italians, whose art he did not so thoroughly assimilate and digest 
 as Hassler and Schuetz succeeded in doing. He writes for effect 
 without sufficient regard to the devotional character of the Ser- 
 vice, and the claims of true churchly art. But in his ''Musce 
 SionicB,'' Geistliche Concert-Gesaenge ueber die fuernehmbste 
 Deutsche Psalmen und Lieder, wie sie in der christlichen Kirchen 
 gesungen werden." Nine parts, 1607-1610, he furnishes not 
 less than 1248 settings which are, of course, not all of the same 
 excellence, but still contain some of the most beautiful arrange- 
 ments of the finest jewels of our Church song. For instance: Es 
 
82 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 ist ein Reis entsprungen, (Schobrl. ii, 99.) In Dulci Jubilo, 
 ibid, ii, 72, a. b. c. for two, three and four voices. Geborn ist 
 der Emanuel. Sion a, December 1877. (Compare Sonntagschul- 
 buch 53.) 
 
 Praetorius is also prominent as a writer on the history and 
 theory of Music in his Syntagma Musicum, first Volume, Witten- 
 berg, 1615. Second and Third Vols. Wolfenbiittel, 1618. The 
 fourth volume was to treat of the counterpoint, but never ap- 
 peared in print. 
 
 Schoberlein gives no less than 162 numbers from Mich. Prae- 
 torius; of these 140 are from the Musce Sionice^ and only 22 from 
 the Leiturgodia Sionia. In Endlich's Chorgesaenge the follow- 
 ing are from Pr. 
 
 Hosianna dem Sohne David. No. 2. 
 Bs kam ein Engel hell und klar. No. 5. 
 Es war des ewigen Vaters Rat. No. 26. 
 Allein auf Gottes Wort will ich. No. 27. 
 Ach Gott vom Himmelreiche. No. 29. 
 Erweckt hat mir das Herz zu Dir. No. 30. 
 Ich armer Suender klag mein Leid. No. 32. 
 Was ist es doch, mein Herz dass du hast noch. No. 35. 
 The tendency to simplify the settings of the Church tunes, 
 with due consideration for the congregation, so as to enable it to 
 take part in their rendering, undoubtedly involved the danger 
 that the higher artistic forms of figurated polyphonous composi- 
 tions should gradually disappear, or, at least, be neglected by the 
 majority of composers. A certain reaction in the interest of this 
 more artistic style is represented by the so-called Prussian school 
 of composers, foremost by John Eccard, for whom Winterfeld 
 claims the very first place in I^utheran Choir Music. 
 
 John Eccard was born a. 1553 in Muehlhausen, Thuringia, 
 and received his first musical training from Joachim von Burgk, 
 cantor and organist of the principal church of his native town. 
 From 1 571-1574 he was the pupil of the illustrious Orlando di 
 lyasso in Muenchen. Having returned to his native town, in 
 1574, he published twenty compositions on the songs of Ludwig 
 Helmbold, {Odce Sacrce) written in the polyphonous style of his 
 master Orlando di Lasso. A few years later we find him in the 
 service of Count Jacob Fugger at Augsburg who probably fur- 
 nished him with means for a journey to Venice, to pursue his 
 
KARI,Y LUTHERAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 83 
 
 studies under Andrea Gabrieli and other masters, as Hassler also 
 did. In the year 1579 he accepted a call of Markgrave George 
 Frederik of Brandenburg-Ansbach to Konigsberg, as "Vice- 
 Kapellmeister in Preussen." In 1607 he moved to Berlin where 
 he died in 1611. 
 
 In 1 586 he was charged by his Prince to furnish five-part 
 settings for the melodies commonly used in Prussia. This led to 
 the publication of his Geistliche Lieder auf de?i Choral, oder 
 die gebraeuchlichen Kirchenmelodieen gerichtet und fue7ifstimmig 
 gesetzty Konigsberg, 1597. Fifty-five numbers, in all, repub- 
 lished by Breitkopf und Haertel in Leipzig, i860. In the follow- 
 ing year appeared his "Festlieder," compositions for five to eight 
 voices, with original tunes. 
 
 Kccard brought to his work a thorough schooling in counter- 
 point after the manner of Orlando di Lasso. But he was bound 
 by the order of his Prince to pay due regard to the choral of the 
 congregation, preserving the melody in its usual form, and giv- 
 ing it to the Soprano. In the treatment of the different voices 
 we notice a remarkable simplicity in the bass, but much more 
 freedom and motion in the middle voices. All the parts are quite 
 singable, fluent and perspicuous, and, withal, dignified. His 
 harmonies are rich and of matchless purity. Though, even in 
 recent times, the old question as to the participation of the con- 
 gregation in the rendering of these compositions has been revived, 
 I have no hesitation in saying that the only way to do justice to 
 Eccard and to appreciate fully the beauty of his settings is to 
 leave their execution to the choir alone. If the congregation is 
 to have its share in the respective hymn this may be done in the 
 most effective manner by changing about from verse to verse, be- 
 tween choir and congregation, thus making the rendering of the 
 hymn antiphonal, as it was done with grand effect, in the Acad- 
 emy of Music in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1883, with "Kin 
 feste Burg ist unser Gott." 
 
 Eccard is well represented in Schoberlein, with the following 
 52 numbers: 
 
 *0 Lamm Gottes, unschuldig. i, 263 d. 
 
 Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her. ii, 74 a. 
 *Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ, ii, 85 b. 
 
 The numbers marked * are specified in Kuemmerle's Encyclopedia for Church 
 Music as the best of Eccard's compositions. 
 
ESSAYS OX CHmCH MUSIC. 
 
 Xachdem die Sonn beschlossen. ii, 139. 
 Ich lag in tiefer Todesnacht. ii, 158. 
 
 (Sung by the Leipzig Quartet) . 
 Freu dich du werte Christenheit. ii, 205. 
 Heir Jesu Christ wahr' Mensch und Gott. ii, 297 a. 
 Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund. ii, 300. 
 Christ lag Todesbanden. ii. 355 d. 
 Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, ii, 357 c. 
 
 (All these in five parts: Sopr. Alto. 2 Ten. Bass.) 
 Maria wallt zum Heiligtum. ii, 184. (2 Sopr. Alt. 
 
 2 Ten. Bass.) 
 Zu dieser oesterlichen Zeit. ii. 360. 4 parts. 
 
 The same. ii. 361. Six Parts. 3 Sopr. A. T. B. 
 Weil unser Trost du Herre Christ, ii, 376. 5 parts. 
 
 2 Sopr. A. T. B. 
 Mein schoenste Zier. ii, 377. Same arr. 
 Gen Him m el faehrt der Herre Christ, ii, 415 b. 4 parts. 
 Freut euch ihr Christen alle. ii. 416. 5 parts. 
 Der Heilig Geist vom Himmel kam. ii, 448. 4 parts. 
 
 (Endlich I '. 
 
 Sei froehlich alle Zeit. ii, 454. 5 parts. 2 S. A. T. B. 
 Der Zacharias ganz verstummt. ii, 508. 2 S. A. T. B. 
 Uebers Gebirg Maria geht. ii. 523., 2S. A. T. B. 
 Aus Lieb laesst Gott der Christenheit. ii, 545. 2 S. A. 
 T. B. 
 
 Ermuntert euch. ihr Frommen. ii, 572 a. 5 parts. S. 
 A. 2 T. B. 
 ^Aus tiefer Xot. ii, 588 b. 
 *Es ist das Heil uns kommen her. ii, 619 b. 
 *Ein feste Burg, ii, 620 b. 
 
 Sung at the Luther Centennial. 18S3, in the Academ}- 
 of Music, Philadelphia. 
 Erhalt uns Herr bei deinem Wort, ii, 621. 
 Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich. ii, 677. 
 Gib unsrem Fuersten. ii. 682. 
 =^Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein. iii, 227. 
 Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns haelt. iii. 230 a. 2 S. 
 A. T. B. 
 
 O Herre Gott, dein goettlich Wort, iii, 233. S. A. 2 T. B. 
 Kommt her zu mir, spricht Gottes Sohn. iii, 291 c. 
 
EARLY I.UTHBRAN CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 85 
 
 *Herr Christ der einig Gotts Sohn. iii, 296. 
 Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot. iii, 326 b. 2 S. A. T. B. 
 Mensch, willt du leben seliglich. iii, 327b. S. A. 2T. B. 
 Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ. Ill, 328 c. S. A. 
 2 T. B. 
 
 *Was mein Gott will, gescheh allzeit. Ill, 356 b. 
 
 Von Gott will ich nicht lassen. Ill, 359 a. 
 *Nun lob mein Seel den Herren. Ill, 417 c 
 
 Ihr Alten pflegt zu sagen. Ill, 501. 2 S. A. Baryton. 
 
 Dass noch viel Menschen werden. Ill, 503. Four Parts. 
 
 Age nunc, parve puer. Ill, 512. 2 S. A. Baryton. 
 
 Wohl dem, der in Gottes Furcht steht. Ill, 532. S. 2 A. 
 T. B. 
 
 Wo Gott zum Haus nicht gibt Sein Gunst. Ill, 534 b. 
 
 Jam moesta quiesce querela. Ill, 553 a. S. A. 2 T. B. 
 
 Mitten wir im Leben sind. Ill, 571. 
 
 Wir glauben all an Einen Gott. Ill, 627 b. 
 
 Vater unser im Himmelreich. Ill, 634. 
 
 Magnificat. Ill, 642 b. 
 
 Im Garten leidet Christus Not. Ill, 646. 2 S. A. 2 T. B. 
 Along with Eccard his contemporary, Leonhard Schroe- 
 TER also deserves to be specially mentioned. He was born at 
 Torgau, a. 1540, and probably received his first musical training 
 under Michael Voigt, the Cantor of his native town. In the year 
 1565 he succeeded Gallus Dressier as Cantor in the school at 
 Magdeburg, and there he died, probably about 1602. Among his 
 works are: XXV Geistl . Lateinische Hymneji auf alle Hauptfeste 
 zu gebrauchen, von vier.fuenf, sechs und acht Stimme7i.''' Erfurt, 
 1 580. — ' 'XXVIII Geistl. Lateinische Hymnen auf die Hauptfeste zu 
 gebrauchen, von vier.fuenf, seeks U7id acht Stimmen.'" Erfurt, 1587. 
 ''Neuwe Weihnachtliedlein , niit vier und acht Stimmen comp07iirt. 
 Helmstaedt.'" 1587. Schroeter was perfectly at home in the pure 
 polyphonous style of Palestrina and the Roman school, and his 
 figurated settings of the most important hymns are among the 
 very best things which Germany has produced in this line. He 
 also accommodated himself to the demands of his time by giving 
 to the melody the ruling position, and adapting himself to the 
 closed form of the hymn, and the new principles of harmonization 
 demanded by it. How beautifully he understood to combine 
 these features appears best in his lovely Christmas Song, "Freut 
 
86 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 euch, ihr lieben Christen." Endlich I, Page 104. (The plain 
 tune in Sonntagschulbuch No. 37.) 
 
 Schoberleiu has eleven numbers from Schroeter: 
 Veni Redemptor Gentium, II, 15. 
 A Solis Ortus Cardine. II, 52. 
 
 Dies Est LcetiticB. (Kin Kindelein so loebelich). II, 54 c. 
 Hoert zu und seid getrost. II, 73. 
 
 Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich. II, 91 b. 2S. A. T. B. 
 
 Freut euch ihr lieben Christen. II, 95. 
 
 Helft mir Gotts Guete preisen. II, 119 b. 
 (Von Gott will ich nicht lassen). 
 
 Festum Nunc Celebre. II, 396 c. 
 
 Komm Gott Schoepfer, Heiliger Geist. II, 435 c. 
 
 O Lux Beata Trinitas. II, 466 d. 
 
 Allein Gott in der Hoeh sei Ehr. II, 475. 
 Next to Michael Praetorius the composer most frequently 
 quoted and used by Schoberlein is Mei.chior Frank, born about 
 1575 in Zittau, Oberlausitz, Silesia. From i6oi-i6o3he held an 
 appointment as Musician of the City Council of Niirnberg, and 
 afterwards was called to Coburg, as Musical Director, Kapell- 
 meister, of Duke Johann Casimir. He died a. 1639. The 
 beautiful tune "Jerusalem Du hochgebaute Stadt" is generally 
 ascribed to him. 
 
 Much more even than Eccard, Melchior Frank represents the 
 reaction of the older Motette style against those arrangements 
 which had special regard to the congregation's participation in 
 choral singing. His Contrapuncti Compositi Teutscher Psalmen und 
 andrer geistlicher Kirchengesaeng Niirnberg, 1602, are clearly 
 intended as Choir pieces, over against such compositions as were 
 written ''In Contrapuncto simplici'''' so as to make it possible for 
 the people to join in the singing. Frank cultivates the old large 
 style of the Motette, preserving the peculiar features of the an- 
 cient Church tones. The influence of the Italians can clearly be 
 traced in his settings. 
 
 Of the 99 selections from Melchior Frank, contained in Scho- 
 berlein, the following are found in Endlich I. 
 • Warum liegst im Krippelein. Page 100. 
 
 Unser Keiner lebt ihm selber. P. 108. 
 
 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt. P. 148. 
 
 Die Erloeseten des Herrn. P. 160. 
 
BARtY tUTH:eRAK CHOIR MtJStC. 
 
 87 
 
 Of special interest are the Gospel Sentences, Kvangelien- 
 sprueche, throughout the Church Year, written by Melchior 
 Frank in the Motette style and reprinted in the third volume of 
 Schoberlein. 
 
 Besides these the following masters of lyUtheran choir musk 
 might be mentioned, as belonging to this period: Joachim, (Muel- 
 ler) von Burgk, 1 546-1610, Gotthardt Krythraeus, 1 560-1 61 7, 
 Bartholomaeus Gesius, 1560-16 13, Bartholomseus Helder, died 
 1635 Melchior Vulpius, i56ori6i6. 
 
 It is hoped that this brief sketch may be helpful to the 
 friends of pure Church Music, especially the leaders of our Choirs, 
 to study the compositions of these Masters. To this end the 
 numbers found in Schoberlein and Endlich are, mostly, given in 
 full, as those collections are accessible to all. It is evident that 
 this early Lutheran Choir Music, representing in fact its classical 
 period, rests altogether on the Choral. It cannot be separated 
 from it. The more our choirs will be led back to the old Luther- 
 an Choral Tunes and study to render them with true devotion in 
 the fine artistic settings of these masters, the more will their 
 singing be brought into full harmony with the Service itself and 
 lead to the true edification of the congregation. 
 
THE DETERIORATION OF CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 BY THE REV. J. F. OHL, MUS. DOC. 
 
 The subject before us is stated in terms that will at once provoke 
 opposition. It distinctly affirms what is denied b}' most, to wit, 
 that choir music has degenerated. 
 
 The question at issue is however, not whether choir music 
 only as an art-form has deteriorated, but whether what is used 
 to-day in most churches is in the best sense Church music, in 
 every way suited to the house and service of God, and fitted to 
 aid the devotions of the worshiping congregation. 
 
 lyike ecclesiastical architecture and painting, choir music as 
 pure Church music has had a period of bloom unsurpassed, nay 
 even unapproached by any compositions of modern times. Its 
 history ma}^ be said to begin with the great Belgian School and 
 to extend to about the second decade of the seventeenth centur3^ 
 Into this period, the latter part of which is usualh^ called "The 
 Golden Age of Ecclesiastical Music," fall the names of des Pres 
 and di Lassus of the Belgian School, Eccard and Hassler of the 
 German, Tallis, Byrd and Gibbons of the English, and above all, 
 that of the great Italian Palestrina, the beauties of whose style 
 "were speedily recognized from one end of Europe to the other, 
 exercising more or less influence over the productions of all other 
 Schools, and thereby bringing the music of the Mass, during the 
 latter part of the sixteenth century, to a degree of perfection be- 
 yond which it has never since advanced."^ Says Rockstro again: 
 
 * Rockstro: Grove's Dictionary. Vol. II, p. 231. 
 
 (Ixxxviii) 
 
THE DETERIORATION OF CHOIR MUSIC, 
 
 89 
 
 *'The true Ecclesiastical Style, as determined hy the Mzssa Papce 
 Marcelli, differs from that which preceded it, not in its technical, 
 
 but in its aesthetic character Palestrina was the first 
 
 great genius who so concealed his learning as to cause it to be 
 absolutely overlooked in the beauty of the resulting effect. It 
 was given to Okenheim to unite the dry bones of Counterpoint 
 into a wondrously articulated skeleton, and to Josquin to clothe 
 that skeleton with flesh; to Palestrina was committed the infin- 
 itely higher privilege of endowing the perfect form with the spirit 
 which enabled it not only to live, but to give thanks to God in 
 strains such as Polyphony had never before imagined. It was 
 not the beauty of its construction, but the presence of the soul 
 within it that rendered his music immortal."* Of the music of 
 his great contemporary, di I,assus, another writer says: "So un- 
 obtrusive is its character, that we can fancy the worshipers hear- 
 ing it by the hour, passive rather than active listeners, with no 
 thought of the human mind that fashioned its form. Yet the art 
 is there, for there is no monotony in the sequence of the move- 
 ments. Every variety that can be naturally obtained by changes 
 of key, contrasted effects of repose and activity, or distribution 
 of voices, are here; but these changes are so quietly and natural- 
 ly introduced, and the startling contrasts, now called 'dramatic' 
 so entirely avoided, that the composer's part seems only to have 
 been to deliver faithfully a divine message, without attracting 
 notice to himself, "t The productions of the English and Ger- 
 man composers of this period are spoken of in similar terms by 
 those who are familiar with them. A very recent writer declares 
 that "every school-boy knows something of the Elizabethan 
 poets, but few are aware that the Elizabethan period was the 
 most glorious period of English musical composition;" whilst of 
 the corresponding period of German musical art, so high an au- 
 thority as Naumann is obliged to confess: "We feel, with a sense 
 of shame, that the musical portion of the Evangelical service has 
 not progressed but gone back, and that to such a degree that we 
 doubt whether it will ever again attain that high state of excel- 
 lence which Luther gained for it." J 
 
 Art music was introduced into the Church Service with the 
 
 * Grovels Dictionary . Vol. Ill, p. 264. 
 
 t Ibid. Vol. II, p. 96. 
 
 X History of Music. Vol. I, p. 47 1. 
 
90 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 invention of Counterpoint, and advanced as Counterpoint was 
 elaborated. In the Roman Catholic Church the texts chosen for 
 harmonic treatment were and continue to be invariably a' part 
 of the lyiturgy, above all the five fixed parts of the Mass, viz., 
 the KyriCj the Gloria^ the Credo, the Sanctus including the Bene- 
 dictus qui venit, and the Agnus Dei. In the artistic setting of 
 these texts the great masters of the sixteenth century made use 
 of the themes derived from the music which through centuries 
 had been associated with the Liturgy, i. e., the Gregorian chant; 
 and "by means of the skill and inventiveness of those inspired 
 minds," says Ritter, the chant had imparted to it '*a power and 
 intensity of true sacred expression, an ideal meaning far more 
 effective and touching than that it possessed in its simple and 
 slender garb." Here then was a musical art that like the Gothic 
 architecture was developed from very simple forms into structures 
 of wondrous symmetry and beauty, and that like the latter, as a 
 distinctive art of the Church, most faithfully expressed the heav- 
 enward aspirations of the worshiping soul. It was not profane 
 art, but Christian art, brought to the perfection of Christian 
 beauty under the fostering care of the Church, and intended only 
 for the Church. Hence we hear Thibaut say: '*I should consider 
 it inexcusable for a single bar of a sacred work of Palestrina*s to 
 be introduced into an opera; but it would also be abominable to 
 find in a Mass the least trace of the rich and ready fancy so pe- 
 culiarly characteristic of the Figaro of Mozart." 
 
 Turning now to the Protestant Church we find that the 
 Reformation introduced a new element into the Church Service, 
 or rather restored what had long been lost, to wit, the unisonous 
 song of the people. The congregational hymn again became an 
 integral part of the Service. In this and in other parts the peo- 
 ple again came to their rights as" active participants. But this 
 did not lead to the abolition of the choir and choir music. Of 
 such a procedure there was no thought. In his arrangement of 
 the Mass or Communion Service Luther eliminated only the doc- 
 trinal errors, but allowed the Scriptural liturgico musical texts 
 of the ancient Mass to remain unaltered, to be sung, as circum- 
 stances would permit, either choraliter or Jiguraliter. Where 
 there were competent choirs these texts, for a time, continued to 
 be sung in Latin to the music already in use, the beauty, spon- 
 taneity and power of which Luther esteemed so highly, that he 
 
THK DETERIORATION OF CHOIR MUSIC, 
 
 91 
 
 would not risk the destruction of these qualities by attempting 
 the almost impossible task of adapting a German text to the 
 music. The five fixed parts of the Communion Service were, 
 however, soon put into German verse for the congregation, to be 
 sung by this in addition to the Kunstgesang of the choir, to the 
 melodies especially provided for them. The texts of the variable 
 parts (Introit, Gradual, etc.) were similarly treated and used. 
 The melodies thus introduced through the congregation — many 
 of them derived from the religious folk-song, were in turn har- 
 monized in motet form for the choir, to be sung by it either in 
 alternation with the unisonous song of the congregation, or in 
 place of the I^atin texts. 
 
 In all these harmonized arrangements the melody lay in the 
 tenor. But in his "Fiinfzig geistliche I^ieder und Psalmen" of 
 1586, IvUcas Osiander introduced the innovation of transferring 
 the melody from the tenor to the treble, in order, as he says, 
 '"that the entire congregation may be enabled to join in the sing- 
 ing." He was followed in this by Marshall, Hassler, Calvisius, 
 Gesius, Jerome and Jacob Praetorius, Eccard in his "Geistliche 
 Lieder" (1597), and others. It is claimed however, that this 
 change was a direct detriment to Kunstgesang^ inasmuch as it 
 destro3'ed the balance of parts, obscured the really artistic work 
 of the well- trained choir, and made the function of the latter to 
 consist almost solely in accompanying the song of the congrega- 
 tion. 
 
 Without at this point even touching upon the proper sphere 
 and functions of the choir — a subject discussed at a former Con- 
 vocation by another writer, let us very briefly note what were 
 the two chief characteristics of the choir music of this period. 
 
 It was, in the first place, liturgical, i. e. , the words to which 
 it was written were a part of the Church Service. Composers 
 did not choose their own texts. These were already at hand, 
 whether in the Mass and other Services of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, or in the purified Orders that Luther and his co-laborers 
 introduced. Entering into the spirit of the text as set forth for 
 every season, day and occasion, and never forgetting that in 
 writing for the Church they were dealing with holy things, the 
 acknowledged masters of that period strove to make their com- 
 positions the faithful exponents of the devotional sentiments be- 
 gotten by the particular text in hand. 
 
92 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 In the second place their music was polyphonic, i. e., it was 
 unaccompanied vocal music in many parts, each part forming a 
 melody by itself, and all these parts so bound together into a- har- 
 monious whole as not to need instrumental support. Of the 
 compositions of Palestrina, the greatest master in this style, 
 Rockstro says: "A careful study of the works of this great writer 
 will show that, when regarded from a purely technical point of 
 view, their greatest merit lies in the strictness with which the 
 Polyphonic principle has been carried out in their development. 
 Of course, their real excellence lies in the genius which dictated 
 them; but, setting this aside, and examining merely their me- 
 chanical structure, we find, not only that every part is necessary 
 to the well-being of the whole, but, that it is absolutely impossi- 
 ble to say in which part the chief interest of the composition is 
 
 concentrated It would seem impossible that Art could 
 
 go beyond this; and, in this particular direction, it never has 
 gone beyond it. It is impossible now even to guess what would 
 have happened had the Polyphonic School been cultivated in the 
 seventeenth century with the same zeal which was brought to 
 bear upon it in the sixteenth. That it was not so cultivated is a 
 miserable fact which can never be sufficiently deplored. Pales- 
 trina died in 1594; and as early as the year 1600 his work was 
 forgotten, and his greatest triumphs contemned as puerilities. 
 Monteverde sapped the foundations of the School by his con- 
 tempt for contrapuntal laws. Instrumental accompaniment was 
 substituted for the ingenuity of pure vocal writing. The choir 
 was sacrificed to the stage. And, before many years had passed, 
 the Polyphonic School was known no more, and Monodia reigned 
 triumphant."^ 
 
 At the close of this statement the writer hints at the causes 
 which led to the deterioration of choir music. Though a few 
 earnest composers for at least fifty years beyond the death of 
 Palestrina, endeavored to preserve his style, the new influences 
 that began with the seventeenth century made themselves felt 
 with increasing energy, and by the middle of the eighteenth had 
 brought about a complete change in the character of Church mu- 
 sic. The new system of harmony invented by Monteverde grad- 
 ually led to the substitution of the modern major and minor 
 scales for the ancient ecclesiastical keys. The dissonances and 
 
 * Grove's Dictionary. Vol. Ill, p. 13. 
 
THK DKTKRIORATION OF CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 93 
 
 chromatic progressions of the new style, and its facility for dra- 
 matic expression gave the death-blow to polyphonic music. 
 Part-writing in the modern sense took the place of counterpoint. 
 The forms of the opera — the recitative, aria, duetts, etc., found 
 their way into the music composed for the. Church. The themes 
 formerly associated with the lyiturgy were discarded. For his 
 masses and motets, the composer no longer took his motifs from 
 the Gregorian chant and the congregational hymn tune, but in- 
 vented his own. The purely melodic element began to rule. 
 The organ became increasingly prominent. Orchestral music, 
 which had entered upon its wonderful modern development, was 
 freely used to accompany the voices, and sometimes even in place 
 of the voices. Whilst the composers of Roman Catholic Church 
 music indeed made use of the liturgical texts, their masses and 
 other works were more and more cast in the new mold, with 
 beautiful and brilliant results, viewed only from the standpoint 
 of aesthetic Art, but often so entirely secular as to cease to be 
 genuine Church music. The dramatic had triumphed over the 
 devotional, the profane over the sacred, the secular over the 
 churchly, the text itself serving the composer no other purpose 
 than that of perfecting his art. In spite of earnest efforts at re- 
 form, the style set by the new Italian School has to the present 
 day continued to influence composers for the Roman Catholic 
 Service; and in the sanctuaries of that Church are to-day, as a 
 rule, heard works that in churchly and devotional character are 
 not a whit above the average concert music sung in the majority 
 of Protestant churches. 
 
 During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the music 
 of the Protestant Church felt the touch of the same influences. 
 Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schiitz in Germany, and Pel- 
 ham Humphrey, Michael Wise and John Blow in England were 
 among the first to adopt the new style. And now another most 
 momentous change took place. Hitherto, in addition to the 
 fixed texts of the Liturgy, each Sunday and Festival had its own 
 Hymns, Sequences, Responsories, etc., after the manner in which 
 we find these given in Schoberlein's "Schatz des liturgischen 
 Chor-und Gemeindegesangs. " But towards the close of the sev- 
 enteenth century composers began to select and even write their 
 own texts, and to construct upon these, altogether in the new 
 style, works of much larger proportions than the old motet. 
 
94 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 Thus the unity of the Service was disturbed by the introduction 
 of an element in text and music often quite unfamiliar to the 
 people, and the choir was again given a place practically inde- 
 pendent of the people and the Liturgy. In Germany we now 
 ^meet the Church Cantata, and in England the Solo and Verse 
 Anthem, — forms of composition often written in highly dramatic 
 form, abounding in recitatives, arias and duets, and always re- 
 quiring an instrumental accompaniment. These compositions, 
 altogether severed from the Liturgy, took the place of the motet, 
 not as a homogeneous element of the Service, but as an interpo- 
 lation meant to afford variety and aesthetic pleasure. 
 
 This form of composition was brought to its greatest perfec- 
 tion by Bach. In his five series of cantatas for the Church Year 
 he endeavored not only to arrest the decay of German Protestant 
 Church music, but also to bring the cantata into some sort of or- 
 ganic unity with the rest of the Service. With reverent appreci- 
 ation of its devotional and edifying character, Bach turned to the 
 Choral for his themes, just as Palestrina and other great com- 
 posers of the Roman Church had often made the melody of the 
 ancient hymns and chants the basis of their compositions. "In 
 his cantatas, in his motets, in his oratorios, in his works for the 
 organ, — everywhere," says Ritter, "we meet in Bach's works the 
 choral, from its simplest form of a plain four-part harmonization, 
 to the most artificial combinations which the deepest knowledge 
 of counterpoint can lend the master. Everywhere it is made the 
 vehicle of profound ideal contents. In his great cantatas, how- 
 ever, this art reaches its culmination. In the cantatas, all that 
 touches man's soul most deeply, every feeling, every emotion, 
 from the cradle to the grave, is revealed in compositions inex- 
 haustible in richness of harmony, truthfulness of melodious ex- 
 pression, and the greatest variety of forms."* 
 
 And yet, can the cantata in any form be called Church music 
 in the proper sense when liturgical requirements are considered? 
 Is not Bachmann entirely right when he says: "The cantata is 
 altogether too large a musical form to leave one after listening 
 to it in an unbroken frame of devotion. Anything that goes be- 
 yond the motet form always brings with it the danger of miscon- 
 ceiving the purpose of public worship, and of giving a well-meant 
 but nevertheless undue prominence to the musical part of the 
 
 * History of Music. First Series, 1876. p. 124. 
 
THE DETERIORATION OF CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 95 
 
 Service. "^^ And this same writer in speaking of Bach's cantatas 
 in particular, gives it as his conviction that the ver^^ richness of 
 these, and their self-existent place in the Service, broke the or- 
 ganic continuity of the Service, and deprived the congregation of 
 the impression which the Service as a whole ought to produce. 
 
 As between the music that is the outgrowth of the Liturgy 
 itself and the Church Cantata, Liliencron makes these statements: 
 The former accompanies the liturgical acts without breaking in 
 upon their sequence; the latter, on the contrary, interrupts these. 
 The former seeks only to attune the worshiping congregation to 
 the purest devotion, without diverting it from the proper object 
 of its devotions; the latter claims the undivided attention of the 
 listener for itself. The liturgy furthermore contains texts of the 
 most extraordinary grandeur, almost as old as the Church her- 
 self, and destined to live as long; the cantata, on the contrary, 
 has words of a purely subjective character, reflecting the taste or 
 lack of taste of the writer, and the spirit of the times. The con- 
 tents of the Liturgy are known to the listener and enter into his 
 devotions, even though they should be sung in an unknown 
 tongue; but the words of the cantata, unless the hearer has them 
 before his eyes like an opera libretto, are often only partially un- 
 derstood by him, even though they are in his own tongue. After 
 making this comparison, Liliencron very properly asks: "Must 
 we not conclude that the cantata, though certainly an art- work 
 of the Church, is after all, not in the fullest sense adapted to give 
 choir music its appropriate share of the Liturgy in the regular 
 Lord's Day services?" f 
 
 After the middle of the eighteenth century the true Church 
 style had practically disappeared from the Protestant Church of 
 Germany. The brilliant style of Mozart and Haydn, the con- 
 tempt in which Pietism and Rationalism held the historic Litur- 
 gy, the substitution of the subjective for the objective, the in- 
 creasing use and abuse of the organ, the growing importance of 
 the orchestra, the altogether false notions regarding the function 
 of the choir and of choir music, and the growing love for the 
 purely sensuous in music that came with declining faith, — all 
 these factors combined had made it easy for the operatic style to 
 triumph completely over the Church style. Only since the his- 
 
 * Grundlagen u. Grundfragen zur evang. Kirchenimisik. p. 131. 
 t Ueber de?t Chorgesan^ in der evang. Kirche. pp. 21, 22. 
 
96 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 toric Liturgy and its accompanying treasures of choir and congre- 
 gational song have again been made the subject of careful study, 
 has a reaction set in, which, it is to be hoped will yet gather suf- 
 ficient strength to banish from our churches the world over every 
 trace of ignoble music, whether for choir, organ or congregation. 
 
 Of the present little need be said. We know to what depths 
 choir music, in common with Church music generally, has fallen. 
 Much of its utter demoralization has no doubt come from the so- 
 called non-liturgical churches in which choir music is not and can 
 not be an integral part of the service. In these it is therefore 
 too often made to serve only the purpose of attracting and enter- 
 taining. The music used, generally suits the purpose. Perhaps 
 it is a rollicking Gloria from a Haydn Mass; or a sentimental 
 excerpt from one of the so-called "sacred" compositions of Rossi- 
 ni, Donizetti or Mercadante; or an arrangement from Gounod's 
 *'Faust"; or Sullivan's "Lost Chord"; or more frequently one 
 of the numerous maudlin, made-to-order productions that afford 
 members of quartet choirs the coveted opportunity of displaying 
 their vocal art ! And to this has it likewise come in many 
 Lutheran churches. We have forgotten our birth-right, we have 
 despised our heritage, and have too often fallen into the ways of 
 those about us. 
 
 I would, however, lay myself open to serious and just criti- 
 cism were I to maintain that no choir music worthy of the name, 
 and fit to be ranked as Church music, has been written since the 
 new tonality displaced the old. Composers who have made a 
 careful study of the old forms, and who have had a reverent re- 
 gard for that which the Church requires, have produced many 
 works that combine with the noble dignity of the old forms, the 
 grace and charm of the new. Especially is this true of those com- 
 posers for the English Cathedral- service, who, adhering closely 
 to the words and spirit of the historic Liturgy of the English 
 Church, have enriched the repertoire of choirs with Service-mu- 
 sic and anthems that are in every way worthy of a place along- 
 side of the best compositions derived from the so-called classical 
 age. Thus, for instance, the most pronounced purist need not 
 hesitate for a moment to use numerous compositions of such very 
 modern writers as Samuel Sebastian Wesley and John Goss, 
 "Church musicians" as Barrett says, "who made offering of the 
 purest style of devotional music, the inheritance of a long line of 
 
THE DKTKRIORATION OF CHOIR MUSIC. 
 
 97 
 
 illustrious predecessors, with such additions as would come from 
 the right use of modern knowledge."^ 
 
 I close this review of the causes which have so generally led 
 to the deterioration of choir music with the observation of Bach- 
 mann, that whilst we are bound to take into account the intel- 
 lectual and musical progress of the last four hundred years, we 
 must nevertheless build up Church music, in the sense of appro- 
 priate art music, on the basis furnished by the Reformation 
 period, if we would exclude exotic and foreign growths from the 
 Service and have real Church music. This means for us that we 
 must again think of choir music in its relation to the Liturgy, 
 and again make a careful study of those models that give the 
 portions of the Liturgy appropriately assigned to the choir their 
 most faithful expression; for apart from the Liturgy and its sug- 
 gested thoughts, choir music has no place in the Lutheran Service, 
 and can serve no useful purpose. When once again composers, 
 organists, choir masters and ministers will so deal with the sub- 
 ject, then may we hope to hear in our Lutheran churches a mu- 
 sical service worthy of our Liturgy, and altogether in consonance 
 with the principles that dominated the Golden Age of Ecclesiasti- 
 cal Music — Catholic as well as Protestant. 
 
 * English Church Composers, p. 167. 
 
CHURCH CHOIR TRAINING. 
 
 BY MR. C. A. MARKS. 
 
 Thb first question which presents itself for consideration, on the 
 subject of Church choir training, is the formation of the choir. 
 This is in many cases the most difficuU problem to solve, for in 
 some localities it is not only difficult to secure voices to balance 
 the choir properly, but to have the four parts represented. The 
 part most difficult to secure and generally the weakest, is of 
 course the tenor. 
 
 Where you have a choir of fifteen or twenty voices and only 
 one tenor, it is certainly difficult to have successful singing, or 
 where the choir is much smaller, one of the parts missing per- 
 haps, and apparently no available material at hand; where such 
 conditions exist, the one solitary person who gets all the blame 
 is the organist or choir-master. For people have an idea that 
 any one who is willing to come into the choir can sing, and those 
 who are not willing, and ca7i sing, can be gotten by — "coaxing" 
 — I suppose, and allowing them to sing a solo every Sunday. 
 
 I should have said in the beginning, that I am speaking of 
 volunteer choirs, or paid quartettes with a volunteer chorus. 
 
 The best place to secure choir members is in your own con- 
 gregation, and the place in the congregation is the Sunday 
 School. By having members of the choir who are members of 
 the congregation, you are sure to have them on Sundays. The}- 
 are more regular at rehearsals, for it is natural for them to take 
 more interest in their own Church than they would in another. 
 
 The organist or choir-master can very soon find out whether 
 (xcviii) 
 
CHURCH CHOIR TRAINING. 
 
 99 
 
 or not there is any desirable material in the Sunday School. If 
 there is material that is desirable, but possibly not far enough 
 advanced to join the regular choir, he can very easily train them 
 privately, and in a very short time may have the singers needed 
 to balance the choir. 
 
 There is another advantage in securing young material. 
 They will grow into the habit of singing, so that as they grow 
 older it becomes more and more both a pleasure and a recreation 
 for them. 
 
 A great deal of tact must be used in bringing new members 
 into the choir. The musical element, unfortunately must be of 
 secondary importance for the time being, for no one who is not 
 congenial to the rest of the members should be admitted, or one 
 who is probably a disturbing element. No matter what their 
 musical qualifications are, keep them out of the choir if you wish 
 to have peace in the family. 
 
 In order to avoid unpleasantness, the organist or choir-mas- 
 ter would better propose all applicants at a choir rehearsal ; tell the 
 members that if there is no objection such and such a person will 
 be invited to become a member of the choir. If no one objects, 
 it will relieve the choir-master greatly for the future. If there is 
 an objection, the proper thing to do would be to find out if the 
 objection is valid, if not, it might be overcome. If the objection 
 is valid, then it is better to have that particular person out of the 
 choir than in it. 
 
 HOW TO KEKP THK MEMBERS AFTER THE CHOIR 
 IS ORGANIZED. 
 
 "Church choirs have the character of being troublesome and 
 difiicult to manage. But in the disturbances which take place in 
 some churches the singers are not always to blame. If Church 
 choirs are treated with tact and consideration, they will generally 
 respond and do their work earnestly and well." 
 
 The trouble in most congregations is, that the congregation 
 seems to think it its duty to continually criticize the choir, find 
 fault with it, but rarely to give a word of commendation. They 
 regard the choir as a sort of mechanical apparatus for the pro- 
 duction of sound. 
 
 But the fault does not always rest with the choir or the con- 
 
100 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 gregation, but with the organist or choir-master. He should use 
 music that is attractive, music that is good. Not necessarily 
 every good composition is attractive to all persons. Tastes differ. 
 The composition may be ever so good, the choir may not care for 
 it. It would not be very good judgment for the choir-master to 
 say, ''the composition is good, and therefore you must learn it." 
 I do not mean that he should subject himself to all the whims 
 and fancies of a choir, but such cases as I have mentioned, I be- 
 lieve are not uncommon and must be treated with tact. The or- 
 ganist or choir-master must, or at least should be a student of 
 human nature, he should treat the members of the choir with 
 consideration, he should lead them without letting them know 
 that they are led. Not with an air of overwhelming superiority 
 because he can play a Bach fugue, a sonata, and perhaps know 
 a little harmony and counterpoint, he must not treat them as 
 though it were a high and holy privilege for the singers and the 
 rest of mankind, if he only condescended to touch them with the 
 tips of his professional fingers. 
 
 I repeat, the choir should be treated with tact and consider- 
 ation, "and a hearty acknowledgment made of the honorable 
 place which the choir occupies as a factor in Divine service." 
 
 Another disturbing factor in choirs occasionally, is the pas- 
 tor. J. S. Curwen says, "Some clergymen — it is of no use to ig- 
 nore the fact — need reminding that the organist, the choir-master 
 and the members of the choir are their own flesh and blood, ca- 
 pable of the same higher feelings, open to the same influences as 
 they themselves." 
 
 I believe in some volunteer choirs much trouble is experi- 
 enced in the disposition of solos. My advice would be, avoid 
 anthems with solos. 
 
 TRAINING OF THK CHOIR. 
 
 There is no "royal route" to success. The first principle to 
 be taught is the production of tone. 
 
 I do not mean that a choir rehearsal should be made a 
 school for voice culture, but they should be taught that in a 
 chorus the quality of tone should be full and pure. Not mere 
 noise, but a smooth, fluent tone without harshness. A little 
 practice before each rehearsal on long sustained tones, using 
 
CHURCH CHOIR TRAINING. 
 
 101 
 
 the different vowels like "ah," o, etc., is very beneficial. 
 
 Correct intonation is absolutely necessary. Singing out of 
 tune should not be allowed. 
 
 The "attack," that is the beginning of every phrase, should 
 be made with precision and unanimity, so that the different parts 
 sound as one voice. The same care must be taken in ending a 
 tone. 
 
 "Good attack is of such vital importance that if it be absent 
 there is very small probability of the piece or the performance 
 being tolerable, let alone pleasure giving." 
 
 The greatest attention should be paid to the pronunciation 
 of words. Careless pronunciation affects vocal resonance. Sing- 
 ers who articulate their words correctly produce a better tone 
 than those who have a defective pronunciation. Yet it is one of 
 the most glaring faults amongst chorus singers. For instance, 
 the wwd "thy" is pronounced "thy-ee," "evil," "e-vul," etc., 
 etc. 
 
 "The text should be so enunciated that the audience can 
 follow it. It can be done and therefore it ought to be done. 
 The text is intended to be heard, not to be lost in indistinct 
 mumblings." 
 
 Good phrasing is of the greatest importance in singing, 
 though much neglected. 
 
 "By phrasing is meant the division of the melody into con- 
 nected groups of notes, each of wdiich group is to be sung in a 
 single breath." 
 
 In order to phrase w^ell the chorus must understand what 
 they are singing. Breath must not be taken in the middle of a 
 phrase, much less betw^een the syllables of a w^ord. 
 
 The chorus must enter into the spirit of the composition 
 and give the proper stress to the accented notes without jerking. 
 
 To sing with expression the choir must pay strict attention 
 to the meaning of the words. The text should be carefully 
 studied. The organist or choir-master particularly, must study 
 the composition thoroughly and then decide as to the manner in 
 which different ideas are to be conveyed. Strict attention must 
 be paid to phrases where a ''cres'' is to be made. The singers 
 must not be allow^ed to start a phrase "7;^," otherwise the 
 
 effect will be entirely lost. The same holds good for ''accel.'' 
 and ' ' ritardando'" passages. 
 
102 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 The chorus should not only be able to sing and 
 but all the mtermediate shades of expression. 
 
 TONE COLOUR. 
 
 An English chorus-master said a short time ago, "tone col- 
 our of voice never seems to have received any attention." This 
 is rather too sweeping a statement. But I am absolutely sure 
 that it is woefully neglected in most choirs and choruses. I be- 
 lieve it is the cause that the majority of oratorio renditions are 
 not more appreciated. The singers do not seem to know what 
 they are singing about, neither do they seem to care, as long as 
 they sing in time and tune. If the singers are ignorant of what 
 they are singing, or at least seem to be, you cannot expect the 
 audience to be very much enthused. These performances are 
 generally colourless without any regard for the text or the mean- 
 ing of it. Thej^ will sing "Stone him to death" with as much 
 accentuation and sforzando effects as they would sing "Happy 
 and blest are the departed" or, "O sacred Head now wounded." 
 
 Mr. H. K. Krehbiel, in "How to Listen to Music" says, 
 "There is no reason why characteristic expression, by which I 
 mean expression which goes to the genius of the melodic phrase 
 when it springs from the verbal, should be ignored." He says 
 further regarding the choruses of ''The Messiah:'' "If the char- 
 acteristic physiognomy of each chorus could but be disclosed, the 
 grand old work, which seems hackneyed to so many, would ac- 
 quire amazing freshness, eloquence, and power Then 
 
 should we hear the tones of amazed adoration in "Behold the 
 Lamb of God," and of cruel scorn in "He trusted in God that 
 He would deliver Him." 
 
 Now this can all be applied to our choirs. While choral 
 music of the ecclesiastical type, (I am speaking of the early ec- 
 clesiastical type) is perhaps not as dramatic as the examples I 
 have quoted, nevertheless the illustration can be applied for the 
 proper interpretation of those earlier choruses. 
 
 To give an intelligent rendition of any chorus whether an- 
 cient or modern, I believe tone colour is essential. 
 
 GKNKRAI, HINTS. 
 
 Great care must be taken not to fatigue the singers. Very 
 little can be accomplished after singers grow tired. 
 
CHURCH CHOIR TRAINING. 
 
 103 
 
 Richard Mann says, "Keep your choir in good humour with 
 themselves; never let them get sulky at their own failures; rather 
 stop with the lesson half finished." 
 
 Rehearse each part separately. This may not always be 
 necessary when you have a composition where the voices are 
 massed together. But in an anthem which is imitative or fugal, 
 the parts should be rehearsed separately. 
 
 If the soprano part should happen to be high, so that it is 
 fatiguing to sing it often, the alto, tenor and bass should be re- 
 hearsed alone until they know their parts fairly well, before the 
 soprano is tried with them. 
 
 Difiicult passages should be practiced very slowly at first, the 
 tempo increased afterwards. 
 
 The organist or choir-master should use the greatest care 
 and discretion in selecting music for the choir. Very often 
 choirs try to sing anthems which are much too difiicult for them. 
 Because "Thanks be to God" from "Elijah" or, "Prepare ye 
 the w^ay of the Lord" by Garrett, are good musical compositions, 
 it does not necessarily follow that they are good things for your 
 choir to attempt to sing. Your choir may be too small, or worse 
 yet, you may not have the necessary material. 
 
 Not long ago I heard a choir of seven decidedly mediocre 
 voices make a desperate effort to sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" 
 from "The Messiah." Some of you who have possibly heard 
 similar attempts can imagine the result, those who have not, can 
 form no idea what it sounds like. 
 
 On the other hand are those who call everything "classical 
 music" which is not "trash." Because they cannot sing "clas- 
 sical music" and the congregation does not appreciate it, they of 
 course sing "trash!" When there is so much good music print- 
 ed, of all grades of difficulty and for a few cents a copy, there 
 is no necessity of subscribing for cheap "Choir Journals" con- 
 taining trashy music which is as ruinous to a good musical taste 
 as a dime novel is to a good literary taste. 
 
 The choir-master may say, "I should like to sing abetter 
 quality of music, but the congregation object, they do not like 
 it." 
 
 W. H. Hadow in "Studies in Modern Music" says, "the 
 great doctrines of the Church should be exempt from criticism, 
 because it is not given to man to comprehend them, the princi- 
 
104 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 pies of art should be accepted in silence by a public which knows 
 nothing of the inspiration from which they come." 
 
 If it is impossible for the choir to sing a better grade of 'mu- 
 sic, then sing a simple hymn tune for an anthem, or perhaps 
 none at all; you will thereby not aid in conferring royalties on 
 writers who would far better be following some other profession. 
 
 There are those again who use for anthems arrangements 
 from sonatas, symphonies and operas. The music in itself may 
 be all right, but the law of association is so strong sometimes, 
 that we violate the principle which affects our demeanor during 
 the Service, viz., the principle of reverence. Such music then is 
 truly, as some one has said, "music in the Church instead of 
 Church music." 
 
 Permit me to make a plea for the music of the Reformation. 
 lyCt us become acquainted with the pure ecclesiastical type of 
 Church music. The compositions of Prsetorius, Kccard, Bach, 
 etc., of which most of us know nothing and the rest apparently 
 very little. 
 
 In choir rehearsals too much time is generally devoted to the 
 practicing of anthems and not enough to the service and hymn 
 tunes. 
 
 Have the choir sing "<2 capella'' as much as possible. It 
 will aid enunciation and articulation. 
 
 Successful choir training may be summed up in the follow- 
 ing by the Rev. J. Troutbeck: "Adequate knowledge, both the- 
 oretical and practical, painstaking industry, perseverance, pa- 
 tience, good temper, tact and firmness, are alone to be relied 
 upon to deserve and ultimately to achieve success in the manage- 
 ment and training of a choir. ' ' 
 
PRELUDES AND POSTEUDES. 
 
 BY MR. C. A. MARKS. 
 
 Preludes, Offertoires and Postludes are the names given to the 
 pieces of organ music, pla3'ed before, during and after Divine 
 Service and generally referred to as Voluntaries; possibly derived 
 from the fact that from their not forming a part of the regular 
 Service, it was optional with the organist to play them or not. 
 
 The Prelude was developed during the seventeenth century. 
 In England it took the form of embellished hymn tunes. 
 Nearly all the musicians of that time, like Croft, Greene, Boyce, 
 Keeble, Battishill, Kelway, S. Wesley, etc., were writers of Vol- 
 untaries. 
 
 In Germany the Prelude was perfected through masters like 
 Samuel Scheldt, Reinken, Pachelbel and Buxtehude, in which 
 the choral was the theme for a figurated setting. This was 
 brought to the highest state of development by John Sebastian 
 Bach in his choral Preludes, which to this day have not been ex- 
 celled . 
 
 Much of the playing at that time was extemporaneous, an 
 art which is practically lost now. An organist was judged to a 
 large extent by his skill as an extempore player. 
 
 Organists nowadays strive to become virtuosos. In fact 
 they attempt to turn the organ into a sort of second rate orches- 
 tra, forgetting that the organ has so noble a tone quality, and so 
 many resources of its own, that it needs not servilely imitate the 
 orchestra. 
 
 The modern organ, with an infinite variety of stops is an in- 
 
 (cv) 
 
106 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 strument which allows such boundless scope for indiscretion, 
 that its very capabilities are its weakness in the hands of an in- 
 judicious or ignorant player. 
 
 That the Prelude should lead up to the Service, that it 
 should be devotional and prepare the congregation for what is 
 coming, is a subject thought of by few organists. The desire to 
 show off, to make a display of the fancy stops in the organ is 
 their chief and only aim. Not only in the Voluntaries they play 
 is this the case, but also in accompanying the choir and congre- 
 gation. But in the Preludes, Offertoires and Postludes the organ- 
 ist is entirely alone, unhampered by the choir or congregation, 
 practically ' 'lord of all he surveys." Then it is when he refreshes 
 your memory with operatic airs from Zampa to the "Intermezzo" 
 from' the "Cavalleria Rusticana," and even "Narcissus," that 
 piece de resistance of nearly all street pianos. The identical place 
 in the Service where the organist personally could do the most 
 good he does the most harm. 
 
 It is not an unusual thing in these days to hear an organist 
 play the Prelude to "Lohengrin" for an Offertoire or perhaps pull 
 out the Vox Humana and Tremolo and then shiver and shake 
 through "Ah, I have sighed to rest me," from "II Trovatore" 
 and then wind up with the march from Tannhaiiser for a Post- 
 lude. If you question him about it he will say, "the congre- 
 gation wants it, I must do it in order to be popular and retain my 
 position." There may be a grain of truth in this; congregations 
 like to be entertained, but I am inclined to believe that the chief 
 fault lies with the organist. He likes to play that kind of music, 
 it is to his taste. Then again, a great many do not know better. 
 So long as a composition is good they cannot see why it should 
 not be played in church, whether the music is taken from the 
 Meistersinger or whether it is a choral by Bach. They have not 
 learned to distinguish between concert music and worship music. 
 We have too many organ players and not enough organists; too 
 many who try to play a Bach fugue or a Mendelssohn sonata 
 before they can play a simple hymn tune or a response. I do 
 not wish to be understood that I discourage the studying of 
 Bach, for, on the contrary, I do not believe any one can become 
 a good organist without studying Bach, particularly the choral 
 Preludes for a Church organist. The organ is primarily a poly- 
 phonic instrument. Polyphony is true music. Bach's music is 
 
PRKIvUDES AND POSTlvUDKS. 
 
 107 
 
 polyphonic and there has been no advance in this branch of mu- 
 sic since the days of Bach. The point I wish to make is this: 
 Organists study Bach and the works of other masters to the exclu- 
 sion of everything else and when they are asked to play a simple 
 service they are hopelessly at sea. It is not at all improbable, 
 that if left to themselves they would play the ''Gloria Patri^'" 
 ''pianissimo" and the "Kyrie,'" "fortissijno.'' 
 
 There is also a notion that the opening Voluntary should be 
 as soft and the closing one as loud as possible. Some organists 
 have a habit of making such a deafening noise as the congrega- 
 tion retires, that it is necessary to rush for the door with all speed 
 after the benediction, lest one should get caught in the storm; or, 
 as a friend of mine said after attending Service in a certain 
 Church, "after the benediction we were stunned out of Church 
 with nothing less than violence."''^ Such a habit is in the worst 
 taste. 
 
 The only possible excuse for Voluntaries is that they should 
 assist the Service. "That music without words may minister to 
 the religious feeling is a fact to which the experience of most 
 people bear witness." 
 
 The organist should rise to the spiritual importance of his 
 duty, and seek to make his Voluntaries harmonize with the spirit 
 of the worshippers. He should become imbued with the spirit 
 of the Service. Permit me to quote from Cornell's Majiiial of 
 Roman Chant, which is intended for Roman Catholic organists 
 but is applicable to organists of all denominations: 
 
 "The manner of playing the organ at the time of the sacred 
 functions should be grave and dignified, so as to excite devotion; 
 and consequently, the custom of performing, at such times, live- 
 ly marches, operatic airs, dance music, etc., and in general, a 
 light and frivolous manner of playing is an abuse, and one which 
 those who pre.side over Churches ought to take pains to abolish. 
 
 Clergymen about to engage an organist are advised to look 
 out for one who is a good harmonist, and well versed in the art 
 of modulation, even though he be of limited execution; such a 
 one, they may rest assured, will serve the church better than one 
 whose chief recommendation in his agility of finger, and facility 
 
 * There is, however, an excuse for this. An organist in one of the large cities 
 told me that he had to play loud when the congregation retires in order to drown 
 their conversation. 
 
108 
 
 ESSAYS ON CHURCH MUSIC. 
 
 of producing startling effects. Far better, when a Church organ- 
 ist is in question, is a moderate degree of execution, with a good 
 knowledge of ecclesiastical harmony, than a brilliant execution, 
 without that knowledge, or with but a moderate degree of it; the 
 latter might suffice for a good pianist, but for a good organist a 
 thorough knowledge of harmony is indispensable if not the prin- 
 cipal requisite." 
 
 In a great many churches the Voluntary has to cease with 
 the entry of the minister, and to a player who appreciates form 
 and design, it is distressing on the one hand to stop before the 
 end of a piece, or on the other hand, to have to tack on a post- 
 script to some one else's conclusion, in order to fill up time. I 
 would therefore urge to try and restore that almost lost art of 
 extemporizing. It is a difficult art and one dare hardly recom- 
 mend it, for the extemporizing usually heard is of a most melan- 
 choly kind. Sustaining disconnected chords which bear no rela- 
 tion to each other, on one keyboard, and on another playing 
 apeggios and the chromatic scale with a four foot flute, the 
 whole diversified with endless "swell pumping" is worse, or, 
 equally as deplorable as is the playing of secular airs. 
 
 It is not my purpose, nor is it within my province to give 
 specific directions how to acquire extempore playing. It is large- 
 ly a natural talent, but may be acquired by studying the works 
 of Bach and other masters, and then taking a simple hymn tune 
 and elaborating on it. 
 
 Organ pupils will not only find improvising a great advan- 
 tage, but they will derive an immense amount of pleasure out of 
 it.* 
 
 In closing I wish to quote from the preface of I^a Leobe's 
 Tune Book: 
 
 "In order to obtain the true and beneficial effect of an organ, 
 it is required, that the organist should enter into the spirit of his 
 office, and become actuated by the same principle that ought to 
 influence every other servant in the house of God. Without 
 this, he not only neglects his duty, but he betrays his trust. 
 
 There is scarcely a person in the church who more easily 
 exposes his inattention and want of true devotion, than the 
 organist. Every musician possessed of sound musical taste and 
 
 * Organ Accompaniment and Extempore Playing''' by Geo. E. Whiting. A 
 great deal of knowledge and benefit may be derived by studying this work. 
 
PREI.UDES AND POSTLUDES. 
 
 109 
 
 judgment, will readily acknowledge that simplicity is a grand 
 source of beauty in Church music. But there is still something 
 of far greater importance than our taste and judgment, that de- 
 termines the real degree of excellence in Church music: this is 
 nothing less than the blessing of God conveyed unto us through 
 the means He deigns to employ. An organist duly impressed 
 with this idea, would think himself highly blameable, if, by the 
 interspersion of his often very heterogeneous decorations, and 
 unsuitable interludes, he should destro}^ their great design. He 
 will even by the whole tenor of his Prelude, suited to the solem- 
 nity of the occasion, endeavor to prepare the minds of the assem- 
 bly for the ensuing service, carefully avoiding every strain that 
 might produce a contrary effect. Such an organist, possessed of 
 but few powers as to execution, may be of more real service to 
 the Church of Christ, than the most skillful professor, destitute 
 of the above principles." 
 
PASTOR AND ORGANIST. 
 
 THESES PRESENTED BY THE REV. PROF. A. SPAETH, D. D., EE. D. 
 
 I. 
 
 The common field of operation on which Pastor and Organist 
 meet is the public Service of the congregation in the house of 
 God. 
 
 II. 
 
 More particularly it is the musical part of that Servdce, 
 which is to be conducted in such a manner that the congregation 
 may thereby be edified. 
 
 III. 
 
 The form of the Service itself, in its general outline as well 
 as in its details, is determined by the authority of the Church. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The full Service, as given in the Chiuxh Book, with the 
 proper music that belongs to it, is to be considered by Pastor and 
 Organist, as the ideal which both must strive to realize in the 
 local congregation, to the best of their ability. 
 
 V. 
 
 The more loyal to that Service both Pastor and Organist will 
 be, the less will there be an occasion for friction or conflict be- 
 tween them, 
 (cx) 
 
PASTOR AND ORGANIST. 
 
 Ill 
 
 VI. 
 
 While both, Pastor and Organist, are the servants of the 
 Church and of the local congregation, in their respective minis- 
 trations, the Pastor, as the principal office bearer in the Church, 
 is primarily responsible that all things should be done decently 
 and in order. 
 
 VII. 
 
 In order to take this responsibility, in all details of the Ser- 
 vice, our pastors must be taught, in our Theological Seminaries, 
 not only to understand and appreciate the principles, structure 
 and history of our Service, but also, how to conduct it. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 To this end they must be made familiar with the proper mu- 
 sic, both of hymns and liturgical responses, and ought to be able 
 to form a judgment even on Choir Music that is to be used. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Organist of the congregation must not only be a pro- 
 fessional musician, able to play the organ and lead the congrega- 
 tion and choir in their singing, but ought to be a member of the 
 Church, at home in her spirit and in her Service. 
 
 X. 
 
 To fit our Organists for this position provision must be made 
 for special coxirses in Church Music, either in musical conserva- 
 tories, or in our Seminaries, theological or teachers' seminaries.