THE

558

~\

CHURCH
AND CHOIR
RELATIONS.
THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE
. COMMITTEE.

THE organ and vocal mills are forev~r'

grinding, grinding, grinding, and t~lelr
grist is continually being turned out Into
the world

a finished

or unfinished

lot of

young organists and singers. Every year,

l:sually in the spring, every music committee which has, or is supposed to have.
at its disposal the Jl11ing of an organ or
vocal

post

is

overwhelmed

with

::lppli-

c<mts. The contest fOJ;" disposition of the

prize (a money salary) is mostly a farce,
the music committee is generally notoriously

unfit to

select,

~lI1d in the majority

of cases "a totally incompetent person is

foisted into the gallery, chosen because
he or she

played

or

sang

some

l11ushy,

caramel composition
which was "so
sweet."
Probably Batiste's Com1lluuion ?n G for
organ and Coenen's Come Unto Me for
voice have captured more sllch prizes
than any other compositions. Naturally
in the necessary and exacting routine and
grind of a year's work the organist .and
singers find their level. The COlllmlttee
acknowledges its mistake, and the church
has the same farce to enact the following
year, resulting usually in anotlier blun-.
der. Truc that the musical standard is
gradually rising and that a better grade
oi music, both from choir and organ, is
now heard than was the case a few years
ago.
Yet. present conditions are bad
enough. Where is th~ weak poipt in all
this? Is it in the musical fraternity or
in the music committees?
Generally in
both. The church committee is at best
a bU"olglingmake-shift for tbe duties imposed upon it. The committee is usually
made up of business men, mostly trustees,
who feel and pride themselves on their
sense of power, and engage their musicians as they would their clerks or their
errand boys and treat them with as little
consideratio~ and courtesy. Their musical
knowledge and appredation
is generally only skin deep and the music that
all peals to them and which is expected of
the choir and organ is the feeble and
sickly imitation
of melodic sentiment,
with the baldest and simplest harmonic
basis, tonic, dominant and subdominant.
Their ,\"iewpoint is that of the membership roll size and the collection basketcatainly
an important' item ill every
church. And a pretty face, hat or gown
is often the deciding factor in the selection, Generally, too, there is a power
behind the throne-that
of their wives.
THE

TACT

REQUIRED

OR AN

ORGANIST.

Non-liturgical churches almost always

have music committees, and in few snch
churches is the position of the choirmaster a happy one. He must satisfy
br;th minister ::l.nd committee, and, if possible, also his oWll sense of propriety and
fitness. Then he must keep the peace
between th~ members of his choir, unify
them and enthuse them. Tt is not surprising that he sometimes fails, and vol
untarily or involuntarily resigns.
Liturgical churches have the ll1;l!ter
greatly simplified, for the responsibility

of the music is definitely committed to

the priest or rector, who is naturally and
properly interested in having a musical
service which shall be a definite means
ot grace for his congregation, and the
music is an integral part and to some
extent a dominating force in any service.
The minister may be himself an utterly
unmusical man, and may make egregious
blunders from the artistic point of view,
and occasionally tactical blunders, such as
carrying things with too high a hand and
needlessly antagonizing choir or congregation, or both, but the task of the choirmaster is n1l1ch simplified when he has
but one man to consult and please, and
that one' the head of the. service. The
lPusic may and should deepen .and intensify the impressions and sentiments given
out by the sermon, remarks and prayers,
or it may deaden or quite nullify these.
If the organist aile! ciJoir take their cue
from the minister and give him their sincere and earnest support, it is always
appreciated by tl1e minister. Usually, too,
the minister fairly well represents the
average musical sentiment and taste of
his congr~gatiol1. In a majority of cases
the priest or rector is an educated and
reasonable mall, and if the. organist is
educated and reasonable and possesses
tact and knowledge of human nature he
can gradually prov,:: to the satisfaction of
his minister that the best and in the long
nm the most satisfactory music is dignified, with strong melodies and a varied
]larmonic basis. and that a reasonable
amount of counterpoint adds greatly to
its charm and even to its longevity. Ask
your minister to explain the perennial
popularity
of the tune Old Hundred
(from the Genevan Psalter, 1551), which
is the faVorite doxology of Christendom
and sung every Sunday in 1110St Protestant chttrches. When he gives up the
problem; just caU to' his attention that,
while its' melody is no finer than that of
many other chorales, its strength, dignity
and attractiveness
lie in
its varied
harl1lon~.
WHERE

THE

SINGER

IS AT

FAULT.

But while jt is easy and cheap to abuse

the music cOl11mitteesand find fault with
the ministers, we must franklv acknowlerlge that the org-anists 'lnt! ~ingcrs arc
themseh-es
larg-c]y to hlame for thrir
troubles and .tril;ulatiuns. ;\ singer ,,'110
has the limited repertoire of from one
to five solos ;>l1itable' for offertor)' on
which be or she has carC'fully coached
Ufl is not prepared for a ~'ear's demands.
POOl" readers
soon or late C0111eto grief,
for a pr.epared program often hCls to
be abandoned at the last minute.
Singers; too. must be ver~atile. Their
personal solos they call mostly select and
thy
take those most fitted tn their
voices,
Bdt the incidental solos of the
anthems .are at the discretion of the conductor and may be tender, entreating.
stately, heroic. triumphant Or allY otherwise; and the ~iTlger must he c~mpetent
for any .....
of these styles and on short
notice.
'There are many singers who have
cl1lti\'ated or thoughtlessly acquired that
ahsurdjty~a
tremolo. Often they think
that its' use adds to the emotional element and consequently tl1e attraclivenesf:
of their singing. Possibly one in fifty of"

THE

ETUDE
A man or woman. with .the
their auditors
thinks
the same and roundings.
praises it. The remaining forty-nine vote artistic instinct is always painstaking,
And
it an abomination.
Sopranos or tenors a lways giving of his or her best.
there
are
churches,
perhaps not the best
who cannot take their low C (middle C
this ~nd
paying ones that will recognize
for the former, tenor C for the latter)
with a broad tone are handicapped. for appreciate it. As betw~en high-salaried,
disagreeable,
coarse-gra1l1ed .and faulthymn tunes often and anthems sometimes require these.
Then a C01111110nfinding churches and low-salaried, refined,
pleasant and appreciative churches, choose
carelessness of singers is in the matter
of hymn singing. These. are largely left the latter -every time.
S. N. PENFIELD.
to the congregation, and there are few
churches where the congregation si-ngs
with spirit or body of tone. So this part
of the service is depressing.
In the few SOME
REMINISCENCES
OF
A
churches that have hearty congregational
GREAT
ORGAN PLAYER.
singing it will be noticed tha:t the organ
A MAN
who was not only unquesplays smartly and the choir all sing
tionably the most accomplished
organ
smartly and as though they enjoyed it,
But by far the chief shortcoming of sing- player, but in a general sense one 0.
ers is in the matter of distinct diction. the most remarkable artists of his day,
This state of things is deplorable and was the late \,y. T. Best.
I
Owing
to special circumstances
well-nigh universal.
Most professional
singers pride themselves on their vowel was in a position to know 1110re than
perhaps
any other person
about the
tones, the opening of the mouth, position
of tongue, etc., but as to consonants,
musical acquirements
of one who has
these are necessary evils which must be been hitherto most inadequately
treated
kept in the background as far as may be. in musical records.
l\ow auditors have keener observations
Best was one of the most conscienthan they are often credited with and tious of artists, and demanded
far more
notice these va riolls shortcomings, and if
from himself than the public ever desingers arc notified that their services are
no longer required often they have them- manded from him. He once remarked
to me, after a performance
of Elijah
selves alone to thank for it.
.
with
organ
accompaniment
alone:
"Getting
up those
accompaniments
THE DUTIES
OF THE
ORGANIST.
was the hardest day's work I ever had
Then as to organists
the problem is in nlY life."
Now, it is quite certain
more eO!l1jllicated. It bappens, not so .that he ~ollld ba\'e accompanied
the
stldom, that his best efforts arc discourwhole oratorio
through to the entire
aged, perhaps frustrated,
by orders from satisfaction
of the audience,
and even
his superiors, the music committ'ee or the
of the singers, without any "getting
minister, or 'intrigues from some member
up" at all; bllt that would not haye
of his choir, or bad colds of the singers.
satisfied himself; l1C wanted to get ~11
Still he is held responsible for results.
Mendelssohn's
orchestral
effects as far
But patien.cc, earnestness and tact in deal- as they could he got on the organ.
At
ing with superiors
and inferiors will a performance of Messiah with only the
largely overcome these obstacles. Proper
organ
accompaniment,
in order
the
relations with the choir are of first im- more
di'reclly to represent
the orportance. He must ever command the chestra,
he deliberately
suppressed
a
great deal of the most typical <organ
respect and esteem
of his sing~rs.
tone, playing the Pedal part, for inHaughtiness or.overfamiliarity
are alike
fatal to this. As he sits close to thr stance, with via/one tone instead of the
Open Diapason, arranging
the organ
singers and has the' words ever before
all through so as to get as much the
him, he is apt to be nonobservant
of the
effect of string tone as possible where
bad pronunciation
of the words. This
strings
were
to
be
represented.
will not do. In the matter> of anthem
When
Mendelssohn's
posthumolt'i
selections he should COllSUIt the minister,
was pubfor unity of the servic..e is of first im- book of Lieder aline Worte
everyportance. Many anthems are "Suitable for lished, and was being played
on him
general use and at almost any season of where, he thought it incumbent
audi-'
the year. Others are de<;idedly for only to present it to his organ-recital
T t is always best to ence. In one of these Lieder there was
special occasions.
a scale passage which weIll beyond the
have a number of anthems of various
characters reasonably well rehearsed up range up\-yard of the organ keyboard.
would probably
have
and ready to be brought
forward on Mos'l players
contented
themselves with modifying
very short notice.
Orgal1ists and singers take their posi- the passage to get it wtthin range of
the organ.
But he would not be contions primarily for the salaries attached
to them. The salary is, of course, a Sil1(: tented with that, and showed me how,
after h<"lving played the passage
as far
qua /lon, yct it m:J.y have its bad effects.
T.r the .salary be a \rery large 011(', tIle as it would go on the 8-ft. Flute stop
sll~gers and organist
may become con- nn the Great Organ, he had a 4-ft.
cl;itcd, unreasonable
and dictatorial.
T f I'-lute stop ready 011 the Solo Organ
it he a very small one, they know them- to flnisll up the higher note~ of the
selvcs underpaid, lose interest and per.
passage
as written.
Jf"' was it little
haps shirk their duties.
Often. too,' the thing, hut it was characteristic
of his
ambition of singers and. player.s go no desire for accuracy in everything.
fllrther than the attainment. ,of
salary.
Another instancc (amusing
in a way)
This secured. they stop their'lessons and ('If his determination
to do thinq-s the
therewith their progress. forgettIng that right way was in connection
with the
no one stands still in music-that
if the~' tuning of the band for an oratorio.
do 110t progress forward they will go
II-had been the time-honored
custom
backward. !\[llsi,cians sometimes excuse for the organist, whell the band were
poor selections on the plea that these to tune, to playa
succession
of har.'
are more appreciated
than their better
monies on the Great Organ, all includpieces. This uncomplimc~tary
allusion to ing the tuning- note A. :lnd this was
1he <l.mlitors may sometimes
he justified,
suPPosed to be rather sublime.
For
bllt it is likely that their supposedly better
an orchestral
performance
without tht
pjeces were out of place on the occaorgan, the A to t\111efrom has usually
sian; possibly too long . too -heavy or
been given, by long custom.
by tl1'(,
ton oDeratic.
Oboe, and Best evidently thought
tha~
It should be remembered that a simple, the most convenient thing for the band
~rtless composition, well sting or played,
was to give them what tlley were a,-'
1<; more trnlv artistic
than a more clabocustomed
to; accordingly,
instead
of
nte one which is llllsuit:eq to its sur~ silting at the organ and playing chord~,

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PIANO

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Austin Organs

h e pulled
out the Orchestral
Oboe
sr op and put a small lead weight on
t he A key, leaving it to sound
until
tl ie band had finished tuning.
It was
I eally
the most sensible thing to do.
T he amusing part of it consisted
in the
a nger of some of the old stagers in the
a udience who missed their accustomed
:'So-and.so,"
they said (refer-'
c ffect.
ring to a local organist), "used to give
"
1I
s some fine chords on the organ. .
I cannot
vouch. for the Ioll owing,
.
b ut I saw it in Pfl1:t on what I.beheve
t a be good authority .. At the 1l1terv~1
b etween the two parts of an. oratorto
h e was told by some one officially COl1n ected with the performance
that they
\ vould like to hear the organ
while the
a udience and chorus reassembled.
This
(and rightly)
an insult
h e considered
he saw no more
I a him as an artist;
should
r cason why an eminent organist
be asked to play when an audience
getting into their seats than an
\ "ere
pianist, to whom people would
C minent
not think of making
such a
c ertainly
and his practical
rebuke
wa.s
I equest;
out of a bit
Ia cut four small wedges
of pencil and wedge down the notes
of the chord of C and leave it soundwith the Diapason
stops
drawn;
I ng
to hear the organ,"
and
t hey "wanted
l hey should hear it.
Lastly, it must be said that all Best's
acquirements
all the
organ
and in
knowledge were entirely
due
Illusical
t a his own study and his own genius
for the instrument.
He had passed
110
conscrvatoirc
training;
I hrough
with the exccption of (T believe)
a
short course of lessons in .his boyhood,
he was no one's pupil but his own.
All his execution on the organ, all his
exceptional
knowledge of organ
effect,
w~re the result of his o\\"n unremitting
practice and his own innate ~sthetic pe~The Organ alld Its POSIccption.~Frot1l
tion in .Musical
Art, by H. Heathcote
Statham.
FOR some cltt'ious reason,
up till quite
recently music has been looked down upon
as an unworthy
profession.
"lVlusic,"
52..id one fine gentleman, "is an elegant
art and fine amusement, but as an oecu
pation it hath little dignity, having for its
object mere entertainment and pleasure."
The gentleman who made that remark
was a barber and a surgeon by profession,
and would have been completely forgotten
but for tbe fact that he happened to bethe father of Handel!

ORGAN

559

ETU DE

AND

The

Wirsching Organ

New Books of Interest to Organists

THE

Hymns
and Church
Music.
By J.
Lawrence Erb, F.A.G.O .. Pages 134 Pub~
lished by ,,:\,ooster (Oluo) Conservatory
Press
Price, 75 cents.
Mr.' Erb has frequently
rendered THE
E'TUDF va Iua bl e serv ice as a contributor ,
and our readers may be expected to be
acquainted with his sincere and earnest
style. The present book is divided into
fourteen chapters, and is one of the best
little works of the kind we have yet seen.
The amount of detail Mr. Erb has introduced makes a special treatment of
the book impossible, but we can assure
all those interested
in the subject that
they will find Mr. Erb's book a very desirablc work to possess.
School
Hymnal.
By Hollis Dann.
Published by the American Book Company, New York, N. Y.
.
Mr. Dann's experience at Cornell U~lversity eminently qualifies him .to co~pl1e
a hymnal suitable for normal, hIgh, private
school and college use.
The hymns,
chants and anthems used in this co1l7ction are admirably
collected.
The pnncipal national
anthems
of all countries
In the case of "The
are also included.
\\"atch on the Rhine," the German words
are also given.
On discovering this, we
tllIned in some consternation
to the R1J.ssian and Austrian
national anthems, but
our worst fears were' not rea1iz~d. The
words are in good honest English.
We
certainlv
recommend
this book most
highly to those whom it concerns.
[-[jilts

011

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CONCERT ORGANIST
Instruction In Plano, Organ, Theory

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Seaaon 1911-12
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OHIO

The Musical Leader

THOSE who seek to deter us by harsh

criticism very often help us along by
hardening our resolution to succeed. In
one of his letters \-Veber says: "My whole
life through I have owed lfnuch to hostility; it has been my best spur to excellence,"

CLARENCE

OF

The Wirsching Organ Co.

By

Organ Accompaniment.

Clifford
Demarest.
Published
by the
If. W. Gcay Co.
This little work concentrates
the results of much practical
experience and
('Iriginal thinking
in a few well. expressed chapters.
~'!r. Demarest IS an
able performer,
and has told about
many things
which the you~g org~nist might spcnd many years III find1l1g
out.
It will prove a .-aluable set of
hints to any sincere organ student.

SONG

MR. and MRS.

ORGAN

aDd EXCELLENCE

Merits and invites investigation.

Literature.
Specifications
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Estimates sent on request ..

BY

The tremendous activity of 1910 in

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ETUDE

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