Watchman And Observer

From the Christian Advocate.
CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.

Now I want to suggest one thing, which, in my view, is quite essential, and that is, to provide the performers for congregational singing. Where are they to come from? What qualifications do you propose they shall bring? Is it proposed to accomplish all this great and glorious work by simply declaring congregational singing? If it shall turn out that all who can sing in the churches in the country now sing from the gallery, how will you accomplish the purpose intended? It is the judgment of some, that poor and inefficient as choir singing may be now, that little would be gained by bringing down the standard of music so that those who will not spend the least thought or time to learn either a tune or how to perform written music, will soon render that pleasing part of worship any thing but what it should be. I will find no fault with your articles, and with the comments of our preachers, if now something else is proposed; but to have remarks made which appear almost to make it irreligious to sing in the choir, and to be hitting choirs which have from chaos been able to draw some music, and leaving it as if it were the fault of choirs because there is no congregational singing, is wrong.

Now my judgment is, to let choirs and their singing be as they are, and then go to work and persuade every family, and especially children, to begin to learn music, and especially sacred tunes, and in families let there be devotional singing, and the thing is accomplished at once; but to this should your articles now be directed, as well as the efforts of the preachers, and in three years a whole congregation can sing, and congregational singing will be congregational singing, and will not consist in simply performing the same tunes over three times on each Lord's day.