INSPIRATIONAL SERVICE

Evening Star, Issue 23326, 24 July 1939, Page 8

INSPIRATIONAL SERVICE

NEW ORGAN FOR MORKINGTON INNOVATION FOR DUNEDIN CHURCH Exemplified- by the large congregation, considerable public interest attached to the first public use of a Hammond organ in a Dunedin church. Those who attended the service at the Mornington Presbyterian Church were deeply impressed with the performance and capabilities of the instrument. Among tho numerous visitors were many musicians and others interested in choral work, with the result that the singing was of an extremely high standard, and, indeed, it was felt that the whole service could hardly have been bettered. “ Really inspirational ” was only one of many laudatory phrases bean] in description. In keeping with the nature of the service the anthem played was ‘ Except the Lord Build the House,’ by Edwards. The other hymns demonstrated the surprising capacity of the organ, particularly the magnificent twenty-fourth psalm, in the St. George’s, Edinburgh, setting. The preponderance of men’s voices in the congregation was particularly noticeable. From a choirmaster’s point of view one of the greatest advantages of the Hammond organ is that there is no time-lag. Tho sound is produced in several selected parts of the building simultaneously! The organist, too, has the advantage of hearing the exact inflections of tone that are heard throughout the church, aud additionally of having at command a practically limitless range.. Any desired combinations are available to him at the touch of a finger, without the necessity of worthing draw-stops. The organ itself can be shifted about to various positions, The officials at the Mornington Church, Mr G. J. Scott and Miss O. Perry respectively, were enthusiastic about the possibilities now open to them. From the Book of Revelation, chapter xiv., verse 3, the Rev. K. T. F. Larsen took the text, “They sung, as it were, a new song.” The opposition that in some cases prevailed among our forefathers to the use of instrumental music was rather difficult to understand. It was a definite aid to the worship of God. Praise was the native air of our faith, ushered in with the angels’ song of ‘ Glory to God in the Highest.’ Mr Larsen placed his final emphasis on the fact that the new song was the spirit of Divine understanding which we could learn only from Him Whose praises we sang.