THE MUSICAL WORLD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 106, 23 August 1876, Page 2

THE MUSICAL WORLD.

JiY ENHARMONIA.

❖ : At the meeting of the General Assembly of the Irish Presbyterian "Church, held at Belfast, in June last, there were several lively scenes ; the conference of reverend fathers had, for a time, a decidedly comic, or rather serio-comic, aspect. The harmony was disturbed, of aUifubjects in the world, by the harmonium, which several ministers had introduced into the churches in defiance of a previous deliverance of the Assembly. The excuse generally made was the" difficulty of finding a qualified precentor, a difficulty we should not— a ; priori —have conjectured to exist in the native country of Moore and .the " Irish Melodies," where the harp once shed the soul of music through Tara's halls. Perhaps "the soul of music" has elected : to take up its abode among the votaries of the old faith' *'-Be'that as" it-may, the Assembly, accepting the proffered excuses, to supply ft qualificd pi-eceritors, and,' needed, funds,?--Simpson, of however, had a soul above compromise or afid defied the venerable Assembly which Jie, had promised to obey " in the Lord, but": not out of> the Lord." .With/snore than ordinary Irish_ fervor, he ■;■ exclaimed that if he thoiTght'i?here authoiity for. tlie:.instrument> he would kick it out. Mr. Simpson came from the South of-Ir-elaiid, where the blood is hot, and his calmer brethem of the If orth having calledibiin.to order, he left in a huff. A daily.dose of the harmonium, administered. ;by a skilful hand,. will be needed to.bring his spirit once more into tune."'" A\fsiiit'-.anay~ happen next year is hard to say. Meantime, the Assembly requests-that, for the sake of the peace of the Church, the harmoniums shall be removed. Some very hard words were said against organs at a recent meeting of?" the Presbyterian Association on behalf of purity of ■worship, held in Edinburgh;: Mr. N. T. •2uven, an earnest advocate-of congregational singing, was among those present. The Rev. Dr. Begg, in reference to instrumental music, said there was no doubt

that it was used in the Temple service, but in the. Epistle to the Hebrews they had a removal of the whole apparatus of the Temple, and the Apostle expressly commanded'them to offer the sacrifice of praise, which', he said, was the fruit of the lips. . ' Mr. Brinley Richards recently gave a lecture in the new Concert Hall of the Royal -Academy of Music, London, on " National Music." Lord Clarence Paget presided, and Professor Macfarren and a large number of the professors and students of the Academy were among the audience. Alluding to the educational influences of institutions like the Royal Academy, the Sacred Harmonic Societj'-, and the Monday Popular Concerts, Mr. Richards added "that no one had done so much to promote the study of music among all classes of the population throughout the kingdom, and above all, to enable them to understand it, than the President of the Tonic Sol-Fa College, Mr. Curwen " —remarks which were endorsed by the audience. The Bishop of Exeter seated himself among the congregation at a re-opening service, quite at the lower end of the building. He tried to do his best, and join in the singing. Suddenly he felt the elbow of a neighbor run unpleasantly against his ribs. Looking round, he noticed a sailor, who exclaimed, " I say, gov'nor, you're singing out of tune."