CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.

New Zealand Tablet, 12 February 1914, Page 51

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.

To the Editor. -S*** *#l 'Sir, — In your issue of December 111 was much interested on reading an ‘ open letter 7 by 1 Parishioner, and also additional comments by you on the subject of congregational singing. Another correspondent has also stated in your later issue ‘ that as no one has. come forward to question the remarks referred to, congregational singing must be the only proper and most devotional singing.’ Sir, my object in writing is not to combat those remarks, but rather to give my experienced views as a musician of thirty years. By so doing, I trust others with experience will also be prompted to publish their views,, thereby helping to improve matters, and, perhaps, proving a guide for the formation of choirs. I regret to say that church singing, I think in the majority of churches, is almost unbearable, at least from a musician’s point of view. As I sit Sunday after Sunday listening to harsh, grating flats or sharps, I ask myself why is it so, and if there is a remedy. I say there is a remedy in most cases. As I look round the , church, when those would-be singers are trying to lift the roof, I see many welltrained vocalists, well-known amateurs, and I ask myself why do not these trained persons constitute the choir instead of those absolutely untrained. If the vocalists, sitting away from the choir, were asked their reason for not joining the choir, they would undoubtedly say : We can never associate our voices with such untrained, discordant singing. , Perhaps, sir, you may say I am speaking too strongly, but I think at least every vocalist will agree with me. Speaking personally, I may say I have on several occasions, in different parishes, been asked to join the choir, but like those above-mentioned I could not join them, and yet like all singers I am dying to sing wherever there is harmony. I would be the first to join a choir-of .even fair singers. 1 I will here ask how do those untrained singers first find their way to the choir. It seems quite the rule in going to a strange district to be allowed in to the choir. There are on an average about a dozen members, whereas four or five trained voices for small churches would be far more devotional. Now comes the question of remedy but too often little or no interest is taken in the composition of the choir. I would advise those responsible to consult just one good experienced vocalist. Now, as regards congregational singing. I think there could well be a few hymns only ; but if we have to maintain the Church’s reputation for beautiful singing (as in some churches), we must have the best harmony, with trained voices, t In conclusion, I sincerely hope some of your musician readers will continue this discussion. ’ There are two classes of singers now in the Church—that can sing and won’t sing, and those that can’t sing and will sing. — l am, etc., " I Hawke’s B. | January 29. \ fr. 5 - x