COUNTRY CHOIRS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18890, 4 January 1927, Page 7

COUNTRY CHOIRS.

AFFECTION FOR OLD TUNES. With a considerable amount of experience of isolated country choirs in England, Bishop West-Watson was able to speak with practical knowledge of the country church's problem (says the " Church News ") • reporting a recent sermon delivered in North Canterbury by tho Bishop. There was the feeling that the-.harvest festival was not: the harvest festival and Easter not Easter without: an anthem, said-the Bishop, and desperate, forlorn efforts were made by the, village choir to "put on" something special, very'often with unsatisfactory results. Better, were it to take some special hymn and try to sing it extra well. Affection, for old, familiar tunes was a hindrance to the introduction of these new tunes , but they were worth while. The fault of tiany of our hymns to-day was timt there was too much sentiment in them. They were quite in place at a mission service,, but in common use they tended to obscure the facts of life that life is not an easy, sentimental matter, but calls for virility and courage. Congregational practices beforo or after church had proved attractive and useful in somo English churches and helped the congregation to take that intelligent part in the service without which the service failed in a good part of its purpose.

Tiring Monotony. The Bishop alluded to a certain suggestion of the dead, level of monotony of some services, a monotony which became very tiring. lie noticed it particularly at confirmation services. He had suffered many things at the hands of choirs which galloped in a mad, unintelligible race aver the long sentences to the last word, and there hung lovingly. He had also suffered they had all suffered—from the wellmeaning, but misguided chorister with the loud voice, out-shouting the others, none.daring to say a word of correction. Choirs should cultivate team spirit.