SINCERITY IN MUSIC.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20175, 2 March 1931, Page 8

SINCERITY IN MUSIC.

THE CHURCH'S INFLUENCE. need for retukn to SIMPLE IDEAS. "Is religion an affair of mere renunciation and denunciation of the good things of life I la it merely a matter, Of knowing What Elijah Said ifl fleJtftia circumstances and the sinfulness of Sunday tennis! Or are we to take .Wo as a wonderful experience, seeing in most, things US the Divine generosity? Health of mind and' body, music, pictures, architecture, fcooks, dancing, the drama, and games-*—arc they not all given to us by <*od! The y require no sanctification from any other source. The historic church has always realised this j the true faith has taken all these-things to itself and has sanctified them."

The one thing required of any art was that it should bo Bifleere, urged Mr T, Vernon Griffiths itt an address on "The Church and Music, at St. Michael's yesterday. That was why the average man-disliked so many of the ballads sung in drawing-rootesi They meant nothing, they Said flothihg, they did nothing. No inspiration lay behind them. They awakened no mood reflecting'human experience. The same might be said of sepia of tho anthems And hymns in common use. "Let us get back to sincerity,'' said Mr Griffiths. "Let us look for teal ideas simply expressed, not merely in music but in jthe other arts as well. Then, whether 'our music-making be but the simple singing of the Old folk-songs or the hearing of a symphony, we- shall be doing something worth while. We may even come, to see once more that all the arts are worthy, at their best, to be brought to use in thfe worship of God in His Church, to the enrichment of worship, and to the good of . our souls. M

The Man Before the Music. Sincerity of thought expressed, in words and adequately presented iifc mufetd was .the reason of the popularity of many songs after long years* Aft example to musical insincerity was to be found in the modern methods of concert' organisation* It Was always pre* sumed that the audience was more interested in the man than in the JfiUSlo. tn othe* words, ecttoerts tended to feecome merely a moans of tflorifylfigthe individual;, there was a; false , orientation of the mind, & re-Statement of the Idea of an exclusive musical caste. Probably in'no fther an was there to much of this glorification of thC individual> The World wis gradually recovering, he said, froni : the influence Of the Puritans Who divorced ffiusie ahd : the other farts from life. It-Wftß fettly HGfe&SBftrjf to consider the mdtft* &figi*g he* child t6 Bleep, the sailor singing ftt his task, tlis 6Mid crooning littw ueags te. itself when in solitudey-aM 'Soldiers; stirring Kip their spirits with song to roallle t&St;i,lllUliio'td(Lfli§ naturally to* matt asa me anfjGfvß elf-ex-pression. 1 ttt6ei« v af seif'fcJ£p?eßßi6B was the true music,* the music which. would never di&j the bnce'of the'professional nluSiCian,'fcut natural song of had come to think thai tyusi&%4s the language of the few/whWefcr Mjftlly it was the language "oi thetfr. all. They had imagined that it! iiinfer ttysterles WOre understood only.hy the highly-trained musician, whereas they were capable of being tinder by nil. Wjkleh Used to belong to (ill, had boen fpncod off inito an exclusive tetritdiy., I < * Bixtkoldr. UQHM &t £&tflUL<L - °Wh&t%s the ttUßle which the dountrysceitcd, wi%d% Wafted over Ens, land la the*days bettffe the r omlng o? those forces Which'%ft; iil thtlr Wkfcfc a population gifijipeS ifi ,the chilling hand of sordid .COtotn^rcialiSmf" he aske.d. "Whtttl &$» which, with other lovely things to ■; make the wqrld jute and Sknkeyf It war the lovely old feik*mu&i<jef the tttasto whieh provided the nursery thymes- of child' hood, the innocent, clear-eyed of youth, the strong songs of battltf, the sohgs of food and dnfife which God gave fo* tt|o use of temperate tawn, tho joyous church songd, fcf the old Catholic faith Singliftg oflhe inevitable victory of (JM dVeif.th* " The effect of religious and economic Changes had been ielt almost ilttnedl" ately in the, people's MU&1& ' tlntil .its Outlook oft life was altered, the riw&ern world eoUli' flot e*pftct> ttaaver completely thai daf&elty.fiil oua song which was "a characteristic of ofmatioa 'tim en* tforiil the&Kiirit of man was freed m the false ideas of the last 200 years, he would not «efe&3>ttite'th*t mUMcel wtope, which helped to make work a joy and a r&allty. , *Jre£K on l&S, Bflh^taf^a&a 1 , other writs df form could «nfluonee the lives of plain men, Mr Grif' flths instanced the profeohada concerts i of London, which bank-clerks and business men attended In foroe ( They understood the message', ,eyei " though they' aid not understand the method by which it waß presented. Theltf listening might gam ft, different kind of Interest If they new how the composer had obtained; his effects) but such knowledge did not necessarily enha-. ce the beauty of the original message. Music might be ve?y Compiei in form; but. if people were content just to. listen it would leavd thai* minds cleaned and pfnfl them away with a renewed, desire to aim at high standards* Music, indeed, could ha the language in which Ctod spoke to thems not in the religious phraseology of. Mondelssohh's " Elijah*'—feW men really cared for uhctUOUs religious phraseology-wbut in the pure Unfettered accents of sound which fepgak straight to their hearts. , ' jPJteUdd-SoligidttS kusic. , The inUsloj.which had almost A religious offflist was' not generally • religioua tousic. Whfes phUip ?foH made use of the idea of, .setting' religious plays to music, in order ,t0 bOys and young taea to the .rellgVoOs life/ the plays thug evolved were called orbterioo beeauso thoy wero presented in an oratory or small chapel. . "This was a very different " tliirfg ' .? 01a pcj'formancos' we, Are asked to, listen to to-dfty In a laWto- Concert hall," Continued -GriSiths. "The wearing of correct evening ! > dross n by ba^- whether as perform' garded as completely successful In few ating the tight atmosphere, and these ocoftbioas savourtob amafi of'ittattemrf to get through'iS; ieljglons devotion a tottflical pei-for«rtinco at oao £rll swoop and with as, little itteottVeaience- M all concerned, to leave imy hcndltcial effect behind. It wair "h® Mt the word? would cancel toy evil whlsh'the-' , devil xaight'h&SO