AMERICAN SUNDAY SERVICES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2608, 30 March 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

AMERICAN SUNDAY SERVICES.

The custom of elaborate musical celebrations largely prevails in tlio city churches of every order, not alone on the great festivals of Christmas and Eauter, but more or less throughout the year. Some persons might say that undue attention is paid to this part of Divine worship, and that excessivo expen.se is incurred. Certaiuly high salaries are paid to organists and professional singers. To secure their services there is often a rivalry among the music committees of various churches. From six to twelve hundred pounds a year aro disbursed in this way in fashionable and wealthy churches. QtJAKTKTTi; CHOIRS are the rage, aud a leading soprano or renor can cmamuml a higher salary than •uany a bard workiug ultrgyinau in England. It is not uuuuimnun to overhear die remark, " Let us jio and hear So->md-so sing , .'' On special occasions, announcements are given in newspapers of tl\e music to be sung and played. Careful rehearsals are gono through, eo that the programme may be rendered with skill and effect Here are some instances, taken at random, lu one church, after an organ prelude, Gansby'e anthem, "Sing 0 D.-iiuhter of Zion," waN renlered followed by Schumann's "Hark! what mean thi<s.< II uly Voices ?" a i-010 from Schubert, "Grext is Jehovah the Lord," another autliern by Hopkins, and three hymns, also sung by the choir. In a second church there were anthems by Goss, Stainer, Tours, and Farmer. Aβ musical displays theie were FAULTLLESSLY RENDERED. A similar remark may be made of this p:trt of the usual Sunday service in the piiucipal churches, irrespective of denomination, in all large cities. Where so much is paid, people naturally want to obtain as much as possible for their money Hence it has come to pass that good hearty consrrepatioual singing ie seldom heard in fashionable and wealthy churches. Beautiful and familiar hymns, •uch as " Ruck of Ages," or " How sweet che name of Jpsus sounds, , ' are often s,ting by the quartette choir to some florid music containing fugues, solos and duets, the people si'ting and listening to the vicarious psalmodv, each piece of which thus rendered costs them from twenty to forty shillings. Besides the hymns, two or thref , elaborate autlu-ms or oratorio selection* iire performed to exhibit. THE (JC\LITI!S OF THE CHOIR. i:i many cl>nr<;ti<-.s it is the custom for oho congregation to join only in the closing hymn. An English minister recently conducted the worship and preached in a large church in an American city, He was informed that evening service should not exceed an hour. The organist first played a prelude, lasting six minutes; the choir then sang an anthem that absorbed seven minutes. Three hymns, two of which the choir had wholly to themselves, occupied fifteen minutes in all. Hence the minister had exactly thirty-two minutes for his part of the service, including two prayers, a Scripture lesson, and sermon. In justice it .should be added that his labours, hongh brief, were generously recompensed. Ho received for his thirty-two minutes at night, and for fifty minutes in the morning, an honorarium of £10, besides being quartered from Saturday to Monday in a sumptuous suite of rooms at an hotel.