against them in the watches;" that is, they ministered in their courses and kept their stations over against them in their turns of attendance, which are called their watches or wards: see the 31st verse. One half of the companies of them that gave thanks, went on the right (38th verse,) and the other half, over against them (40th verse). "So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks (42.) "And the singers sang loud with Jezraiah their Overseer." (46). "For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God." : Let us turn to Exodus xv. 1. where there is further evidence hereon in Moses' song after the victory at the Red Sea.- -"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, [or singing,] I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." &c. (ver. 20.) "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." Here we see Moses, the Precentor of the men; and Miriam, of the women. Isaiah, vi. 3. (in his vision of the Lord in his glory,)—“ And one cried unto another and said [that is, the one singing responsively to the other, after the same manner as the Divine Anthem of Moses on the celebration of the victory above quoted,] Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." And thus has it been the practice of the Christian Church (as Bishop Beveridge says,) in all times,* and it is still continued among us as being the most easy and proper way for all sorts of people to join together in setting forth the praises of God, and the best mode of keeping our minds intent upon the great work we are about, and to excite one another in the performance of it. And the angels, in Rev. vii. 9-12, and xv. 2-4. and xix. 1-7. seem to have sung, in a precisely similar manner, the Divine hymns of praise therein given; for in the last named chapter, verse 5th, it is said, a voice came out of the throne saying, [or singing,] Praise our God * The Rev. J. A. Latrobe, in his excellent work on the Choral Service of the Church, traces the practice of Chanting to within a few centuries of the flood. all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.” And the voice was responded to by the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, [or singing,] Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Surely, as the principle of responsive singing can indisputably be traced to so very ancient a date, and has been used in the Tent and Tabernacle, Temple and Church, it is strange that its use should "wake a mortal's scorn," but so it is. Let us, however, yet hope for better things. We will next proceed to see what the Chant was as early as the fourth century, and take a rapid view of it down to our own times. It appears that the use of Chanting was common in the fourth century. St. Ambrose did very much towards the improvement of the Chant about A.D. 386, and introduced it into many Churches. It became very famous and was generally used for two centuries afterwards, when it gave place to the Gregorian Chant (or Tone, as it was called,) and it is thought these remain to us substantially the same as they were used at that very early period of the Christian Church. The Tones, as well as the single Chants in use among us at this day, are each commensurate with one verse in the Psalter; but the Chants in general use in our Church Service are double Chants, that is, they are as long as two single ones, and are therefore commensurate with two verses in the Psalter. Every verse in the Psalter is divided by a colon into two parts; single Chants are likewise so divided, and it will be seen with a very little attention how simple the art of Chanting is, when the few rules are known which I shall bye and bye lay down for the instruction of those who use my book. About the middle of the fourth century, Flavian, Bishop of Antioch (the capital of Syria,) and Diodore, Bishop of Tarsus, introduced the practice of Chanting into the Western Church, and about the same time St. Basil into the Eastern Church. It is worthy of remark, how universal the practice of Chanting must have been in the early Church; for St. Basil* gives testimony of it in his defence of its use, in a letter which he wrote, setting up the general custom and precedent in all the Eastern Church. I would also quote the well-known letter of Pliny In his reply to Sabellius, an ArianĮ heretic, who wrote against the Christians decrying the "innovation" of singing in bands one to another. the younger (nephew to the elder Pliny), addressed to the Emperor Trajan relative to the primitive Christians of Bythinia, Pontus, &c., which may be considered conclusive of the use of the antiphonal and interchanging character of Chanting in his time, wherein he writes—“carmen dicere secum invicem ; they sang alternately one with another. I do hope yet to see the time, when the Chant shall again become (as it was of yore,) the only legitimate Psalmody of the Christian Church. I think it will readily be acknowledged by all who have taken any thought on the subject, that the Psalter has been unaccountably set aside (so to say,) to make rooin for the versified Psalms, usually to be found at the end of our Prayer Book; thus the efforts of man have really been preferred, in use, to the inspired word of praise, in all its beauty and unequalled sublimity, as given to us by the ancient translators in our Psalter. But how strong is the contrast between these metrical Psalms and the genuine Hebrew Poetry! How inferior do the former appear, when compared with the latter! One example more, and that must suffice for our present purpose.-(Milton's Paradise Lost, book v. line 650.) "the angelic throng Dispers'd in bands and files, their camp extend By living streams among the trees of life, Pavilions numberless, and sudden rear'd Celestial tabernacles, where they slept Fann'd with cool winds; save those who in their course Melodious hymns about the Sovereign throne alternate all night long." Also in book iv. 680 "How often from the steep Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Milton doubtless had in his mind the Choral service in Cathedrals, when they sing by alterns. "Cantum verò alternum," scribit Socratis (lib. vi. cap. 8.) "à S. Ignatio Episcopo Antiocheno in Ecclesiam introductum fuisse, ostensâ ei cœlitus Angelorum visione, qui hymnos alter ad alterum Sanctissimæ Trinitati concinnebant." That is, Socrates affirms the alternate Chant to have been introduced into the Church by St. Ignatius (Bishop of Antioch), who in a vision saw the angels in heaven singing one to another hymns to the Holy Trinity. But turn which way I will, there is ample evidence of the great antiquity and universality of the use of the Chant-thus in Psalm 68th v. 11. there is an allusion to the general custom of the Israelitish women singing in celebration of the victories of the Israelites over their enemies -“The Lord gave the word [that is, the joyful news of their exode cut of the land of bondage,'] great was the company of those that published it." Parkhurst observes that the word in the original, which is used for the words "those that published it," is feminine, and points out the women, who, with music, songs, and dancing, celebrated the victories of their countrymen over their enemies. It has been my earnest desire, in the publication of this work, to create a deep and solemn feeling of devotional enjoyment in the practice of Chanting, as well as to render the art plain and intelligible even to the capacity of children; and it is my sincere hope that my humble efforts might tend to that end. JAMES INGHAM. EXPLANATIONS AND DIRECTIONS. TO THE ORGANIST. It will be observed that the Organ Guide in the margin applies principally to an organ of three key-boards, with a coupler to connect the "swell" with the "great organ; but with a little management and ordinary attention to the directions given, all the effects sought might be produced on an organ having only two key-boards. 66 By" Major," or Minor," is meant that the Chant be played in the mode so expressed, until further instructions are given for the alteration of it. In some Cathedrals, when the Psalms are very long, it has been thought desirable to change the Chant.* Where this might be requisite, it is very easy to effect it, according to the plan of this work, as I have arranged several chants, for each day, to follow in the same key, and of a similar character. Gt. O. D. and S. H.," or "Gt. O. D. and S. P.," signifies that the “ 'swell" up to the Hautboy, or Principal, is to be coupled with the Great Organ Diapasons, and such directions continued until a change of "Stops," or Organ occurs. * All organists, however, are not uniformly happy in their adaptation of Chants to Psalms. Some excuse may be found from the fact of their often being requested to play a particular Chant, though that Chant may very ill suit the Psalms for the day. It is singular that most organists are unwilling to use more than one Chant to a set of four or five Psalms, however diverse the character of those Psalms may be. It is otherwise at Musical Festivals. "We want," says an individual well acquainted with these things, "organists who have souls."-Remarks on Chants and Chanting by the Rev. W. H. Havergal, M. A. |