tion as to the practice of the ancient Hebrews, for the Jewish ritual was entirely abolished by the introduction of Christianity: but the assertion, in so far as it relates to the primitive Christians, is entirely incorrect. When the Divine Founder of our religion himself instituted the sacrament of the supper, and gave to his disciples the example of the manner in which it has ever since been observed in all Christian churches, the solemnity was concluded by their singing a hymn or psalm. When Paul and Silas were in prison, "at midnight they prayed and sang praises unto God." St. Paul enjoins to the church of the Colossians the use of " psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." A similar injunction is given by him to the Ephesians and James says, "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms." That the primitive Christians must necessarily have followed both the precepts and the example of Christ himself, and of his apostles, cannot be doubted; and accordingly we have the evidence of profane writers to this effect. Pliny accused the Christians, not only of neglecting the sacrifices, but of holding meetings before day-break, to sing in honour of Christ as a God; and Lucian notices the rage for psalm-singing among the Christians. In those times, when Christianity was not established, or even tolerated, and when the converts to this religion had no churches or regular places of worship, it is absurd to suppose that their psalms and hymns were sung by organised bands of singing-men and singing-women, apart from the congregation and Burney, in another part of his work *, makes admissions utterly inconsistent with such a supposition. He says, that "it is in vain to seek for any regular ritual before this period," that is, the

* Vol. ii., p. 5-6.

time of Constantine, the first Christian emperor; and that he "cannot find better authority for the establishment of music in the church, during the reign of Constantine, than that of Eusebius, who was his contemporary, and a principal agent in the ecclesiastical transactions of the times." And he adds, “It was in the year 312 from the coming of our Saviour, that Christianity, after the defeat of Maxentius, became the established religion of the Roman empire. The primitive Christians, previous to this important era, being subject to persecution, proscription, and martyrdom, must frequently have been reduced to silent prayer in dens and caves." Previous to this era, however, and even down from the time of our Saviour himself and his apostles, the first Christians are proved to have sung psalms and hymns in their exercises of devotion; but, without churches, without a ritual, subject to persecution, proscription, and martyrdom, meeting in secresy and apprehension of discovery, are we to imagine that they sat and listened to disciplined choirs of singing-men and singing women?

The argument that, because music is an art, and requires study, practice, and experience, as well as a mechanical trade or calling, every member of a congregation ought no more to pretend to sing than to make a pair of shoes, is a very shallow fallacy. Music is an art, undoubtedly; but its different branches require very different degrees of study, practice, and experience. A shepherd tending his flock, and a village maiden at her rural labour, will sing "the old and antique songs" of their native valley, in a manner that will charm the most cultivated taste, and even move the feelings,

More than light airs, and recollected terms

Of these most brisk and giddy-paced times ;—

such songs as that which is described by the enamoured Duke Orsino ;

Mark it, Cesario; it is old and plain:

The spinsters and the knitters in the sun,

And the free maids that weave their thread with bones,
Do use to chaunt it.

But if it requires little art and study to sing these ancient and simple airs, to sing the melodies of the psalms requires still less. In those parts of the country where attention is paid to parochial psalmody, especially in Scotland, the psalm tunes are familiar to every one; and, when devoutly sung by the whole body of a congregation, nothing can be more fallacious than the ludicrous light in which Dr. Burney has attempted to place them. They are, on the contrary, solemn, impressive, and, in a large congregation, frequently sublime. When Haydn heard a psalm sung in unison by four thousand children, in St. Paul's Cathedral, he was moved to tears, and declared that that simple and natural air had given him the greatest pleasure he had ever received from music. In every large congregation there must be many coarse and untuneable voices; but the greatest part of the assembly will be qualified in voice and ear, to sing such plain and simple music with propriety; and, in the present state of musical knowledge, there are few congregations without many persons who can sing at least a correct bass, to the melody, especially if the harmony is simply and steadily played upon an organ, and sung by a small choir; or (as in Scotland,) sung by a small choir without an organ.

Dr. Burney's arguments against the use of psalmody are derived entirely from the abuses of it; and, whatever may have been the case in his time, his description of these abuses is much exaggerated as applicable to the psalmody of the present day. Still it may, and ought to

be, much improved. The parochial clergy ought everywhere to pay great attention to its cultivation. It ought to form a regular branch of tuition in schools, by which not only an end would be put to the " drawling and bawling," (for Burney's complaint of which there is still some foundation,) but the people would be enabled to sing the different parts of the harmony. Care ought to be taken to introduce into every congregation some collection of the Psalms of established character, in order that the harmony may not only be good, but uniform; for a bass taken from one collection, a tenor from another, and a counter-tenor from a third, though good in themselves, may produce nothing but discord, when joined together. Strict attention ought also to be paid to the time of these tunes. They are too often sung as if they consisted entirely of equal notes, which are drawn out to an immoderate length. But they have long and short notes, accent, and rhythmical movement; a disregard to which affords the chief ground for Dr. Burney's charge against them.

The importance of a part of our musical service, in which the whole congregation have it in their power to raise their voices in songs of prayer and praise, is more and more acknowledged. And the prevailing impression on this subject will naturally be followed by the adoption of the means necessary to invest this portion of our public worship with all the dignity and solemnity of which it is capable.

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CHAPTER XV.

COMPOSERS OF ENGLISH SACRED MUSIC SINCE THE TIME OF PURCELL.- CLARKE.-ALDRICH.- CROFT.- WELDON. GREENE.-TRAVERS. BOYCE.-NARES.-KENT.-BATTIS

HILL. ARNOLD.

CROTCH.- ATTWOOD.

- HORSLEY.

ADAMS.-ENGLISH CATHEDRAL MUSIC.

THE choral music appropriated to the service of our cathedrals is peculiarly English, and differs essentially from the sacred music of every other country. It belongs to the school of composition founded by the great harmonists of the sixteenth century; and the grave and religious character impressed upon it by Gibbons, Tallis, and Bird, has been preserved by the unbroken series of distinguished musicians, who, down to our own time, have devoted their talents to the service of the church. music consecrated to religion retains the grand and solemn harmony of the old masters; and, if its melodies have, in the progress of time, acquired additional grace and smoothness, they have not lost the serious and chastened expression which befits the language of devotion. It admits none of those light and tripping measures, which, in the words of Pope,

Make the soul dance upon a jig to Heaven,

Our

or rather, draw it down from those heavenly contemplations which religious music ought to inspire, and fill it with the thoughts of worldly pursuits and trifling amusements.

Some account has already been given of the most distinguished composers for the English church, down to the latter part of the seventeenth century, including the illustrious Purcell. It remains to notice the most eminent of their successors.