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44 The National Music of America.
land Chronicle, in 1723, gave his views as follows : *
"Truly I have a great jealousy that if we once begin to sing by rule, the next thing will be to pray by rule, and preach by rule ; and then comes popery."
In The New England Courant of Sept. 16, 1723 (afterward Benjamin Franklin's paper), we read:
" Last week a Council of Churches, etc., was held in the South part of Braintree to regulate the disorders occasioned by regular singing at that place."
Before this time there had been great reverence for all psalm-singing in every part of the colony, as is proved by the doffing of caps when any psalm-tune was sung anywhere, and by the fact that in Plymouth, in 1660, " Robert Bartlett having spoken contemptuously of the ordinance of psalm-singing, was censured by the General Court."
The " old way " must have been the acme of all that was inartistic, judging by the
1 Quoted by Brooks, " Olden-time Music," p. 20. |
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