Favorite Songs and Hymns For School and Home, page: 0116

450 Of The World's Best Songs And Hymns, With Lyrics & Sheet music for voice & piano.

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	116	FAVORITE SONGS FOR SCHOOL AND HOME
	About the worst ose a congregation can make of a fchoir is to leave it to do the singing for the people. To say nothing of human worship by proxy, the con�gregation which leaves the choir to do all the singing misses many advantages. Yet this is too often the case, and in some quarters increasingly so. In too many places of worship the work of the choir is be�coming a separate and independent performance, and the body of the congregation look on with indifference or listen with interest, as the case may bt. You may call it a Sunday concert in the House of God, but never call it congregational worship when the people pay little heed to the singing, and take little personal part in it. Either the congregations should take		more part and interest in the vocal worship, or leave it to the choir altogether, merely following them, programme in hand, as at an oratorio. Few congre�gations are prepared for such a decision as would exclude them altogether from the singing part ef worship except as listeners. Then, if they would not give up their right to sing, let them show their appre�ciation of the privilege by more skillful and hearty singing. Good congregational singing is not to be had without toil and cost. If it could come by merely wishing for it, then many congregations would sing much .better than they do. They need to inform themselves what really is good congregational singing, and then lay themselves out for it accordingly. A
	WHAT FAIRY-LIKE MUSIC.
	minister cannot from the pulpit give much advice about singing. The congregation needs at times to be called together apart from worship, and solely for practice and instruction in the vocal art A skillful and judicious teacher can soon point out the usual faults and lead them on by intelligent practice to better work. Occasional practice in congregational singing is indispensable, and there is no first-class work done without it The exercises for the produc�tion of the voice should be gone through, as also exercises in the different intervals and through various keys. A month's practice of this kind will be of more		use for improvement than the singing of a hundred tunes. Those who take part in the psalmody of the congregation should be encouraged to practice the exercises at home. The unison practice has many ad�vantages, but it does not supersede private practice. The defects of the voice may be pointed out very clearly in the singing class, where more or less indi�vidual instruction may be given, but they can be most effectually corrected by private practice; and those who will persevere in private for only half an hour a day will soon be able to make a better public contribution to the general worship of song.