Another new musical periodical challenges some notice, if not by
its merit, at least by its pretensions-and arrogance. Itisentitled The Church Musician ; and professes to be the organof a society who call themselves "The Church Musical Union," and have for their object the entire reform- ation of the musical service of the Churhii. This journal, of which three or four Monthly numbers have appeared,. is well got up, very- cheap, and calculated for general circulation. Its, tone is bold and confident, its language fluent and specious ; it is consequently, one of those works which may do much good or much harm according as its opinions are seund or the contrary. To enable our mu.sioal readers to satisfy theni- sdves on this point, we shall quote a few of those opinions, without
C0111111ent. F. The public have hitherto been so berughted as to have some reverence fot„the. old masters of the English ecclesiastical school, and to regard their works as models of devotional music, uniting grandeur and solemnity with chaste simplicity, and free from the florid and theatrical graces of the foreign Church composers. But hear the Church Musician on the sub-
" We dislike the English services by Aldrich,' Bevin, Bird, Blow, Child, Farrant, Gibbons, Morley, Purcell, Rog.ets, Tallis, and others."—" It is sheer absurdity to team the_ services of Dr. Gibbons either fine or noble music ; and when we mention him, we select, we presume, the best of these service-writers."—" Boyce [in his great collectionof Cathedral Music] has no anthem either by Tye or Tullis in antelear or high form ; and although some are to be found who may profess to like the three anthems by Byrde given by Boyce, for ourselves we think Byrde, even when Musical, most me- lancholy. Boyce's selections from Batten, Blow, Farrant, and Violdwin, are, with two exceptions, wholly laid aside 'and worthily forgotten ; . and, in fact, a few shillings would' purchase ' all the available full choral Music of that expensive collection of extinct and moribund anthem-music. For the most part,- it is unintelligible, 'unimpressive' and as hard-as iron."—The old Pro- testant psalm tunes fare no better. ,Mr. Mullah's Metrical Psalter is thus treated. 'Mr. Mullah has attempted to revive that which faded from the hearts and -minds of Englishmen two hundred years ago. The impudent °tempt to deprive the English Church of all church melody has most sig- nally failed ; nor can lfr. Mullah., either by his position or his adjutant's, re- verse the doom passed upon the worthless Genevan tunes of the Tudor epoch."—Peeple -generally thint the " Oldllundredth " a fine „tune ;. not se the Church Hue:elan. It "is redolent of restlessness and dissatisfaction, rebbery and murder; and for our parts, we had rather hear a strain taken from .the very back-woods of heathendom. We dislike it as Churchmen, we dotestit as musicians."
Contemporary musicians ore summarily disposed of Of Mr. Vincent Novelle itis_said, that, "buried as a man may be, day and night, in the tones of our cathedral =isle they cannot teach him proper, hatmony, pro- per, melody, lit the proper fOrin'of a short anthem. Barring these things, Mr. Novellois an excellent composer of a church anthem."—" Mr. Goss and Mr. Turk occupy posts, but they_ have notnission. They will have lived and died and done nothing.; but after generations :will record that they flourished iniu time when they might, with even ordinary talents, have achieved won- d for.the wellbeing of the Church and the stability and success of church music, but that they ad not."
Lastly, --there ions such thing-in existence as a decent work on the prin- ciples of music. -"The to 4 -riclicplotie:Itaildboblii "by Burrowes and .,.9s have lima demolished,„,.and,the effete .and mori4pd, treatises of Albrechtaberger and Gottfried Weber have passed harmlessly -away,"—to
make room for the new lights Of the Church usic • ' • "' . .
'People conversant with the subject will smile at ell this ;--ltut;the pub- liealion is intettded to be popular, and, to have a4 iuen4e-04 lieopt(got conversant with the subject. But they,Will. probably think it necessary to inquire in what estimation- the -standard- cathedral - music of the of Fong1a4d, the old Protestt- psalmody, . the cheracters.,and-ltr- bears of Mr. Yiirent Novelle, Mr. lalitb, Mr. Goss,-and Mr. Tur tliacworka Of the Most eminent 'Ge.rataii theorists, ..era generally.beld4 sound and well-informed musicians.
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