Over a considerable period of years, it has been my privilege to be associated with some of America's greatest leaders in both church and evangelistic music. While still quite young, I had close personal contact with Ira D. Sankey, one of the world's outstanding gospel singers. I heard him sing frequently, and had a number of visits with him. His was not a great voice, when judged by generally accepted musical standards, and yet there was something thrilling and soul stirring about his singing.
Later on I was associated with the Chapman-Alexander evangelistic party as accompanist. These two men gathered about them one of the greatest arrays of strong evangelists that have ever worked together in evangelistic campaigns. It was my good fortune to work with this group for one year. Charles Alexander was not a great soloist. In fact, his voice was rather mediocre. But he was a good song leader. And, more important than that, he had a close, vital connection with God, which enabled him to win many souls to Christ through the ministry of song. With the company at that time, was Robert Harkness, the consecrated song writer who has composed several thousand gospel songs.
In other years I have been associated with Homer Rodeheaver and other evangelists of world fame, and also with a number of evangelists of our own denomination. In addition to this experience, I have had training and education under some of the best-known choral conductors and leaders in the development of church music, studying many of the great classics and much of the modern church music, and have observed the work of numerous choral conductors in many churches. For many years I have been conducting choirs in our own churches and in those of other denominations.
I have given this résumé of experience and background, not for any purpose of boasting, but to show that what I shall say does not spring from a one-sided, biased experience and outlook. This experience has brought me to some very definite convictions in regard to church music. For a number of years I have had a great burden to say or write something on this subject. But a fear of being misunderstood has kept me from doing so. Now that we hear sounds of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, indicating a call for a reformation in musical standards, I feel more free to express my sentiments and convictions.
Unwholesome Trends in Popular Churches
As I have sung in and conducted choirs, and visited other choirs in some of the largest popular churches in Southern California, I have been distressed by the emphasis placed on the revived music of the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Greek Church of Russia, and French Catholic music. Frequently this music is sung in foreign languages. I fail to see how music of this kind can minister to tired, unhappy, often heartbroken, people who come to church for help. I have talked with a number of prominent choir leaders, and they have agreed with me that this is exhibition music, and does not minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Can it be that this is in part responsible for the decline of spirituality in these churches ?
A neighbor of mine, who was born and brought up in Russia, told me that she once visited some of the large cities of Russia, and attended services in a number of the large Catholic cathedrals. She was greatly impressed by the spectacular music. Since coming to this country, she has become an Adventist. In recent years when the choirs from some of our colleges have come to give concerts, she has attended, and every time certain types of music have been sung, she has said to her husband, "That is the music I heard in the cathedrals of Russia." Then she added, "I don't think it belongs in Adventist churches."
That is the point I have been coming to. There has been a marked trend in public schools, colleges, and universities toward a cappella choirs and music. Our own schools have followed this trend, until this concept has become so greatly magnified that many of the students in our colleges consider it the height of musical achievement to belong to the a cappella choir. As a result, students in our colleges come out with an erroneous impression of what is really appropriate in our own local church and evangelistic work. Some, who have gone into evangelistic work, have even tried to introduce this type of music into evangelistic meetings. But are souls converted by this type of music ?
The Place of Gospel Songs
Last year I attended the sessions of the Music Educators National Conference, held in Los Angeles. The leading music educators from the schools of all parts of this country were in attendance. Excellent talks were given, and demonstration of various school music activities were made by various groups. Only one resolution was brought to the assem- bly from the committee on resolutions, and that was that it was the sense of the committee that there had been too strong a trend toward the use of a cappella music in the schools, so that the young people were not becoming acquainted with much of the beautiful accompanied music available. I felt like uttering a hearty "amen" when this resolution was read.
The Lord has said that He would make His people the head, and not the tail. But for years we have been following the lead of the world's schools in the matter of music, and now even the public schools are pointing in the other direction.
In 1936, during the General Conference held in San Francisco, I was invited to sit with a considerable group of music teachers connected with our schools. Most of the remarks made were in criticism of the musical standards of our churches, and a wholesale condemnation of the type of songs used. One went so far as to say that there were not a hundred hymns in our church hymnal of that time that were fit to be sung in church. They spoke of having worshipful music, and music that was dignified and of high musical standard. Finally I mustered enough courage to say that I agreed with them that music must be worshipful, but that if people were to worship in music, it must be music that the people could understand. It was said of Jesus that the "common people heard Him gladly."
He must have spoken in the language of the common people. Our churches are made up largely of "common people." And somehow I feel that it is not the mission of the church to educate the people to appreciate the type of music being used in many of our churches and colleges, but rather to minister to their spiritual needs. Let us have dignified, stately hymns of worship, adoration, and praise. But let us also have the beautiful gospel songs, and songs of the message, which are designed to comfort, cheer, stir to action, and build up spirituality.
That is where many highly trained musicians fail. That is, they fail to realize that in condemning gospel songs per se they would eliminate many beautiful songs that have been the means of bringing thousands of souls to Christ. There is a place for gospel songs as well as for church hymns. It is not necessary or desirable to use cheap, sensational, poorly written songs. There are hundreds of beautiful, well-written songs of appeal, admonition, encouragement, and invitation that can be used.
But it makes a great difference how these songs are sung. I referred to the singing of Sankey, Alexander, and others. A music critic could have found much fault with their singing, but nevertheless they reached hearts and brought about conversions. One of the wisest singing teachers I ever had used to say that a well-placed tone was one that was placed in the hearts of the hearers, but that it never reached the hearts of others unless it came from the heart. Then he would proceed to show that a well-produced tone must come from the region of the diaphragm, where are located the great centers of life and energy.
There, too, is located the seat of our emotions. In my years of teaching singing I have stressed this point. Not only does this eliminate strain on the throat, but it produces a warm, rich tone, full of real feeling, and this is the tone that reaches hearts.
The church and the evangelistic tabernacle are not the places for the display of vocal technique. But sometimes we hear evangelistic singers and song leaders attempt this, by showing how long they can hold a tone, or how loud the tone can be made; Tricks and attempts at humor are at times resorted to in this most sacred work. 0 that we might all gain a stronger vision of the possibilities of music ! It is truly as sacred as the ministry of the spoken word.
The training of evangelistic pianists and organists is also of great importance. A poor accompanist can ruin the best-sung solo, and greatly hamper a song leader in directing congregational singing. An accompaniment can be enriched and beautified without resorting to jazz, swing, or undue embellishment. The latter detracts from the singing, whereas a firm, enriched accompaniment lends support to the singer. I believe special training in this kind of piano work should be given in our schools. Good accompanists are rare, but very important. Here, too, consecration and humility are important factors of success.
It has been said of John and Charles Wesley that they made more converts with their hymns than with their preaching. Before the Reformation, congregational singing had been suppressed. Luther and others revived it, and as a result of this, a Jesuit priest said, "Luther is damning more souls with his music than with his preaching. The whole people is singing, itself into Luther's doctrine." Why shouldn't people_ sing themselves into the advent doctrine?
In conclusion, I should like to offer some practical, constructive suggestions. First, let there be a reformation in the teaching of music in our schools. Young people should not be given the idea that all gospel songs are cheap and unworthy. They should be taught to discern between good and bad. Frequently they come out of our schools with a very critical attitude. We need more tolerance of the likes and desires and ideas of others. Students should be taught to play hymns properly. Many graduates of college music courses cannot play a hymn well.
There is also room for improvement in the teaching of singing. Choral training should be broadened to include a greater variety of good music, and should not be confined so much to a cappella music as it has been in the past. It would be well to have a course in hymnology. Effective evangelistic song leading should be taught, especially to prospective ministers, evangelists, and gospel song leaders. Then, too, there are many young men who will not become professional musicians, but who will be called upon to lead singing and direct choirs in their own churches and young people's societies. These should have proper training and direction.
In the churches much can be accomplished to build up a higher regard and appreciation of good music. In our own church, here in Glendale, we have started vesper services, beginning an hour before sunset on Sabbath afternoon, and one of the main purposes of these meetings is to learn the new songs contained in the new Church Hymnal. The program also contains good organ music, occasional solos by good singers, brief talks appropriate for occasions of this kind, interesting stories about the origin of some of the well-known hymns, and stories of what they have accomplished in the lives of human beings. We anticipate good results from these efforts.
I appeal to our musicians for more tolerance and earnest efforts for better understanding, not only of one another, but of the needs, tastes, and previous education of our own dear church members, and of the many thousands who are yet to hear the message of the soon-coming Saviour. Replace the critical attitude with an earnest desire to help. Then the music department of the church will no longer be called the "war department," and the true spirit of devotion and co-operation will be in evidence in our churches.
