Music-Part 1
There is a greater place for music in evangelism now than ever before in the history of the world. But let us qualify the word "greater."
There was a day when the old-time singing evangelist felt cheated if he was not allowed as much as a forty-five-minute song service preceding the preaching of the evangelist. This was fine in a day when sermons could last an hour or so, and when occasionally even a prayer would last from ten to fifteen minutes.
People were reluctant to leave the fellowship they were enjoying. The singing evangelist stamped his feet and shouted at the people much in the fashion of a cheer leader. He endeavored to stir them up to sing enthusiastically. And the people always responded they sang "loud" and they sang "long"! People enjoyed being exhorted to sing, for they enjoyed singing. They made their own music in their homes as individuals and as families. I can still see my father, with his pencil as a baton, leading our family in singing hymns during our family worship. When on occasion we drove off in the sleigh or buggy to visit our relatives, we nearly always had a little sing. Yes, even during the busy threshing days. I always enjoyed the ringing tenor of one of my uncles as he "harmonized." In our home we had no instruments, not even an old organ. But we made our own music everyone sang. Today we are living in a time when people hear music good, bad, and indifferent almost every hour of the day in their homes. We are living in a time when the tempo of everything is stepped up. People are in a hurry. They live closer together than they did formerly and seem to prefer to see less of one another.
Today the fifteen-minute song service or even a ten- or twelve-minute song service is very much more in order and in keeping with the times.
A Higher Standard of Quality Needed
How then can we say that there is a greater place for music in evangelism today than ever before in the history of the world? The answer is simple. The quality must be greater. Quality, not quantity, receives the emphasis today.
Radio, television, and phonograph recording have all done something to evangelistic music as well as to evangelistic sermons. The accepted radio program is one-half hour in length, including all the music, the announcements, and perhaps a twelve- or fifteen-minute sermon.
The evangelistic team that today sets out to have a long drawn-out song service and then a long list of announcements, followed by a long sermon, keeping the people until 9:30 or 9:45 or even 10:00 at night, will not be nearly as successful as it would if the program were more streamlined. The less time devoted to a certain aspect of a service, the better must be its quality. Too often services are lengthy simply because they have not been properly planned.
There is a great need today for a better quality of music in evangelism. People are accustomed to hearing the cream of the singers and singing groups of the land on phonograph recordings, in concert, and via the air waves. Their ears have become sensitive to a much higher grade of tone production and musical performance than hitherto. Because of this the challenge to singing evangelists today is greater than it ever was before. The day is quickly passing when any good brother or sister in the church can get up in an evangelistic meeting, or even in the church service or prayer meeting, struggle through a solo, and expect to receive a sympathetic hearing.
There is another fact that one needs to keep in mind in ministering to a modern audience, influenced by radio and television. The old-time singing evangelist may actually have been com mended for his antics on the platform, within certain limits, for he had to do something to command his audience and to get their attention. But today the moment a singing evangelist steps to the microphone which in days gone by was missing he is on very intimate terms with the people. With a good public-ad dress system they can catch every inflection of the voice, and they can almost hear his heart beat! All this demands that he be on his "best behavior" at all times. If he wants them to sing with more enthusiasm he cannot shout at them, for that will shock them rather than en courage them. A more friendly and intimate approach is called for today in all the singing evangelist's remarks as well as in his singing, for radio and the microphone have had a tremendous influence on the individuals comprising a modern audience.
We can notice this influence when we com pare the antics and the shouting of Billy Sun day xvith the public sermons of Billy Graham. Graham's sermons are dynamic, but he keeps the microphone in mind. Sunday geared his manner of delivery to what he thought were the needs of his day. Billy Graham apparently endeavors to keep in mind that people expect a different delivery today.
Singing evangelists now need to train their voices, polish their tone quality, tone color, and diction as never before. But in all of this one must guard against developing a stilted and mechanical manner of presentation. The singing evangelist who does really quality work in his solos or who has a choir, a quartet, or an ensemble group that does quality work, will find that frequently he will be given free time on the local radio or television station. Radio stations are constantly looking for the right kind of programs with the right kind of talent. We have seen this happen many times. In studying the tastes of a modern audience, however, the singing evangelist must not try to cater to every whim. A certain segment of the public today lives on the dronings of crooners, and a certain percentage of that group attend religious meetings. I have seen an occasional attempt on the part of some singers of sacred music to imitate the crooning technique of popular singers. Let us guard against the very first evidences of this tendency in our ranks. Crooning of sacred music in the style of the world has no place in our work. Our Saviour sang, but can anyone imagine Him crooning a hymn of praise to His Father? If would-be singers in our ranks have leanings in that direction, let them find some other outlet for their musical ambitions. Let them learn to play an instrument, or else find a teacher who can give them proper voice training. It is a fact, perhaps little known, that the popular Hollywood crooner Bing Crosby has all his life yearned to be a singer of great classical music in correct traditional style; but he keeps on crooning because his reputation depends on it, and so does his income.
An After service of Singing
There are still today a large percentage of the public who enjoy an old-fashioned songfest or hymn fellowship. But instead of this being placed before the sermon of the evening, it would be much better to follow the plan of having a good song fellowship after the evening evangelistic service. This may run on for as much as an hour. Such a plan might better be followed in the earlier part of the campaign. Naturally the wishes of the evangelist must be considered, and it certainly would not be wise to have this at a time when people are facing testing truths and when they need to go home after a service and think over the message of the evening, or when aftermeetings are being held. But in the early part of the evangelistic series, this practice might prove helpful at times. It can also provide opportunity for the evangelistic workers to become acquainted with the people.
At the close of such a service the evangelist might give a five-minute review of the high points of his sermon together with his benediction, thus sending the people home with - the message of the evening ringing in their hearts and their souls aglow with the fellowship. This aftermeeting service, if properly announced, will draw some people who may not come to hear the sermon, but hearing the evangelist review the high points of the sermon, they might be impressed to come in time for the whole service another evening. .
An hour, or even half an hour, of song service, with good special music, after the evening evangelistic service will give full opportunity for those who want to go home to leave immediately after the service. And such a plan also helps to get the program under way without the delays so often apparent. For instance, if the announcement says the meetings will begin at 7:30, and then a long drawn-out song service, followed by ten or fifteen minutes of announcements and other special projects, takes up much of the time and the preacher does not begin until 8:15 or 8:30, this is a whole hour later than the time advertised for the important subject of the evening. To guard against this it is better to have a brief ten- or fifteen-minute song service and then make the announcements just as brief as possible, so that the speaker can begin his message not more than twenty-five minutes later.
But the shorter song service calls for much more careful planning. Every minute counts. Therefore the congregational numbers must be chosen with particular care. Only the best of gospel songs will be used, and of course a place must be found for some of the favorite well-known hymns. This will help to blend the people of all faiths who might be attending the service. An occasional well-chosen chorus should definitely be used, and the gospel songs used must have a genuine spiritual lift and not merely a superficial or sentimental lift.
The evangelist who does not have properly qualified musical talent may be much better off to simply announce his subject and begin promptly with his theme at the hour announced. This is a revolutionary suggestion, especially for a singing evangelist to make, but we must face the facts that the modern public is looking for quality in music as well as in home appliances, automobiles, houses, clothes, and furnishings. If quality music cannot be supplied, then the evangelist is far better off to follow the suggestion of launching into his subject with as little delay as possible.
Some who have not been blessed with much in the line of talent in their evangelistic meetings have gone to great effort and expense to arrange for orchestras and bands and visiting choir groups and visiting soloists to appear at their meetings night after night. Some may enjoy such a "parade," but such a plan seems as disconcerting as if a different speaker were at the meetings every night. Then there is al ways the question of comparison some liking one group or one soloist and some another. All this tends to obscure the real message of the music. The musical talent that is used should have some definite continuity. A permanent choir or a permanent song leader gives more stability to the program. It is good, of course, occasionally though not too frequently to bring in guest talent. But this should not be at the beginning of the campaign. And it certainly is not a good plan to have a continual parade of musical groups, for this can easily degenerate into mere entertainment. Then too, unfortunate occurrences sometimes take place if we do not take pains to find out just what these groups are going to present. Someone is likely to get up and sing "Nobody Knows the Trouble I See" just before a sermon on the twenty-three hundred days. This is an appealing, plaintive Negro spiritual, but it certainly does not fit in that particular spot! In each of these questions the evangelist and the singing evangelist need to study the needs and "atmosphere" of the area in which the campaign is held. I have worked in areas where there were complaints that the song service was too long usually, but not always, in congested, large-city areas. Again I have worked in areas where there was a rather heavy demand for more music sometimes for more congregational singing, sometimes for more special music. We need to be constantly on the alert to keep abreast of the times, and to know how best to conduct our services in the various countries and the various parts of any individual country. No singing evangelist should follow a set routine for all campaigns. Let us continually improve our methods, our approach, and the quality of our music.
