The Singing Church: The Hymns It Wrote and SangLorenz, Edmund S. (Edmund Simon)
Religion
The Singing Church: The Hymns It Wrote and Sang
Lorenz, Edmund S. (Edmund Simon)
Hymns -- History and criticism
If the scheduled hymn does not lend itself to his purpose, he can
exercise the audacity without which no public man can hope to succeed,
by changing it to one that will, and by that act will storm the first
defense of Morpheus, the god of sleep. Of course, he will always keep
in mind practical considerations of teamwork with his musical helpers,
taking enough time in introducing the substituted hymn in an
interesting way to enable them to find it and decide to what tune it
is to be sung. Usually that takes but a moment. Announcing the hymn,
he will explain the message of the hymn in doctrine or in feeling, as
a preliminary to its intelligent and sympathetic singing; or he may
make emotional comment, or relate a fitting anecdote that will grip
the feelings, leaving historical data for some other occasion; or he
may ask the congregation to join him in silent prayer for divine
guidance into the heart of the hymn to be sung; or he may ask his
people to read the first verse in concert, in order that they may sing
it with more intelligence; or if he has a sympathetic soloist, he can
ask him or her to sing a verse, letting the people sing the rest of
the hymn.
If the people are submerged in indifference and stupor, he may treat
the whole hymn in like fashion, verse by verse, always careful to make
his few words count, for prolixity will defeat his purpose. He will be
even more careful that there shall be a _crescendo_ movement of
increasing impressiveness and deepening feeling.
Such a jolt to the passive attitude of an unresponsive people,
genially administered in a confident manner, and with sincere feeling,
will waken the most indifferent congregation and avert the impending
defeat. It will make the frequent use of such unusual methods
unnecessary by creating a latent expectation of the unexpected.
Fortunate is the minister who has a native sensitiveness to the tides
of feeling that ebb and flow in his congregation, to whom the faces
and attitudes of his people are an open book. Most ministers must
develop such a power by keen and persistent observation and by
intelligent experimentation. This psychical _en rapport_ is very
important to the minister. As well might an organist play without
hearing his instrument as for a minister to be ignorant of the states
of feeling of his congregation. He is a blind man trying to paint a
picture.
Some ministers think themselves lacking in magnetism, in sensitiveness
to outside influences, and make no effort to develop their latent
powers. This inferiority complex is wrong; the very sense of
limitation is a proof that the capacity for it exists. It is too
essential to the largest success that a man should not use every
possible effort and method to develop it.
IV. THE HYMN AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHING TRUTH
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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