A COLLECTION OF MUSIC CONTAINING AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE FOR CONGREGATIONAL SINGING, THEORY OF MUSIC AND ADVANCED COURSES, FOR SINGING SCHOOLS AND MUSICAL CONVENTIONS, AND TUNES, HYMNS, ANTHEMS AND CHANTS, FOR CHOIRS. EDITED BY GEO. F. ROOT. CHICAGO: PUBLISHED BY ROOT & CADY, 67 WASHINGTON STREET. In the first department of the TRIUMPH the effort is made to furnish a means by which any company of people may join in a musical utterance of words, and it is thought that this department will not only promote the object for which it is prepared, but will be useful to teachers in getting up classes, as many learners having made a beginning in this way, will desire to pursue the subject more scientifically, and will go on with the other departments of the book. In the second department, not only the elementary principles or doctrines are set forth in order, but a mode of teaching those which are most important is proposed. The third department is called the "Elementary Course," and goes through the major keys without accidentals. The lessons here are intended for the first term of the Singing School. In the "Intermediate Course," which is the fourth department, accidentals and the relative minor are introduced in lessons which ássume such various musical forms as it is believed will make them attractive and useful to singers in the second stage of their musical advancement. An important feature in these departments will be found in the arrangement by which tunes and other pieces in the body of the book may be used in the Singing School with the lessons, being so prepared that they contain the same kind of difficulties. The fifth department is called the "Advanced Course," and as its name indicates, is for advanced singers. Of the Tunes, Hymns, Anthems and Chants, which form the body of the book, it will only be said that they have been prepared with great care, and it is believed will not disappoint the friends of the various authors whose names are found with them. It may here be stated that the editor is responsible for all tunes and other pieces to which no name is attached. It is unnecessary to specify further the new features of the TRIUMPH. They will be discovered by all who use the book, and will doubtless receive whatever attention and respect they may merit. The TRIUMPH is peculiarly fortunate in having among its contributors and special friends some prominent musical men in different parts of the country, whose names are here mentioned in the order in which their contributions were received: C. M. Wyman Keene, N. H., H. R. Palmer, Chicago, T. M. Towne, Wisconsin, and J. E. Gould, Philadelphia. It is proper also to mention as being more immediately connected with us, P. P. Bliss, J. R. Murray, and a son of the editor, F. W. Root. Our obligations are hereby acknowledged to all who have aided us, and especially to Messrs. Mason Brothers, of New York, for copyrights from their books that we are permitted to use. It is with great pleasure that this opportunity is taken to express the obligations that we, in common with all American composers, teachers and musicians, are under to our beloved Dr. Mason, who has been the chief instrument in the hands of the Divine Providence in placing music, and its universal and intelligent acquirement, in the position it occupies wherever the English language is spoken. he shall approve the TRIUMPH, we shall have great hope that it will be acceptable and useful to all. Entered according to Act of Congress, A. D. 1868, by RooT & CADY, in the District Court of the United States for the Northerr. District of Illinois. HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY BY EXCHANGE MAR 12,1937 If R? T7 1868 FOR CONGREGATIONAL SINGING. LET THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, O GOD, LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE. PS. LXVII. If we do a right action, the first effect is upon ourselves, for the exercise | friend-every expression of love to the Lord or to the neighbor—has in of any of the powers of a man is felt first by the man himself. This being it that emotional quality, which, carried further, becomes singing. true, they are in error who think there is no use in singing unless they can benefit or entertain others: for singing is not only an expression, but an exercise of our emotional nature; and the one who sings, is by this law the first to be affected by the act. A man then may exercise and strengthen certain good affections in himself, even if he cannot sing well enough to entertain others; indeed, this may be done if he cannot sing any tune at all; for the mere emotional utterance of words that he loves, has the effect to strengthen the affections that they bring into exercise. Another cannot sing our affection for us, for beside the fact that no two have affections exactly alike, it is a work that all may see cannot be done by proxy. Every one, therefore, who wishes to improve his emotional nature must exercise it himself. Should any congregation desire to try this, a beginning may be made by repeating together, in the ordinary speech voice, the following hymn : [It would be well to have a leader who knows something of music, and who, time.] if the people are not supplied with books, may give out the hymns two lines at a In ordinary congregations all could be benefitted by this emotional utter-Let the utterance be deliberate and distinct. ance, if once the idea of musical entertainment could be banished, and 1 Let us with a joyful mind, musical people would be willing to use simpler modes of utterance. [It should be said here that singers can bring the best resources of their art to the singing of simple tunes; and every noble heart among them will be glad to do so if it will benefit his neighbor; and on occasions of public worship he will never, for his own particular benefit desire to use a tune so difficult that it will exclude others from participating, for that would be selfish, and utterly opposed to the spirit of our Christian religion.] Every one has a song voice as well as a speech voice, and when the words we speak are emotional rather than intellectual of the affection more than of the thought-something of the song-voice comes into them. Every term of endearment to father, mother, brother, sister, wife, child, or 3 Praise the Lord for He is kind: 2 He, with all-commanding might, 3 All things living He doth feed; 4 Let us with a joyful mind, We might derive both benefit and pleasure from uttering in this way such other words as contain and express sentiments that we love, and that we can utter as our own, but we will not stop here, we will try to acquire a form of utterance that will be more emotional, and in which we can more strongly exercise our affections. It must be remembered, however, that no form is useful that requires much thought while we are using it. A man in prayer would be much hindered if he were continually obliged to attend to his posture, or the grammatical structure of his sentences, or the pronunciation of his words; and a singer who is always thinking of his tune or the sound of his voice is in a similar difficulty. It is true that we have to learn all the forms that we use, but it is equally true that they answer their right purpose only in proportion to the ease and absence of thought with which we use them. What we have done so far, we could do with very little thought, for we are accustomed to this simple utterance of words; the next step, however, will introduce us to a form that we are not accustomed to, and to which we shall have to give more time and practice. Repeat again this hymn with the ordinary speech voice, but now separate the syllables from each other and give each one with force, being also careful to give each an equal amount of time. If each is also made short, it will aid in keeping the voices together. It may be represented If the audience have the words before them, this may be done altogether, (after the leader has given an example); if not, he may give out two lines at a time, as before. [The leader will remember that this is spoken, not sung.] What we have now done is not the step we wish to take-only a preparation for it, for this would not be a good form for the expression of either thought or affection. We will now repeat this hymn again, but this time let us prolong the sound of the vowel in each syllable. It should here be said that in all words the vowels are the emotional elements, and the consonants the thought elements. If we are speaking to the intellects or reasoning powers of men, we do not dwell on the vowels, but go quick and straight to the consonants. If, on the other hand, we are appealing to their feelings, and trying to draw out their emotions, we unconsciously prolong and dwell upon the vowels. This would be illustrated by the two ways in which we utter the following sentences:— Intellectual. Two things, each of which is equal to a third, are necessarily equal to each other. O wondrous power! Emotional. O tender love! NORTHWEST. 7s. In the following hymn we will use a still higher sound; so in the representation we must have another line :— BLONDEL. 7s. en-throned above, Thou, in whom we live and move; stars of evening rise, 2 When the morning paints the skies, When the 1 Thou, who art en throned a bove, Thou, in paints the skies, When the whom we stars of live and evening move; rise, 1 Thou, who art 3 Decks the spring with flowers the field, Harvest rich doth thy praises ler mighty Lord, We 4 Sov-ereign Ru with ful joy will ré praise in • re - sound Thy tongue, To might y cord, Sov-ereign Ru - ler, [May be continued.] song. Lord! au - tumn yield? will re - cord: is Sweet it We Thy prais - es [The teacher will probably understand that this higher pitch is but one step above the others.] We will now give another form for the utterance of the first hymn, but it will be easier to tell where these large dots are that note the sounds, if we have a line, on, or above, or below which, we can place them. And now it will not be necessary to print the words higher or lower with the tune, for the dots or notes will show the changes of the words. It should here be said that notes help even those who do not understand music at all, for they are a picture of the tune, and go up or down, or skip around, just as the As soon as a form or tune is acquired so that we can use it without effort; we may commence the work of self-improvement; but if we are not accustomed to fix our minds on the words sung, but are more inclined to listen to the tune, we shall find it difficult to concentrate our thoughts as we ought. We shall be like untrained children at school, who are disturbed and distracted by every unusual sight or sound, and must try many times before we can take the sentiments contained in the words fully into our hearts, and bear them upon our song unobstructed and unhindered, up to the great object of all worship. |