A side skirmish on the music field was at this time fought between the
treble and the tenor parts. Ravenscroft's Psalms and Walter's book had
given the melody, or plain-song, to the tenor. This had, of course, thrown
additional difficulties in the way of good singing; but when once the
trebles obtained the leading part, after the customary bitter opposition,
the improved singing approved the victory.
Many objections, too, were made to the introduction of "triple-time" tunes.
It gave great offence to the older Puritans, who wished to drawl out all
the notes of uniform length; and some persons thought that marking and
accenting the measure was a step toward the "Scarlet Woman." The time was
called derisively, "a long leg and a short one."
These old bigots must have been paralyzed at the new style of psalm-singing
which was invented and introduced by a Massachusetts tanner and
singing-master named Billings, and which was suggested, doubtless, by the
English anthems. It spread through the choirs of colonial villages and
towns like wild-fire, and was called "fuguing." Mr. Billings' "Fuguing
Psalm Singer" was published in 1770. It is a dingy, ill-printed book with
a comically illustrated frontispiece, long pages of instruction, and this
motto:--
"O, praise the Lord with one consent
And in this grand design
Let Britain and the Colonies
Unanimously join.
Pages:
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219