Origin-1911-a-0007.txt

PREFACE. 
The  composing  and  compiling  of  sacred  tune  and  song  books  in  the  United  States  has  grown  to  great  proportions,  but  the 
credit  for  such  productions  in  the  published  histories  of  both  hymn  and  tune  books  has  been  decidedly  sectional.  While  many 
valuable  hymns  and  sacred  music  books  have  been  composed  and  published  in  the  South  and  West  by  authors  of  undoubted  ability 
as  musicians,  if  mentioned  at  all  in  these  histories,  it  has  been  done  in  such  condensed  form  as  to  give  but  little  idea  of  the  contents 
 f  the  works  mentioned.  It,  however,  is  gratifying  that  the  music  writers  of  the  South  have  kept  before  the  singing  public,  more 
 f  the  standard  living  hymns  and  melodies  than  in  any  other  part  of  America,  in  proportion  to  the  number  published  relating  to 
sacred  music,  or  that  class  which  reaches  the  mind,  heart,  conscience  and  religious  feeling  of  the  people.  In  this  respect  the  South 
is  in  the  lead.  Notwithstanding  this,  to  a  considerable  extent  the  sacred  song  books  of  this  section  and  in  many  cases  church 
music  is  badly  tainted  with  operatic,  secular  and  rag-time  strains  of  music  forms  in  our  hymns  and  melodies.  Such  compositions 
drive  away,  in  place  of  promoting,  religion  and  religious  feeling  among  the  church  people  and  lovers  of  sacred  music,  and  retards 
the  great  work  of  the  Gospel  and  of  the  churches.  The  aim  in  the  presentation  of  this  volume  is  to  continue  in  a  simple  form  a 
great  body  and  class  of  scared  tunes  which  are  as  far  from  secular,  operatic,  rag-time  and  jig  melodies  it  IS  pOSSllolc.  1.0  tlllS 
end,  the  music  composed  and  compiled  is  in  four  shaped  notes,  and  written  on  four  staffs  in  dispersed  harmony—some  call  it  old 
liarmony.  In  these  compositions  there  are  but  few  of  the  twisted  rills  and  frills  of  the  unnatural  snaking  of  the  voice,  in  unbounded 
proportions,  which  have  in  the  last  decade  so  demoralized  and  disturbed  the  church  music  of  the  present  age,  in  this  section,  but  in 
other  sections  to  an  alarming  extent.  We  do  not  think  a  note  of  warning  in  this  respect  is  out  of  place. 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  August  16,  1911.  THE  AUTHORS. 
Ill