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nished by their predecessors, but of improving upon it, and carrying forward the art.'

We cannot afford space to follow Dr. Wesley through his interesting sketch of the state of things in our choirs at and after the Reformation, including some notice of the provisions made for the efficient performance of Divine service. It is a curious fact, that the musical force at the Chapel Royal in the time of King Edward VI., extended to the large number of 114 persons. The choir of St. Paul's, London, it appears, had originally fortytwo choirmen: it has now six! (p. 35.) Surely there is some great fault here, when the great revenues of the chapter of St. Paul's are remembered. How comes it pass that the canons of St. Paul's have been in the receipt of 2,500l. a-year, and have let down their choir to one-seventh of its proper number? And how comes it that the deans of St. Paul's have been receiving 4,000%. and 5,000l. per annum, and starving their choir? The following remarks of Dr. Wesley reflect most painfully on the cathedral bodies since the Reformation :—

"The Chapters had taken the Choir property into their hands at the Reformation, and given the Choirs what might have been equivalent, but which, from the altered value of money, now forms but a miserable pittance. They must also have much reduced the number of lay singers. In the old, as well as the new foundations, the Choir Clergy were assigned livings by way of compensation, and permitted to neglect their daily and statutably-prescribed duty in the Quire. But for expedients, the service might have ceased. At Exeter, not long ago, the tithes of a parish had to be devoted this way. At St. Paul's, London, the Dean and Chapter apportioned the Choir a share of the pence paid by the people for viewing the fabric. St. Paul's, originally, had forty-two Choirmen. It has now six. Six people singing chorus in St. Paul's! The pious founders of Cathedrals never contemplated the ludicrous and profane state of things we now witness. Their music, like their architecture, was the best they could give. Modern Chapters cannot be wholly free from blame, for the superiority of the secular performances of music over those of Cathedrals, and the Church generally, must strike every one. Whilst viewing these matters, the very natural reflection must arise, that to confide funds to the clergy, for the joint support of religion and something else, must be wrong, because religion being of paramount importance, the clergy may, on an emergency, be tempted to deprive the something else of its due portion for the benefit of the object in which they are professionally concerned, and with very good motives for so doing."

It is to be lamented that such virtual misapplication of funds was not pointed along out ago; for we have no doubt that very many members of Chapters have not been aware that there has

been any deficiency in the amount of their contributions to the Choral services; and now we fear that it would be difficult to obtain from cathedral property the means of increasing the efficiency of choirs, in consequence of the reduced scale of those establishments; but should Cathedral property be increased in value by new arrangements, we do think that a portion of it might and ought to be applied to make more effectual provision for Cathedral service, more especially in such conspicuous positions as St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey. As it is, we may hear in some parish churches and chapels in London a superior style of music, and more carefully and better performed than in the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Abbey. We have often felt, in leaving these splendid churches after divine service, that if such were to be held fair representations of the English Cathedral Service, the sooner it were abolished the better. We have been shocked by the irreverence, carelessness, and coldness which characterized it. At Westminster, however, we believe that there has been a marked improvement of late; and we may hope for still further improvements where a member of the Society has evinced such attainments and such zeal in the cause of sacred music, as the Rev. W. H. Cope, whose useful exertions in connexion with the "Parish Choir" are deserving of all possible praise.

We must not lose sight of Dr. Wesley's plans for the improvement of our Cathedral Services. His proposal is as

follows:

"The number of lay Choirmen in daily attendance should never be less than twelve, this being the least number by which the choral service can be properly performed.

"To ensure the constant attendance of twelve it would be necessary to retain at least three additional voices (one of each kind) to meet the frequent deficiencies arising from illness or other unavoidable causes. The stipend of the former might be 851. per annum; of the latter 521.

"These lay singers should be required to give the degree of attention to rehearsals and every other musical duty exacted of all such persons at ordinary performances of music, and, like others, they should be subject to an early removal in cases of wilful inattention.

"Should it not be deemed desirable for them to occupy themselves in trade, or other pursuits (and that it is not desirable cannot be a question, their Cathedral duty, if properly followed, being the work of a life), the salaries should be higher, and not less than from 100l. to 150l. per annum.

"The election to the office of lay Choirmen should rest with the organists or musical conductors of three Cathedrals, namely the one in which the vacancy occurs, and the two nearest to it, the Dean and Chapter of the former exercising their judgment as to the religious fit-·

ness of the candidate. In fixing, as is here proposed, the number of the lay singers at the minimum number, twelve, it may be added, that in any Cathedral town where the musical services of the Cathedral were conducted in a meritorious manner, they would undoubtedly enjoy great popularity, and enlist the voluntary aid of many competent persons. An addition of six such might probably be relied on; and thisalthough inadequate the requirements of such large buildings as our Cathedrals being considered-would be a great advance upon present things.

"A MUSICAL COLLEGE, in connexion with one of the Cathedrals, and under the government of its Dean and Chapter, seems indispensably necessary for the tuition of lay singers; and, what is more important, for the complete education of the higher order of musical officer employed as the Organist, Composer, or Director of the Choir. Lay singers for Cathedrals are not easily procured; and the above arrangement would greatly facilitate the object of providing every Cathedral with the required number for its Choir, and for imparting a thorough and complete musical education to the musical professors employed by the Church. A School of this kind might not be self-supporting, possibly; every Cathedral, therefore, should be required to contribute something to its maintenance.

"THE CATHEDRAL ORGANIST should, in every instance, be a professor of the highest ability, a master in the most elevated departments of composition, and efficient in the conducting and superintendence of a Choral body.

"The Art of Music is indeed a different affair to what it was four centuries ago. It might not be very rash to assert that it has now reached perfection, humanly speaking. Nothing can exceed the fugues of Bach, the melody of Mozart, or the orchestral arrangement of Spohr. The Science is now the study of one man's life and how few attain excellence!

"To provide each Cathedral with a Professor who should be excellent in every department of his art, and who had made the Church school the foundation of all, is a desideratum. In aid of this the College would do much. Elections need not, however, be made exclusively from thence. Great talent should ever find its market; but in all vacancies the elective body might be the seven Professors of the seven Cathedrals nearest the vacancy. In this, as in the case of the lay singers, there should be given to the clergy a veto in respect to the moral and religious fitness of the candidate, and no more. This would assuredly be an unexceptionable mode of election; and, indeed, it were useless to endow offices, were not the most unexceptionable means, in all cases, adopted for filling them."

The salaries suggested for the musical directors of cathedrals are from 500l. to 800l. per annum. These salaries may appear to be rather large; but we refer the reader to Dr. Wesley's reasons for proposing such incomes, which have much weight,

On the whole, we regard the publication of this pamphlet as extremely valuable and timely; and we feel assured that all who are interested in the important subject to which it refers, will be grateful to Dr. Wesley for the amount of information which he has placed before them, and for the details of his practical experience.

XLI.- Lectures on the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. By the Rev. R. L. COTTON, D.D., Provost of Worcester College, Oxford. Oxford: Vincent. London: Hatchards.

THIS Volume contains a series of twenty-one Lectures on the Lord's Supper. Its contents cannot, perhaps, be better described than in the following extract from the Preface :

"The Lectures may admit of some classification. The first is introductory. The three next in order pertain to the remembrance of Christ. The fifth dwells upon the renewal of the Evangelical Covenant, as the medium through which the soul is brought to renewed enjoyment of the privileges of the Gospel. The four next comprehend the treatment of the great subject of the participation of the body and blood of Christ. Then follow successively an exposition of the relation in which sacrifice stands to the Lord's Supper, a disquisition on the grant of the Holy Spirit in this Sacrament, an explanation of the Communion with Christ, and with all united with him, experienced in its celebration, and a review of its Eucharistic nature. The moral results of the Sacrament are then considered in four Lectures. The eighteenth and nineteenth speak respectively of the comfort to be found in this heavenly feast, and the mode in which it trains and prepares the soul for its passage from its temporal to its eternal state. The twentieth Lecture suggests to candidates for access to the Lord's table a plain and practical mode of ascertaining whether they are worthy of enjoying that high privilege. The last Lecture presents a summary view of the whole treatise."

This extract shows sufficiently the comprehensive nature of Dr. Cotton's work. In doctrinal views he follows Hooker and many other of our eminent divines about the time of the Reformation. The simple and unaffected piety which pervades the entire treatise is most edifying and impressive. We are persuaded that even those who may not agree in every point with the excellent author of this work, will derive pleasure and improvement from very much they will find there.

XLII.-The Church of our Fathers, as seen in St. Osmund's Rite for the Cathedral of Salisbury: with Dissertations on the Belief and Ritual in England before and after thn coming of the Normans. By DANIEL Rock, D.D., Canon of the English Chapter. In 3 vols. London: Dolman.

AN exceedingly curious antiquarian book, chiefly consisting of elaborate disquisitions on the dresses of the clergy, the ornaments of the altar and church generally, and enlivened with arguments in behalf of transubstantiation, purgatory, the worship of images, &c. The first two volumes (all we have as yet seen) are entirely occupied in preliminary dissertations on all these kinds of ritual topics; and we presume that the third volume is to comprise the rites of Saint Osmund. The book is, of course, controversial; but its author is at least as much at home in the discussion of the most minute points of ecclesiastical attire, down to the right position of a pin (which in one instance is the subject of grave and lengthened discussion), as in more serious subjects. He writes with energy and zeal on the right cut of the chasuble; and is powerful about the surplice. He dilates with enthusiasm on the rich frontals of ancient times; and other beautiful needlework of our ladies. The work is illustrated by a number of engravings and woodcuts, chiefly copied from old MSS., and very well executed. Though we confess that we have often been highly amused by our author's antiquarian enthusiasm; and, of course, do not attach much value to his controversial disquisitions, which are lugged in rather too frequently, and are more remarkable for bitterness than for argument, still we must in candour say, that Dr. Rock has displayed a very creditable degree of research, and has produced a very curious book, full of motley and various information.

XLIII.-Daniel the Prophet: Reflections on his Life and Character. By the Rev. THOS. KNOX, A.B., M.R.I.A., Prebendary of Tullybracky, &c. Dublin: Hodges and Smith.

AN unaffected and pleasing work, comprising a series of lectures on those parts of the Book of Daniel, which narrate the life and actions of that great prophet. The book is altogether of a devotional and practical character; and though without pretensions to the highest order of literary composition, it is very creditably and well executed.

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