384

INDEX

OF

PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE FOUND IN THIS WORK.
The first column gives the chapter, the second the verse, of the passage in the
Bible; and the third shows where it is to be found in this work. If the
number in the third column has no letter prefixed, it indicates a Selection :
D. prefixed means Doxology, and G. Glorification. In general, the
figure in the second column indicates the verse with which the Selection
commences; but they are not always continuous, and a little examination
may sometimes be necessary to discover what a Selection contains.

xviii :

16.

48 xxxvii: 12.

238

18.

239

25.

NUMBERS.

xxiv:

5.

155

7.

120 xxxvi1: 1.

23

235

5.

268

189 xxii:

22.

227

9.

190

26.

240

241

1 SAMUEL.

1.

13.

D. 3

G. 7 xlii:

6.

164

1 KINGS.

7.

119 xliii:

xliv:

6.

33

53

7.

180

230

xlvii :

8.

D. 17 xxvi:

G. 5

8.

38 li:

28

8.

41

4C

G. 18

19.

181

267

259

84

165

244

245

89

G. 35

15.

64

252 lxvi:

8.

67

D. 5

6.

87

55

331

PRINCIPLES OF CHANTING.

ON THE STYLE OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES.

ONE of the most remarkable peculiarities in the style of the Sacred Scriptures, is, the frequent occurrence of its subjects in pairs; for example, nations and people-joy and gladness-justice, or righteousness, and judgment-speak and say-see and behold, and numberless others. (See Num. xxiii. 7 to 10, 18 to 24; and xxiv. 5 to 9, and 17 to 19; and the Psalms and Prophets throughout.) The consequence of this is, that the sentences or verses are generally composed of two clauses; which is almost invariably the case in the Psalms, and indeed in most parts of the Word, though it might not, at first sight, appear. Some instances occur, where the clauses are triple;-Ps. xxiv. 7 to 10; Ps. c.

It is generally thought a sufficient explanation of this, to say that it is according to the oriental style of writing; as if, in saying this, it would not be necessary to assign a cause for this same oriental style; which, nevertheless, had its origin in the same cause as the style mentioned above. In the doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church, for whose use this work is compiled, it is shown that every part of the Divine Word has a spiritual sense; and that, as it is written for the instruction of man, whose mind is constituted of two faculties, will and understanding, the former for the reception of goodness, and the latter for that of truth, from the Lord; therefore the Word is, in all its parts, accommodated to man as possessed of these two faculties; and in the above double arrangement of subjects, the one always has reference to goodness, or the will of man, and the other to truth, or his understanding; and where a third clause is added, it refers to the union of goodness and truth in operation, act or life: also, that the Word not only relates to man, but primarily to the Lord; and that these same subjects in the Word have reference to love and wisdom in him; and that the various names of Jehovah, or Lord, and God-Father and Son-Creator and Redeemer,which are applied to the Divine Being in the Word,-have the same reference; and that where a third subject is added, it refers to the union of love and wisdom in the Lord in operation, that is, to his Holy Spirit.

STRUCTURE OF CHANTS.

This peculiar structure of the verses in the Sacred Scriptures, is the ground on which the common chant is constructed. A Chant, therefore, is a musical composition, consisting of two strains, as Chant 40, in which are to be sung the two clauses of a verse or sentence. The first strain comprises three measures or bars, and the second four. The first note in each strain is called the chanting note, and usually fills the first

measure; and the remaining notes are called the cadence. To the chant ing note of the first strain is sung the first clause of the verse, except a sufficient number of the last words or syllables to apply to the cadence; and to the chanting note of the second strain is sung the second clause, except words enough to sing the cadence. Several words, making what is called the recitative, will thus be sung to the chanting note; and though it is always a note of some given duration, (generally a semibreve,) yet it is to be regarded as having no time of itself, but is to be made longer or shorter, according to the number of words or syllables to be sung to it. This is the Single Chant. A Double Chant consists of four strains, instead of two, and is intended for two verses of the psalm. A Ternary Chant is composed of three strains, for psalms whose verses consist of three clauses. Chant 43 is peculiar, and is to be sung by repeating the second and third strains after the first, alternately; and of course sings two verses.

OF THE APPLICATION OF THE WORDS IN CHANTING.

"A great difficulty, in arranging the words of a chant, is to know when to break off from the words of the recitative, and to begin the cadence." An attempt has been made, in this work, to obviate this dif ficulty, by placing a perpendicular dash, thus, (|) immediately before the syllable which commences the second measure. The location of this dash has been governed solely by the sense of the passages. It is a well-known rule, that in double time (common time), which is the time of all the chants used in this work, the first note of a measure is accented, and the second unaccented. The endeavor has been, so to place the dash, that the accented and emphatic syllables will naturally fall to the accented notes, and the unaccented and unimportant syllables to the unaccented notes; and particularly to make the last accented or emphatic syllable commence the last measure of the cadence, by whatever number of syllables or words it might be followed. The manner of applying the words, after the dash, must therefore be governed by the accent; but, in some instances, unaccented syllables unavoidably fall to the accented part of the measure. The most simple application of the words is where the dash can be so placed as to leave just as many syllables after it as there are notes in the cadence; as in Selection 126, ver. 1. But this cannot often be effected without wholly disregarding the expression of the sense of the words; nor, if it could be done, is it indeed desirable, since the cadences would become disagreeable from their monotony. Two syllables are necessarily, therefore, often given to one note, and, in a few instances, even three; and upon the last note of the cadence, it has sometimes been necessary to put four syllables, when the last accented syllable of the clause was the fourth syllable from the end, as in the word testimonies. In a few cases, it has been necessary to make one syllable fill a measure; but such syllables have all been distinguished by printing them in italic characters; as, the syllable for, in Sel. 111, ver. 7.

It is a rule generally laid down, to pronounce loved, hoped, and the like, as two syllables, in reading the Scriptures, though they are contracted in secular discourse; but the words in these Selections have been arranged according to the latter pronunciation, simply for the sake of rythm; except the word blessed, and such others as are never contracted. In some instances, however, the contracted syllable has been