Book Description

Excerpt from The Masonic Orpheus: A Collection of Songs, Hymns, Chants, and Familiar Tunes, Especially Designed to Accompany the Work of Free and Accepted Masons, in All the Various Degrees and Orders Appertaining to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Commandery Music, like the other Arts, is progressive. In this regard, upon looking over the various collections Of Masonic music in use, the standard is neither so high as the progress of the Art demands, nor is the arrangement adapted especially for male voices, as it should be. The Psalmody and familiar airs mainly in use were composed and arranged for mixed voices, and so are ineffective and unsuited to choirs necessarily composed of male voices It was while attempting to remedy these defects in style and arrangement, by consulting the works of the best composers, and re arranging and adapting them for his own use in the various Degrees and Orders, and his efforts being so favorably received by his Masonic Brethren, that the author was persuaded to enlarge his original design, and prepare a Manual for general use; the present volume, which he hopes will meet the approval of the Fraternity, being the result. It is not too much to assert that there is scarcely a Lodge, Chapter, Council, or Commandery which does not possess within itself the material, which, by proper cultivation, would be enabled to render such music as the occasion requires in an acceptable manner; and the impressiveness and solemnity of appropriate music, combined with the work of the various degrees, is unquestionable. The majority of pieces contained in these pages the author has endeavored to bring within the ordinary range of male voices, and to that end, has resorted to transpositions in all cases, when deemed necessary. Also, in order to meet all tastes and capacities, a considerable portion Of the work has been allotted to familiar tunes. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.