Such was the character of the psalmody of the early Church, consisting in part of the psalms of David, and Li part of hymns composed for the puqoose of worship, and expressive of love and praise to God and to Christ (Neander, Allffem. Kirchemjesch. i, 523 ; Engl. ed. i, 304). Few in number, and sung to rude and simple airs, they yet had wonderful power over those primitive saints. Tlic sacred song inspired their devotions both in the public and private worship of (jod. At their family board it quickened their gratitude to God, who gave them their daily bread. It enlivened their domestic and social intercourse ; it relieved the weariness of their daily labor; it cheered them in solitude, comforted them in afiliction, and supported them under persecution. "Go where you will," says Jerome, "the ploughman at his plough sings his joyful hallelujahs, the busy mower regales himself with his psalms, and the vine-dresser is singing one of the songs of David. Such are our songs — our love-songs, as they are called — the solace of the shepherd in his solitude and of the husbandman in his toil" {Kp. xvii, ad Marrellum). Fearless of reproach, of persecution, and of death, they continued in the face of their enemies to sing their sacred songs in the streets and market-places and at the martyr's stake. Euscbius declares himself an eye-witness to the fact that, under their persecutions in Thebais, "they continued to their latest breath to sing psalms and hymns and thanks- givings to the God of heaven" (IJist. Eccles. viii, 9; com]7. Herder, Briefe zur Jieforderung dcr llumanitat 7 Samml. p. 28 sq. ; Augnsti, Denkwurdigkeiten, v, 296- 97 ; Coleman, Manual, p. 331-33).
11. Iiinovatirms. — From the 4th century onward the Christian Clmrch greatly modified the mode of per- forming this part of public worship.
i. Tlie first innovation occurred in the Syrian church- es, where reaponsirv sini/ing was introduced, |irobably very early in the 4th century. Soon after it became the practice of the Eastern churches generally, and Jinally was transferred to the ^Vcst also by St. Ambrose of Milan (A.D. 370), and was called there the Ambrosian style of music. Some critics believe responsive singing to have been practiced at a very early date. Thus it would seem from tlie epistle of Pliny that the Christians of whom he speaks sang allmiatelij in responses. Tlie nncient hymn from Clement, too, above mentioned, seems to be constructed with reference to this method of singing. There is besides an ancient but certainly groundless tradition extant in Socrates (Hist. Ecchs. vi, 8) that Ignatius was the first to introduce this style of music in the Church of Antioch. It was certainly familiar to the Jews, who often sang responsively in the worship of the Temjile. In some instances the
same style of singing may have been practiced too in the primitive Church. But responsive singing is not generally allowed to have been in frequent use during the first 300 years of the Christian a-ra. This mode of singing was then common in the theatres and temi)les of the Gentiles, and for this reason was generallv dis- carded by the primitive Christians (Augusti, LenkwUr- dif/keiten, v, 278).
2. The appointment of singers as a distinct class of officers in the Church for this part of religious worship, and the consequent introduction of profane vuisic into the church, marks another alteration in the psalmody of the Church. These innovations were first made in the 4th century; and though the peojile continued for a century or more to enjoy their ancient privilege <if all singing together, it is conceivable that it gradually was forced to die, as a promiscuous assembly could not well unite in theatrical music which required in its perform- ers a degree of skill altogether superior to that which all the members of a congregation could be expected to possess. An artificial, theatrical style of music, having no affinity with the worship of God, soon began to take the place of those solemn airs which before had inspired the devotions of his jjcople. The music of the theatre was transferred to the church, which accordingly be- came the scene of theatrical pomp and display rather than the house of prayer and of praise, to inspire by its appropriate and solemn rites the spiritual worship of God. The consequences of indulging this depraved taste for secular music in the church are exhibited by Neander in the following extract : " We have to regret that both in the Eastern and the Western Church their sacred music had already assumed an artificial and the- atrical character, and was so far removed from its orig- inal simplicity that even in the 4th century the abbot Pambo of Egypt complained that heathen melodies [accompanied as it seems with the action of the hands and the feet] had been introduced into their Church psalmody" (Kirchengesch. ii, 681 ; comp. iScrip/07rs Ec- clesiastici, I)e Musica, i [1784], 3). Isidore of Pelusinm also complained of the theatrical singing, especially that of the women, which, instead of inducing penitence for sin, tended much more to awaken sinful desires (in Biblioth. I'atr. vii, 543). Jerome also, in remarking upon Eph. V, 19, says: "jMay all hear it whose business it is to sing in the church. Not with the voice, but with the heart, we sing praises to God. Not like the comedians should they raise their sweet and liquid notes to entertain the assembly with theatrical songs and melodies in the church, but the fire of godly piety and the knowledge of the Scriptures should inspire our songs. Then would not the voice of the singers, but the utterance of the divine word, expel the evil spirit from those who. like Saul, are possessed with it. But. instead of this, that same spirit is invited rather to the posses- sion of those who have converted the house of (iod into a pagan theatre" (Comment, in Ep. Ejih. lib. iii, c. 5, tom. iv, p. 387 [ed. Martiana?]). Until the (Uh or 7th century the people were not entirely excluded from participation in the psalmody of the Church, and many there were who continued to bear some i)art in it even after it had become a cultivated theatrical art. for the practice of which the singers were a]>]K)inted as a dis- tinct order of the Church, but it was mainly in the chorus or in responses that the people could have their part. Thus it soon came about that the many, instead of uniting their hearts and their voices in the songs of Zion, could only sit coldly by as spectators.