Excerpt from Bible Songs: A Collection of Psalms Set to Music for Use in Church and Evangelistic Services, Prayer Meetings, Sabbath Schools, Young People's Societies, and Family Worship

In the course of the three hundred and twenty-eight selections each Psalm in regular order is completed, though here and there its parts are chosen from different meters. By printing the entire Psalm the book is adapted to the whole range of congregational worship, should such use be desired. The multiplication Of sec tions may be questioned, but it has a decided gain; The fault of announcing only opening stanzas is very general, and the partitioning of Psalms lifts into notice passages of_ peculiar interest which otherwise would be unsung. In the division of Psalms their structure has been kept in mind, so as not to mar the succession of thought. Exceptions to this rule are found in the long historical Psalms, and arise from the mechanical necessities of paging. Additional to one full setting of the Psalms there are extra numbers, and these include a few groupings of separated but related stanzas within a Psalm. The Psalms that are prized most highly have special treatment, there being two or more insertions of each under effective music. Choruses sufficient to meet reasonable demand are employed, and care has been taken to see that they suit the sentiment of the section to which they are joined. Ordinarily their wording is the authorized metrical text, but some are drawn from the prose versions.

The selection of music engaged studious attention. The tests of what was adopted were fitness to express the spiritual utterances of the Psalter, genuinely musical quality, promise of lasting value, and popular adaptation. Melodies of animated movement and simple harmony prevail. With them are combined tunes of more scholarly character, having those finer effects sought by the advancing culture of our day. Among the latter are English and German chorals, and others constructed on their model. One hundred and twelve of the best and most durable pieces in the old Bible Songs are carried over, so that there is enough of familiar music to make the book immediately available for all. The provision of new music is liberal, and insures ample variety and freshness. No less than two hundred and forty-five tunes are introduced for the first time. Of these there are one hundred and twenty-nine which have been written especially for this edition by composers of experience and note, and which add largely to its resources. The remainder of the new music hasbeen gleaned from standard publications of recent date. For permission to use copyrighted music gratuitously acknowledgments are due, and are hereby made, to J. W. Bischoff, the David C. Cook Publishing Company, the Oliver Ditson Company, W. H. Doane, W. Irving Hartshorn, J. B. Herbert, John Hood, H. H. Mcgranahan, A. B. Morton, L. W. Munhall, H. R. Palmer, Theo. E. Perkins, W. O. Perkins, Geo. C. Stebbins, Laura A. Tate, W. T. Wiley, Robt. H. Wilson, and others.

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