Excerpt from The Choir: A Collection of Sacred Vocal Music for the Use of the Congregations and Families of the Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces, B. N. A

In all previous collections, not excepting the Harmonicon, which for many years has been extensively used in our congregations, a large amount of tunes and pieces are found which have never gained general acceptance. In the present publication, 'care has been taken to exclude all such, and only to insert those which are most likely to secure public favour.

It is well known that quite a number of the finest tunes originally introduced into this Continent from Great Britain, have been appropri' ated by American publishers, who, after slight, it may be, but vicious alterations, both in melody and harmony, have issued them under new names. In every such instance the original has been faithfully restored, and the old familiar name affixed. Great care has been taken throughout to correct the harmony when defective, and it is confidently expected that this part of the Committee's work will be duly appreciated.

Indices have been prepared with much care, not only to facilitate reference to the various metres and tunes, but to afford important aid in the selection of appropriate tunes for the Psalmody now in use in the Presbyterian Churches throughout British North America. From a little work published by T. Nelson Sons, Edinburgh, the Committee have taken the liberty of extracting an emotional classification of the Psalms and Paraphrases, which they trust will be found of great value to leaders of choirs and others, whose duty it may be to select the tunes to be used in public worship. Psalm Books with expression type, to note the character and change of sentiment which frequently occurs in the same Psalm, and sometimes even in the same verse, should be universally used, when they can be at all obtained. The same tune may thus, by change of voice and time, be made to be the most natural exponent of the bold and triumphant, as well as the pathetic and plaintive. Good service would be rendered to the Church by the publication of a New Edition of the present Metrical Psalmody with expression type, so that 00pies of it, as well as of the Choir, might be found in every pew.

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