1785] REV. WILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 221 



a tune to each psalm ; the same tune ahvays to be sung to that 

 psalm ; and not more th^n from twelve to twenty tunes to be ever 

 heard in the Church.* 



Undoubtedly he was extremely averse to changes in the church 

 music or to any cxiiibitions from the organ loft. He had two of 

 the finest musicians, Raynor Taylor and Benjamin Carr, both 

 Englishmen, bred in the cathedral style, that ever graced the 

 musical science of Philadelphia, in one of his own churches, St. 

 Peter's ; but he kept its music, as he did that of Christ Church, 

 and of St. James' after it was built and became one of the United 

 Churches, down to a plain, old-fashioned Church of England 

 standard ; and even had a book prepared whose tendency was to 

 limit the chants and tunes for the metrical psalm or hymn to the 

 comparatively small number already stated, and these of a simple 

 kind — Mcar, Wells, Philadelphia, ^ Old Hundred, St. Martin s, St. 

 MichacVs, and other ancient English airs. Pergolesi, Palestrina, 

 and the Italian school generally, found no favor in his ears. 

 Little of this was after the ideas of Dr. Smith, whose taste 

 in music was high and artificial. I ought, perhaps, to add, 

 while I say what I do, that I make no doubt that such com- 

 positions as Bishop White did deem appropriate, he would 



* See his "Thoughts on the Singing of Psalms and Anthems," printed A. D. 1808. 

 One of the ministers of the United Churches, Dr. Abercrombie, was fond of hymns, 

 particularly of the hymn, not then in our collection, 



" yesu. Saviour of my soul !'' 



And on ending a sermon on one occasion began with that line, letting the choir — 

 under a prearrangement, of course — take it from his mouth and proceed with the rest 

 of the hymn. This was rather effective, and would probably have been after Dr. 

 Smith's taste. Bishop White, the Rector, desired that such a thing might not be 

 repeated, and it never was in his presence. The doctor, who was not easily controlled, 

 defended his action and the necessity of hymns, and the beauty of this hymn. "As 

 for me," said the Bishop, " whatever thoughts or feelings I want to express, whether 

 of praise, of gratitude, of penitence, or of joy, I can find them all in the Psalms of 

 David." Dr. Abercrombie answered that the new dispensation rendered necessary 

 something more than the Psalms of David would give us. "What, sir," replied 

 Bishop White, " do you make of the inspiration and the prophetic character of David ? 

 And as for the hymn which you specially admire, I must say. Dr. Abercrombie, that 

 its expressions of devotion are not expressions of that sort of devotion which our 

 Church approves." It is noteworthy that in the correspondence, already given in the 

 body of this book, when Dr. Smith asks Dr. White if he knows of any suitable hymns 

 on the Last Judgment and the Kingdom of Glory, Dr. White replies that he knows of 

 none [supra, p. 171.) I am quite avrare of course of what Bishop Doane, of New Jersey, 

 states of the Bishop's last hours, and of the two hymns then read to him. 

 •j- A tune, by his friend, Mr. Hopkinson. 



