40 "WILLIAM CUMING, M.D. 



Authority we know not, call themselves the Choir, have, instead 

 of those devout solemn Compositions, introduced a Sett of light, 

 flippant, Sing-Song Airs, which under the Name of Hymns and 

 Anthems they constantly sing in spite of repeated Admonition 

 to the contrary and which they execute very unskilfully and even 

 indecently, to the great disturbance and Concern of many pious 

 and well disposed persons, who are thereby excluded from their 

 Share in this edifying & delightfull Act of Worship, as they 

 seldom can hear and understand the Words, and are quite 

 unacquainted with the Tunes. We beg Leave to refer your 

 Lordship to the rev'^ Mr. Hubbock rector of the Churches of St. 

 Peter's and the Holy Trinity in this Town for the Truth of the 

 Facts here alledgd, who has had ample Experience of the Many 

 bad Consequences that follow the irregular & indecent practice 

 which we are so soUicitous to have reformd." The petitioners 

 then plead that, on his first visitation in 1724, Dr. Gibson, 

 Bishop of London, urged the clergy of his diocese to bring their 

 congregations " to sing five or six of the plainest & best known 

 Tunes ;" but warned them not to invite " those idle Instructors, 

 who of late years have gone about the several Countries to teach 

 Tunes uncommon & out of the way." Finally, the petitioners 

 request Dr. Hume " to direct that those pious devout Com- 

 positions the Psalms may henceforth be sung to the old solemn 

 known Tunes." A luminous sidelight is thrown upon this 

 petition by a facetious letter in The Co7inoisseur,ixo\i\ Mr. Village 

 to Mr. Town, dated August iqth, 1756. The writer observes 

 that " psalm-singing is, indeed, wonderfully improved in many 

 country churches since the days of Siernhold and Hopkins ; and 

 there is scarce a parish-clerk, who has so little taste as not to 

 pick his staves out of the New Version." He adds: "The 

 tunes themselves have also been new-set to jiggish measures ; 

 and the sober drawl which used to accompany the two first 

 staves of the Hundredth Psalm with the gloria patri is now split 

 into as many quavers as an Italiafi air. For this purpose there is 

 in every county an itinerant band of vocal musicians, who make 

 it their business to go round all the churches in their turns and, 



