The Ecclesiologist - v. 17 Author:Cambridge Camden Society Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ending (there is no difference of opinion about the mediation, so far as I am aware) is as follows:— (i) 0 u j i j j 10 n On the other hand, I beg leave to... more » maintain that it is this:— (2) 0 J J I 0 I 0 II This difference of principle will, in many cases, lead to no difference of result; but still it is important." Your correspondent then proceeds to give reasons in support of his view, into which I shall not at present follow him; but I think I may draw two conclusions: first, that it would appear to be matter of controversy what the normal form of the Anglican chant actually is; and secondly, that " S. S. G.," who has evidently given much attention to the subject, cannot give any simple and plain reason for believing that the normal form of the chant is as he believes it to be. I will now refer to another paper, in which this subject is partially dealt with, namely, that which was read by Dr. Dykes at the Norwich Church Congress. In that paper, which contains a great deal of most valuable matter, I find the following passage concerning the Anglican system of chanting :—" The Anglican system obviates both the difficulties I have mentioned. Instead of twenty different rhythms or metres, it has, with practical good sense, fixed on one, the most common, and perhaps most satisfactory, of all the ancient ones, and the best adapted to the general requirements of our language; a rhythm (as those who take interest in mystic numbers will be pleased to observe) having a sevenfold division—the former half of the chant containing three, the latter four members. So that you have your chant pointed once for all; and any chant will suit any Psalm."1 Here.it will be observed, Dr. Dykes recognizes the sevenfold division of the Anglican chant; but so far from giving any simple explan...« less