Ralph Vaughn Williams's preface was so well-written... my only fear was that I might underline the entire thing! His thoughts on both the philosophy and the specifics of congregational singing were both thorough and accurate. I especially liked his innovative ideas to encourage hymn-singing in the church. I would love an opportunity to exercise them in whatever church I attend in the future.
"The congregation might be encouraged to sing and appreciate the finer melodies if a system of monthly congregational practices were held, at which the less known tunes could be made familiar in some such way... A hymn recital , at which some of the less familiar hymns might be sung by the choir, would also be a pleasant variety from the Sunday evening organ recital.(173)"
Rather than bemoaning the fact that hymns are not being sung in church, Williams provides an excellent way to familiarize the people with good texts set to good tunes. Although these ideas would take time to develop, I would love to see the end result if it meant people worshiping God more fully!
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