The Sunday Opera

A first-class quartet, with an organist, costa from $6,000 to $10,000. It costs something to have a fashionable choir. An ordinary quartette costs $2,500. A good tenor singer, soprano, or contralto commanüs readily $1,000. Some sopranos are paid $3,000. Warren, of St. Thomas's Churcb, stands at the head of choir leaders. He has $10,000 a year salary and a house. Grace Church pays its musical conductor $6,000 a year. Out of this sum he hires all the help he needs and pays himself. One female singer in tkis city has $3,000 for inorning and afternoon service, and $1,000 extra for singing in the evening in another church. Trinity Church, though very econoinical, pays $10,000 a year for its music. It has a boy choir of thirty members. These are paid a salary, and receive a complete musical education. Many of our fashionable congregations are dispensing with choirs altogether, and are calling in the aid oí a precentor. But this style of uiusic has its serious drawbacks. The First Presbyterian Church of this city has never had an organ or instrument of music. The spirit of Eobert JLennox still abides. It was considered a great innovation when a quartet choir was introduced. St. Bartholomew is just now the rage among fashionable churcli goers. It is the newest and most elegant Episcopal Chureh in the city. lts singing ia a specialty. Men crowd the aisles to hear the music. When the sermón comes on they leave in droves. The elegant little chureh on fifth avenue, known as Christ Chureh has been famous for its music. Kun down by Mr. Ewer's ritualism, a New York broker proposed to tone things up by brilliant singing. The broker paid in one year $20,000 for the music of this chureh. Plymouth Chureh has congregational singing, led by a full choir. Inside the choir is a paid quartet. The trustees set apart $7,500 for music. To this is added $500 more, bringing it up to $8,000. Fifteen hundred of this is paid to Mr. Zundel as organist. The balance the leader uses at his discretion. Many of our churches tire of the present modo of couducting the service of song in the house of the Lord. In some cases singers hardly get the burnt cork off their faces in season for the morning worship. Italians and Jewesses, who sing at the theater until midnight on Saturday at a heavy salary, appear in the chureh to praise the Lord.