T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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THE GOSPEL SOLO Its Power and Place in Christian Service By Herbert G. Tovey Teacher of Singing, Harmony and Conducting Bible Institute of Los Angeles
JUST OFF THE PRESS Gospel Solos and Duets No. 2 COM PILED BY Herbert G. Tovey 536 So. H ope St., Los Angeles
“It was the Gospel Solo that reached me last night. It brought conviction to my heart and was the means of lead ing me to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour.” Many a time we have heard such testimonies and be cause of them we are convinced that there is a large place for the Gospel Solo in Christian service. The Power of the Gospel Solo. Men and women who have hardened their hearts against the message of the speaker are often softened and won through the appeal of the solo as sung by a consecrated singer. God has ordained singing as a means of blessing and service from the begin ning and the injunction of both the Old and New Testa ments is “Sing the praises of God.” Psa. 81:1, 95:1; Isa. 30:29; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; James 5:13. The Misuse of the Gospel Solo. The Gospel Solo is mis used by many ministers and evangelists when they con sider it an item merely to draw the crowd or to fill in time. The offering, when ushers are moving about and people are passing plates, is not the time for the solo. There should be as much quietness and concentrated attention on the soloist when he sings as there is on the minister when the sermon is being delivered; both are messages of vital im portance. The solo is also misused by some gospel singers when they sing simply to display their vocal powers and technique. Those who thus sing, do so to their own glory and this is an abomination to God. The Reliable Test. The soloist who obeys the injunctions of Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” ; and Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word orvdeed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him,”, will find that his service is acceptable to God by seeing that service blessed to the salvation of souls. A solo sung, with a heart full of love to God and man, and that has a life of testimony be hind it, will take root and God will give the increase. That one who is equipped with a voice to sing and whose life is given entirely to God wields an influence the results of which eternity alone will reveal. The Place of the Gospel Solo. The Gospel Solo is useful in the regular church service especially in the evening. It will prove a real blessing in mission meetings, hospitals, jails, and any public institution where the soloist has an opportunity to sing. It is effective in work-shops, stores, on the street in open-air meetings and in homes. The real place for the solo in the church or revival service is just before the sermon. It will strengthen the appeal of the hour when it embraces the thought of the sermon, there fore the singer and minister must work in perfect harmony, the one with the other. Sometimes a solo after the sermon proves a means of blessing and conviction, so the singer should be on the alert at all times to sing his message. Its Place in Personal Work. Very often a Gospel Solo opens the way to do personal work as evidenced by the fol lowing incident. The writer was visiting a country home in Australia some years ago, where there lived a young woman who had resisted the conviction of the Spirit of God throughout an entire evangelistic campaign that had just
A com plete, satisfying a n d ef fective h an d b o o k fo r th e C hris tian singer. C ontains 160 pages of selected solos an d duets. Bound in im itation red M oroc co leath er, w ith stain ed edges. S tam ped in gen u in e gold leaf. O pen flat a t an y p lace w ith o u t b re ak in g th e back. Sew ed to stand con tin u o u s w ear. F o u r-p ag e topical index a r ran g ed fo r in stan t service. P ric e $1.25 each (Tw o copies fo r less th a n th e p rice of one leath er loose leaf cover)
FOR WHOM IT IS INTENDED
1. The gospel soloist.
Because of its message of direct personal appeal. It has many unique and appealing duets that people love to hear. Its music is of such a class th a t the church soloist will welcome it as a splendid ad dition to the regular repertoire. Such a worker will find it a treasure be cause of its message of hope to the human heart. The harmonies are of such a character as to make most of the songs excellent quar tets. He can always find a song suitable to his sermon, house visitation or special occa sion. A splendid hand book full of uncommon pieces, for four-part work.
2. Those who sing duets.
3 . The church soloist.
4 . The mission worker.
5. The mixed quartet.
6 . The singing minister or missionary.
7. The church choir.
O rd e r from THE BIOLA BOOK ROOM 536 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Cal.
P rice $ 1 ,2 5 p er co p y
(This edition is limited)
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