New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-01
A NEW MASS.

On Christmas Day there wss performed al ~.
Stephens Il. {. Church, new mass by Charles Nes,
esq. Ii there be words eminen.iy ms,leab,e for The
purpose OF music, aud muticolored as 10 sentiment.
they are those Of the Latin Mas. From the d,
pro(Rd darkness rthe Kyrie eleson 10 the dazzling
g,sh of the Cors in excelsis from the tranquil talk
of the Bestus to the psntheistic grandeur OF tho
Sanc,us there are found subjects for varied - well ~
excellent musical treatment. The religious scnmeui,
the ecstacy which seeks to connect the finite with the
infniteto bridge the seen present to the unseen
and endless fuurebeng Appealed TO throughout, tho
composer has many points in his favor at starting with
q religious audience.
The music Of masses has undergone many changes
during the three or four hundred years in which
composition has assumed form for il must he
borne in mind in writing about music, that d
all arts and sciences, not excepting transcendenta d.
namiCs electricity chemistry, il has been the last
10 attain To emneuce, or as the lyrical expos,oc
of feeling and situation; and the reason is simple;
for the other eshetic divisions painting sculpture and
architecture are comparatively free OF the mechanic
arts in their outworkngs whereas. harmony or sounds
in combination contradistnguished from melody, o.
sounds in individual sequence and rhetorical orm have
only been achieved through elaborate, beautiful and
complex musical instruments, whose invention wa only
pos.ib under the highest state Of the mechanic ants
The violin was not known to the sncients nor the p-
ano; nor the organ later than crudty mentioned IN
the early part of the Christian era in which water was
its motor Then all the highes. Improvements OF the
flute caronet, etc., are Of yesterday.
In regard to the stye Of music nj for masses, two
different opinions prevail The frs! is for the sewers
cautice STYLE the other for the ornate aud pas
sonate. These terms empirical as definitions Cd
composition but they convey the idea when the two
different STYLES of music heard The Church fof-
mery like the Methodists now, wont among pueAcane
and sinners for the themes OF the melodies OF uasses
and indeed il was once considered almost sine fr~
non that composer should take some sally tn our
Alley" or Il loves the Lad with the tary trow.
sers" and work Il into religious form, making Il per-
mea.e the whole composition "a a central idea Then
the Pope and Cardinals reformed the music-Paestrina
being the genius of reform. Pedestrians music is the
ultra severe style. Engendered at time when melody
was generally crude and illogical the change was for
the better but the Paestrna music notwithstanding
the stereotyped puiis Oft, is desoa,sy dry WHOLE
being nothing but chords and sSuuterpoints or "im-
tatious where the subject is Of such ongdswn noee
that the counterpart" or Imitation" becomes neb-
uous. Kindred with Palestrna ssiyle bumorerbythm-
ica is the Lutheran service music With tho growth Of
beautiful melody the Italian masters Pergolese Gina
rosa and Trajetts ard the great masters Of Itahan
melody, though Germans born. Haydn and Mozah.
impaired winning Seraphc beauty to the mass, quite
at variance with the antecedeDt writing in that depart
ment. Cherabini, Italian, whose period liee be-
tween the masters OF the last century aud those Of ths
present time wrote the again more in the severe
or old style though with abundant modern resources.
especially Instrumentation.
The mass OF Mr.. Wells the one in question: IL of the
Italian or ornate school, II il well conceived and
pressed There is neither mud nor nightmaresn 1t.
the Kyrie be not good land we do not think il is Mr.
Wells has failed, in company with others. good
Kyrie has yet to be written. They all commence too
business-lke. They start like four-horse Omnibus
They have no tenebyal painting; no mercy seeking
tears ard agony. They oil bad. Worst among
them il Besthovens--east bad is Cmarosa's in hls
Dead Mas. Of the otler pieces Of Mr.. Web
we can speak in praise, except the opening CT the
Gloria, which is wanting in breadth and yigou1. The
musical profession here may be congratulated upon
having one of its members capable OF producing 40
fluent and elegant work. 1t viii eersnl, remaia
in the repertory Of the Church.