Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1885-07-03
FAMOUS SONGS OF PRAISE.
Hymns that Have Been sung ~
Christian WOrshtpors for Many
Centuries.
Indianapolis journal.

Indianapolis JOurnh
Whatever may be charged against
the Roman Catholic church, il can not
be gainsaid that she has ever been the
friend of the arts of painting, sculp-
ture, and music, and that without her
cherishing care much that we now
have as glorious relics of early art
would have been destroyed and lost.
This is especially true of music. Tn,
highes. and grSndest contributions t.
the musical art have beer inspired by
the Catholic church, and are the work
of her votaries. In the music that will
be sung in the churches to-day some of
the hymns are eight hundred years old,
coming TO Us out of what we are
pleased to term the darkness of the
middle ages.
The Gregorian chant, or tones, a
name given TO certain choral melodies,
gets its name from Pope Gregory the
Great, who was himself a musician
and taught at the Lateran palace, 40
that this form OF music comes to us
from about 100000. This ecclesiastical
chant is the chant of the Catholic
church all over the world In it we
have all that the priest sings at mass,
and il is in general use by choirs of &C.
cleSastcs. In the course of time
abuses of one kind or another crept in
to church music, for the reason that
there was no established form, until
the time of Pope Marcellus ii, about
1855. In his time music had so degen-
Grated that he thought to throw it out
of the church altogether. Before pro-
ceeding TO this extreme step, however,
a consultation was held with Palestri-
ma, great musician. He promised
the Pope to introduce music that
would not be chargeable with the
grossness and uncouthness of that
which il was to supersede. He COM
posed the work known as the Mesa Iii
Papa Marcello (the mass of Pope Mar
cellus) which was so thoroughly Il
success that the Pope accepted him
and gave him full power to go on and
recast and remodel as he chose. The
mass of Pope Marcellus is magnifi-
cent work. 1t was given at the recent
plenary council az Baltimore. This
style of music is that which forms the
basis of that made known by the Ce-
Gillian society, which is now widely
spread over the United States with the
intent of encouraging good classical
church music. This Palestrina music
is the style used in the Sistine chapel,
where the Pope to-day will celebrate
Easter. The celebrated Misereres for
which the Sistine Chapel is famous in
Holy week, composed by Bain, Mus
tapha and others. are sung in that mu-
sic, and TO hear them during the week
just closed people flocked from all
parts of the world. The grandest mu-
steal achievements of the masters of
the past one hundred years have been
in church music, and the names of
Beethoven. Meyerbeer, Hayden, Han
del Mozart, Mendelssohn, and. later,
RosSin and Gounod, are attached to
numerous So-called themes. Gounod,
who is still living, has composed a
beautiful Ave Maria. Mercadante has
composed a number of beautiful mass
es. The masses most popular in Rome
to-day are those of Mercadante, Tirzi-
ana, and De Pietro. a Jesuit. Ros-
sini's Stabat Mater is always a favorite
in Rome. OF Pedestrians music il
should be understood that it was never
written by him. but taught, and is ira
ditional.
No less person than the illustrious
Charlemagne himself is the reputed
author of the "Veni Creator Spiritur, ="
who died at Aix-la-chapelle, his crown
upon his head, and his copy of the
gospels upon his knees, Jan. %, Sl4,
so that it is now at least 1914 years old.
The 30 Salutaris Hostia' is a hymn
sung during the Office called bendic-
ton. at the moment when the taber-
nacle is opened in order that the con-
secrated host may be removed and
placed in the monstrance prepared for
It's solemn exposition. The custom of
introducing this hymn at high mass is
at least as old as the fifteenth century,
while the hymn itself is probably much
older. This theme has been treated
by many musical composers. The
Magnificent has been used as the
vesper canticle of the churches from
time immemorial and the evening Of
flee has also been so constructed as to
lead up to it as its chief point of inter
est. The text of the Magnificent has
been grandly illustrated by Bach. Men
delssohn, and active composers of the
modern school in the oratoric style,
with full orchestral Accomplishments.
King Robert H., of France, who sue
ceeded to the throne of his father.
Hugh Capet, in 907, is credited with
he authorship of the Veni Sancte
Spiritus hymn, a hymn which is re-
garded as 1.-THE loveliest of all the
hymns in the whole circle of Latin sa-
cred poetry The king was saint,
poet, and musician, and his ability
to compose this great hymn is not i'm
probable.
The Stabat Mater is a Good Friday
hymn. Its author, Jacobus de Bene-
dictus, was born at Sodi, of the noble
Italian house of Benedette and
rose to distinction as ju-
rst. About ll6S he lost his wife, and
broken-hearted. renounced the world to
ioin the order of st. Francis. There
are several English translations of this
great hymn. The following is the
opening stranza of recent translation
by no less celebrated person than our
countryman, the late Gen. John A.
Dix, while minister plenipotentiary at
Paris:
Near the cross the Savior bearing,
Stood the mother lone dcsparing,
Bitter tears down-falling last.
Wearied was her heart with grieving,
Worn her breast with sorrow heaving;
a. Al. \.