New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-20

Apostle Saint John heard sung In the Heavenly
Jerusalem, and Of which this other John has given us
| q foretaste In the Jerusalem earth"
Much that has been written about the abuses In
| church music which the Council OF Trent undertook
to reform Is undoubtedly purely fantastic. The pop
uar impression land II Is not confined TO laymch III
music IS that because the composers Of the hitcchth
and sixteenth centuries made use OF the melodies OF
secular songs In their compositions, their MASSES must
have sounded to the ears of their hearers as % yrie
elclson' set 10 Ta-rar boom decay" would sonnd
to Such notion is utterly foolish. The
melodies were only the framework on Which The
composers built their manyvoiccd structures ana II
w0nd have required not OILY Keen ears nut good
deal Of technical training TO hear them. IL was
before melody had conquered recognition as the che
element In music. THE borrowed tune was In one
OF the middle voices. and its purpose was like That
OF scanod. II was, indeed. not until after the
time OF PaleSlrina that II occurred TO musicians 10
make their harmony voices subordinate ara SUD
scrvient TO the melody. and put the melody IN The
soprano. That was the achievement OF German
Protestant musicians, and grew out OF the desire TO
permit the congregation to take part in the musical
service These musicians ike their predecessors Of
more than century previous, made use OF The pco-
Piles melodies, and had the Reformation not bccn a
popular movement The practice OF utilizing vulgar
melodies for the purpose OF religions, cdicaon would
the Lutheran Church as 1t was In the catholic. The
whole movement for reform Is easily understood II
one will but remember that the icaction4ry element
which sought TO put artistic music aside in The
Council OF Trent has its vigorous champions in The
Church OF today The spirit IS that which made the
Church Fathers condemn all musical instruments
andd. 1t lives today in Protestant denomination. as
well as in the Roman Church To ST.. Jerome a
or so ago. In our own time l., man Bcccher tried
10 convince one Of his parshioiers that the violin
was not Ubiquitous per Sc by playing The Old lnl,-
dredth7 upon it. 4 party IN the council OF Trent
wanted to- return TO plain chant. AMI party In me
Church Is agitating the same thing today. TO 'gl'
latter party mass by Haydn or Mozart Is as ob,
iectonable some of the masses Oh
lie ctnirapunlsts 525 wears Then rs now the re
form OF The service less matter OF art than OF
the rubrics Calvin gave ut,erance to their con
victions when in enjoinng the use OF the Gencvan
Psalter he said "1hose songs and melodies which
composed for the pleasure OF the ear, ana
all they call ornamental music. and songs Tor four
parts, do not behoove the majesty OF the Church ana
cannot fail greatly displease God" tioudimel,
teacher, was pious member of the Re
formed Church. and persisted at Lyons In the massacre
Of the luguenots in 1872. lie wrote harmonies Tor
the old psalm tunes; but he was careful when he |
published them say that the added parts were not
designed for in the church, but Tor the ENJOY
ment Of God at home"
The story OF Pedestrians life as II has come down
10 us Is not rich I'm detail. The year of his birth Is
in doubt though the hest evidence points TO 1871 |
He was born in Palestrina from which he took his |
name. In ancient times the town, then called