St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-28
REALM Of MUSIC.

Music of today and music of CEN
; turtles ago!
The evolution of time has certainly
wrought marvellous changes in the,
! field. In speaking Of music in this
present connection, we refer to the
; plain or sometimes ornamented'
! pages which present to the student
! or player the thoughts and inspira-
F, tons of the master minds, whose!
genius comes down to us in the cold!
types of the art preventative
The coming to mankind of the
printing press and the Autograph
! have made it possible for the mil
lions to enjoy what in former ages
was only at the command of princes
and potentates, or the exclusive
musical fraternity, the monks of
the various cloisters. In the medic
val ages the life in monasteries was
a most lonely and monotonous ex-
lstence. Some occupation was alb
i solutely necessary to divert the
minds of the Inmates from the new
er-ceasing grind of religious serv-
ANNS'
was passed in the choirs of the
chapels attached to the nonasteries.
What could be found better to fill
out the spare moments than the
preparation of much-needed mis-
sails? Secluded as were the monks.
i the imagination was always at lib
! erty to the fullest sway, and the
present days in the shape of the
rarest and most marvelously exc
cuted -missals conceivable. Libra
ries of antiquities are in existence
where these works are preserved,
and where they excite the wonder
and admiration of those fortunate
to be permitted to examine them.
!, In these rare books there is never
a sign of hurried work, of weari-
ness. Every letter and character is
executed with a care that is most
marvellous. Some of these books
hold the span of a human Iife'S work.
| Upon them the monks have lavished
human ingenuity, embracing the
period from novitiate to old age.
, Some there are, where other hands
have been compelled to conclude the
work begun by some departed BROTH
er. But in all there is a creation of
fancy designs, holy pictures and
the blending of colors that excite
the wonder of all who are at this
present day enabled to interpret the
master compositions from printed
pages. Unlimited time was devoted
| to the work, hence the rare excel
lence of the work and the iIlumina-
lions and Illustrations. The pig
mentS used in the works are, as a
rule, prepared by the monks, as we'll
as the hammered gold and silver
! leaf used in decorations. There are
! full pages and smaller illustrations
! set in frame work bordering upon
! the setting of some rare gems. The
art OF gliding came in the thirteenth
century and fiourished through the
/ fourteenth. In the succeeding CEN
| fury Illuminated works came to their
/ highest standard. Such works were
! then considered the richest presents
| to be given to noted personages.
One looks upon these works of art
with a feeling Of reverence. They
! embody all that is the highest in art
. and express more than anything else
could possibly do that in those days
the muse was held in high esteem,
and while chiefly used in the re-
ligious worship of the day, formed
nevertheless the basis for the later
culture and the marvellous creations
of the minds of Beethoven, Mozart,
Bach, Chuck and others.