Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-06
Noted Catholic Prelate from New
Zealand Gives Views on
Church ChOirs,
EXCLUSION OF WOMEN SINGERS
He Says That This Feature Has Been
Clearly Misunderstood and Pro.
ceeds to State Why.


1.-The visitors belong The archbishop's
portrait and a biographical notice APP
peared IN a recent edition of the
News and now he is here en- route TO
Rome to report to Pope Plus X, on the
condition OF HIS province. and prospects
for the faith In tho same
/, y News" reporter called on his grace
ms morning, at the college, and found
a most pleasant ana affablo old gentle
man, ana delightful TO converse with,
The archbishop is q ane musician, and
me happy possessor of genuine Strad-
ivarius violin made IN 1900 owing to
climatic changes, the glue has become
loosened on the instrument, but he says
mat 10 small matter which can be
readily rectifled. The archbishop, IN
contrasting the different makes of his
tOric Vlolins, said the Stradiyarius and
the Huarnarius instruments were the
hest IN the world. and as between the
two there was little TO choose The
AWAITS are beautiful violin. but they
are best fitted for chamber exhibition,
az they are light and sweet, and are nos
suited FOR the performance OF COncortOs
which'require heavy dramatic instru-
ment The archbishop said the yarnish
mensely to their qualities II was an
oil varnsh which soaked into the wood
and gave peculiar sorority OF tone
that has never been equaled IN modern
days. Tho Varnlsh came from gums
brought overland from Genoa and inn
ported there from the far east But the
exact nature Of this gum is not now
known, as with the cessation Of over
land freighting the Importation of this
peculiar Kind of gum ceased also. and
ITS identity has never been rediscov-
cred
Archbishop Redwood was asked for
an calculation of the pope's order rela-
tive TO the remodelling Of the choir mu-
sic in Catholic churches, and which
has been so thoroughly misunderstood
In this country, In reply, his grace
observed that the pope himself is an
accomplished musician, and for that
reason has come to sense more accu-
rately and acutely the undesirable con-
ditiOns into which music I'm Catholic
churches had fallen. II was his idea
that music should be the handmade,
not the mistress OF the faith; and the
fact chat light. frivolous music that
could never appeal TO the spiritual
sentiment had crept into the church
service was regarded by his holiness
truly spiritually minded man, and he
desires most emrhatlcally that every
part of the service I'm Catholic churches
shall SAVIOR only Of the truly worshipfu
and appeal to the highest, the noblest
In mans nature.
Archbishop Redwood referred regret
fully to the fact that composers OF
masses had deliberately. IN some cases,
changed the sentiment or wording in
the mass to accommodate the words to
the musical score, in certain instances
this had resulted In nothing short Of
outrage, IN short, the same condition
Of things obtain now az obtained in the
time of Palestrna when Pope MARCEL
lus, grieved with the amount OF rub
bish that had worked into the musical
service of the church, determined on a
sweeping and radical change that would
have swept out also. the really beaut-
ful part Of the music along with the
undesirable. To preserve what was then
considered would have been the extinc-
ton of the attractive In church music
Palestrina wrote his Marceline Mass
named after the pope, the beauty and
grandeur Of which has never been ex-
celled.
As TO the exclusion OF women from
the choirs, this has been clearly mlsun-
ed from choirs where they may be de-
sired Where choirs are TO sing with
in the precincts OF the sanctuary, only
supplied boys and men may take part
within those limits. But there is moth
ing to prevent women being placed inn
medlately without the limits where the
architectural peculiarities OF the struc-
ture win admit Of Il; and In churches.
as 81, Mary's IN this city, where the
entire choir Is at the other end Of the
auditorium women and men may sing
together But according to the new or
der, only the priests participating in the
mass may sing parts OF the service,
while the choir and congregation may
join as usual in others And to Illus
trate this, the archbishop quoted from
the Rome correspondence In recent
issue Of the London Tablet, the recog-
nized organ OF the Catholic church He
read, "Our English word choir cor
responds with the Italian capella' rath-
cr than with the 'coro.' The 'coro' Is
intimately connected with the choir Of
priests, and the members of II should
not be- men, but should wear the cas-
sock and Gotta. The 'capella' repre-
sents both the choir Of priests and the
people, Hence 1t seems lawful for wo-
men as well as men TO, Join in that
part of the singing which belongs TO
the whole congregation, During mass
they should not be allowed 10 Join IN
that part Of the singing, the 'Introlt'
the Gradual Offertory' and 'Commu-
Mon for these properly belong to the
llturglcal choir They may on the 9th.
er hand. sing at the 'l6yrle,' Agnus
Del Gloria, and 'Crodo' OF the mass.
and al the psalms, and hymn Of Yes
pers. for all these used TO be and
should be sung by the congregation"
Archbishop Redwood also called at
tentlon 10 the following statement IN
the correspondence which was anthem
tic and explanatory. He read. Com
petent authorities at Rome point out
that women belonging 10 religious COM
munitles are not excluded from taking
part IN the liturglcal chant I'm their own
chapels. on the contrary they are ex-
horted 10 cultivate sedulously the lltur-
glcal chant, and they are in many
cases Obliged by their rule 10 take what
may be- called n l-iiturgical art I'm
the divine service. Women are there
fore not rigldly or universally excluded
from church cholrs. II goes without
saying that all danger Of scandal or
irreverence must be carefully guarded
against but this much said, choirs
composed ~ men and women arc not
absolutely forbidden They constitute
Il is true, a difformita from the law and
from the ideal 10 be aimed at. but they
may be tolerated for sufficient reason
and within certain limitations" The
correspondence then further said, THE
traditional Gregorlan chant Is for the
most part easily learned and executed
me different parts such as the grad
uals,' "alleluias," and tracts" NAV
according to the dispensation conceded
IN the rublcs by supplied by the or
gan, the words being merely repeated