The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-05-28

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the music which formed part of the religious
deyotons of the first Christian congregations. 1t
was, however, purely vocal. Instrumental music
excluded, at first from the church service. 1t
despised, as having been used by the Romans
at their depraved festivities. This strict confne
ment to purely vocal music was, however, more
adhered to in the churches of the Occident; for
III the Orient, with the multiplication of Chris
tan congregations the custom of introducing in
strumenta music In the church service, after the
manner of the heather, became more and more
general. 1t is presumed that some of the hymns
and psalms of the early Christians were taken
from the Hebrew temple service, and
of Greek origin The beginning of the fifth
tury Pope Hilarius established in Rome the first
singing school, in order to instruct such singers
as were needed for the appropriate singing of the
psalms and hymns adopted for use. This early
institution of a singing school at Rome, for the
exclusive study of church song, was one of the
greatest consequence, with regard to the musical
practice of the Catholic church 1t was, however,
from the musical practice of the church of Milan
that the first fixed scales derived which served
as basis for the composing and arranging of
church songs. St. Ambrose was bishop of the
church of Milan at this time and to him Is at
tributed the fact of having chosen and fixed four
diatonic scales, which are called Ambrosiap eccle
sastical keys. st. Gregory, who head of the
church from 591 to 604, was our next great
sciar. He added to the four scales ascribed to
ST. Ambrose four more erThis, then, called
the Gregorian chant The great Importance and
influence of the Gregorian chant in music re-
garded as modern Christian art, cannot be too
highly estimated. 1t is the central point from
which all older compositions for the Catholic
church proceeded and upon which they rested. The
classic forms of the old Masses sprang from the
Gregorian chant. In fact 1t will remain the toun-
daon of all true Catholic church music. 1t needed
hut ~ +ba i of mus
as it stands, in its wonderful glory before US to-
day, would be laid: and this step the dlscov-
cry of harmony The first author known to us
as having left treatise on harmony in which the
rules are illustrated by practical examples. was
a Flemish monk by the name of Huebald, who
lived at the end Of the ninth and beginning of
the tenth centuries. The Gregoran chant, now en-
riched by the invention of harmony which gave
to its own peculiar tonalities,. still more solemn,
Characteristic, church-lke cooring is thus at once
distinct from any previous effort of church mu-
sic Palestrina an Italian, born in 1924, and Or
landus Lassus, an eminent Netherlander born IN
1920, were our next great composers Indeed IN
their works Catholic church music found Its great
est and purest revelation
Palestrina founded his style upon the study of
Gregorian chant in its purest meaning. His works
mark the eliminating point, and | may say the
close of the greatest epoch in our musical art.
The successful cultivation of the musical drama
Iopera oratorio. cantata) and the different forms
of instrumental music. eventually changed the
whole character of musical composition. Most OF
the composers of Catholic music up to the begin
ming of the eighteenth century were also
cessful opera composers. However, religious pro-
priety was still observed in their productions for
the church. and was not vet disregarded in favor
of the hrancy and dazzling effects of the opera.
They did not compose holy operas for the stage
and operate masses for the church. But towards
the beginning of the eighteenth century things be-
no DHuau nf tbo liar
dramatic music banshed from the composers mind
the old tradition of a strict church style. Thus
the forms of the opera gradually crept into the
mass hymn PSALM etc. To be sure, at the hands
of the great masters, the modern musical construc-
ton of the mass received all the charm and bril-
liancy that new and richer resources were able to
give thus enriching the pomp and magnifcence
of Catholic church service. The kyFie, Gloria,
Credo Sanctus Agnus Del when unsteady in-
terpreted by the arts of Haydn Mozart, Beethoven
and Humme did not fail to find appreciative
echo in the hearts of the congregations The church
compositions of Mozart and Hayden have since
become the models for all composers of music for
the sacred service; and their masses have held the
place of honor in all Catholic churches. Scaratti,
Bech, Beethoven, Schubert Rossini. Brahms,
Verdi, Gounod and List also wrote some mag
nifcent masses and though every one of them
owes its origin to religious idea as founded
the rites of the church, yet many of them assume
the more ideal functions of the oratorio 1t is
sacred art for arts sake. So these immortal scores,
composed by the worlds greatest masters (many
of whom were devout Catholics) are certainly most
wonderful creations, and yet, not genuine church
music. Hence it is that now our present Pope,
Plus X, advocates the restoration of the Pales-
trina style, banishing all those compositions from
the church service which tend toward the operate.
Schools are now being established in Rome where
the principles of sacred music and especially of
the correct method of the Gregorian chant will
ha Go no I'M Is for dicta fxubon
complete reform in Catholic church music will
take place and only those masses Of the great mas