The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-04
BACK TO GRE
 G0RIAN CHANT
PoPE'ssENCYCLICAL CAUSES A
 REVOLUTION IN MUSIC.
Father Young Discusses Rule Requir- irg Use of Plain Song in Catholic Churches Difficulties Not So Great as supposed--Beauty
 of Gregcrian Music.

The New York Sun.
 Bishop Mcdonnell, of Brooklyn, is the
 first prelate to put into effect the instruc.
 tions contained in the recent encyclical
 letter of Pope Plus X on the subject of
 church music. The abandonment of the
 music that the choirs had learned. the Ignorance of organists' and singers in re-
 gard to the Gregorisn chant and the diff hculty of learning 1t immediately are said to have pu. the Brooklyn choirs into such state of panic that Catholic Church. music across the Bridge nowa- days Is a strange thing.
 Sun reporter called yesterday on Father Young. the greatest clerical au- thority on church music. to ask him what the enect of the new rule would be.
 Father Young, who has charge of the music at the Church of St. Francis Xavier. in 18th street, has used the Gre gorian chant there for some years He Is m earnest believer in the use of this plain song and thinks that it will have to be adopted in all Catholic churches, the terms of Pope Plus Ks letter leav- Ing no choice in the matter
 T am only awaiting, Archbishop Far ley's decision before using the GreRorian chant in all the services" he said That VIII not be difficult for us, as we have been using that music for the past ten years.
 If Gregorian music is to be sung in all our churches. as 1t must ultimately be. singing will have to be taught in all the Roman Catholic schools. I have always been an advocate of that, and want to Insist now more than ever on it's extreme importance.
 Tn that way Gregorian music can be taught to the children, and 1t will make simple the recruiting of our choirs. It is very easily taught to children. They learn. merely by hearing it sung by oth- ers how to place the accents. The dif- acuity of singing Gregorian music is very much exaggerated in any case
 After Pope Gregory's decree church music has changed more and more by The individual singers. who put into it changes that appeal to them. In this way music became much more florid than 1t had been. and in 1882. the Medi- eean edition of all the Gregorian music was prepared and is still used in Italy, out that music made from the copies used in the churches at that time was al ready corrupt.
 Until half century ago the real Gre gorian chant survived only in the mon asteries. What was sung, when it was sung at all, was a perverted species of plain song, very often harmonized and bearing very little relation to the Grego- rian chant
 About fifty years ago French Jesuit priest who had composed A great daaI N church music that was very popular In its time, became interested in the Gre gorian chant. He travelled to the Do- ulinican monastery at Reichenan. on an Island in Lake Constance, in order to l study It. Later he went to the Benedic- | line monastery at Solesmes where he | found the Gregorian chant surviving fin l Its very best estate
 There among the monks whose duties | mad Kept the tradition of Gregorian song | rom generation to generation. he found | the original music that had fallen out of | secular use. Abbot Don Pothier after. | ward published this music which will | soon all be ready for the world.
 TWO systems of singing 1t exist. One IS adapted to common use, and over every note 10 De accented is point. By this | simple means the proper singing of the Gregorian chant can be taught to any one.
 A more elaborate edition, prepared hv The Benedictine monks leaves more to the musicianship of the singers and is therefore more difficult
 If Catholic organists will train their snoirs py this method they will not find iregorian music difficult. Equally sim pie are the organ accompaniments pre- pared by Matthias. who is the organist of the great Cathedral in Strasburg
 He has compiled organ acconnani | nents to all the Gregorian music. and so simple is it's structure that his mus,o may be played even on a harmoniun, The accompaniment to a Gregorian cbant Is never pronounced, only rather faint tone supporting the voices. Any cburcb .hoir, with these piano accompaniments and the. last editions of the solesmes plain song. will not find the music which f. the Holy Father has recommended foo lificult for them.
 ''As there is no appeal from the ency- ,lical of Plus X, Gregorian music must come ultimately into use in every church.
 The Pope is a fine musician. He real zes how much the music of the day has | irifted away from the religious princi- | 1les of ecclesiastical music He knows | hat the old music was better; and for | hat reason this return to the Grego- | ian is to be permanent, and ultimately | Ne shall hear 1t in the churches every | where.
 "The Holy Father does not limit choire | 'nly to Gresorian chant. Palestrina and | 'ther sacred composers. who wrote in &C., | :ordance to the traditions of ecc.esiasti- al music. are to be included
 : It Is customary to say that Gregorian | music has only eight modes and win therefore become monotonous, but there | g an ample supply of it for all purposes. There are twelve or sixteen Masses | dapted for feasts of three degrees in ad- | htion to all the other services.