The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-04
Tn every way it remains the most
FOR TEEN AND YOUTHS

| Tn every way 1t remains the mos
 Then it will be impossible for com posers to write music in the style of thes, Masses. Pending a decision from Arch
 bishop Farley whether the churches vii
 have to use Gregorian music, MT Castor Dethier, the organist of our church. has composed a Mass in the fashion of the old writers for Easter.
 The talk about the extreme difficulty tof teaching Gregorian music to the cnoirs is incomprehensible to me This music could be introduced very easily in- Ito every city If only one good choir was found there. That would be made a model for others A choir could be taught to sing Gregorian music well within year, provided the latest scores Iof the Benedictines of solesmes were used"
 I Two years ago the French Associations piii compelled the Bensdictines to leave
 france, and 1t looked for a while as if the results of Abbot Pointers labors to revive the Gregorian chant would be lost.
 But the exiled monks have taken refuge
 In England. In their temporary mon- l astery near Wroxall. on the Isle of Wight. they are preparing the editions
 Of the Gregorian chant
 | The ease of singing the Gregorian
 cnant rom these editions.' said Father | oung. comes from the fact that they restore the Gregorian rhythm. It was the secret of the rhythm that was lost musician with piece of chant in the former editions made by the monks could bring out the expression of the
 music, and he could understand the sense or phrase even if his notation did not
 indicate all the details of interpretation. But such success was impossible to the
 ordinary choir of a parish chur>h. com posed generally of persons who are not
 musicians. One would pause on a phrase
 and another would proceed with it One
 singer would lay stress on a certain syI- laole which another would soften. One singer would hold note while another
 would go over 1t rapidly.
 If tho organfst also allowed hinosalf n. much liberty, the result was never pleas ant to any one unfortunate enough to near It. These new editions. by means of very simple and clear notation. indicate the accents until there is no room for doubt. The orCanist has all his dIfficuI ties solved for him by the edition of strasburg Cathedral"
 rather Young was asked If he thought .nat congregations would be as we'll sat- isfied with Gregorian as with the more elaborate and often operatic Masses sung In the churches to-day.
 think" he said "that after hearing the Gregorian music for a short while they will like it better than any other and From its frequent repetitions congre- sauons VIII be enabled to join in the ninshg 70 degree that has not been possible in years.
 IT congregational singing is desired .ne use or the Gregorian chant will be the Fest means of bringing it about. Our cholr nere has sung music by Palestrina ana by the other old composers, and the has taken more delight out Of 1t. than any other music.
 Two Weeha ,o tho aA.t- them by one of the old composers writ ten in unison. The following Sunday they sang a harmonized version of the | same music. l was told by several ner sons in the congregation that it was mucb | more beautiful the week before. in its l simple form So, you see, there are per- | old music. v 'i'e
 "of course the Masses of Mozart and Haydn will go. and much more music of | nooefn composition. After Archhishon ariey mas given his order as to the fn expectation of the encyelical committees VIII pc formed in every diocese. This l. will decide which Masses are |, 70 De sung. as being in accordance with me .e, terms or the Holy Fathers letter.
 never sung Mozart in St Francis Aaviers Church. Much of the modern music IS frivolous. It is sometimes nos | 'lole to ind in It some that is grave l without being sad. but usually 1t is emo -ional and operatic
 "of Gounod's 'Messe solennelle' only ne neheoictus is ever sung in this ,nprcn That is really devotional in ;naracter and composed in accordance | With the spirit of ecclesiastical music.
 The same thing is not true of the rast 'f the Mass. It Is the same combina- Ion of austerity and sentimentalism that Iounod was himself There are olern | composers, however, who are writing music that can be sung by the choirs.
 want to say two things in reference Q this important change in the music of he Church.
 The first is that the Gregorian chant an within year, be taught to any holr provided the plain song editions made by the Benedictin%s of soiesnes are sed, and that no church organist who1 oIlows the Strasburg organ accompani- nents is going to find his way so dif3- ut; and the second is, the Gregorfan hant should be taught in all Catholic choois. In that way this great reyolu ,rl ion m the music of the Church can be 'rought about in a few years"
 Father Young says that Gregorian mn. 'lc expresses as does no other the senti- HeEt Et or the Roman Catholic Mass , Ahe Gregorian music survives from ne very first days of the Church, when ne people gathered together and chanted ne Fsalms Then came the reading of ne ne Letters of the Apostles, which sur yves yves te-day in the reading of the Cos pels; then the creed; then came the ex- Dasma.loh .asr which We have to-day in the
 ne Mass proper begins only with tha oHertory. Of the singing of the Psalms 1T the beginning of the service there snr' 'lves to-day only the Introit wbicb i- 'nng as the priest enters the sanctuarv
 The Gregorian music alone retains 'roper olnerences hetween what is mere y preliminary to the Mass and tho s0, emn part of the service, which if con 'titutes. Later composers devoted as much time and care to one part of tbe Mass as to another, and made no attemnt