Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-27
A DECREE ON MUSIC
POPE Plus X. ADVOCATES MUCH
NEEDED REFORM IN MUSIC
OF CHURCH.
What His Holiness Recommends and
What He Forbids in Ceremonies of
The Roman Catholic church-Says
Music Should be of Highest Quality.

The Roman Catholic Church-Says
Music Should be of Highest Quality.
Pope Plus K. has recently prepared
> decree advocating much needed re-
forms in the music in general use in
the church which has appeared in all
the official Catholic papers of the
United States and of the world.
The pope's decree is quite a
lengthy one ard deals with
every particular of this department OF
the service. His Holiness advocates
that the music should possess i'll the
highest degree, the qualities proper to
the occasion. The communication con-
tains what Pope Plus x. recommends
and what he forbids in ceremonies of
the church. The communication which
consists of twenty-five separate para
graphs is in full as follows:
The Communication,
IL. Sacred music, being compile
mentary part of the solemn liturgy,
participates in the general scope of
the liturgy. which is the Glory of God
and the sanctifcation and edifcation
OF the faithful. 1t contributes to the
decorum and the splendor Of the eccle-
siastical ceremonies. and since it's
principal Office is to clothe with suit
able melody the liturgical text pro-
posed for the understanding Of the
faithful, its proper aim is to add
greater efficacy to the text in order
That fhro, - 70; no
more easily moved to devotion and
better disposed for the reception of
the fruits of grace belonging to the
celebration of the most holy mysteries.
q. The sacred music should conse.
quently possess, in the highest degree
the qualities proper to the liturgy,and
precisely sanctity and goodness of
form. from which it's other character
of universally spontaneously springs.
1t must be holy and must therefore
exclude all profanity not only in it,
self, but in the manner in which it
is presented by those who execute it,
fY ut must be true art, for otherwise
it will be impossible for it to exercise
on the minds of those who listen to
1t that efficacy which the church aims
at obtaining in admitting into her
liturgy the art of musical sounds.
But 1t must, at the same time be
UNIVERSAL in the sense that while ev-
cry nation is permitted to admit into
Its ecclesiastical compositions those
special forms which may be said to
constitute its native music, still these
forms must be subordinated in. such
manner to the general characteristics
Of sacred music thatynobody of any ma.
tio4, may receive, an impression other
aarfIA good on hearing them.
"s. TRvse qualities are to be found,
n the highest degree, in the Gregor-
an Chant, which is consequently, the
chant proper to the Roman church; the
he only chant she has inherited from
The ancient fathers. which she has
lealously guarded for centuries in her
liturgical codices, which she directly
proposes to the faithful as her own,
which she prescribes exclusively for
some, parts of the liturgy, and which
the most recent studies have so hap
PLY restored to their integrity and
purity.
"On these grounds the Gregorian
Chant has always been regarded as the
supreme model for sacred music, so
that it is fully legitimate to lay down
the following rule: The more closely
a composition for church approaches
in its movement, inspiration and SAVIOR
the Gregorian form, the more sacred
and liturgical it becomes: and the
more out OF harmony it is with that
supreme model, the less worthy is it of
the temple
The ancient traditional Gregorian
Chant must therefore be largely re-
stored to the function of public wor-
ship, and everybody must take for GER
tain that an ecclesiastical function
loses nothing of its solemnity when it
is accompanied by no other music but
this.
Special efforts are to be made to re-
store the use of the Gregorian Chant
by the people, so that the faithful NAV
again take a more active part in the
ecclesiastical offices, as was the case
in ancient times.
The Classic PoIyphony.
"A The above mentioned qualities
are also possessed in an excellent de-
gree by the classic polyphony, espe.
cially of the Roman school. which
reached it's greatest perfection in the
fifteenth century. owing to the works
of Pierluigi da Palestrina, and contin-
ned subsequently to produce compost
tions of excellent quality from the lit
urgical and musical standpoint. The
classic polyphoEy agrees admirably
with the Gregorian Chant. the supreme
model Of all sacred music, and hence
it has been found worthy of a place
side by side with the Gregoran Chant
in the more solemn functions Of tho
church, such as those of the Pontifical
Chapel. This, too must therefore be
restored largely in ecclesiastical func-
tions, especially in the more important
basilicas, in cathedrals, and in the
churches and chapels of seminaries
and other ecclesiastical institutions in
which the necessary means are usually
not lacking.
80. The church has always recog.
nized and favored the progress of the
arts, admitting to the service of the
cult everything good and beautiful dis
covered by genius in the course of
ages-always, however. with due re-
gar1 to the liturgical laws Conse-
quently modern music is also admit