The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-08-21
ST. MARYS CHOIR AND MUSIC.

The music at the dedication of our cathedral
was superb. It was unlike-for it outclassed-any
thing of the kind ever before heard in our city, and
deepened, if that were possible our admiration fo1
the great and historic church which has ennobled
the world by her encouragement of art. All good
music is inspiration and has tendency to elevate
the soul and draw it nearer to God
The composition of it is the greatest act of
creation which man can perform-the bringing
into existence that which was not before 1t is one
Of the most obvious marks of the Divine image in
which man is made. Hence, in the Book of Ec-
chactleus, amongst those persons who are to be
especially honored with praise are "'those who by
their skill discovered musical tunes"
The Catholic church has ever been the friend
and patron of the arts of painting architecture
and music Her affinities are with whatever is
best whether in eloquence poetry, or sculpture.
Without her encouragement the arts could never
have reached their present plane of perfection and
without her cherishing care much that we now re-
tam as glorious treasures of early art would have
been destroyed or lost This is especially true of
music In the early ages music was a crude art
the art OF putting together sounds so as to form
melody; the only scientific treatment being in the
proper divisions of the strings of musical instru
ments, so as to produce the several notes of the
scale with correct intonations, and other such like
matters. But early in the Ages of Faith. inpron-
erly called the Ozark Ages" the important dis
covery of harmony was made and then music
acquired the dignity of a science and now tbev are
but synonymous and convertible terms.
The highest and grandest contributions to music
presented to us by the genius of man have been
inspired by the church. and are the productions Of
her spiritual sons.
In the music that was rendered in St Marv's
cathedral last Sunday were compositions 500 wears
old. coming down to us from the Ages of Faith
The GregOrian preface" sung by the ceIebrant
of the mass, the Right Reverend the Bshop Of Salt
Lake, gets its name from Pope Gregory. the Great
who was himself musician and. before his eleva
ton to the Chair of St Peter, taught music at the
Latern Palace. So that the Gregorian chant comes
down to us from the evening Of the sixth century
Many OF the versicles, responses, musical psalms
hymns and spiritual songs for use in Catholic wor
ship are also of great antiquity and are of intrinsic
excellence and practicability. The grandest must
cal achievements of the past century are associated
with the music of the church, and the names of
Beethoven, Meyerbeer, Hadyn. Mosart. Mendelssobn |
and, IN our own day, Rossini and Gounod-wbosa
mass was sung last Sunday-are immortalized IN
The music of the imperishable Church of God One
of the most sublime and beautiful of orr mAro
Marias' was the production of Gounod. who died
lot many years ago, Mercadante is famous for
us splendid and devotional masses.
The musical masses most popular in Fprono
ire those Of Mercadante Palestine. Tirziapa and do
'ietro, Jesuit priest. Rossini's "Stabat Matern
S always a favorite in Rome Of Pedestrians music
I should be understood it was never committed 70
writing but taught by him, and is therefore fra
ltlonal. No less person than the illustrious
'harlegmagne, king of the Francs and conoueror
Europe, is the reputed author of the 0cyeni
'reator" sung by the male chorus at the dedication
'haregmagne died at Aix-la-Chapelle January %
IA, so that the hymn to the Holy Ghost is now
,O95 years old. The great conqueror expired upon
IS throne, wearing his iron crown. The 80 Salu-
arts Hostia," intoned when the Blessed Sacrament
as exposed at the benediction. Immediately after
ne door Of the Tabernacle was opened. was writ
IN probably in the thirteenth or fourteenth CEN
lry Tor the introduction of this beautiful bvmn
the benediction is at least as old as the fifteenth
sntury The words have been set to music nv
early all the great masters of harmony of past
enturies = pa''
hlng Robert II Of France, who succeeded !
2 the throne Of his father, Hugh Camel !,
Il