The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-06

England rate, a good cotton report and
a sharp decline in imports, which, with
lower prices for wheat and cotton and
foreign takings of our securities, will
interfere with further gold exports"
Gregorian Music
In majority of the Catholic dioceses
Of the United States the mixed choir has
been replaced by male choir and in
stead of ford music, only the Gregorian
chant is heard,7 said music loving lay
man. The changes referred to are the
result of a decree of the present Pope,
who desires to restore the Gregorian mu-
| sic in its old time purity in all the SER
vices of the Catholic churches through
| out the world. When the decree was pro-
| mulgated a few years ago 1t received,
| as matter of course, the hearty APP
proval of Catholic musicians, who felt
| that the Gregorian was the form of mu-
| sic especially suited to the liturgy of the
church. But music lovers outside of the
| Catholic communion who had attended
| mass on great feast days to hear the
of the masters. expressed disappointment
at the change that was to be brought
about. And many of US, Catholics as well
as non-Catholics, asked what would be-
come of the grand masses by Mozart,
Haydn, and Beethoven. and especially
what would become of Gounod's angelic
st. Cecilia known and enjoyed the
world over? Well, when the decree has
gone into effect in every diocese, as It
eventually will, the fine artistic masses
to which music lovers have often listened
In church will be heard only in festivals.
AS nearly every great composer has put
some of his best work on Catholic liturgi-
cal music, much would be lost to art were
these celebrated compositions shelved.
But the music festival is, after all, the
most fitting place for them, for as large
and we'll trained choruses and large or
chestras are required for their proper
rendition, they can certainly be heard
to best advantage in the festival. On the
programmes of all high class festivals,
such as the Birmingham, England, and
the Cincinnati will be found from two to
three masses.
calls for a carefully trained choir,
the Pope allowed the individual bishops
considerable latitude as to when they
would abolish the mixed choir and the
brilliant music which had long been In
vogue and substitute the liturgical chant.
Bishop Allen of this diocese has not yet
promulgated the decree, but it Is reason
able to say that within the next two or
three years only Gregorian music Will be
heard in the larger churches at any rate
Those persons who have listened to the
Gregorian chant in the cathedrals of Eu-
rope or in New York, could not have
failed to appreciate its profoundly devo-
tional character. 1 used to think that 1t
would be pity to eliminate the festlval
masses from the church altogether, put
within the past three years l have heard
much Gregorian music and the oftener
hear 1t the more 1 long for the time
when we will have It here in Birmingham
Even considered on Its artistic side, the
Gregorian chant Is SO noble ana SO In
keeping with the spirit of the Catholic
church that 1t readily commends itself 10
the artist-musician; and, above all, IT Is
singularly churchly and uplifting.
"Recently it was my privilege to attend
high mass in the chapel Of the Beneoic-
tine abbey at st. Rernard, in Cullman
county. l had visited ST. Bernard often'
b.r had attended service only In the
college chapel, which, like parish
church. is open to the public. On the &C.
casion OF my last visit. however, was
invited to occupy a seat In the chapel
where only the monks, as rule as
sernblc. | found 1t very handsomely fur-
nished. The only seats were In the choir
stalls These stalls were ranged along
the sides of the wall. There were " In
all-3s on q side. The hour appointed Tor
the mass was o'clock. Five minutes be-
fom, the time the monks. entered in a body
through the main door, and were quietly
seated. Two or three minutes later the
Right Rev. Abbott entered unattended.
All the monks rose and stood as mark
OF respect until he had taken his seat
on q dais near the high altar. Then
from the sacristy entered the celebrant of
the mass with his servers, who were also
priests The monk who was to ofrer up
the sacrifice OF the mass was vested In
an elegant white chasuble, and his servers
wore white supplies; but all the other
monks seated in the chapel wore only
their black habits.
..The service began by the monks chant
| ing the office called 'Tierce. After that
they cfanted the Introit' Of the mass,
AMI then came the 'Kyric Eleison.' In
addition to all the<parts Of the musical
mass usually heard In parish church
the monks chanted the Gradual and the
proper 'Offertory. I had seldom heard
sucn a great Gregorian choir. and no mass
ever attended was quite SO impressive.
The scene, while having little In 1t OF
physical color. was full of spiritual or
postic color. With me 1t was a service
long tn be remembered.
early in the spring the Rev. Father
Gregory, o. S. B., attached to monas-
terry In Missouri, had visited these monks
of st. Bernard for the purpose of drilling
them in the chant and giving lectures
on church music. He is the leading au-
thoriiy IN this country on the Gregorian
mode ct singing, and as he spent about
three weeks at the abbey the excellent
style in which the mass was chanted was
easily accounted for"
|
PRACTICAL MAN
From June Harpers.
An English friend, who contends that