The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-01-11
Sedulius, the Irish Poet, Musician
and Theologian, Achieved Fame
in Fifth Century.
The Norse1nen and Anglo-Normans
Destroyed Thousands of Manu-
scripts of Value.
The First Treatise on Music in
the English Language Written
by Lionel Power.

The worlds musical debt to Ireland
is greater than can ever be estimated.
While there are eXtant enough his
torical facts to prove the value Of the
achievements of the musicians Of the
Land of Song," still there can be no
doubt that much valuable data has
been lost in the troublous centuries
intervening between the early ages
and the present day, writes Myles ].
Murphy for the Catholic Sun.
The Norsemen destroyed thousands
OF valuable manuscripts in their raids
OH the monasteries and churches, and,
later OH, the Anglo o-Nornlans added to
the work Of destruction.
Historians are agreed on the fact
that previous to the coming of st,
Patrick the bards had a complete
system o: musical notation. and some
musical authorities, among them DR..
William II. Cummings, one of the
most eminent Of English musicians,
declare that the bards had the dia-
tcnic scale as we have it today.
Father Bewerunge, Professor of
Musical Chant in Maynooth College,
insists that the Irish melodies belong
to a stage OF musical development
Very much anterior to that OF Greg
orian chant. He claims that, being
based fundamentally on a pentatonic
scale, they reach back to d period al
together previous to the dawa Of
musical history.
Sedulius, the Irish poet, musician
and tteologian, who flourished in
Rome in the fifth century, was, per-
haps, the first Irish churchman to
achieve distinction outside of his own
country. TIis Carmen Paschale' has
been called the first great Christian
epic worthy of the .lanlc.
Dr. Flood, in his ''HistoIy OF Iris',
Music" says: Prom a musical point
or view, the beautiful Introit OF tho
Sancta parens Enixa Puerpcra Re
gcm"--whic1a is still sung throughout
the western church, is a glowing trb-
ute to the estimation in which this
worthy lrislln1an's compositions were
held by tho conlpilers OF the Roman
Missal and Gradual. Again, in the
St,1r
composers abeerdiren hymn COM
mencing "A Soils ortus cardine'; and,
as DR.. Healy writes, Several othc,
expressions in tho Divine Office ars
borrowed from the Carmen Paschale
Of Sedulius.'''
Germany owes its music to tha
Irish monks, for musical science wai
utterly unknown in that country ur
til the founding of the monastery of
st. Gall in the year e12 by the Irish
saint, Callach, whose name has been
Latinized Gallus or Gall.
Moengal, an Irish monk was made
head master Of the Music School OF
st Gall il the year SO, and under
this rule it became "tl1e wonder and
delight Of Europe" Tho copying of
music became such a feature Of tho
work done at st. Calls that the
scribes of this monastery provided all
Germany with MSS. books Of Greg
orian Chant, all beautifully illurnin-
ated. at Moengal's death he was
succeeded by his Irish disciple, Tuat-
hal, Latinized Tutilo, who became
even more famous than his master.
About the year 653, st. Gertrude OF
Brabant, Abbess of Nivelle, in Bra
bant, seat for two brothers, st. Foillar
and st. Ultan. to teach psalmody tc
her nuns. The two Irish monks com
piled with her request, and built al
adjoining monastery at Fossc, neal
Liege.
All Northern Europe must acknowl.
edge it's Indebtedness to Ireland moro
or less. for wherever the Irish monks
went they brought the science Of mu.
sic with them.
The learned KessIe, writing of oul
early ecclesiastics, says: EVERY
province in Germany proclaims this
race as its bcnefactor. Austria cele
brates st. Colrnan. st. Virsilius, st