The Irish standard., 1913-11-15
MUSICAL IMPORTANCE
OF IRELAND.

-~~@ss
The worlds musical debt to Ireland is
greater than can ever be estimated.
While there are extant enough histori-
cal 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 in
tervening between the early ages and
the present day. 1fhe Norsmen de-
stroyed thousands of valuable manu-
scripts in their raids on the monas-
teries and churches, and later on the
destruction.
Historians are agreed on the fact
that previous to the coming of ST. Pat
rick the Irish bards had complete
system of musical notation, and some
musical authorities, among them Dir.
William Fl. Cummings one Of the
most eminent musicians, declare that
the bards had the diatonic scale as we
have it today. Father Beverage, Pro-
fessor Of Musical Chant in Maynooth
college, insists that the Irish melodies
belong to stage of musical develop
ment Very anterior to that of Gregor
ian chant. :. He claims that being based
on pentatonic scale, they reach back
10 oil .il,,,c tn th,A
dawn of musical history.
Sedulius, the Irish poet, musician ana
theologian, who fourished in Rome in
the fifth century, was perhaps the first
Irish churchman to achieve distinc-
ton outside Of his own country. Ills
Carmen Paschale has been called the
first great Christian epic worthy Of
the name DIR. Flood, in his History
of Irish Music. says: "From musical
point Of view, the beautiful 1ntroit Ct
the Mass of the Blessed Virgin-'Salve
Sancta Parens enixa Puerpera Regem'
which is still sung throughout the
western church, is the most glowing
tribute to the estimation in which this
worthy Irishlnan's compositions were
held by the compilers CT the Roman
Missal and Gradual. Again in the
Roman Liturgy we find our Irish COM
poser's abcediren hymn commencing
"A Soils ortus cardine;' and as D..
Healy writes: Several other express
sions in the Divine Office are Dor
rowcd from the Carmen Paschale cf
Sedulius.'"
Germany owes it's music to Irish
monks, FOR musical science was ut
terly unknown in that country until
the founding Of the monastery Of st.
Gall in the year 612 by the Irish saint
Cellach. whose name has been Latin
lied Gallus or Gall. Cellach came from
the college at Bangor, County Down,
and was the friend and disciple of ST.
Columbanus, the founder of the mon
astery at Bobio, Italy. During Gel
lach's lifetime the monastery of ST.
Gall became famous for its music, and
later on, in the end Of the eighth cen-
curry, Pope Adrian sent two famous
Roman singers. Peter and Romanus
(author of the Romanian notation). to
the Irish monastery at St: Calls to
obtain a faithful copy of the Gregori-
an Antiphonariun. Moengal, an Irish
monk, was made head master Of the
Musis School Of st. Gall in the year
$40, and under this rule it became "the
wonder and delight Of Europe"
The copying OF music became such 4
feature of the work done at st. Calls
that the scribes of this monastery pro-
vided all Germany with MSS. books
of Gregorian chant, all beautifully IL
Illuminated. At Moengars death lie
wac succeeded by his Irish disciple
Tuathal, Latfnized Tutilo. who became
even more famous than his master.