The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-12

ance nj The ancien, CroeL 6r.~o. |
One M tho 6r.t NJ ora,or,o. no. th., |
OF Cayaliere. In RappresentazIone Al
Anima q di Corpo.' which wa, per. !
formed In Rome in ,6OO shortly aftsr
the composer's death. II sppear. Ia
have been suggested by the perform- |
ance of pla Va founded on Biblica, s,,b. |
jccts and combined with simple music. |
which had been given in the oratory
Of Santa Maria in Va,lice,la at Rome. |
These says Sir Hubert Parry IN his
Summary OF the History OF Music
had been instituted by Fillppo Neri.
the founder Of the CONGREGATION OF
the Oratorians, for religious purposes:
and II appears that the familiar name
which has become universal was de-
rived from the place where these
earlier works had been performed.
The name "Oratorio." however. did
not come into use till considerably
later. The first to use it in a pub
lished work is said to have been
Francesca Balducci. who died In 1872.
The earlier examples we're sometimes
described az "Dramma sacra per
Musica.''
This conveniently bit Will
undoubtedly make a long tour. IL VIII
be clipped and quoted from Maine to
California In newspapers which do not
make a speciality Of music. but which
aim to show their liberality by doing
out pieces Of musical misinformation
from time to time. Such unQuestion-
Ing repetitions OF exploded notions
prevent people from arriving at the
truth Tho HnRf TIM tho thing 0nnaaFC
in a highly valued musical magazine
gives 1t a fictitious authority.
The evil In his paragraph lies In Its
preservation OF old tatemen made
over and over in hack histories or
music and now without excuse. That
the old histories should be inexact Is
to he pardoned. for much ha been
learned since they were written. That
an authoritative musical magazine
should give space TO the ancient tales
is not pardonable.
Fflippo Neri was not an active MEM
Der OF the Florentine coterie which
was long credited with the invention
Of the musical Drama. He was the
founder OF the Congregation OF the
Fathers OF the Oratory. as DR.. Parry
notes, and his work was not creative.
but reconstructive. lie rescued the old
religious play from the degradation
into which II had fallen. or perhaps 1t
would be more exact to say offered as
a substitute for 1t q new series OF
| religious dra mas written and composed
| by real artists. Even Palestrina con-
! trlbuted to the good work, and all Of
Cavaliere's libretti were written by
sehtie"ofha Oh nish culture
>eri was 10 no way connected with
the f~ioren'ine movement IN the opera
neid. Inc quotation from Sir Hubert
Parry Always an accurate writer. Is
ooscured by the Introductory sentence.
But something more or less should
nave been said about the artistic OBJ
Jects OF the young F~1orentines. The
story that they were solely occupied
In trying TO resuscitate the Greek
drama has survived too long.
They were much more eagerly bent
on abolishing the complexities and
~obscurities OF vocal polyphOny. They
were trying to rid the lyric stage of a
form OF musical drama in which the
text was unintelligible because Of the
complications OF the music. 1t was in
this endeavor that they created recita-
tive, or. as they called it. the "stile par
lante." in which they couched the
dramatic speech Of their first operas.
II should he the business OF writer's on
music 10 keep such matters clearly be-
fore h minds Of readers, for 1t In
difficult to remove errors after they
are once firmly implanted.