The New York herald., 1922-05-21

tion was generally illiterate. The
church would have utilized moving
pictures for its instruction had these
magical portraitures been in exist
ence then. Wanting them, it used
the living picture.
Parent of the Opera.
Early in its history it began to en-
ploy simple dramatic forms for popu-
lar instruction, and one of its most
important plays was a primitive rep
resentation of the Passion. This was
enacted as a ceremonial during Holy
Week. Out of such practices devel-
opcd the whole structure OF the re-
ligious drama, which was the parent
Of the opera. The most ancient speci-
men of this religious play which we
have is the "vierges Sages ct Vierges
F'olles.''
The text is a quaint mixture of
Latin and Provencal. The opening
chorus begins: "Adest sponsus qui
est Christus: vigilate. virgines." Later,
when the foolish virgins have slept,
they sing in Provencal: "Dolentas!
Chaitivasl trop avem dormit!' The
modern French equivalent is: NAL
heureusesl Chatives! Nous avons
trop dormi," This old drama brings
to the stage the angel Gabriel. who
announces the coming Of the Saviour
and tells what He suffers on earth for
the sins of men.
So that here at least is the kernel
of the Passion. Another medieval
drama dealing with a part of the
theme is of the fourteenth century,
probably Thuringian, and called Die
Marienklage"-the complaint of Mary.
Something very similar TO this was
written long afterward in a "Laud"
of Jacopone da Todi, who presented
long dialogue between Mary and the
Saviour on the cross, followed by the
mothers lamentation, while the chorus
occasionally shouted. Cruelty HIM"
Lewis Riccoboni in his Historical
and Critical Account of the Theaters
in Europe" G74D says that the Fra
ternity Of the Gonfalone enacted the
Passion periodically in the Coliseum.
These performances were abolished, he
says. by Paul III. in 1549. We know
very little about these Italian per-
formances. but have considerably more
light on those given in France in the
fourteenth century by the then cele-
brated Confraternite dc la Passion.
This company was engaged to con-
tribute to the wedding festivities OF
Charles VI. and Isabella of Bavaria.
Thereafter it travelled. giving public
performances. The play was so long
that il had TO be presented i'm parts
on successive days. II employed
eighty-seven actors and used elabo-
rate machinery. Many of the indi-
vidual utterances seem to have been
sung and there were certainly choruses.
For the student OF musical settings
of the Passion one OF the most sig
nifcant things in this work is the di-
rection as to the delivery of the words
of the Father
sung I'm Two Languages.
In more modern works the endeavor
to make the speech of the Father inn
personal is conducted in precisely tho
same manner, namely by writing the
passage for several voices in harmony
The direction in the drama of the
fourteenth century is Mote that the
words of God the Father be very
nudibly pronounced and well sounded
In three voices that Is to say, q treble,
a counter treble and counter bass
all I'm tune" The Fathers words, fol-
lowing this direction. are sung in two
languages. thus:
"Hic est hlius meus diectus,
In quo mihi bene complacui.
C'estui-ci est mon fills anne Jesus,
Quo bien me plaist; ma paisance
est en- lui."
tt would not be profitable to trace
the development Of Passion music as
distinct from Passion plays The sep
aration of the two forms might easily
he related to the advent Of the modern
oratorio with the experiments of ST.
Philip Neri In the historical oratory
from which the new form derived It's
name. But the first oratorios were
nothing more than religious dramas in
which the music reached a higher or