The New York herald., 1922-10-01

portions of the mass. Indeed they
assert, and with every appearance OF
reason, that there should not be any
nate as to evoke admiration aside
from that aroused by it's indisputable
fitness for it's Office. From the be-
ginning there was a tendency to
elaborate especially the kyrie and
alleIuia, which suggested the type of
music soon to be exempiified in the
jubili.
The Society of ST. Gregory stands
In the forefront Of the forces now
opposed to the employment Of any
thing artistically spectacular in the
service of the church. This society
publishes the Catholic Choirmdster,
one of the most admirable special
periodicals that comes to the desk OF
the writer. Some of the most learned
fathers OF the church contribute to
it's columns. 1t is conducted with dig
nifty and fairness. It's advocacy of
strict Observance of the letter and the
spirit of the celebrated "motu proprio"
of Pope Leo is carried on with vigor,
but without loss of calmness.
No one fonversant with the Roman
liturgy and the characteristics of the
Catholic service can be without a GER
tain sympathy for the movement so
aided by the Gregorians. Every OBJ
lection raised in the many centuries
of the development of the ornate mu-
sical service to it's obscuration of the
eli nP "a
ritual has as much force to-day as 1t
had when 1t was first uttered. And In
reply to these objections there is al
Ways the temptation to repeat the an
cient fable of the Council of Trent
and the salvation of church music by
Palestrinas "Missa .Papae Marcellae.'
Fiction often Proved False.
This fiction has been proved false
a hundred times; but II seems that
it is still necessary to disprove it. and
Mrs. Pyne does not disdain reference
to, it. She tells the truth about the
difficulties confronting the fathers OF
the church in Palestrina's time and
shows clearly what the great master
did toward showing how to write poly
phonically without destroying the
message of the liturgy. But no matter
how great ones admiration for the
magnificent masterpieces of the poly
phonic school, there cs n be no ques-
tion that the Gregoriars have a strong
case.
IL we turn aside for a moment to the
lyric drama, we are compelled to adj
init that the create MS of some of the
moderns are in themselves powerful
arguments for a return to something
resembling the "stile parlante" of the
early composers. Pizzettis opera
"Fcdra." for instance. is written in
modern melo6y and harmony. but with
a simplicity. a purity and a drectness
borrowed from Monteverdi. OF the
beautr, the eloquence, the uplifting
nobility OF this new stile parlante
there can be no question. Something
like IL is to be found In Montemezzis
"L'Amore del Ire Re-" and is the
secret of the musical spell of this in
exorably direct tragedy.
But when all Is said and done the
student of the seven arts cannot es-
cape the conviction that the music of
Palestrina belongs TO the majestic
Gothic temples which enshrine the
decorated images Of the Virgin, the
chiseled forms of saints and martyrs,
the immortal paintings OF the Cruel
fixion, the scarlet vestments before the
high altar. One wonders whether
there might not indeed be something
even theatrical in a performance of
the ARMED Man." mass No. /, of
which Mrs. Pyne writes so eloquently
in her appendix. The most gorgeous
cathedral in Europe could be no more
generous in splendors than this COM
position. long silent, yet challenging
the most rhapsodic admiration Of this
ardent student of the famous masters
works.
stages Debt TO the Church.
rhe stage owes much TO the church. |
The opera owes almost its whole ap-
paratus When Rossini and Verdi