Evening star., 1929-12-21

dancing in connection with religious
ceremonial became immensely popular
indeed, 1t became 50 overworked that
presently 1t was discouraged and even
tually disappeared.
The Christmas plays, or mysteries,
as they were called, of which st. Fran
cis' simple, tableaux were the forerun-
ners, were noted versions of the Christ
mas scenes originally performed by the
clergy and in the Latin tongue, and
at q time when few could read were
very helpful in keeping the Bible mar
ratives before the people. Later the
acting of the plays passed into the
hands of the people, which may have
given them wider publicity. but Ger
tainly did not appear to have added to
their dignity, for all sorts of comic and
incongruous scenes were introduced. BY
the fifteenth century there were three
distinct forms of these representations.
The mystery play, dealing with events
in the life Of Christ; the miracle play,
representing the doings of the saints,
and the morality play, in which were
shown allegorical representations Of va
rious virtues and vices. They were ex-
and were generally performed in the
open air on specially erected stages.
Four whole collections of mystery
plays have come down to us, dating
from the fourteenth to the sixteenth
century, and known as the York and
Townley plays and the Chester and
Coventry plays. They were played by
different companies or guilds, and many
amusing details Of their production
guild gave the story most allied to its
trade, the goldsmiths playing the
Alteration Of the Magi" wherein they
offered gold, frankincenSe and myrrh,
and the boatmen and boat builders
producing THE Ark"
Carols as Intermezzi.
At first carols were merely sung as
intermezZi between the scenes of the
music Is played between the acts of a
modern drama, but after a time the
carol interludes became so popular with
the audience that there was often great
rivalry between the actors and the carol
singers, and the audience having taken
great liking to the carols, was always
asked Oike Oliver TWIST for more, and
1t is recorded that at Chester the audi
ence once wrecked the stage and prop
critics and beat the players because
they did not get enough carols to please
them! BY the thirteenth or fourteenth
century, however, these difficulties were
overcome, and, the singers and players
becoming incorporated, the music was
performed on the stage as a part of
the play itself. Henceforth the musi-
clans led the players. The organiSt
was furnished with little portable Or
gan. which he carried fastened to his
shoulders by a strap. Blowing the bel
lows with his left hand and playing the
keys with his right (very much like
street singer playing an accordion), he
led the procession to and fro across
the stage, followed by the singers
Sometimes the enthusiasm of the audi
ence was so great that the procession
marched into the street and, Joined by
the audience, marched around the roads
with the players singing carols.
From this custom 1t was an easy
step to the singing Of the carols apart
from the mystery plays, and by the fif-
teenth century it had become COM
mon practice to sing the carols alone
without histrionic representation.
The Music of the Carols.-Many of
the oldest tunes we're written In the
old model scales. which by the peculiar
tonality and the absence Of chromatic
intervals give a distinctly refreshing
sense Of strangeness which Is fascinat-
ing to modern ears.
pHILLIPS in his book on Carols di-
vides them into 13 divisions:
Philips In his book on carols olVldeS
them into IS divisions:
% OF the Virgin Mary-Practically
all Reformation works, many of
them being of great beauty. ranking
with the best specimens of old English
lyrics. Most of them are composite,
having lines in English and Latin alter
nately, or end their stanzas with q
Latin refrain, as does the very old
carol "When Christ Was Born Of Mary
Free" when every verse ends with I'm
excelsis gloria" In many of these
carols the Virgin is often likened to
lilies and roses. In others to a bird.
Many were sung TO the music Of secular
songs.
az Narrative or Story Telling Carols
II saw Three Ships" THE First
Noel" and Cherry Tree Carol. the story
of which occurs In O scene from one OF
the Coventry mystery plays. and upon
which the carol was probably founded.
This legend OF the cherries Is one OF the
Oldest Legends In the world. and accord
ing 10 the Rev. Barring Gould. the great
authority and writer on folkslore. the
story II the lingering on OF very curl
ous and mvftetlous tradition commnn
to the whole race of man, that the eat.
tccn,lnu'd on Eleventh Prsr)