Catholic Choirmaster V04n01 1

- º Uº. º º - The society of St. Gregory of America ºn tº º lº Cº. º sº º ºs º º tº º º º º lººd - ºutlier. Sº Mr. Jam ºil ºn º, º A. sº Sº Gº || ºn lit ºn tº ºle º tº ºver tº º tº 0 ºn ºn tº º ºr sº tº ºn ºn |º º I ºu º nº ºn tº º º - - º º ºn tº º - Úhe Cathulir Chairmaster Vol. IV. JANUARY, 1918 No. 1. CONTENTS Page Church music in its relation to School Music . 2 False quantities in Plain Chant . 9 Papal Letter to the Cardinal Vicar of Rome . 11 Editorial . 14 Notes and gleanings … - - - - - - - 15 Reviews . 16 Questions and Answers . .. 18 Programmes . 19 List of Approved Music — Harrisburg Diocese . 21 Musical Supplement:– Secundae Vesperae in Nativitate Domini – Rev. Leo P. Manzetti. - 2 THE CATHOLIC CHOIRMASTER §rhuul ſilitair in its ſkelafinit fu (Iluurrb ſituair by Justine Ward INCE the publication of the Motu being the alpha and omega of the Proprio so much emphasis has Holy Father's desires, it is in reality been laid on the reform of choirs and but a temporary measure. The ideal the efforts of choirmasters, that we are held up to us as final is not that of almost led to assume that the choir a priest answered by a small group is the sole vehicle of reform contempla of highly trained singers, while the ted by the Pope, and the choirmaster people listen, but of a three cornered the sole official charged with carrying performance between a priest, a group out his decrees. - of highly trained artists and the whole Singularly enough the Holy Father, body of the faithful. Whether viewed if we can judge by his official from an artistic or from a devotional writings, seems to have regarded standpoint, this contrast of finished the choir in a very different light. art on the one hand, and on the other At best it was a makeshift, “a more the majesty of numbers, is a stirring recent institution, yet a legitimate one, one to the imagination, and it is to replace the original combination of encouraging to think that anything Schola Cantorum and People,” (1) short of this falls short of the Holy “The most ancient and correct ec Father's expressed desire: clesiastical tradition in regard to That we in America are not yet Sacred Music,” he tells us, “encour equipped to carry out the Holy ages the whole body of the people Father's full plan is all too evident. to take an active part in the liturgical In a few isolated instances an effort services, the people singing the Common has been made to introduce congrega of the Mass, while a Schola Cantorum tional singing (usually the singing sings the variable and richer parts of hymns only) and the result has been of the text and of the melodies thus far from satisfactory. But this merely alternating with the people.” (2) proves that we have not yet taken the Consequently the Holy Father in his right means of reaching the Holy Motu Proprio which was addressed Father's standard; not that the “as a juridical code” to the whole standard itself is either undesirable Christian world, directed that “special or unattainable. efforts” should be made “to restore The purpose of this paper is to the use of Gregorian Chant by the * suggest a practical plan by which people, so that the faithful may again the Holy Father's wishes can be carried take an active part in the ecclesiastical out to the letter, the movement being offices as was the custom in ancient one which affects very intimately the times.” (3) life of our whole Catholic people. So far, then, from a reformed Choir Music is one of the Church's most (1) Rules for the Province of Rome, 1912. (2) Rules for the Province of Rome, 1912. (3) Motu Proprio 1903. THE CATHOLIC CHOIRMASTER 3 teaching powerful means of expression, and aspects of the Church's as such is of universal the Church has always safeguarded method and interest. her means of expression with the same this care and solicitude with which she has “The purpose of music,” wrote to train and form safeguarded the dogmatic content great Pope, “is the minds of the faithful to all of her message. Wherever her civili sanctity.” It was for this reason that zation has spread, her dogmas have he wished to bring it to all the people, expressed through art, as well been young and old, rich and poor; it was the written or the spoken as through for this reason that he appealed to a special type of building, word; every group to help him. addressing his of sculpture, of stained a special type “Juridical Code of Sacred Music,” not of painting, and above all glass, to choirmasters and singers only, but to music developed as the expression of “the Clergy, Superiors of Seminaries, Church's message. And this art, of the Superiors of Religious Communities, was the property of the man this music Parish Priests, Rectors of Churches and street—it was never reserved in the above all, to the Diocesan Ordinaries,” specialist. The sculpture on the for the (4). To all these groups individually and the poor man's Bible, porches was collectively, the Holy Father appealed was his means of expressing the music to do their share in restoring music and no-one thought his love of God, to our Catholic people, for this great denying his voice its share in the of Pope realized that lacking the aid of worship. Those who broke away divine any one of these groups, the rest would Church in the Sixteenth from the be handicapped and the movement indeed, ignorant of the laws Century, develop in a lopsided manner. of psychology which demand that from every impression shall be given an The co-operation he expected the adequate expression, suppressed feeling each is set forth clearly in Rome,” as an unworthy accompaniment to wor “Rules for the Province of ship. They tore down the statues published in 1912 a document which the from the altars, broke the stained glass clearly shows that the reform lay in of the windows, suppressed liturgy mind of Pope Pius X as a popular re-establishment and its expression in music, and as movement for the and social a result the dogmatic content has all of music as a potent religious this but died out for lack of nourishment. factor in the lives of the people. To But the Church, guided by the Holy result each group in authority was Ghost both in her dogmas and her to contribute its quota: Superiors were method of transmitting them, has of Ecclesiastical Seminaries of the ever realized that appropriate feeling to “treat music as a matter is a great aid to the assimilation of highest importance to the clergy” truth. Music is undoubtedly the most and provide if possible a daily lesson “for all the direct and powerful form of expression. in sacred chant and music As such the Church embodies it in her students indiscriminately.” Where liturgy, and desires her children to a daily lesson was impossible a mini use it. Thus the reform of Sacred mum of two hours a week was required. Music desired by Pope Pius X is some Pastors were enjoined to “understand with thing more than a movement in favor clearly and familiarize themselves of art. It is the ecclesiastical rules regarding sacred of sound principles rules a reassertion of one of the important music,” and to “explain these (4) Motu Proprio 1903. 4 THE CATHOLIC CHOIRMASTER to their choirmasters, organists and glowingly before them. At that age singers;” to see that the music in their “the people” can be as easily stamped churches was “properly interpreted” for life with the divine seal of beauty by a “group of singers sufficient as with the seal of the trivial and the in number and adequate from a litur commonplace. It all rests with the gical and artistic standpoint;” that teacher. One of these remarked re these singers be “brought together cently in my presence that the children at regular intervals for a sufficient in her class did not care for Gregorian number of rehearsals” and that in order Chant, to which her Superior remarked to make this possible, “the choirmaster in a tone of finality: “We all know that and singers be adequately remunera our children like what we like.” ted,” a regular appropriation being The Holy Father knew this too, made for this purpose, even should and wrote: “Parochial Schools are these funds have to be diverted from especially urged to foster the effective other Church activities. But this is training of their members in sacred not all: Pastors were to “explain to the singing.” (1) Appealing directly to people the Holy Father's high inten those in control, he added: “All bodies tions in the reform of sacred music,” of women teachers should make this and “urge the people to co-operate by work especially their own so that the joining in singing the common parts boys and girls who come under their of the Mass (the Kyrie, Gloria, etc.), training may be able to take part in the also the psalms and the more familiar sacred functions and by singing the hymns of the liturgy as well as hymns music allotted to the people may in the vernacular”. Again, both Clergy encourage the rest of the congregation and people were urged to take an active to follow their example.” (2) part in the singing of Vespers, “lest These, then, are the “special efforts” the liturgical functions be reduced to which we can make to restore the a musical entertainment at which the use of Gregorian Chant by the people.

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