EMPIRE SELF-RAISING FLOUR The West AUSTRALIAN
RECORD
PERTH, SATURDAY, MAY
" The
Rises Above all Others.
l9] 3
Music of the Catholic Church "
By R. J. BASTIAN, Organist of St. Patrick's Church,
Fremantle
ON SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 3rd, 1913.) (PAPER READ BEFORE THE W.A. MUST(' TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION of those who prevail- lesmes, in France, that the restora- exercise on the minds Writing an article on such a colos- diatonic principle gradually is due. For over listen to it that efficacy which the Chant Plain of tion for retainiel, was fiat B only in admitsal subject presents great difficulty, ed, and the tritone thirty years they patiently collected Church aims at obtaining in the matter of what to say and the purpose of avoiding of Eu- ting into her liturgy the art of muparts all from the manuscripts empla-ong In B. and what not to say. There is material between F rope, the result of their labours be- sical sounds. was rar.ily used, sufficient to till twelve such articles, melody the tonic But it must, at the same time, be the discovery of an admirable ing century 11th the till and then leave much unsaid. This be- and it was not universal in the sense that, while up Chant Gregorian the tradition of which in arose ing the case, it is not possible to do that a change every nation is permitted to admit to the 17th century. The present much more than give a bare outline The Tonic was gradually to Dominate Pope, Pius X., in his "Motu Prointo its ecclesiastical compositions the entire Melody be of the subject. has those special forms which may 1903, of music church on prio" About the year 1000 Ind onward, The synopsis of the subject matter said to constitute its native music, Plain of restoration the oecreed attempts were made to ornament is as follows Chant throughout the entire Church. still these forms must be subordinaGregorian or Plain Chant (a short and elaborate the chant, and by the ted in such a manner to the general General Principles apits male Polyphony restorathat and decay time rise, sketch of its characteristics of sacred music, that 1. Sacred music, being a complehad it centiii'y, 14th the in pearance tion). of any nation may receive an nobody liturgy, become tortuous and fanciful. The mentary part of the solemn hearPolyphonic music. scope of impression other than good on general the participates in relargely was Polyphony of advent Homophonic music. ing them. mornthe Some personal views of The Different Kinds of Sacred Music ing and evening services. 3. These qualities are to be found, the in Reason why Latin is lewd in the highest degree, in the GregoRoman Liturgy. rian Chant, which is, consequently, Plain Chant, Plain Song, or Grethe chant proper to the Roman gorian music, is undoubtedly the creChurch, the only chant she has ination of the first six centuries of herited from the ancient fathers, Christianity. It has now been well which she has jealously guarded for established that Plain Chant or Grecenturies In her liturgical codices, gorian music did not have its rise in which she directly proposes to the Rome, but that it originated in the faithful as her own, which she preEast, and, during the course of years, scribes exclusively, for some parts of gravitated to Rome. The activity of the liturgy, and which the most recomponent parts of the Church opercent studies have so happily restorated on Route as the centre, where ed to their integrity and purity. On everything was regulated, and asthese grounds Gregorian Chant has signed a place in accordance with always been regarded as the supreme characteristics. peculiar their model for sacred music, so that it is to have seems theory Chant Plain fully legitimate to lay down the foloriginated in Syria, in the fourth lowing rule :-"The more closely a century, when sacred music began to composition for Church approaches he cultivated. Antiphony and hymand in its movement, inspiration, nody had already been admitted inthe form, Gregorian the savour, ChrysosJohn to the Church by St. beit liturgical more sacred and St. by tom at Constantinople, and the more out of harcomes ; and Ambrose (who died in 397) in Milan. mony it is with that supreme -model, From Milan they Penetrated into the the less worthy is it of the temple. other Latin Churches The ancient traditional Gregorian to Gaul, Spain and Southern Italy, chant must, therefore, be largely while Jamie probildy became acteetered to the function of public quainted with them in the fourth worship, and everybody must take century. During this period several for certain that an ecclesiastical Popes worked at the development of function loses nothing of its solemchurch music, viz., 1.eo Id. 461), Grnity when it is accompanied by no 5141, Id. 496), Synimachus lasins i. other music than this. John (d. 52(,, and Boniface ((l. 532 I. Special efforts are to be made to the regulated Pope Gregory (d. 604.) restore the use of the Gregorian (if organisation and systematisation "hint by the peo de, so that the liturgic functions and accompanyinz faithful may again take a more acctrints. Maio this tinte aPPeared tive port in the ecclesiastical offices, called the litur2Jcal as was the case in ancient times. "Saee'amf ntariam ;regorianam,- and The aho.-e nontOned qualities .;re the musical, called "Antiphonarium also Gregorianum It has been admitPossessed in an Excellent Degree ted that many unproven musical by the Classic Polyphony, traits have been assigned to Greespecially of the Itotaan school, gory, particularly so as to his perwhich reached its. greatest perfection Patrick's Church, Fremantle. Milt. it. .1. BASTIAN, Organist of sonal activity as musical composer. in the fifteenth century., owing to the It was to the students of the "Schoof works of Pierluigi da I'alestrina, and la Ca ntorum," or singing Ahed, sponsible for the decay of I lain - the liturgy, which is the glory 'irish God and the sanctification and edi- continued subsequently to produce in song. In Cathedrals an which had long been established It contri- compositions of excellent quality Rome, that the labour of framing Churches "up-to-date" hooks ousted fication of the faithful. musical musical laws was releglted, and Pope. the old chant books that were still butes to the decorum and the splen- from the liturgical and The classic polyphony dour of the ecclesiastical ceremonies; standpoint. Gregory is supposed to have done true to tradition. little more tlmn to rouse them to rnder the influence of 1',lyfinony, and, since its principal office is to agrees admirably with Gregorian clothe with suitable melody the litur- Chant, the supreme model of all sacPlain Chant was practic lily Upon the Schola vreater activity. until by the time of .ualertrina gical text proposed for the under- red music, and hence it has been ('antorinn devolved ti.v, task of had standing of the faithful, its proper found worthy of a place side by side spre.olin,z the Gregorian Chant. Eng- the tradition of Plain Chant the with' the Gregorian Chant in the land, through St. Augustine, became been well nigh lost. When later on aim is to add greater efficacy to the it more solemn functions of the Church, through that order in ma,ie text, was by it to restore attempt and muacquainted with the liturgic movsuch as those of the Pontifical Chaeasily more the may be faithful Medicoean the of reform the publication sical under Gregory himself. disposed This, too, must, therefore, lie better pel. and devotion to ed from the variations Press, the ft was in the time of St. Ambrose funcof hat the four "Authentic Modes " nal were amazing. There are alsa for the reception of the fruits of restored largely in ecclesiasticalimporcelebration especially in the more tions, the to grace belonging Mechas known editions, rory two other were arranged and Pope Urn tant basilicas, in cathedrals, and in at a later t eriod added what is lin and flatisbon, both founded .,n the most holy mysteries. the churches and chapels of semin2. Sacred music should consequentthe known as the four "Naval Vodes." the Medicoean, and carrying tradition. ly possess, in the highest degree, the aries and other ecclesiastical instiwere those game lepart tires from The authentic modes F, (1, while the within the li,st, 150 ye are or there- qualities proper to the liturgy, and tutions in which the necessary means starting from about, Plain Chant Las only' sur- Precisely sanctity and goodness of are usually not lacking. Id:teals each a fourth 5. The Church has always recognisvived in a few obscure monasteries. corm, from which its other character viz., B, c, P. There are ed and favoured the progress of the mode,: which are only transposition.; Modern anisic has also had its share of universality spontaneously springs. It must be holy, and must, there- arts, admitting to the service of the of these eight, by means of B fiat, in distr,,cting attention from Plain !t is well to know that fore, exclude all profanity not only cult everything good and beautiful the only chromatic note allowed in 'one. throw.hc,iit this period the ecclesias- in itself, but in the manner in which discovered by genius in the course of this strictly diatonic system. reThe latest in vestigations chow tical aethorities have insisted that it is presented by those who execute ages-always, however, with due gard to the liturgical laws. Consethat at one time liturgic mimic em- Plain Chant was the true liturgic it. It mast be ''true art," fur other- quently modern music is also admitcc r^'. ployed pretty extensively the chr.,It s !orgely to the monks of So - wise it will he impossible for it to ted in the Church, since it, too, flu*: matic scale. However, thn etei0 (
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