Show rl Music J US Stud t. t t roa t I The Union of Church and Secular Secular Music BY PIETRO ITH th the decline of or th I there came carno Into tho the church music mu- mu f yv sic a u cr very appreciable clement element the t the best befit o of the secular music which id d long belon belonged ed exclusively to the tho The people all over 01 Europe pro re ra so saturated with music It had hadich haden ich en a hold upon the popular fancy at neither po pope pc nor law could pro nt mt the rich man and poor man the garman g-garman or thief from Crom I enJo enjoying ln s song son and nd dance As a consequence a priests finally appropriated a c cat eat deal of the better tunes which cd d been current amongst among the Jong- Jong urs ars and were even en then sun sung e every every- Im tore ure these were altered In some especially in Germany German ere hc the tempo and the tho accent were angel to fit the sacred character the the mu music lc for the tho church But In Int t iny fly nr cases especially in Ital Italy tho the topic epic ople were far more moro careless In their between secular hes es of demarcation jd d sacred things s. s and the tunes were Kt t altered a a. little bit while even en them the tho m of or the tho popular comic songs ro re given l Just as the Jongleurs jong had hall t Imposed them As an nn illustration Im- Im Ine ne church h hymns named Red Nose ass 5 Armed Arme 1 Man Ian Ho He Ito Has Has' Hasa a a Palco Pale Pal co ico and The Gentle Troubadour aes 88 LYs is 8 a matter of or fact there were so son nr fly things haJ happening n In most of or the m Kny s of Europe such as rell religious lous Id g d civil revolutions and wars and ru- ru rs rEi of wars walS that music was not g iv- iv that strict attention which had been beene of the o e wont of or the tho minstrel days s 's twelfth and thirteenth cen- cen irles rles taly Italy was was' of course ourse the center of or J religious activity and the church id d retained Its Us old Gregorian and chants with few Cew modi I ns as This This' at last became very tire tire- k ano mo ne to worshipers and the clergy were ry much disturbed to know what to o. o pry During the fourteenth rind and nf- nf cc centuries the musical platters matters J Italy and Great Greal Britain w were re at a rw tv webb ebb It was at this time that jo o e Netherlands rose Into great reat promo prom- prom once eneo because of the gifted g musicians ho o gave e a to music its full and peret perfect per per- ct et consideration It Jt was In this cold Bt t happily artistic country countr that com com- sers arose who first accorded to her rightful place a aj the tho servant Ute lice not the mistress of the church id d of or the home and concert hall Munie Handmaid of I. I Life Ire T Music was 1 not to be made the ex- ex property of the church nor norr r ere the tho halls hulls of or pleasure and the aunts of or vice Ice to sequester all that as 8 gayest a cst and brightest In son song sewed rationally as it was b by these Dutch thinkers music was handmaid of life in fn the arse The est cst was not too good for the church or was the best out of oC place In the our walls of or the cottage e home or une uner uner un- un e er the spacious dome of a palace n short there was a marriage e of sec sec- lar and sacred music made mad possible y y the Netherlands musicians that the orld ha had probably never ne before seen Ht tIt is true that the minstrels had Boded dc- dc ded dc 1 Ion long before that time that thal the they mst Invent some rules and rc regula- regula ula- ula ons ens for their own kinds hinds of or music hick they were not allowed to learn om oat the priests for the church wn was 3 In ancient times very er jealous e of or f 11 ill her musical laws and skill 1 So at the minstrels minstrel had simply thought ut lit some simple regulations and had some simple formulas which rued r them quite well While the nests had found that their o own o re- re policy had driven out put he churches first the Tc read real t Ito rho arc are ever rather restive under aI any anya Y hid ind of at restraint antl the pee peo a who had followed their ets ts and singers cr into the open fields id d under the shelter of bf their castle ant ells or their village huts About long Along about this time Indeed In all aU middle ages the power of music vas as as placed oa on a plane with an any other arm of or therapeutics The jongleurs themselves es no doubt were honest enough In what the they maintained and even ven cn the priests were not unwilling to foster roster the superstitions If If such the they were concerning were concerning the power of music Il was confidently believed that music had a demoniac or divine power in and andt t f itself Certain tunes cured certain disorders Th The doctors themselves were Very eager to piece out their own mea mea- I ger g-er knowledge delightful o of the tho human system with this thus delightful 14 im in and of or cure slim The harp was used to quiet fever re In children and the tho flute Jute wa was played for anyone anono who was cross crags or tired or for fora a child who was given ell to much crying think of oC time the combination o of colic colle and flue lua Wild animals were tamed b by flute flute- playing while the fiddle was aM consid consid- considered I ered most excellent for fOI Indigestion That Is the time music thereof if the dyspeptic dyspeptic dys dys- peptic had himself sawed with the bow one could understand the beneficial effect ef- ef ef to the con congested sted liver II was served cd b by hearing the lusty tones o of the squealing bagpipes bag and travelers always took that Instrument as a soother of hurts and pains Says Sas an au old chronicle hen Chen one of thorp them that goeth his toe upon a stone and him l sore and him to bleed It Is well done that he and his fellows begin then a n songe or else take tak out of or his Ills a bug bagpipe for COl to drive away with such myrth the hurte hurter linn lIUN IN UN modern This Tills bit of oC superstition has recalled to m my mind a stor story told me by my mother She was with her parents up In City er creek ek can canyon on with one of the theold theold old celebrations when sh she was t but a child of or six years cars She happened to run across the quoit ground as the time themen themen men were throwing quoits Qualls of heavy stones One struck her er near ear the temple and she was carried insensible Insensible Into the me tent When hen she sho recovered reco her senses she was as quite surprised and somewhat awed Into silence to find dear old Brother Dunbar seated gravely ra el b by her side puffing and squeaking on his be beloved beloved be- be loved ed ba bagpipes as fast as breath and I occasion would warrant She did not tell me the whether the charm worked or not but certainly she was too frightened b by the sound of or the swirling swirling- pipes close to her ears to ut utter utter utter ut- ut ter much complaint And indeed Is there not a very ery potent su suggestion of all our modern notions about mind cure In n this mu musical superstition Out of this confused mingling ng l of or secular secular sec sec- ec- ec ular and sacred acred music with the he ever e Increasing popularity of of the of those days das there grew two very marked results the results the pope Invited In down Into his kingdom the best teachers of the Netherlands to instruct hl his own wn priests and he permitted his clergy y to arran arrange o musical plays plan founded on the Bible stories which brought the people back into o the churches churches in In crowds lis HII Value It Is Js through h the e eye c and the thc car ear that we net get our deepest Impressions Memory is a treacherous jade Given Givena a place where there were no books to read no plays to witness no pictures to see no preacher or poet to recite and how lon long would this world worM retain an any memory of any of or Its great teachers teachers teachers teach teach- ers or prophets How long would even ven the name of the Master be upon our lips i or In our thoughts We e must see and I hear In order to remember Arid And It was this led kno knowledge e which spurred on those old ohl monks of or the middle a ages s to first call caB In the time artist to portray In marble or 01 on canvas ean his Ideals of or the living and d dying Savior Sa Then came that other other other oth oth- er artist the window painter and eer everywhere everywhere ev ev- e er where his art was sought for and paid pal with the highest t honors and prices The exquisitely beautiful windows of or those times fill flU us today with wonder and amaze But even the tho painter could not nol keep the people from straying from the church hurch aisles After the thc first wonder of oC the beau beauty of the window and the theall oil all was over o then the mind began to towander towander wander and the time monk again left alone in his church F Few w people could read In those days dan and there were we very vary T fe few books to read The Bible was as kept entirely such copies caples of or it as had been en engraved ra ed with lon long laborious toll to tob b by skilled priests chained to the priests priest's desk and only only- opened b by that worth worthy when the Sabbath Sabbath Sabbath Sab Sab- bath or the weekday service made It necessary for him to quote his few Cew chosen chasen passages So that with the lapse of time and the fading awa away o of the stories from the popular mind through centuries of neglect the priests a again aln put to It to renew the springs of oC godly love e In the minds of or the careless careless care care- le less s multitude And what did they the thedo do A er very simple yet et very ery effective thing thing- The Miracle Plu Ia N N. N The priests arranged little pla plays g at atthe atthe the altar steps steins and these were accompanied accompanied accompanied b by music o of suitable kinds I These plays were taken from Bible stories and find so o popular did the they In Instantly instantly In- In become that time the church was again aln crowded to suffocation The plays grew re reJon longer loner Jon er an and lon longer er The house got ot fuller an and fuller All ld the countries of or Europe took up Ull one form or another o of the theo o miracle plays Illas ant and they ther became so popular that a whole week was sometimes required to complete complete com com- the time full Cull detail of the play or tragedy com I Music was tas coming Into her own Out of the these o miracle plays We wo have ha one er very famous modern example the example the Passion Passion Passion Pas Pas- sion Play Piny of oC Oberammergau Who ho does doeR not know tho time story It or of that decennial decennial decennial de de- representation But the masques of the middle ne ages were ere even e more than this for tor mo most t of or them had music attached to them them them- sung b by tho the priests ut at re regular intervals Interval And AnI a as time progressed an and the tho natural natural natural nat nat- ural improvements followed tho the Ila plays Mays R were fitted up with chorals which were sun sung b by both the priests and tho the people people people peo peo- as I will explain more Cull fully at another another another an an- other time So vcr very popular was this sacred pla that the churches were soon oon all too small for the per per- Out doors then the they went wont 1 and a stage e was built around tho the church and there thero the masque was held I with tho time most beautiful and extravagant extravagant gant ant of accessories Draperies of ot tho the finest Jewels Js of the richest purple and fine linen o of the most exquisite was the rule in these mu plays music plays le-plays given Iven by bythe bythe bythe the monks for the benefit of or both people people people peo peo- and church What hat was lacking In smoothness of or detail was more than made malte up b by ardor and tl devotion What these led to will be bo discussed in our next neat letter I 1 0 |