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Show WOMEN IN CHOIRS. Rev. Dr. Brann, of New York, Publishes Pub-lishes His Views. Itev. Dr. Brann, pastoi of St. Agnes' church, New York, is a member of the oemmittee appointed by Archbishop Farley to encourage church -music reform re-form in New York. But Dr. Brann has his own ideais of what this reform implies. im-plies. He gave his views on the subject sub-ject to a reporter of the New Y'ork Sun last Saturday: "The pope never intended to exclude women from the organ loft, especially as we have it in this country. If . he did. all the little girls who are 12 years old and upward would be incapable of i singing in the church services. According Ac-cording to canon law. a girl of 12 years is a woman and eligible for marriage and all the responsibilities attached thereto. The consequence of this inter-! inter-! pretation of the pope's letter on music would be the destruction of all the church choirs in the poorer chun-her8. and especially in the country districts, for such choirs are almost entirely made up of the young girls ranging frn.ll v to L'O !"It is an important to know what may be sung as to know what should not be sung at high maes or vespers. I according to the letter of Piux X. Much J more latitude is given to the music-which music-which may be sung at low masses or at non-liturgical services, when hymns in English are often sung". "Sacred music is not an essential part, but only a complementary part of the solemn liturgy, says the papal letter; let-ter; and if we in this country have been at times using improper church music the fault lies at the door of our foreign brethren who have been importing to us the masses of Mercadante, Rossini and Verdi and the florid compositions of- Capccci from Italy: the masses- of Imillotte, Selle. La Hache. Silas. Guil-matit, Guil-matit, Dubois and Gounod from Franc?: Mozart, Haydn. Beethoven. Von AVebei and Sohubert from Germany; Liszt from Hungary, Poniatowski from Poland, Po-land, and scores of others, great and small, tolerated and ' sanctioned by priosts. bishops and popes across the Atlantic. "Evidently Pope Pius X struck at 'the abuses near home first, for reform, like charity, begins at home. The letter has been misinterpreted .by many w ho imagine im-agine that it condemns modern music. It docs rot. It 'condemns the abuse of music. It condemns, only what every nun of religious sentiments must condemnall con-demnall that offends the decorum and the sanctity of the sacred functions and is thus unworthy of the house of prayer and nf the majesty of God." Asked if he was going to disband his mixed choir, Dr. Brann answered: "Certainly not." He said further that everybody went off ''half cocked" immediately im-mediately on receipt of the pope's letter and the central idea which dominated every one was, "get rid of the women." "Now many of the churches that did get rid of the women," said Dr. Brann, "are sorry for it." j |