devices into the service of God.' St. Basil was able
to refute his adversaries, and to heal the breach in
the congregation, by referring to the example of
older churches in which Iiis ' innovations ' had long-
been established. Unhappily, the two parties are
not so easily reconciled to-day.
Perhaps a consideration of the controversy in its
past and present aspects may not be out of place
liere. Before entering on the discussion, however,
it will be advisable to define what is meant by
' -Esthetics.' There is no question of an 'absolute
pitch ' in ritual, or in the proportion of the various
parts of a service. ' Esthetics, rightly understood,
refers to what li fitthis,' in any given circumstances.
It will not be denied that the most a-sthetic and
artistic arrangement, for instance in dress, when
placed among surroundings utterly out of sympathy
with it, becomes inartistic and in bad taste, and
indeed its inherent a?stheticism is the measure of
its violation of the canons of art when taken as part
of an inharmonious whole.
In the earlier developments of musical science, all
nuisic was written for the Churcli, and was founded
on the old ecclesiastical chants. In the search for
new subjects, musicians, without intentional irrever-
ence, were driven to select well-known secular, and
even irreligious, songs, the ords of which were in
all probability occasionally supplied by some
cliorister during service (inodo siio) for the anuise-
nient of his colleagues.^ In their efforts to excel in
variety of musical invention, composers mixed up
parts of the liturgy and passages from the Gospels
without reference to their coherence, and so, while
doing great work for the development of the science
of music, they were yet transgressing most flagrantly
all the canons of aesthetics in worship. Practices
of this nature increased to such an extent, and were
frauolit with such grave dangers to the Church
services, that in 1564 it was a question under the
serious consideration of the Council of Trent
whether all development of musical science should
not be forbidden in the Church, and only plain
unisonal singing of the Gregorian tones permitted.
Fortunately for art, more moderate counsels pre-
vailed. A committee was appointed to consider
and report on the whole subject. This committee
invited the famous chapel master of St. Maria
Maggiore to compose representative masses, and
Palestrina nobly responded to the invitation. In
the following year (1565), three masses (one^
' Thus we have the mass ' L'Homme Arme ' founded on a
popular French song, which was used as a ' Cantus Firmus ' by
almost eveiy composer of any note : also the mass ' Red Noses,'
and 'Adieu, my loves'; all receiving their titles from the song
which served as their foundation or ' Cantus.'
- The famous Missa Papa; Marcelli.
dedicated to Palestrina's old patron — Pope Mar-
cellus), were performed before the Council and the
Pope. Their nobility of purpose and beauty of
form, their fine expression of strong religious feel-
ing, delighted the judges. They were adopted by
the authorities, and recommended to all future
Cimrch composers as worthy models ; and Pales-
trina's name is honoiu-ed to this day as the saiour
of music at a most critical period in its history.
In this controversy, brought on by thoughtless
licence on the part of musicians, intensified by the
uncompromising attitude of the authorities, and
settled by an honest and successful attempt to
arrange a common platform, there is a valuable lesson
for us of to-day. From it our conservative church
members ought to learn that it is not by blind
opposition to general tendencies that they will best
further their own cause ; while those whose sym-
pathies run in an opposite direction ought to be
warned not to forget the danger they may jirepare
for their party if they ignore the arguments of their
opponents, and allow their love of art to dominate
their sense of proportion and fitness ; botli may learn
that a common platform may be reached by a com-
promise in which each side acknowledges the force
of some of the arguments submitted, and agrees to
surrender some of its theories.
At the Reformation, Luther, appreciating the effect on the people of congregational singing, introduced 'chorale' siiig-ing into the Reformed Church. These 'chorale' were in many cases popular songs, with the secular words scarcely veiled, and the music identical. A good example is afforded by a well-known Journeyman's song, which, transformed into a hymn, has been a favourite in Germany for generations.
I 'Spruck ich muss dich lassen (Innspruck I must forsake thee, Ich far dahin mein Strassen And on my way betake me
In fremde Land dahin. In - to a distant land.) became : —
O welt ich muss dich lassen Ich fahr dahin mein Strassen In s (O world I must forsake thee, And on my way be - lake me, To
e - wis' Vater - land. mine e - ter- nal home.)
