The Spirit of Gregorian Chant - Church Music Association of America

INTRODUCTION 19
pretext of gravity, of dignity, of religious respect; when it is not
even in virtue of I know not what principle of spirituality, quite
little orthodox, by virtue of which, in order not to flatter nature,
all must be taken away from it, even that to which it has the most
incontestable rights. And do we not in fact see certain persons,
in the fear of laying themselves open to sensuality, demand that
Plainchant should be despoiled of all that is agreeable, that it
should not be, as they say, 'really music (de la musique)T
"The best minds have sometimes allowed themselves to be
deceived by these strange theories. . . .
"We can, then, and we should, affirm with an author of the
Middle Ages that to sing well one must know how to do it with
art. It is on this condition, he adds, that the sacred melodies
will be beautiful and agreeable. This practical knowledge of art,
far from being useless in the execution of the chants of the Church,
is, on the contrary, more than in every other circumstance abscK
lutely indispensable. And is it not, in fact, when the song has
for direct end the praise of the Divine that ignorance and care"
lessness are all the more inexcusable and lead to an even greater
disorder? We see musicians of the world dedicating themselves
to assiduous study, condemning themselves to long and tedious ex'
ercises, consecrating, for example, weeks and months to the preparation
of a concert; so should one not for God and His praises
also go to some pains, do some studying, sing with a certain care?
"Without a doubt, the care given to singing well should not
degenerate into pretention, into puerile vanity; nor is that which
we seek in the chant satisfaction of the senses, auditory pleasure;
but one need not believe, however, that to sing the divine praises
worthily it is necessary to offend the ear, and to banish from our
offices all that is agreeable. The ennui and fatigue which would
inevitably proceed from the Chant badly executed would foster
both with the singers and with the listeners this other tendency,
which, no less vicious than pride or sensuality, is itself a capital
si n —acedia, disgust for the things of God. It is precisely against