Rome, June 16, 1831.
Dear Professor,
It was my intention some time ago to have written you a description
of the music during the Holy Week, but my journey to Naples
intervened, and during my stay there, I was so constantly occupied
in wandering among the mountains, and in gazing at the sea, that I
had not a moment's leisure to write; hence arose the delay for
which I now beg to apologize. Since then I have not heard a single
note worth remembering; in Naples the music is most inferior.
During the last two months, therefore, I have no musical
reminiscences to send you, save those of the Holy Week, which
however made so indelible an impression on my mind, that they will
be always fresh in my memory. I already described to my parents the
effect of the whole ceremonies, and they probably sent you the
letter.
It was fortunate that I resolved to listen to the various Offices
with earnest and close attention, and still more so, that from the
very first moment I felt sensations of reverence and piety. I
consider such a mood indispensable for the reception of new ideas,
and no portion of the general effect escaped me, although I took
care to watch each separate detail.
The ceremonies commenced on Wednesday, at half past four o'clock,
with the antiphon "Zelus domus tuae." A little book containing the
Offices for the Holy Week explains the sense of the various
solemnities. "Each Nocturn contains three Psalms, signifying that
Christ died for all, and also symbolical of the three laws, the
natural, the written, and the evangelical. The 'Domine labia mea'
and the 'Deus in adjutorium' were not sung on this occasion, when
the death of our Saviour and Master is deplored, as slain by the
hands of wicked godless men. The fifteen lights represent the
twelve apostles and the three Marys." (In this manner the book
contains much curious information on this subject, so I mean to
bring it with me for you.) The Psalms are chanted _fortissimo_ by
all the male voices of two choirs. Each verse is divided into two
parts, like a question and answer, or rather, classified into A and
B; the first chorus sings A, and the second replies with B. All the
words, with the exception of the last, are sung with extreme
rapidity on one note, but on the last they make a short "melisma,"
which is different in the first and second verse. The whole Psalm,
with all its verses, is sung on this melody, or _tono_ as they call
it, and I wrote down seven of these _toni_, which were employed
during the three days. You cannot conceive how tiresome and
monotonous the effect is, and how harshly and mechanically they
chant through the Psalms. The first _tonus_ which they sang was--
[Music: In-fi-xus sum in li-mo pro-fun-di,
et non est sub-stan-tia]
Thus the whole forty-two verses of the Psalm are sung in precisely
the same manner; one half of the verse ending in G, A, G, the other
in G, E, G. They sing with the accent of a number of men
quarrelling violently, and it sounds as if they were shouting out
furiously one against another. The closing words of each Psalm are
chanted more slowly and impressively, a long "triad" being
substituted for the "melisma," sung _piano_. For instance, this is
the first:--
[Music: Qui di-li-gunt no-men e-jus
ha-bi-ta-bunt in e-a.]
An antiphon, and sometimes more than one, serves as an introduction
to each Psalm. These are generally sung by two counter-tenor
voices, in _canto fermo_, in harsh, hard tones; the first half of
each verse in the same style, and the second responded to by the
chorus of male voices that I already described. I have kept the
several antiphons that I wrote down, that you may compare them with
the book. On the afternoon of Wednesday, the 68th, 69th, and 70th
Psalms were sung. (By the bye, this division of the verses of the
Psalms sung in turns by each chorus, is one of the innovations that
Bunsen has introduced into the Evangelical Church here; he also
ushers in each choral by an antiphon, composed by Georg, a musician
who resides here, in the style of _canti fermi_, first sung by a
few voices, succeeded by a choral, such as "Ein' feste Burg ist
unser Gott.") After the 70th Psalm comes a paternoster _sub
silentio_--that is, all present stand up, and a short silent
inward prayer ensues, and a pause.
Then commences the first Lamentation of Jeremiah, sung in a low
subdued tone, in the key of G major, a solemn and fine composition
of Palestrina's. The solos are chanted entirely by high tenor
voices, swelling and subsiding alternately, in the most delicate
gradations, sometimes floating almost inaudibly, and gently
blending the various harmonies; being sung without any bass voices,
and immediately succeeding the previous harsh intonation of the
Psalms, the effect is truly heavenly. It is rather unfortunate
however that those very parts which ought to be sung with the
deepest emotion and reverence, being evidently those composed with
peculiar fervour, should chance to be merely the titles of the
chapter or verse, _aleph_, _beth_, _gimel_, etc., and that the
beautiful commencement, which sounds as if it came direct from
Heaven, should be precisely on these words, "Incipit Lamentatio
Jeremiae Prophetae Lectio I." This must be not a little repulsive to
every Protestant heart, and if there be any design to introduce a
similar mode of chanting into our churches, it appears to me that
this will always be a stumbling-block; for any one who sings
"chapter first" cannot possibly feel any pious emotions, however
beautiful the music may be, let him strive as he will.
My little book indeed says, "Vedendo profetizzato il
crocifiggimento con gran pieta, si cantano eziandio molto
lamentevolmente _aleph_, e le altre simili parole, che sono le
lettere dell' alfabeto Ebreo, perche erano in costume di porsi in
ogni canzone in luogo di lamento, come e questa. Ciascuna lettera
ha in se, tutto it sentimento di quel versetto che la segue, ed e
come un argomento di esso;" but this explanation is not worth much.
After this the 71st, 72nd, and 73rd Psalms are sung in the same
manner, with their antiphons. These are apportioned to the various
voices. The soprano begins, "In monte Oliveti," on which the bass
voices chime in _forte_, "Oravit ad Patrem: Pater," etc. Then
follow the lessons, from the treatise of Saint Augustine on the
Psalms. The strange mode in which these are chanted appeared to me
very extraordinary when I heard them for the first time on Palm
Sunday, without knowing what it meant. A solitary voice is heard
reciting on one note, not as in the Psalms, but very slowly and
impressively, making the tone ring out clearly.
There are different cadences employed for the different punctuation
of the words, to represent a comma, interrogation, and full stop.
Perhaps you are already acquainted with these: to me they were a
novelty, and appeared very singular. The first, for example, was
chanted by a powerful bass voice in G. If a comma occurs, he sings
so, on the last word:--
[Music]
an interrogation thus:--
[Music]
a full stop:--
[Music]