Quigley Preparatory Seminary - La Petit Seminaire Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

Page 48 text:

MUSIC 451, -f Ya C v ff , - 73 fx F , ' 5+ ' .' 551,23 eg ,Q-xg, ,. 'rw . .1-- --'12 . , Xu., hw , f f?gafj,rL5 Q Q ' w f5g .AW , ., A., ,. . H 1 29' JN - , . s 'ff' -, gb nuff-. W x

Page 47 text:

ing on? R-R-Ring, the 3:15 bell echoes. School's out forthe dayl The doors oi the classrooms fly open and the seminarians dash out. It loolcs as ii they're all headed towards the gym. But wait, the baslcetball season is over! Why, oi course, it's the opening of the ping-pong season. Down into the gym the seminarians rush to play, try- ing to paddle each other's brains out or to give their opponents a strolce of confusing English. ON GUARD Many eyes grow sore watching that elusive white ball and many legs grow weary chasing alter it. The paddler doesn't seem to mind, though, because he has his sights on the school's ping-pong championship. Everybody has an equal chance lor the title, so let's loolc at a few ol the outstanding players here at Q. P. S. Many of the boys here are actually ping-pong pros , who really lcnow how to bat that little white ball baclc and forth across the net. The senior division bcasts of two such pros : Pat O'Donnell oi Third year, and Bob Zielinslci of Fifth year. Their combination of both a slow and fast game malces them especially hard to beat. They're really the potential champs of the school. But don't get the idea that these two are the only good players here. Who could count out of the race Fifth year's Ken Brigham or Fourth year's Roger Gubbins? Since they both have the ability and talent to win, they can beat anyone here. Tom Windham of Filth year, Gene Noonan of Fourth year, and lim Colleran of Third year are the darlc horses of the Senior division. All these boys play a steady game which fact malces them a constant tournament threat. ln the junior division, it loolcs as though Boyle and Tiny Donovan will dominate the play. They proved themselves in last year's tourna- ments and it will probably be a repeat perform- ance. There are probably many good players in First year, ready to prove their ability, and perhaps one of them may even cop the crown. ALL SET TO SQUARE OFF 43

Page 49 text:

Gregorran Chant was the frrst offrcral musrc of the Church Srnce the tIme of Pope GregOfY l who laId down the rules of thIs type of musIc and up to the eleventh century thIs chant which was performed wrthout any accompanrment what soever was the only form of lrturgrcal musrc About the eleventh century varrous musrcrans wanted to Improve and develop Gregorian chant for they clarmed that many vorces har monIzIng together would provrde much more In sprratronal musrc for the Church Even though these musIcIans were permrtted to develop theIr new theory of polyphonuc musIc Gregorran chant whIch through the many centurres had proved to be the the best form of pure musIc strll remarned the maIn backbone for ecclesras trcal musIc We must clearly understand that polyohonrc musrc at thIs perrod was not the frn Ished product of Palestrrna but was not In ltS experrmental and developrng stages Through the ardent labors of Palestrrna church polyphonrc musrc had reached ItS peak of per fectron In the srxteenth century Most of the composrtrons of thus great genrus were dedrcated to the use ofthe Church All Palestrrna s musrc was performed wrthout Instruments relyrng strrctly on the pure vocal harmonIzIng Palestrrna was accepted by all musIcIans as the standard In hrs freld Many musIcIans then began to follow hrs theorres and throughout thrs perIod many polyphonIc composrtrons were performed In the cathedrals chapels and churches of the world Even the medrocre musIcIans of the tIme were Interested In followrng the trend Because of therr lack of knowledge they began to Introduce degraded types of musrcal composrtrons The Church never classrfred Instrumental musIc as lrturgrcal musrc because the musIc of the tIme was surtable only for heathen festIvItIes lnstru mental musrc IS vocal musIc whIch IS accom panIed by Instruments Durrng the srxteenth cen tury the organ and other Instruments were used to accompany polyphonrc and even Gregonan musIc The same musrcrans provrded therr talents both for court f9SlIVItIeS and for dIvIne SGTVICGS As church musIcIans they performed two serv ICGS frrst of strengthenlng the Slnglng volces secondly of supplyrng the parts that were lack Ing Srnce the composers lIvIng depended pre domrnantly on secular musrc rather than church musIc they wrote marnly for the theatre and beIng so Influenced the erghteenth century church musrc gradually became theatrrcal When one would hear the rendItIon of the musrc performed In the churches at thrs tIme he would rhmk he were attendrng a concert rather than some sacred church servrce We do not want to say that the Church IS agarnst orchestral musIc but we would lIke to say In the words of Franz WItt the frrst presIdent of the German Cecrl Ian SOCI6tY May God send one day a Pales trrna for modern orchestral musrc The CecIlIan Socrety was founded In Hamburg Germany IU I868 The purpose was to devote all llS efforts to the purpose of reformrng church musrc Because of the great Interest whrch was taken In polyphonrc musrc In the eleventh century chant began to drop out of sIght These were but a few reasons for the declrne of thrs once beautrful musrc mrstakes were made In copyrng the musrc the orIgInal chant grew more elab orate wrth drffrcult melodres and organ accom panrment added to the Chant made It monoton ous Gregorran chant had now wandered so far from ItS Intended path that people and even members of the clergy desrred to exclude thIs once most Insprratronal and prayerful musIc frcm the sacred servrces Flnally In the nIneteenth century the great work of restorIng chant to ItSfCl'fT1efpOSltlOI1 was assrgned to the Monks of Solesmes These Bene dIctIne Monks had therr monastery In France It IS lY1lefGSlll'1g to note that therr work lasted thIrty SIX years and that some of IlS work was com pleted durong the lIfetIme of the Cure D Ars As we all know the lrturgy of the Church was very close to the heart of the good Cure and no doubt he greatly reIoIced at the news that efforts were beIng made to restore the lrturgy as It should be The work to be performed by the Benedrctunes of Solesmes was clear and sImple They were to Investrgate all the old manuscrrpts and to restore chant to llS orIgInal form After the work had been successfully completed Prus X In order to show hrs gratrtude and opprecratrcn to these Monks left to them the pfIVlleg6 of beIng the frnal authorrty In all chant matters 4 . I I - 1 ' I I I ' , f - I I . , . .. . . - . rr , - . - - ' .II .. I . I I . 4 I , . I , . - I - . I - . I . . I 1 I I I - - ' t . - . .. . . . I, I . . . . . , I I ' I I - I f I ' I 5