countries is known to every one. Doubtless one cause
of the frequent indifference of priests to the condition of
the choir music in their churches is the knowledge that the
chorus and organ are after all but accessories; that the
Church possesses in the Gregorian chant a form of song
that is the legal, universal, and unchangeable foundation
of the musical ceremony, and that any corruption in the
gallery music can never by any possibility extend to the
heart of the system. The Church is indeed fortunate in
the possession of this altar song, the unifying chain
which can never be loosened. All the more reason,
therefore, why this consciousness of unity should per-
vade all portions of the ceremony, and the spirit of the
liturgic chant should blend even with the large freedom
of modern musical experiment.

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