A few of the chapters in this work have appeared in somewhat modified form in the _American Catholic Quarterly Review_, the _Bibliotheca Sacra_, and _Music_. The author acknowledges the permission given by the editors of these magazines to use this material in its present form. CONTENTS Chapter Page I. Primitive and Ancient Religious Music 1 II. Ritual and Song in the Early Christian Church 36 III. The Liturgy of the Catholic Church 70 IV. The Ritual Chant of the Catholic Church 92 V. The Development of Mediaeval Chorus Music 129 VI. The Modern Musical Mass 182 VII. The Rise of the Lutheran Hymnody 223 VIII. Rise of the German Cantata and Passion 268 IX. The Culmination of German Protestant Music: Johann Sebastian Bach 283 X. The Musical System of the Church of England 323 XI. Congregational Song in England and America 358 XII. Problems of Church Music in America 390 Bibliography 411 Index 417 MUSIC IN THE HISTORY OF THE WESTERN CHURCH CHAPTER I PRIMITIVE AND ANCIENT RELIGIOUS MUSIC Leon Gautier, in opening his history of the epic poetry of France, ascribes the primitive poetic utterance of mankind to a religious impulse. “Represent to yourselves,” he says, “the first man at the moment when he issues from the hand of God, when his vision rests for the first time upon his new empire. Imagine, if it be possible, the exceeding vividness of his impressions when the magnificence of the world is reflected in the mirror of his soul. Intoxicated, almost mad with admiration, gratitude, and love, he raises his eyes to heaven, not satisfied with the spectacle of the earth; then discovering God in the heavens, and attributing to him all the honor of this magnificence and of the harmonies of creation, he opens his mouth, the first stammerings of speech escape his lips—he speaks; ah, no, he sings, and the first song of the lord of creation will be a hymn to God his creator.”