ert-halls. He
was a little put out, too, by librettists interlarding Holy Writ with
their own "copy." Scripture was good, and Gounod, for example, might
be good, but both together in literary collaboration were--well, not
so good. While allowing that there was something of interest in the
history of the latter's _Redemption_ Oratorio, insomuch as when first
conceived long ago its composer had entertained thoughts of embracing
the religious state, he could with difficulty be induced to go and
hear it, at its first production in Birmingham on the last day of
August, 1882. Nor could he be got to say anything about it by way of a
compliment. "As the work of a man of genius one does not like to
criticize it," was what he let fall, and he was rather troubled by its
"March to Calvary," which he likened in private to "the bombardment of
Alexandria." At the 1876 Festival, Wagner's _Supper of the Apostles_
was to his ear "sound and fury," and Brahms' _Triumphlied_ fared no
better in 1882. We happened to be with him at the Friday morning
performance, September 1. A certain party came in late, and talked
away behind us all through the G minor Symphony of Mozart, whose
"exuberant inventiveness"[31] excited our wonder. When the din of the
_Triumphlied_ came on, her voice was quite drowned, and the Cardinal
whispered: "Brahms is a match for her."[32]

[Footnote 28: _Idea_, dis. iv. 80, 81. In a Bull of 1749, Pope
Benedict the Fourteenth lays great stress on the words being heard and
understood, "Curandum est ut verba quae cantantur plane perfecteque
intelligantur," and this is best secured in the unaccompanied chant.
In an interesting article of the _Dublin Review_ (New Series, vol. ii.
January-April, 1864), the effect of official pronouncements on the
questions affecting the plain chant and concerted music is thus
succinctly summed up: "1. That music, properly so called, may be
admitted as well as plain chant. 2. That the music of the church is to
possess a certain gravity and to minister to devotion. 3. That
instrumental music may be allowed, under certain restrictions."]

[Footnote 29: _Discussions and Arguments_, p. 343, Fourth Edit. 1882.]

[Footnote 30: We have it, however, on good authority that a Jesuit
Father told a Mr. Okely that "one of our Fathers received him
(Mendelssohn) into the Church shortly before his death." Our informant
thinks the occurrence took place in Switzerland. If so, the fact ought
to be better known t