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310 CURIOSITIES OF MUSIC. |
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between the Gregorian and French singing. To put an end to the matter, he sent to Stephen iv., the reigning pope, for ecclesiastical singers; the latter responded by sending, (in imitation of the twelve apostles,) twelve clerical singers to teach his empire.
But these twelve apostles, turned out to be all Judases, for jealous of the rising civilization of France, they agreed among themselves, not to aid in its rise. When therefore, they had been received at the French court with every honor, and were sent to their various fields of labor, it is said, they began to sing in a most wretched manner, and not content with that, they taught this abomination to their pupils. But when Charlemagne celebrated Christmas at Tours that year, and in Paris the succeeding year, he heard other Roman vocalists sing in a manner totally different, and lost no time in making complaint to the pope, who, calling back the untrustworthy teachers, punished them, some with banishment, and some with perpetual imprisonment; and in order that a similar deceit might not again be practised, he persuaded Charlemagne to send two French Ecclesiastics to Rome, where under Papal supervision they learned the true Gregorian style of song.*
There also exists another anecdote of the ruling of Charlemagne in church singing, which will
•Ambros Gesch d. Mus., v. 2, p. 94. We must remind the reader that " Gregorian " music, does not always refer to the compositions of Gregory, but simply means the singing used at Rome,as the " Ambro lian " means 'he style used at Milan. |
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