The overall aim of the book is to integrate musicological perspectives and findings with other strands of research on early modern Catholicism. It opens with two review essays, the first is by John O’Malley, and outlines early modern Catholicism’s trajectory from marginality to its present status as a major field of historical research, the second by Robert Kendrick, which looks at the place of musicology among the various fields of study which address early modern Catholic experience. The bulk of the volume, ‘Perspectives’, consists of a series of thirteen chapters on music in particular contexts, with a strong focus on Rome. What this volume makes clear is the sheer variety of occasions that Catholics had for music of one kind or another; not merely in a liturgical context, but also as an aspect of penitence, teaching, and catechesis, not to mention entertainment and social display.
Early modern Catholic music is a contested subject. For psalm-singing Protestants, the development of forms such as the oratorio (compositions on religious themes performed by a choir, soloists, and orchestra) was a proof of the fundamental decadence of Catholic religious practice. But Christian tradition has been somewhat conflicted about music at least since St Augustine voiced his unease with music’s affective power in his Confessions (X:33), and this fear and suspicion of music was also expressed by some early modern Catholics. The early Jesuits were far from being the only Catholic order to reject music as an aspect of the liturgy, as Kendrick observes.
However, music’s power to attract was employed in a variety of contexts, from highly professional performances to collective and participatory activities of all kinds. Noel O’Regan shows, for example, that the processions which were an essential part of patronal feast day celebrations of confraternities might attract thousands of people to admire the spectacle and listen to choirs performing polyphonic music. Music was part of the devotional experience both for those who performed it, and those who listened to it. In various contexts, it might shed lustre on institutions, provide an income stream, foster community building, promote the interests of particular communities or institutions, and aid memorisation.
An interesting chapter by Xavier Bisaro deals with instruction through music in French petites écoles, in which children’s learning was enhanced by teaching them to chant. Part of the context for this was the schools’ own history: if they were medieval foundations, the founder had often demanded prayers, processions, and chant in return for their benefaction. Memorialising the dead remained crucial to French local devotional practices even after Trent. In this context, the voices of children were particularly valued because of their association with purity and innocence. Singing thus benefited the children and the community as a whole. Daniele Filippi’s essay on catechesis makes a similar point. Christian doctrine was not imparted in private, but sung in public by schoolchildren, and the laity were were both entertained and edified. At the same time, the catechism was instilled in the child singers themselves in a way that they found interesting and attractive. Thus an adroit mix of entertainment and edification was offered, which wooed the Catholic laity into spending their leisure time in religious activity. Clearly, in early modern Europe, the devil did not have all the best tunes. Alexander Fisher’s chapter on post-Reformation Germany also considers the role of music in processions and the particular features which emerge from contact and conflict with Protestant neighbours. The provocative character of German procession culture is suggested by the military trumpets and drums, and even cannon fire, which often accompanied processions.
In one of several essays about music in early modern Rome, Anne Piéjus examines the early musical history of the Oratorians, and demonstrates that the form they turned to in their early days was the outmoded, simple and carol-like lauda, deliberately chosen since it could be performed by untrained singers: the principle was attraction through accessibility. She also observes that the Oratorians reached back to the middle ages and even to late antiquity in a variety of ways. At the same time, other Catholics in Rome, discussed by Noel O’Regan in his essay on music and confraternities, supported ever more elaborate, sophisticated, and professional musical performances in the context of Corpus Christi, Lenten and Holy Week celebrations, and patronal feasts. One of the forms which was developed, the penitential cantata, is the subject of a chapter by Margaret Murata which begins by reminding the reader that the opera season in Rome ended on Ash Wednesday. The popularity of the penitential cantatas which were performed through Lent in private concerts, convents, and confraternities was thus secured, in part, by lack of alternatives.
Andrew Cichy’s chapter is of particular interest to readers of this journal, since he examines the musical life of St Alban’s College in Valladolid, where there was a high level of musical activity, despite the fact that the founder, Robert Persons, had wanted it entirely eliminated from the college. Again, it is music’s power to attract and integrate that is key. In order to engage with the local community, the seminary adopted local patterns of worship, including music. This is one of two essays in the collection to focus on Spain: the other is Tess Knighton’s essay on music in Barcelona as reflected in the wills of sixteenth-century testator.
The final essay moves outside Europe to examine music and the missions. South American Jesuit music was the great subject of the volume’s dedicatee, the late T. Frank Kennedy SJ, but here, Egberto Bermúdez tackles the first phase of mission and the use of music by the Franciscans and Dominicans. He reveals a fascinating syncretism. For example, Mexican traditions of rhythmic recitation and even sacrificial self-wounding were adapted to Christian chant and rituals of penance. The chapter casts its net wide and also outlines the musical praxis of missionaries in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.
Overall, the collection makes a strong case for music as a neglected element in the study of early modern Catholicism and demonstrates that it performed a wide variety of roles. It is an excellent introduction to the field.
