Paul's cathedral are note for note the same that rang at
least eight hundred years ago through the vaulted roof
of that ancient cathedral which crowned the summit of

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THE MUSICAL SYSTEM OF CHURCH OP ENGLAND

the fortified hill of old Salishury. Not a stone remains
of wall or shrine, but the old Samm office-books have
survived, from which we can draw ancient hymns and
Plain Song as from a pure fount. Those devout monks
recorded all their beautiful offices and the music of
these offices, because they were even then venerable and
venerated. Shall we throw them into the fire to make
room for neat and appropriate excogitations, fresh from
the blotting-pad of Mr. A, or Dr. B, or the Reverend
C, or Miss D?"

;It must be acknowledged, however, that the Grego-
rian chant melodies undergo decided modification in
spirit and impression when set to English words. In
their pure state their strains are thoroughly conformed
to the structure and flow of the Latin texts from which
they grew. There is something besides tradition and
association that makes them appear somewhat forced
and ill at ease when wedded to a modem language.
As Curwen says: ^^In its true form the Gregorian
chant has no bars or measures; the time and the accent
are verbal, not musical. Each note of the mediation
or the ending is emphatic or non-emphatic, according
to the word or svUable to which it happens to be sung.
