Anent "The Beautiful Isle of Somewhere"
AGAIN THE BEAUTIFUL ISLE
A Non-Catholic View
On several occasions in the past the spirit -- be it an evil or a benevolent one -- has moved us to derogatory comment in these columns on "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere," and such. If the composers and librettists of this and similar songs had the philosophy of Phineas T. Barnum they must rest content in that isle of uncertain location, in case they managed to reach it, for Mr. Barnum made it clear that he did not care what people said about him and his shows as long as they did not ignore them. And now comes the paragraph in our October issue quoting an Associated Press dispatch, which said that Archbishop Forbes of Ottawa had placed the ban on "O Promise Me," on the "Lohengrin" Bridal Chorus, on the Mendelssohn "Midsummer Night's Dream" march, and many other popular favorites. * * * *
Our subject, however, was the "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere." In [the Episcopalian magazine] The Living Church, for October 3 appears an Iowa clergyman's communication, which the editor gave the apt caption, "Decent Burial," in which the correspondent writes what his bishop ruled only a year ago. He says:
In his annual address to his convention, on February 12, 1935, Bishop Longley laid down the following rules regarding the use of the burial office. He said:
"My attention has been called to the fact that often request is made of the clergy to permit the use at funerals of such songs as 'Beautiful Isle of Somewhere,' etc. The office for the burial of the dead is a dignified service, and expresses the faith of the church and the hope of eternal life. It is no place for sentimental ditties. The Church Hymnal fully provides sufficient hymns for this office, the church forbids the use of such compositions, and it is unnecessary to say that I as bishop forbid them. The rubric on church music is plain. Certainly, therefore, they cannot he used in the church, and I can assure any priest that the bishop will back up any refusal by any priest to allow such compositions to be used in a home or so-called funeral parlor when he is expected to use the church office, and in fact let me add that when the office of the church is read in any place, provision for music should conform to the rule of the church."
The communication goes on to quote the bishop in opposition to increasing use of "funeral homes." "Funeral homes are all right for pagans," he declared to the clergy of his diocese, "but the place for Christian burial is from the church."
This question is, of course, outside our bailiwick, but may we be pardoned for interrupting to say that the undertaker's chapel is not entirely bad when it has a decent organ. Some of the atrocious apologies for the king of instruments which have been placed in many funeral parlors must make everyone subjected to the ordeal of hearing or playing them envy the man in the casket because he does not have to endure this last torture.
But when all is said and done human sentiment -- or sentimentality, if you wish to call it that -- is difficult to overcome, and for human taste there is proverbially no accounting. The church cannot eradicate certain types of music by episcopal edicts nor can the church musician do it through ridicule. The cure lies in early education of the taste, and that has to begin in the Sunday-school, which it too seldom does. -- Editorial in the "Diapason."
______________________________
Reprinted in The Catholic Choirmaster: The Official Bulletin of the Society of St. Gregory of America, Approved by the Holy See by Rescript No. 6194, May 1, 1915. Volume XXII, Number 4 (December 15, 1936), p. 221.
Related post:
The Hymn "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere"
A Non-Catholic View
On several occasions in the past the spirit -- be it an evil or a benevolent one -- has moved us to derogatory comment in these columns on "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere," and such. If the composers and librettists of this and similar songs had the philosophy of Phineas T. Barnum they must rest content in that isle of uncertain location, in case they managed to reach it, for Mr. Barnum made it clear that he did not care what people said about him and his shows as long as they did not ignore them. And now comes the paragraph in our October issue quoting an Associated Press dispatch, which said that Archbishop Forbes of Ottawa had placed the ban on "O Promise Me," on the "Lohengrin" Bridal Chorus, on the Mendelssohn "Midsummer Night's Dream" march, and many other popular favorites. * * * *
Our subject, however, was the "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere." In [the Episcopalian magazine] The Living Church, for October 3 appears an Iowa clergyman's communication, which the editor gave the apt caption, "Decent Burial," in which the correspondent writes what his bishop ruled only a year ago. He says:
In his annual address to his convention, on February 12, 1935, Bishop Longley laid down the following rules regarding the use of the burial office. He said:
"My attention has been called to the fact that often request is made of the clergy to permit the use at funerals of such songs as 'Beautiful Isle of Somewhere,' etc. The office for the burial of the dead is a dignified service, and expresses the faith of the church and the hope of eternal life. It is no place for sentimental ditties. The Church Hymnal fully provides sufficient hymns for this office, the church forbids the use of such compositions, and it is unnecessary to say that I as bishop forbid them. The rubric on church music is plain. Certainly, therefore, they cannot he used in the church, and I can assure any priest that the bishop will back up any refusal by any priest to allow such compositions to be used in a home or so-called funeral parlor when he is expected to use the church office, and in fact let me add that when the office of the church is read in any place, provision for music should conform to the rule of the church."
The communication goes on to quote the bishop in opposition to increasing use of "funeral homes." "Funeral homes are all right for pagans," he declared to the clergy of his diocese, "but the place for Christian burial is from the church."
This question is, of course, outside our bailiwick, but may we be pardoned for interrupting to say that the undertaker's chapel is not entirely bad when it has a decent organ. Some of the atrocious apologies for the king of instruments which have been placed in many funeral parlors must make everyone subjected to the ordeal of hearing or playing them envy the man in the casket because he does not have to endure this last torture.
But when all is said and done human sentiment -- or sentimentality, if you wish to call it that -- is difficult to overcome, and for human taste there is proverbially no accounting. The church cannot eradicate certain types of music by episcopal edicts nor can the church musician do it through ridicule. The cure lies in early education of the taste, and that has to begin in the Sunday-school, which it too seldom does. -- Editorial in the "Diapason."
______________________________
Reprinted in The Catholic Choirmaster: The Official Bulletin of the Society of St. Gregory of America, Approved by the Holy See by Rescript No. 6194, May 1, 1915. Volume XXII, Number 4 (December 15, 1936), p. 221.
Related post:
The Hymn "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere"
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