On the CMAA website we've added some further issues to our archive of The Caecilia. We now have a few numbers from 1926, 1927, 1928, 1942, and 1943. http://musicasacra.com/journal/caecilia/
Many thanks for these undertakings. This is invaluable.
Here is this, gleaned from vol. 69 - 'A most reverend bishop notes: The air is Mozart? Lovely, it is beautiful music. But what of it? What would you say of a statue of the Divine Child dressed in an elegant suit of kinckerbockers, or a statue of our Lady adorned in the latest fashion? There is quite as much impropriety in clothing sacred text with music that speaks of anything but what is sacred.'
As apt in our time as in that of the most reverend bishop in 1942!
(And, while being an admirer of Mozart who doesn't prefer his music at mass, I can observe that his music is far, far, from the worse 'clothing' that ever adorned the sacred verba. Our time has sunk to an all-time low! At least the operatic era saw objectively good music! Our time is unique in history in clothing sacred text in the various genres of street music and vulgar musical idioms.)
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