116 



MUSIC MUSK. 



Milan, a regular church music, similar to the Kast- 

 ern. Probably this possessed a regular modulation 

 and rhythm, only that both were defective through 

 the imperfection of the music at that time ; and the 

 latter appears to have been limited to long and short 

 tones : the first was founded upon the Grecian modes 

 remaining in Italy, and was very poor. Perhaps 

 many of the melodies of Grecian and Roman hymns 

 now received words adapted to the religious worship 

 of the Christians. The Christian fathers bear wit- 

 ness to the use of songs in the Christian communities 

 in the first century, and many of them, as Am- 

 brosius and Augustine, were great admirers of them. 

 In regard to the manner of singing in the first assem- 

 blies, it was sometimes in solo, sometimes alternately, 

 and sometimes there was a chorus of the whole 

 assembly, who united in repeating- short passages, 

 l>efore sung or read, from which, probably, the female 

 sex was at first excluded. For the regular ordering 

 of the singing, precentors were instituted in the fourth 

 century, who were considered as inferior officers of 

 the church. Schools appropriated to singing were 

 instituted later, and only in a few places. Pope 

 Gregory the Great (500 604) distinguished himself 

 in the Roman church as the founder of a new sing- 

 ing-school, iii which boys were instructed. It was 

 the model of many other institutions of this kind. 

 In consequence of this education of persons for 

 singers, the singing was not only more artificial, but 

 the people were also, for the most part, excluded, 

 particularly as the hymns were in Latin. Gregory 

 collected in his Antiphonarium the existing songs of 

 the church, which he selected from the best ancient 

 melodies, improved and increased by the addition of 

 new ones. The Gregorian Chant, so called after 

 him, was sung in unison with loud notes of similar 

 value, without rhythm and metre (by which it is par- 

 ticularly distinguished from the Ambrosian), or in the 

 old Grecian modes, but with a more complex modu- 

 lation. This Gregorian or plain chant, which, by 

 means of Gregory and his successors, has been ex- 

 tended throughout the West, is the foundation of the 

 Christian church music. It was also called choral 

 tong, because it was sung by a choir. The Gregorian 

 Chant was first carried into Britain and France. 

 Charlemagne, who laboured particularly for its dif- 

 fusion, caused several singing schools to be estab- 

 lished in France, and united them with the monas- 

 teries. The Gregorian Chant was probably intro- 

 duced into Germany by Boniface, but it was first 

 generally diffused there in the time of Charlemagne. 

 The development of the music for four voices may 

 have been assisted by the choral ; but musical instru- 

 ments contributed yet more thereto, as well as to the 

 formation of perfect harmony ; among these, the 

 organ (q. v.) particularly, which soon took the first 

 rank in the churches. Now figured music arose, and 

 likewise figured song (cantus figuratus), which, in 

 the fifteenth century, began to become general, as 

 the custom grew up of varying, extending, and em- 

 bellishing the accompanying voices of a melody, 

 while the chief voice, upon which the fundamental 

 melody depended, remained unchanged (hence it was 

 called cantus Jirmus, canto fermo, plain-chant) ; but, 

 still, the chief voice often became the under voice. 

 This happened afterwards, also, with melody. The 

 invention of measured music caused the choral to be 

 performed in a more regular measure, and gave 

 greater extent to harmony. Choirs of singers now 

 became necessary, and singing was often applied, 

 especially in Italy, to heighten the splendour of reli- 

 gious worship. (See Italian Music.) The organ 

 was continually improved, after the fifteenth century, 

 and other instruments, also, were introduced into the 

 church, against which complaints were often made, 



as well as against the new figured music in general, 

 which found peculiar support in the instrumental 

 music. Yet these complaints were chiefly directed 

 against the abuse of the figured and instrumental 

 music, and they were not able to banish them Irom 

 the church. The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries 

 form a new period of church music, which was 

 extended by the great masters in Italy, France, the 

 Netherlands, and Germany. Luther's services to the 

 German church music are well known, for which he 

 laboured, by means of his friend Senffel. During the 

 seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, church music 

 became continually more brilliant, and always more 

 corrupted by the intermixture of profane music. In 

 the Roman Catholic church, the sacred music is con- 

 fined to fixed forms of text ; for instance, the text of 

 the mass, the Offertoria, Te Deum, Salve, Requiem, 

 Psalms. In the Protestant church, poets and com- 

 posers allow themselves new forms. The greatest 

 modern composers of sacred music are Palastrina, 

 Allegri, Durante, Morales, Lolli, Scarlatti, Lasso, 

 Caldera, Leo, Pergolesi, Handel, Bach, Graun, 

 Hasse, Jomelli, Stolzl, Kerl, Rolle, Naumann, Schulz, 

 Kunzen, Wolf, Mich, and Jos. Haydn, Mozart, Vol- 

 ger, Cherubini. 



MUSIC OF THE SPHERES. See Harmony of 

 the Spheres. 



MUSK (moschus). The musk tribe have no 

 horns. In the lower jaw they have eight incisors, 

 and, in the upper, two long tusks, one on each side, 

 projecting some distance from the mouth. They are 

 celebrated from one of the species affording an odori- 

 ferous substance, which has long been used in per- 

 fumery and medicine. This substance was long 

 known, before any authentic information could be 

 obtained respecting the circumstances, form, and 

 manners of the animals that produced it. The prin- 

 cipal species is the Thibet musk (M. moschiferus), 

 which is about two to three feet high. Its upper 

 jaw is considerably longer than the lower. Its tusks 

 are nearly two inches long, and project considerably. 

 Its ears are long and narrow. The hair of the body 

 is long, and stands erect ; each hair is marked, from 

 tip to root, with waves ; the colour, at the lower 

 part, is cinereous ; in the middle, black ; and at the 

 tip, ferruginous. The hoofs are black, and deeply 

 cleft. The tail is very short. The male is furnished 

 with a small bag, nearly of the size of a hen's egg, 

 in which is contained the musk. This hangs from 

 the abdomen. A full grown male will yield a 

 drachm and a half, and an old one two drachms. 

 The bag is furnished with two small orifices, the one 

 naked, and the other covered with hairs. The 

 hunters cut off the bag, and tie it up for sale, but 

 often adulterate its contents by mixing other matters 

 with them. It has been asserted, that when the 

 musk bag is first opened, it has a very powerful effect 

 on the membrane of the nose, sometimes even to such 

 a degree as to cause a flow of blood. This animal is 

 a native of many parts of Asia, and particularly of 

 the kingdom of Thibet. As it is naturally timid, it 

 lives on the cliffs and summits of lofty mountains. In 

 running, leaping, and climbing, it displays astonish- 

 ing agility. Few animals lead the hunter into greater 

 dangers, or require more address and activity in the 

 chase. But the value of the musk induces the pur- 

 suer to brave every danger. In the autumn, however, 

 they assemble in herds, to migrate to a more genial 

 climate : at this time they are taken, or shot, in great 

 numbers. The other species do not furnish any musk. 

 These are the memimna (M. memimna), a native of 

 Java and Ceylon. It is diminutive, being not more 

 than a foot and a half long. The Java musk (M. Jn- 

 vanicus) is also small (about the size of a rabbit), with 

 remarkably slender legs. But the most beautiful 



