Now and again Rome made itself heard by a Papal bull, to which no one paid any attention, because the Pontiff was incapable of saying this is religious art, and the other is profane.

Palestrina was entrusted with the task of reforming church music; the Pope showed himself disposed not to leave anything but plain song, and to suppress even that if necessary.

The mass of Papa Marcelo and other melodies was the result of this, but things did not advance much.

It was necessary in order that music should be purified inside the Church that the great secular musical movement should begin with the Italian Monteverde, with the Frenchman Rameau, and with the Germans Sebastian Bach and Handel; what splendid times, Gabriel! And just think what genius followed: Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Mehuel, Boieldieu, and, above all, our good friend Beethoven." [Footnote 1: The stave.] The Chapel-master was silent for a little as though the name of his idol imposed on him a religious silence.

Presently he continued.
"All this avalanche of art passed over the Church, and she, according to her habit, appropriated everything that was most to her taste; in any country the Catholic religion adopted the music most in accordance with its traditions--in Spain we have been saturated with the Italian style since the days of Palestrina, and German or French music never came to us.