94. Venetian Church Composers.—In the 17th century the general contrast between the Roman and the Venetian schools of sacred music that was noted in the 16th (see secs. 55-60) not only continued, but took on a new and pronounced form as the Venetian opera advanced.
This contrast is naturally viewed by different critics differently. To
the enthusiast for objective a cappella polyphony of the purest Roman
type every deviation towards warmer and more subjective forms of expression,
especially with complex instrumental accompaniments and vocal
solos, seems an echo of the theatre and a concession to vulgar taste.
But, on the other hand, to many practical artists an absolute church style,
unconnected with all current secular music, seems a visionary and
self-defeating ideal, so that to them the problem is not so much to keep church
music uncontaminated by whatever is popularly powerful as to treat it in
any available way that secures devotional elevation. For them the end
justifies the means, provided only that the end is fairly estimated and actually
attained. This brief statement may serve as a key to the profound antagonism
between two great schools of Catholic music that dates from the
17th century and is still conspicuous. It is clear that there is reason on
both sides and also that each view has dangers—the one of such abstraction
as to miss practical utility, the other of such yielding to transient drifts
as to lose dignity and depth. The papal authorities have striven to uphold
an extremely conservative style, following in all their official rules (including
those of Pius X. in 1903) the dictum of the Council of Trent in
favor of nothing but Plain-Song and strict a cappella polyphony. But
the common usage of the Church, even from about 1600, has constantly
slipped away from the standards, often running off into rather wild
vagaries.
The innovating tendencies included several points. With
the development of the organ and of organ-playing the desire
for freely handled accompaniments steadily grew, presently
reaching out after orchestral effects as well. With the uncovering
of the emotional and even passionate capacities of the individual
voice came the increasing use of solo passages and solo
settings of entire texts (with accompaniment), passing over into
concerted forms for two or more solo voices. With the general
interest in secular music as normative of all musical style came
experiments with settings of sacred words in rhythmic and even
dainty styles that recalled the grace of the folk-song, the popular
part-song, and even the dance. All these were essential innovations.
Not all of them were first attempted by Venetians,
since even Palestrina himself was not afraid of slight developments
in these directions. But, on the whole, what was known
