. Letters from Italy and Switzerland. at his command, and wishing to employthem during the Holy Weck, wrote down for theiruse ornamental phrases, foiinded on the simple im-adorned chords, to enable them to give füll scopeand effect to their voices. They certainly are not ofancient date, but are composed with infinite talcntand taste, and their eflfect is admirable; one in par- MUSIC OF THE HOLY WEEK. 179 ticular is often repeated, and makes so deep an Im-pression, that when it begins, an evident excitementpervades all present; indeed, in any discussion as tothe mode of executing this music, an
. Letters from Italy and Switzerland. at his command, and wishing to employthem during the Holy Weck, wrote down for theiruse ornamental phrases, foiinded on the simple im-adorned chords, to enable them to give füll scopeand effect to their voices. They certainly are not ofancient date, but are composed with infinite talcntand taste, and their eflfect is admirable; one in par- MUSIC OF THE HOLY WEEK. 179 ticular is often repeated, and makes so deep an Im-pression, that when it begins, an evident excitementpervades all present; indeed, in any discussion as tothe mode of executing this music, and when peoplesay that the voices do not seem like the voices ofmen, but those of angels from on high, and that theseSounds can be heard elsewhere, it is this par-ticular emhellimcnto to which they invariably example, in the Miserere, whether that of Baior Allegri (for they Aave recourse to the same em-hdlimenti in both) these are the consecutivechords:— Instead of this, they sing it so 180 mendklssouns The soprano intones the high C in a pure softvoice, allowing it to vibrate for a time, and slowlygliding down, wliile tlie alto liolds tlie C steadily, sothat at first I was iinder the delusion that the highC was still held by the soprano; the skill, too, withwhich the harmony is gradually developed, is trulyadmirable. The other emhclUmeiiti are adapted inthe same way to the consecutive chords; but thefirst one is by far the most beautiful, I can give noopinion as to the particular niode of executing themusic; but what I once read, that some particularacoustic contrivance caused the contiuued Vibrationof the Sounds, is an entire fable, quite as much so asthe assertion that they sing from tradition, and with-out any fixed time, one voice simply following theother; for I saw plainly enough the shadow of Bainislong arm moving up and down ;indecd, he sometimesStruck his music-desk quite audibly. There is nolack of mystery too, on the part of the singer
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