Considerations on the Necessity of Restoring the Chant of the Church of Rome in All Churches of the Empire

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to the construction and in relation to the expression; and any modern composer charged with composing in this genre would produce probably not Plain-Chant, but a Music more or less mediocre, disguised under the forms of this style that is no longer understood today.

3°. Universality of the Roman Plain-Chant.

The universality of the Roman Plain-Chant is also a new and very powerful motive for preference. Indeed, if one excepts a certain number of Churches of ancient France, which it has pleased to adopt deformed Chants, that of the Church of Rome is the only one in use in a large number of ancient Dioceses, in all those that have been reunited since the revolution, as it is in all the Churches of Christendom. From this one sees that it would not be reasonable to exclude this chant from the Dioceses where it has remained in use, to substitute defective Chants for it, and to establish thus between the Church of France and the rest of the Christian Church a disparity that would be to the disadvantage of the former.

4°. Utility of the Chant of the Church of Rome in relation to the progress of Music.

Nothing is more necessary to the composer than the study of Counterpoint. It is absolutely for him what the study of drawing is for the painter, the sculptor, and the engraver, what stereotomy is for the builder. Among the studies of Counterpoint, the most difficult, as well as the most important, is that which is done on the Plain-Chant. Now, the Chant of the Church of Rome enjoys this advantage of having been the object of the works of the Italian contrapuntists of the 16th century, who were in relation to Music what the