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TOC
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variety of passages, or rapidity of execu-
tion; indeed all were such as would
have merited and received great applause
in the first operas of Europe.
I dwell the longer on these perfor-
mances, as, at this time, the theatres of
Venice were all shut; but the only dif-
ference between this kind of church mu-
sic, and that of the drama, consists in
the chorusses; those of the church are
long, elaborate, and sometimes well
written. Those who suppose all the
church music of Italy to be as light and
airy as that of the opera, are mistaken;
it is only on festivals that modern mu-
sic can be heard in any of the churches.
The music of the cathedrals, on common
days, is in a stile as grave and as an-
cient as that of our church services of
two hundred years standing; and in the
parish churches it is a mere canto fermo,
or chant, sung in unison by the priests
only; sometimes with the organ,
but more frequently without.
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