Masonic music & composers

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Part of The Cabletow

Title: Masonic music & composers
Creator: Stransky, Eugene
Language: English
Year: 1960
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Fulltext: Masonic Music & Composers Bv BRO. EUGENE STRANSKY, M.D. JW, Dalisay Lodge No. 14, F & AM In 1956 the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of the greatest Masonic composer, Bro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was commemorated in the entire civilized world. The host of musicians, musicologists, and plain lovers of music remember Mozart for bis many famous compositions, his unchained legacy to the music of the world, yet so few know him to be a prominent Mason and to have composed music for the Craft which he so dearly loved. That same year, this author was requested by 111. Bro. Fredric Stevens, PGM and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite in the Philippines, to deliver a lecture on lhe Masonic music of Bro. Mozart at lhe Scottish Rite 1 emple. This, the author gladly did and several recordings of Bro. Mozart’s Masonic compositions were played to lhe delight and enlightenment of those present. Presently, this writer desires lo expand the former lecture and present it in readable form to the brethren of the Craft in this Grand Jurisdiction, and to the hosts of others wherever they are dispersed. I am grateful to Prof. Paul Netti, now a professor of musicology in the University of Indiana at Bloomington, Indiana, who was formerly a professor of musicology in the defunct German University at Prague. Czechoslovakia, for some of the source materials of this article. Prof. Netti is himself a brother of the Craft and a prominent member of the Lodge of Research of New York. Bro. Netti’s Musick und FreiiiMitrerei, (Music and Masonry, though originally’ in German, is a source of lasting information on the subject. Bro. Netti’s book of 190 pages contains not onlv da’.a on Bro. Mozart but also gives other data on other composers of Masonic music and other masterpieces who were themselves Masons, Bro. Mozart lived (1756-1791) at the time when music was at its golden age. Most of the rulers of kingdoms and empires and the wealthy aristocrats in Europe maintained their own orchestras and delighted in having such orchestras plav for them in their bails and concerts. Franz Joseph Haydn, one of the most gifted of composers, himself a Mason, was the conductor of the orchestra of Prince Eszterhazy, one of the richest of Hungarian aristocrats. King Frcdric of Prussia, also a brother Mason, was an enthusiastic flutist and it was for him that Johann Sebastian Bach com])osed a number of sonatas and sonatinas for flute and piano. To go back to Bro. Mozart, let me recall that he did so much for Masonic music at the time when Masonry was not popular in his country of Austria. 65 It was practically banned there until 1790 though the emperor, Franz, was a Mason. When his son, Joseph II, ascended the‘throne lhat year, Masonry was allowed to flourish. However, shortly thereafter. Masonry was again banned for a long time until the end of World War I. Srangely enough, in the other half of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Hungary, Masonry was recognized since 1867 but banned after World War I. Mozari joined the Craft on December 14, 1783 passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on January 7, 1785; but it is not dcfini.ely known when he was raised ot thc Sublime Degree. We know, however, that a few months after Bro. Mozart was raised, his own father, Leopold Mozart, entered the fraternity Also, thc composer, Haydn, a friend of his, became a Mason presumably due to the influence of Bro. Wolfgang Mozart. Bro. Mozart started to com[>ose Masonic music in 1785 and produced some more until his death in 1791. In fact, his best known work, “The Magic Flute’’ was composed in 1791 and was first publicly played under his baton shortly before he died. ‘“The Magic Flute" is entirely Masonic in theme. His first Masonic composition was “Gesellenreise” or “The Voyage of a fellowcraft”, which he composed when his fa.her, Leopold, was passed to that degree. For the installation of a friend to the Oriental Chair, Bro. Mozart composed “Zw Neugekrunten Hoffnung”, “To thc Newly Crowned Hope” in 1785. That same year, music for the opening of the Lodge of Master Masons and “Die Maurerfreude", “The Joy of a Mason,” were also composed. In 1786 the famous Masonic funeral march was composed and played when Count Ezsterhazy and the Duke of Mecklenburg were buried. It is known that he composed his famous chorale: “Oh, Sacred Band of Friendship” in 1772 when he was only sixteen years old. Being a prodigy and a traveller in various countries, it is possible that Mozart had already heard of the Craft as a band of friends and composed thematic music from what he heard and not yet experienced. Since nearly all of Bro. Mozart’s Masonic compositions were chorales, it is easy to presume that Masonic Lodges in his time who made use of his music sang the chorales in their meetings and even in public for the delight of even those not in the Craft. A few words about “The Magic Flute”. It is an opera which tells of the great struggle between the High Priest and his followers (representing light and justice) and the Queen of Night and her followers (representing darkness and evil). Thc hero in the opera is a young man who fell in love and married the daughter of the Queen of Night who later became a friend of light, which is to signify that in the end the forces of good triumph over thc forces of evil. It might also be said that, written at a lime when Masonry was persecuted in his own country. 66 THE CABLE TOW October, 1960 Bro. Mozart hoped that Masonry in time would be allowed to operate instead of being persecuted. A few words about Masonic composers and poets who lived about the time of Mozart. Ludwig van Beethoven, a brother, composed '’The Ninth Symphony” and included in it a hymn to Jov, which was based on the poem of Bro. Friedrich von Schiller, *‘Zur breude", "Ode to Joy ”, Bro. Joseph Haydn composed many operas and chorales, though not one of them can be considered Masonic in theme. Bro. Franz Listzt, who later became a monk, also composel music. Strangely, though a Catholic priest, he never renounced Masonry. Hugo Riemann, a German musicologist, was a Mason. Lcrtzing, a German composer, was also a Mason. Puccini, the Italian composer, whose “La Bo/ienae” and other works are quite weil-known in the Philippines, was a Mason. Jan Sibelius, a Finn, and famous for his “Finlandia”, is a Mason and for many years was the Grand Organist of the Grand Lodge of Finland. I would not want to close this article without menioning that in London, there was a Lodge whose membership was limited only to composers of music. Were it possible that some day in the Philippines there will be formed a Lodge composed chiefly of musicians and/or poets. We havie talents in this land and it would be to our just pridc to have such a Lodge. Tenth District Convention The Tenth Masonic District comprising of the Bicol Lodges under the administration of VWB Bayani Fontanilla held its tenth annual convention in Daet, Camarines Norte on Sept. 9 & 10, I960 with Camarines Norte Lodge No. 103 as the host lodge. The Grand Lodge officers present were: RWB Juan S. Alano, Deputy Grand Master; RWB William H. Quasha, Grand Senior Warden; MWB Esteban Munarriz, PGM, Grand Secretary, and others. Thc convention was graced with lhe attendance of three provincial governors, all brethren of lhe Craft — Bro. Apolonio G. Malcniza of Camarines Sur, Juan Frivaldo of Sorsogon, and Jorge Almojuela of Catanduanes. The convention was adjudged the best attended regional convention and also proved fruitful to all those attended. Among die topics discussed were: Improvement of Brethren and their Attendance; Masonic Charity and Fraternal Relief; Making Masonic Influence Felt; Unwritten Laws of Freemasonry. Other speakers of the Convention were: Governor Dominador S. Asis of Camarines Norte; Mayor Marcial R. Pimentel of Daet; and Congressman Pedro A. Vcnida of Camarines Norte. 67 THE BLEEDING HART Thc November, 1959, Columbia, of ficial K. of C. magazine, contains another “protest" by Luke E. Hart, Supreme knight, against the laying of thc cornerstone of the East Front of thc National Capital with Masonic ceremonies last JulyMr. Hart’s objections are based on the aged-old misconception that Freemasonry is a “distinctly Protestant body”, That its membership contains so many men whose religious affiliations are with Protestant churches is not Freemasonry's doing. The Popes of Rome have created that condition by prohibiting docile Catholics from joining thc Fraternity, which welcomes into its ranks good men of anv sect or religion, including Catholics. Freemasonry is not a religion, nor like the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal order which represents or espouses one particular sect. As long as Mr. Hart’s church insists that other religious sects and denominations are not entiled lo thc same status and privileges which that church claims for itself, (as so painfully demonstrated in Spain and other predominantly Catholic countries) Mr. Hart's appeals to thc “Charter of our liberties” seem rather illogical. The majority of the men who wrote these charters were Freemasons, as was the author of the impassioned lines which Mr. Hart quoted in the preamble of the Resolution of disapproval which he authored. — The preceding quotation, from The Freemason, Canada's N»Hnn»1 Masonic Magazine, August-September, 1960, pp. 5 & 6. 68 Pictured above is Bro. Nick Morabe. President of the Travellers’ Club of San Calif., on his recent visit to the Philippines. He is shown handing to one of the distressed worthy brother in Cavite a portion of the Pl,000.00 which the club raised for the fire victims in Cavite City. AAA COMING DISTRICT GRAND LODGE CONVENTIONS Thc month of November and December has in store at least two District Grand Lodge Conventions slated for — November 30, 1960 — Cavite Dis trice, at Cavite City, with Bagong Bullay Lodge No. 17 as the host lodge December 30, 1960 — Ninth District consisting of Rizal Province and Quezon City lodges, Quezon City, with Rafael Palma Lodge No. 147, as host lodge. October, 1960 THE CABLE TOW