The Music of Saint Mary’s

“The power of sacred music increases the honor given to God by the Church in union with Christ, its Head. Sacred music likewise helps to increase the fruits which the faithful, moved by the sacred harmonies, derive from the holy liturgy. These fruits, as daily experience and many ancient and modern literary sources show, manifest themselves in a life and conduct worthy of a Christian.” - Pope Pius XII

Saint Mary’s has long been praised for its bells, choir, and organ, and has been a home for sacred and secular performances for many years. But this was not always the case; when Bishop Burke first arrived in Halifax at the turn of the 19th century, he noted in letters back to Quebec that the choir had a number of poor singers. In one letter, he remarked “Instead of a sanctuary choir we have… a number of poor singers who bellow forth a species of figured music in a way to break the tympanum of one’s ears. It will take time to substitute for this the music of the church.” But he was also the man responsible for starting the tradition of musical quality in what would one day become Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica. Along with hiring a music teacher, he also raised the standards by which singers were admitted to the choir. Over the next two centuries, standards would continue to rise and spread forth from Halifax to parishes across the province that were influenced by the Archdiocesan Music Committee, which advocated for regular choir practice and higher quality materials.

The Cathedral Basilica also boasts a famous Casavant Freres organ, the Opus 2570. Known around the world for the quality of their instruments, the Montreal-based firm installed the organ in 1960. This succeeded a number of lower quality instruments, including one purchased in 1808 and a Minshull Electric Organ that was used from the 1940s to the 1950s despite being described as “unsatisfactory” for use in such a space. The new organ was installed during the tenure of Archbishop Berry, who dedicated it to the fallen men and women of Halifax who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country during the Second World War.

The bells of Saint Mary’s are perhaps one of its most notable features. The 11 bells installed in the steeple were blessed by Archbishop Michael Hannan in 1897. They had been installed some years prior, but following church tradition were only blessed after the Cathedral had been paid off. A lesser known fact is that the bells have undergone a ceremony similar to baptism. Traced back as early as 11th century France, the “blessing of the bells,” takes place when the local bishop washes them with holy water. The bishop prays that these sacramentals of the Church may, at the sound of the bell, put the demons to flight, protect from storms, and call the faithful to prayer.

“Organ to be Blessed,” author unknown, March 20th, 1960, Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica Parish Bulletin, pp. 1

Due to the damage the Cathedral suffered during the Halifax Explosion, the bells had to be removed and recast by a firm in England, returning to their rightful place in 1920, at which time they were also dedicated to the war dead of the First World War. In anticipation of the visit of His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1984, bellhanger Linda Woodford and the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London, England recommended the electrification of the bells, which were formerly played by someone striking a keyboard with a wooden instrument in a room near the steeple.

Holy Cross tombstone inscription, digital photograph, Saint Mary’s University, accessed Oct. 9th, 2020, < https://smu.ca/history/holy-cross/building-a-cemetery.html>

Music is intended to foster the full, conscious, and active participation of all the faithful in the Church’s public prayer. By joining our hearts and minds together, knowing the mystery we celebrate and to whom we give praise and thanks, we are led to the kind of participation which is so earnestly desired by the pastors of the Church. Thus, the bells, the choir, and the Casavant Freres organ of Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica are a glorious symbol of our belief and help bring us together as a community.

“Grand Sacred Concert”, author unknown, July 1st, 1873, Acadian Recorder, page unknown