><» S. No 80., July 11. '57.] 



IsTOTES AND QUERIED 



83 



anomalous graduate, as the Oxford Doctor in 

 Music. The Provost of Oriel objected to the new 

 title, as it might be considered equivalent to a de- 

 gree, and thus break up the system hy ivhich residence 

 for some years ivas deemed necessary for a degree. 

 The Vice -Principal of Braze7iose would not confer 

 a title on those ivho did not go through the Univer- 

 sity course. The Master of Balliol thought the 

 new title in no way equivalent to a degree, and 

 would ever keep up a distinction between the 

 childi-en and the clients of the University. The 

 Muster of Pembroke would not rob the Univer- 

 sities of members, or diminish their privileges. 

 The general opinion was, that the new title was 

 no degree, that test and certificate were not edu- 

 cation, and that Oxford is not Glessen nor Gbt- 

 tingen. Indeed, in congregation, Thursday, May 

 28, in a discussion on the medical course. Dr. 

 Acland remarked, " the great thing was to put 

 medical education in Oxford on a right footing." 

 And in this congregation Mr. Gordon of Christ 

 Church considered it doubtful whether Bachelors 

 were graduates. 



I would fain believe steps have been taken to 

 make the Oxford Musical Degree of some authority. 

 The whole profession is at sixes and sevens as to 

 the ordinary scale of music, and, of a consequence, 

 no two Professors agree upon the chords of the 

 scale. Science there is none : how few are there 

 who 'Compose with their own ideas, and who is there 

 such a master of form as not to exhibit formal 

 restraint ? In execution we are unrivalled : the 

 playing of the band at the late Handel Festival 

 has utterly destroyed the recollection of all 

 antecedent, and for some time will cast a me- 

 lancholy shade over all coming, performances. 

 Since the creation of part music, there has been 

 nothing approaching this marvellous body of Eng- 

 lish instrumentalists, and their exquisite realisa- 

 tion of so much grand music. If Doctor and 

 Master were once convertible terms, why may not 

 Oxford and Cambridge grant to the executant 

 the degree of Master of his Instrument? The 

 authority of the Professor is trustworthy in pro- 

 portion as the results of his teaching, and the ap- 

 propriation of the University distinctions meet 

 the general approval of the learned and scientific. 

 No person could grudge a degree of merit to very 

 many artists in our orchestras ; but to grant de- 

 grees upon scientific grounds where there is no 

 science, no school, no process or education, ap- 

 pears to me not the best way of fostering music 

 in England. The science of music is most imper- 

 fect ; let us hope it is advancing, and, if so, autho- 

 rity will increase, erroneous opinions will pass 

 away, and ascertained truths take their place. 

 Controversy leads to progress ; and the publica- 

 tion of class-books and examination papers will 

 tend to form new points of general agreement. 



Is it not most remarkable that music, which is 



founded on the absolute property of numbers, 

 should be a puzzle to our most distinguished 

 mathematicians ? And why should this be so ? 

 Just because these great scholars will not burn 

 every book they have on the science, take a string 

 of twelve feet in length, and work out of nature 

 the wonders of nature and truth. I appeal to 

 Pbofkssob pe Morgan, and to all mathema- 

 ticians in England, and request them to try the 

 following divisions, i, ^, \, |, ^\, ^, ^V, and ^^, 

 and if the result does not show the absurdity of 

 the pretended scientific teaching of music in this 

 country, I will offer the most humble apology ; 

 and, if possible, believe in Smith's Harmonics and 

 Crotch's Elements of Composition. The Oxford 

 degree is given, or ought to be given, for power 

 and facility in the Alia Cappella school of composi- 

 tion. To do this, a man must know the doctrine 

 of proportions, — that is to say, the absolute vibra- 

 tions of every sound in the gamut ; the law of 

 rhythmic action, — that is to say, the positivi chords, 

 or chords in thesis, and the elativi chords, or 

 chords in arsis* ; and, lastly, the mode of joining 

 the scales in order, for the semitone makes music, 

 and its proper change creates progress and form. 

 In these days proportions are taught by intervals; 

 joining the scales is called modulation, which means 

 nothing, and the law of rhythmic action is not 

 taught at all. 



I refer Mr. Jebb to Ackermann, who describes 

 the second dress of Doctors in Law and Physic to 

 be " a habit of scarlet cloth faced with fur." 



II. J. Gauntlett. 



THINGS STRANGLED AND BLOOD. 



(2"'i S. iii. 486.) 



This injunction (Acts xv. 29.) applied to the 

 mixed Jewish and Gentile churches. The prin- 

 ciples on which such injunction rested are ex- 

 plained by St. Paul in Romans xiv. and 1 Corinth, 

 viii. and x. The restrictions as to food were 

 designed originally to keep the Jews separate 

 from the Gentiles (Acts x. 28.) ; but when both 

 Jews and Gentiles ^became united as Christians, 

 the restrictions as 'to food were partially removed 

 in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, where the Jews 

 were numerous, and were wholly abolished at 

 Rome and Corinth, where the number of the Jews 

 was inconsiderable (Neander's Church Hist, by 

 Rose, vol. ii. p. 5. ; Stanley's Apostolic Age, 

 p. 193.). This'point is important as bearing on 

 the conversion of the Jews ; and is illustrated in 

 the circumcision of Timothy by St. Paul (Acts 

 XV. 3.), notwithstanding his general declaration 



* I use the terms thesis and arsis in an opposite sense 

 to Dr. Bentley : thesis is the stress, arsis the remission. 

 The first is the putting down the foot, the second the 

 raising it. 



