576 KEPORT— 1891. 



recognition in this week's proceedings. I sincerely wish her 

 cause were in more able hands than my own. 



Before concluding this introduction to my lecture, I ought 

 perhaps to say that where I have found historians differ — and 

 differ they did, even as musicians are said to differ in the 

 present day — I have avoided controversy, and given you what 

 appears to me to be the nearest approach to the truth. 



Fortunately for me, when, presently, you will probably be 

 falling asleep, I have at my disposal resources represented by 

 my friends the members of the Cathedral choir, who, I feel 

 sure, will amply atone for any failure on my part to keep your 

 interest from flagging, and, example being better than precept, 

 they will be able to illustrate from the works of the greatest 

 masters of the art of vocal composition perhaps more clearly 

 than I can do by words what has really been the progress and 

 growth of the particular branch of the art under discussion. 



The history of music previous to the fourth century is 

 more or less conjectural. 



From the various relics that are preserved to us, we know 

 that the ancient Egyptians cultivated music : if instrumental, 

 as is certain, then we may feel sure they must have studied 

 vocal music also, for it is most probable that the latter is of an 

 earlier origin than the former. Hitherto we have had no 

 knowledge of their music whatever, but it is thought, owing to 

 Mr. Petrie the Egyptian explorer's late discoveries of two 

 almost perfect ancient Egyptian flutes, we shall be able to form 

 some idea of the kind of scale used by them. 



That the Hebrews were vocalists we know from our Bibles. 

 I need only refer to the Song of Moses. 



The Greeks, the successors of the Egyptians as far as 

 civilisation is concerned, cultivated music to a high degree, 

 their plays being sung on a monotone, and probably also to 

 some kind of melody, as we know they used certain fixed 

 scales, though these scales were of a more limited number of 

 notes than, and of totally different construction from, our 

 modern scales. The performances of these plays were ex- 

 ceedingly popular, being attended by as many as fifty thousand 

 people at one time ; and it was only possible for the per- 

 formers to be heard by the adoption on their part of monotone 

 or melody. 



From the Greeks the art passed to the Eomans, a people 

 who eventually became licentious and slothful, and conse- 

 quently music was of a too pure and refining nature for them 

 to cultivate it with any amount of enthusiasm, and at last, from 

 pure indifference, it was allowed to die out amongst them. 



To all these nations — Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and 

 Eomans— vocal music in harmony was unknown, song being 

 purely melodical ; and their scales were so unhke our modern 



