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KNOWALEDGE ♦ 



[Dec. 1, 1885. 



the art of combining and arranging tones ; and in 

 and through those tones we have tlie expressions of 

 all ideas and feelings of love, joy, sorrow, bo.anty, 

 grandeur, nobleness, holiness, respect, and delicacy. The 

 old Greeks classed, — under the head of music the poetry, 

 philosophv, astronomy, and all arts over which the 

 Muses presided ; and as far back almost as we have any 

 evidence at all of men, have they given expression to 

 their feelings by different tones of the voice, feelings 

 of gladness and wonder naturally being expressed in 

 higher tones, and depression or sorrow in lower tones. In 

 song, then, was the beginning of the art of tones ; and as 

 men have always given expression to their feelings and 

 ideas in this way, have we not then to a great extent in 

 music the history of peoples ? In books, of course, we 

 find the minute history of nations, and we leam from 

 them abnut dates, facts, and character; in a picture the 

 artist can actually put before our eyes Anly one certain 

 moment of an act, or one degree of an idea or feeling — 

 though certainly they may suggest much more to us ; and 

 in architecture we can see the progress of man both 

 practically and artistically. But in music we are made 

 to feel with the people at every moment and in every 

 degree ; for the composer plants the seed, as it were, and 

 then, through the wonderful harmony and still more 

 wonderful modulation of the tones of expression, we are 

 carried along with him in the progress and growth of 

 this seed, until at last the whole opens ripe and full to us. 



But, of eour.se, not every one can at once understand 

 and appreciate a master-composition, no more than every 

 one can at once understand and appreciate a master- 

 picture. All art, to be properly appreciated, must be 

 studied ; thought must be given to it. If a per.son who 

 had never seen many good pictures, nor given much 

 thought to the art of drawing and painting, should 

 suddenly be placed before a master-picture, he could not 

 at once see and appreciate the fine points of the picture, 

 though the whole would seem pleasing, and probibly 

 \ery interesting to him ; but a student in this art would 

 at once notice every detail — every feature of the face, 

 every branch of the tree, every light and shade, and if 

 all be properly executed. In this same way do some 

 persons hear a musical composition ; it sounds pleasant 

 to them, but to a student every degree of modulation, 

 every chord, and, in fact, each tone, contains some par- 

 ticular meaning and expression. 



For example, a lady, a friend of mine, who has talent for 

 interpreting some music very nicely indeed, after playing 

 one of Beethoven's piano compositions for her father, 

 asked him. how he liked it. " Oh," replied he, " that is 

 tolerably nice." But after his daughter had explained 

 the meaning of those tones, how the soft, sweet, melodious 

 murmur iu the beginning was a declaration of tender 

 love, then as answers of rejection came the lover became 

 agitated, and after awhile, as liLs disajjpointment became 

 great, the sounds modulated into deep despair, until at 

 last he grew so hopeless that the music sounds as though 

 he would run away from himself, — then the old gentle- 

 man would ask, " Please play for me that love-story ; it 

 is beautiful and interesting.' 



But if that piece were played by some one who could 

 not properly understand and feel it, and in the beginning 

 those soft, sweet, smooth, and passionate tones were played 

 coldly and abruptly, and those agitated chords inter- 

 preted more as vexation, and the end played like some 

 one doing a hop, skip, and a jump, for fun — how different 

 would the music sound ' In the same manner as this 

 love-story is told to us, so have we religion, science, 

 heroism, and every refiinement of feeling. -In the mtisic 



of different countries we have told us the character of 

 the different people. The Italian, German, French, 

 Hungarian, Norwegian — in fact the music of every 

 separate nation, even down to the peculiar sway of the 

 songs of the negroes of the United States — how perfectly 

 distinct is each music, and how, in hearing the melodies and 

 harmonies of each people, we seem at the moment to be 

 placed amidst them and to enter their life and feel with 

 them. 



What a grand and wonderful art is Music ! How 

 beautiful and interesting the relation of tone to tone, and 

 how grand can the modulation from one key into another 

 be made ! 



We live in a wonderfully niusicR.1 age, if we think 

 of the time when it was not known that the sounds of 

 the different intervals could be put together and make 

 harmony ; or that by lowering one half-tone the third 

 interval, of "anyl common chord we could change the 

 expression from playfulness or glr.dne.ss to weirdness or 

 solemnity. How wonderful thechange from that time 

 to a time which has given us the compositions of the 

 great Richard Wagner, where every degree of sentiment 

 and feeling have been so trulj' represented, and the whole 

 brought to such a magnificently perfect ensemlle ! But 

 it is not time yet to talk of Wagner, of whom there is so 

 much to hi said that we shall have to devote to him 

 at least the whole of one article. 



As we are to talk about music in general, it will be 

 well in thi.s, the first article, to give a few hints in regard 

 to the teaching of children. Mr. Ruskin says that every 

 one can learn to draw, although not every one can become 

 an artist in painting or drawing ; and so I think every 

 one can learn music — at least, learn to sing or play some 

 musical instrument, — though every one cannot become 

 an artist in music. And as Mr. Ruskin says about 

 drawing, so in music has there been a great deal of bad 

 teaching. Nearly all parents wish their children to 

 learn m^usic, as it is a popular accomplishment for every 

 one to possess ; but if the teaching of children would 

 always be begun in the proper manner, we would hear a 

 great deal more good music every daj- than we do. 

 ,,_ In the first place the child should be taught to have 

 the correct position of hands and wrists, for if one begins 

 to play with the fingers liat on the keys, is it not a matter 

 of course when they come to play more difticult and 

 rapid passages the fingers cannot possibly pass over the 

 keys or strings either so smoothly or rapidly as is often 

 required ? and is it not plain that one cannot play as 

 lightly and delicately with the flat of the fingers as with 

 the tijjs ? 



Then very often beginners are inclined to stiffen the 

 mirscles of the wrist in trying to make the tones stronger, 

 but this only makes the music sound as stiff as the wrists 

 are held ; for it is impossible to make full, round, and 

 flowing tones with a stiffened wri.st. It is just as easy to 

 keep the wrist loose and comfortable, and put the strength 

 down in the ends of the fingers. Anything that is stiff' 

 cannot be flowing ; and one of the great beauties and 

 charms of music is in that flow, or, as it were, the 

 loving attachment of one tone to another. These two 

 faults in players are very easily corrected and ex- 

 plained, and if every one would be carefully taught 

 this correct and easy position of hands and wrists, 

 they would make much quicker progress, and would 

 give more pleasure with their music both to them- 

 selves and to others. To most children it seems a tedious 

 task to play c, d, e, f, g with the five fingers over and 

 over, or / sharp, o, and b with first, third, and fourth 

 fingers repeatedly ; but if it be properly explained why 



