T. A. Arne as an Inventor of Musical Form. 191 



Thomas Augustine Arne as an Inventor of Musical 

 Form. By Charles John Hall, D.Mus. Lond. 



{Received April 15th, 1890.) 



I fancy some sort of apology is due to you for my 

 introducing here a subject which, although the Society has 

 existed for so many years, has never before appeared on 

 the agenda paper ; and, in this historic chamber, with the 

 counterfeit presentments of John Dalton and James Prescott 

 Joule looking down upon me, I feel that, in asking you 

 to listen to some remarks on a musical composer, I am 

 departing from your traditions. I have, however, no 

 diffidence in so doing, inasmuch as, although I am one of 

 your most recently elected members — this is, in fact, my 

 first appearance here — I think that while the literary and 

 scientific sides of our association are well cared for and 

 can boast of many eminent names, the art side is open to 

 some development, while it is yet entirely within the scope 

 and objects of the institution. This view has induced me 

 to bring before you to-night some ideas connected with 

 music, which is at once an art and a science. It may in fact 

 be regarded as a triangular subject, having its practical, its 

 theoretical, and also its physical sides. Music appeals to 

 the senses through the medium of sound, and the laws of 

 sound must, therefore, have an important bearing on the 

 laws of music. I grant that musical composers, until very 

 recently, knew practically nothing at all about acoustics, 

 and wrote music not the less valuable on that account. 

 Still, they only worked by rule of thumb ; they knew from 

 experience and practice that a particular combination of 

 sounds was harsh and grating to the ear ; they knew the 



