354 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HERE is perhaps no subject cen- 
nected with the philosophy of the 
human mind, which has been less inves- 
tigated, or which appears to promise 
less success than those powers of inven- 
tion in music, that correspond with what 
is termed genius in poetry. The great 
object of the present essay, is tu pro- 
mote a spirit of enquiry into so nvysteri- 
ous a faculty of our nature, without pre- 
tending to have discovered an adequate 
solution of the difficulty, or to contri- 
bute in any material degree to the stock 
of public information. 
For the success. which has attended 
the examination of poetical genius, we 
are perhaps indebted to the certainty of 
those data upon which the disquisition 
depended. The imagination of the 
poet, according to Plato,* (who has been 
followed in his opinion by Aristotle, 
Longinus, and the whole host of subse- 
quent philosophers, ) is a general inirror, 
in which myriads of objects, whose se 
ginal must be sought in the wide expanse 
of the universe, are represented in the 
most faithful and vivid manner. Consi- 
dered in this view of a mimeticart, poetry 
exhibits mo insurmountable difficulties 
to those who would trace it’s origin in 
the mind; and it follows, that, if poetical 
genius is in this manner derivative, its 
powers will be in the direct ratio of the 
necuracy and retention of its perceptions, 
These may be afterwards summoned, 
like the supernatural ministers of sorce- 
ry, inan endless variety of shapes and 
combinations, to instruct, terrify, im- 
flame, or embellish. These 2j ppear to 
the profane and uninitiated, Gade re- 
moved from the round of possibilities, 
-and the creation of a mind almost di- 
vine, since the page of true poetry is 
able to excite a constant surprise not 
only by an imitation of the many forms, 
actions, and outward habitudes of na- 
ture, but even by the representation of 
things the most remote, of sentiment, 
character, and spiritual existence. 
The combinations of external forms in 
‘painting are infinite. The'whole world 
zs no less the school of the painter, than 
“of the poet; but with this distinction, 
that in the communication of thought 
and sentiment, the painter is confined 
to these which are connected with cer- 
tain modes of form. Stull its powers of 
exciting astonishment are wonderful, 
* De Repub. lib. x. 
On Musical Genius and Composition. 
[April 1, 
Every object used by the painter, con- 
sidered separately, may be perfectly fa- 
miliar to the spectator, while at the same! 
sime the grouping attitudes, or concomi- 
tant scenery, may render the whole a real 
novelty. But the great source of ail its. 
beauties is nature, and their Merit con- 
sists in the fidelity of the resemblance ; 
since the most remarkable initations in, 
this art, as well as in poetry, cau aspire 
to nothing more than the character of ac- 
curate first copies. 
Thus then we have seen that the feos 
tain-head of these two arts, is, the wide 
theatre of created forms. But where 
shall we discover the great archetypes of 
musical creation? ‘Po what original shall 
we trace the reflections in the mirror of 
a musical imagination ? I answer, to na- 
ture likewise. To what extent, we ne 
perceive in the sequel. 
Music is a pleasing succession or com- 
bination of sounds. Its ultimate end,’ 
hke that of poetry and every imitative 
art, must be pleasure. The production 
of that pleasure is proportioned to the 
faculties of the musician to unite or in- 
vert in an agreeable manner the custo- 
mary succession of sounds in nature, 
without infringing upon the Jaws which 
she has established to render them de- 
hghtful. 
“Natural sounds may be considered as 
simple or compound, and are produced 
by animate or inanimate bodies. 
I. Animals are almost all: endowed 
by nature with the power of expressing 
aloud, in a manner peculiar to them- 
selves, their pleasure, anger, or dis- 
tress. These vocal utterances have eve- 
ry one of them a distinct character and 
appellation; and in most instances the 
terms employed to express the sounds, 
are themselves descriptive of their effects 
on the auditory nerve. 
II. In the same manner the inanimate 
parts of nature furnish us with a vast 
variety of sounds, from the separate or 
combined operations of fire, air, water, 
and numberless artificial bodies. To 
these we give the epithets ‘ cracking 
rattling, rustling, graimg, creaking, 
dashing, rumbling, clattering,’ &c. &c. 
while the former are distinguished 
by the following: ‘roaring, groaning, 
bellowing, whining, howling, wailing, 
chirping, shouting,’ &c. &c. 
The specific character of all these 
sounds will be found to range them un- 
der a general head without any difficulty. | - 
These heads or classes may be reduced 
to the following: 
156: 
