The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-12-27


Of musical instruments, may have had its origin in the
cdent that Hermes wandering the shore, struck his
foot upon tortoise she'll the inner parts Of which had de-
cayed except tendon which being firm, had re-
manned stretched it, and thus gave the hint for the
formation Of strnged instrument But the first mxsc.
believe, proceeded from the first and most perfect
OF instruments the human voice divine, and its earli
est effort MOTTO initiate the vocal OF the IRA
tional creation but to emulate the harmony Of heaven
when at the glorious spectacle OF the created world,
the morning stars sang together and all the of God
shouted for joy. The great poet of language has
presented his immortal work first parent having
heard this Anthem Of the celestial choir and
gel Raphael In the h Book Of Lost is describing
to Adam the work of creation when the six days works
were ended the Almighty Creator returned up to the
which the poet gives to the Angel when addressing Adam
Up he rode,
Followed with reclamation and the sound
Symrhonious Of ten thousand harps that tund
Angelic harmonies the earth, the air
Resounded, Chou rememberst for thou heards't)
The Heavens and all the consultations rung.
The planets in their station listening stood,
While the bright pomp assembled Jubilant.
Open we everlasting gates, they sung,
Open ye heavens your living doors, let in
| The Great Creator from his work returnu
So sung they and the empyrian rung
Nowwhile to the subsidiaries ofhs gorgeous description
ascribe higher authority than the Imagination Of
the ana therefore read ms words only as those o, sa
we make not article Of faith, that first parent
learned the of vocal sounds from angelic chois and
hence we may say with the poet but with the sentiment
| Of utterng almost historic truth
| From heaven from heaven the sacred song begun
If thus derived from heaven esteem this noble art to
be- should not Its highest employment be the service ana
worship of God and should not deem it wretchcd
and criminal radiation when its powers and capacities
made to minister as they too often to worldly and
sensual purposes Music had its birth in religious senti
mentt has from the very creation, been employ ed in
gious worship and is remarkable that its progress and
Improvement service have been intimately associated
with religion For the earliest notices of in historical
records, we have to refer to the Bible Those notices
is true few periods betw Gen. but may
be unineTesting assemble them together. OF vocal
music the earliest information have the that has
and Of musical instruments spoken Of These pa
ced by Moses amongst the earliest inventions which tie
Ingenuity of man produced In the 4h Chapter Of Gene.
sis recorded that Jubal the father of all such
handle the harp and organ Now, Jubal was only the
sixth descendant from Cain 1t is perhaps hardly need.
full to observe that by the instrument called organ in
translation of the Bible cannot be intended thing
like that magnificent work of human ingenuity which
suppose that it instrument resem-
bling what is now called the pandean pipe AT
| and capable only of executing a simpl melody
This is all that ascertain about music before the
deuge. And after the deluge mention is made of the
practice of music till we come to the period of about six
hundred years when find both vocal and instrumental
music spoken of things in common use In the history
Of Jacob recorded in the 3st chapter of Genesis
read that whe1 he fed from the unjust treatment Of his
ather.inaw Laban Laban overlook him and thus expos
uaed with him for departing secretly What hast thou
done that thou hast stolen away to and
| ried away my daughters as captives taken with the
| sword Wherefore ddst thou fec away secretly and
steal away from me and didst not tell me- that might
have sent thee away with mirth and with songs-with
abret and with harp Songs festive
occasions together with the abret tambourne and
harp As we had to impose caution as to the term
organ may not be amss perhaps to say that the harp
could not then have been that complex and beautiful in
trument describe by that with its extended
compass of strings and its ingenious contrivance for
ecuting chromatic intervals: it probably a simple
species Tyre OF few strings held in handwhle
play ed with the other. The next mention find made
pose The sraetes had escaped from their cruel bondage
in Egypt they had passed in wonderful by the
nerposon othe Almighty through the red and safe
from pursuit its opposite shores their enemies all des
royed before their Mos their great leader and
phe composed and sang that sublime song praise which
find the 18th Chapter of Exodus and the children OF
Israel united with him, either In the whole probably in
certain choral parts That alternate singing then in
is made evident by this very chatter in which we
read that Miriam the sister Of Aaron took tmbre in her
hand and all the women went out after her with hmoTes
of Moses had begun thus will sing unto the Lord
he hath riumphed glorousy the horse and his rider
hath he thrown into the sea" The response Of Miriam
was Sing we the Lord for he hath triumphed glorious
y the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea"
OF the Of this music, of know moth
| ing with certainty, but it probably simple chant
and all the voices sung in unison And here be it obser
ved that of all descriptions of music even including all
the rich effect produced by combined harmonies executed
by voices and Instruments there nothing sublime as
simple melody given forth by multitude Of voices in
unison. In religious worship far surpasse all other
descriptions of music This position is sustained by the
testimony of the great Hayden who, occasion,
when in St. Paufs Cathedral, in London he heard the as
sembled charity children singing simple chant in unison
declared to be the grandet and most empowering eff
ing of this song of Moses however amrer of the i'm
mortal Handel pass by without auson to the mag
has expressed the triumph of the sraeltes in his
derful chorus, the horse and his rider. And here
one Of his grandest effects was produced by adopting
unsons for those simple but sublime words"The Lord
shall reign for and ever" After the mention Of this
song, which is the first Of praise by mortal lips
corded in the inspired volume have several notices Of
the of trumpets festival occasions and for military
purposes But further mention is made of other kinds
music until in the fifth chapter of Judges read that
after the signal triumph ofhe children of Israel ia
bin, King OF Canaan Deborah and Barak sang hymn OF
praise From its very structure it would seem that it
must have been sung responsively as species of mus
cal dialogue. The words Of this remarkable composition
as we now read them seem to be susceptible of every va
riey of musical expression 'and of musical composition,
from the simple rectave to the complex double chorus
in ugue. But We have no reason to suppose that the
original music than simple chant; and as there
Is mention of musical instruments probably voices
| alone employed. said that this hymn of Deborah
and Barak would give scope for the employment of all the
and science of modern There few portions
sacred writ that appear to better adapted to cons
that has ever been employed in this manner From
this period until the accession of Saul the throne OF
five years the Christian era the sacred scrnnt
contain no notices OF music. except asiona
music, however, was cultivated with much care and
that it was made constituent part in the course
there is every TO believe. For informed
that after Saul was anointed king by Samuel he di
rectd to to Bethel that he might there receive full
evidence that the spirit Of God had upon him and
Samuel thus infinitely oreells what shall happen upon
the occasion And snail come To pass when thou art
come to the city, thou shalt meet company of prophets
coming down from the high place with psalery aud ia
prophecy. And the spirit of the Lord will upon
thee and thou shalt prophesy with them The practice
OF music was then no. only dignifcd but may say
sacred employment and in consequence of its general
cultivation in connexion with holy things the latin word
pas both prophet poet, and musician In scrip
there is repeated mention made Of the union Of pro
phecy and music In the 25th chapter Of the LIST Book of
Chronicles there is full of the number and Off
of the musical assigned to The temple worship
as 1t is expressed those who should prophesy with
harps and with psalteres, and with cymbals In the
chapter there ia full evidence of the with which
these persons selected and trained God gave
Hemar says the history fourteen and three daugh
All these under the hands of their father fol
song in the house of the Lord with cymbas and psate
ries and harps for the service Of the house of God The
number of them with their brethren that instructed
in the songs OF the Lord all that cunning that
mi