The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-12-27
DIR. Walnwrights Lecture on Music at Clin'
ton Hall, Last Evening.

DIR. Walnwright's Lecture on Music at Clin-
ton Hall, Last Evening.
A highly respectable but not very large audience
assembled at Clinton Hail. last evening" to hear DR..
Wainwright's lecture on g Music The known
refined musical taste of the reverend gentleman
himself-the attractive nature of his subject-and
the announcement that Mr.. Webster would attend
and make some remarks, excited great interest,
and but for the very nclement state Of the weather,
agreat crowd would doubtless have been collected.
As it was, however, the audience was very good,
and they were all much delighted, as no doubt our
port of
The LECTURE.
LADIES AND SENTIMENTAL the suggestion of the Com.
mtee through whose invitation have the honor Of
appearing before you have adopted Music as the subject
OF my Lecture. II is one in which have ever taken
lively interest especially in its relation to the wor
shipgof God, but do not possess Sufficient knowledge
of to be able to Of It with scientific accuracy
Nor could this reasonably be expected from who has
not made the AT OF melody and harmony the object of
ticular and may say study To the prsfes-
Of the fine arts each in his department, may
resign the province ospenkng from the chair Of author
ity upon their fundamental principles. The applications
addressed to the multitude and If successful
the appreciation of the multitude properly within
the range ofnon-professional remark and criticism Mu
SIC however the practice of is Of easy acquisition
than that of either Of the other fine arts it is nds
crimnatey addressed to all Of every age and condition,
from youth age from the daily aborer to the prince and
is in fact universally pracsed unhesi-
tangly be treated Of by those but moderately initiated
without fear ofthe charge of presumption. The right Of
music be enumerated amongst the fine arts has
been dispuedalthough its relative place in point of dig
nifty has often been matter of controversy. without
touching this question being Of very little interest
and essimportance shall be satisfied with indicating
ITS utility and its just claims TO the respectful notice and
dgent cultivation of every civilized community
needed to appeal to the authority of support Of
this position could easily formidable
One however, shall sufhcebut that for strength Of
intellect and purity of ora character is equivalent
host of ordinary names aude to Dr. Samuel Johnson.
Were not the fact well known and fully acknowledged
that he was the author of the passage about quote
its peculiarly of style would indicate its origin with
almost absolute certainty In the dedication to Bueys
great work the General History of Music, find this
striking passage:
''The science ofmuscal sounds though it may have
been deprecated appealing only the ear afford.
ing nothing more than momentary and fugitive delight,
may with justice be considered the that nites
rora with intellectual pleasures BY species Of enjoy
which, therefore, the great may cultivate without de-
basement, and the good enjoy without deprivation"
of have found it beset with vexations which can
neither be repealed by spendor eluded by obscury
tent the ministers of pleasure indebted for kind
reception which they have perhaps too Unfortunately
obtained Pleasure and innocence ought to be
rated yet seldom find them otherwise than at va.
rance, except when music brings them together To the
truth Of the last remark OF the great moralis that plea
sure and innocence generally at variance except
when music brings them together may surely demur
and certainly moderate experience in the ways of the
world would excite in the mind Of every serious person
the earnest wish that other associations than such
characterized by pleasure in combination with nno
cence were ever occasoned encouraged by this de-
ghtfu art But the assertion that music untes corporal
weakening reason and therefore that the great may cult
yae it without debasement and the good enjoy without
deprivation is true it Is forcibe An opposite
clusion would be at war with convictions of the wis
dom and benevolence Of the Deity who made the hearing
and formed the meodious voice. and strung the soul
of man with chords responsive to the influence OF
sweet sounds. Music is truly the voice Of nature
speech; that is it is natural for to convey and
to receive the movements Of sentiment by the influence Of
sweet sounds as by the use Of words And when it
is natural to ascribe this arrangement directly to
the wise ordinance of the GreaBeng who framed
1t He who, while he gave the element of air
to breathe gave also the peculiar qualities by which
to the impulses of the arculae voice render
ed it susceptible to musical nonaons; and while he
tered enabled it also to produce effects sweeter than the
of birds The philosophical theory OF musical sounds
is very remarkable and gives the clearest evidence that
their employment, for the benefit and pleasure of man
originally designed by the Almighty In illustration
of this position, will instance few of those laws or
principles OF sound which have been discovered by
pertinent and proved by demonstration. In music there
is such thing as simple sound-that is, no tone of
musical character can be produced which is strictly
speaking and ndivisibe II is capable of separation
into distinct constituent parts AS the rays of light
the result of the combination Of the seven primary
which be separated by the prismatc glass musical
sounds themselves combinations of other sounds
Every tone which proceeds from sringed instrument
a
flute, organ from bell, gives out at the same
time other sounds which not the same. but
In large bell this easily be perceived when is toll
led slowly the note sounds and Immediately after
hear others more particularly the twelfth fifteenth and
seventeenth delicate will perceive the in the
piano forte for string sounded in its whole length the
parts of also sound in certain exact sections divisions
which bear a definite proportion to the whole. Now in
the greater OF these divisions the twelfth and fifteenth
above mentioned which most easily perceived the
combination is harmonious but in the lesser and inter
data fhn lDtn
readily dstinguishabe by the Were they so,
there could be such effect produced music because
discord would be as frequent and prominent as
cord This law of sound has been adduced by eminent
ecclesiastical writer to show the wisdom and goodness Of
of and the constitution of the material world
There is another provdential circumstance" says he
in the theory of sounds that pipe blown to give its
proper note stronger blast will raise TO its octave
eight notes higher This is done by an instantaneous
leap which, fit done by procession from the
to the other bodies in motion fall music
but noise would be the consequence most dsagreeable
to the to which nothing is more offensive than
sound rising orfng blythe wayof the whole intermediate
and by first intervals for that is principle of
noises as theydier from We find music asia work Of
God in the constitution of the air. which made capable
OF proportonate vibrations to delight and
gree and manner to the from offence and
Music may be farther traced the work of God
but derive from the Creator and the g Of snsins =
from the author The faculty, by which the
forms musical sounds is wonderful the nexures OF
organs Of speech in the articulation Of words The
human pipe is of a small diameter and very short when
compared with the pipes of organ yet will distinct
y give the note with the pipe of organ eight feet
in length The movable parts which around the pipe
Of the humsn throat have but very small range Yet
with the contraction and expansion of which the whole is
capable the voice utter scale of seventeen degrees
and sometimes more, and divide each whole tune into
many parts But more than this is instrument OF
God in his whole frame besides the powers Of the voice
in forming and Of the ear in distinguishing musical sounds
there general sympathetic feeling in the bres
and membranes of the body which renders the whole
frame susceptible Of musical emotion Every person
strongly touched with music he assured that its e
feet confined to the ear but is felt all the frame
and to the nmost affections of the heart dsposng TO
JOY and thankfuncss the hand, and TO ponence
and devotion the other II is very well known en-
struck and another in with il held in the hand it
will be felt to trembe in all its solid parts and nsr
ment being sounded another will respond the note
il in tune with it; thus doth the frame Of man feel
and answer to instruments of music, one instrument
answers to another. Man then is, as 1t were, musical
instrument OF Gods formations he has music in his
xnice his his whnlr franc And The ihnnnh III il