The New York herald., 1844-11-25

UTILITY or MUSIC IN GENERAL

letters on Musis IN Amer1sa-1o. 4,
UTILITY or MUSIC IN GENERAL.
Gsa!uElss ago. when nnse bad hardly tini|
"The man that has no music in himself
Nor is not moved with concord Of sweet sounds
Is 1T for treasons, strstagems and fpoils."
How beautifully is here expressed the goodne
that divine art! Yes, music is really divine
divine fIom Its close, not to say inseparable
nection with religion and religious ceremou
from Its being one OF the greatest levers of ci
zation, and from the manifold blessings il is
BILE Of bestowing on the s0rrowfu mind Cua
has placed music after poetry, plastics, and
branches, which fall into the category Of the
arts; and in accordance with this classifica
which do not hesitate to pronounce unjust an
judicious, the painter, the sculptor, and the
claim the pas before the musician. Nobody
course, denies that Handel, Haydn, Mo-
Beethoven, and Mendelssohn, rank high in the
of public estimation, but are those names
nounced by the people at large with the same
verence as the names of Angelo, Rubens, RsplX
Titan, Dante, Tasso, Goethe, Schiller, Byron
even Walter Scott ? Who has done more to
mankind happier a I'd better, Handel or Mi
Angelo? Beethoven or Tasso | will not
mention that painting and sculpture require
say the least, partially cultivated mind, not
TO be duly appreciated, but to be In some mea
understood; where on the contrary music assis
preparing and producing this cultivation. They
the exclusive property Of few chosen minds,
are aristocratisal; but music is a free, repubI
art; il finds it's way into every heart, like the |
which sheds his rays over the strong and W.
over the sage, and over the poor ignorant peo
by all. And through this universally music |,
poetry of tones and sounds, is superior TO the
try Of words. In its blessing career, it knows o|
obstacles Not 30 the poem, bound as it is in
strong letters of one particular idiom; and ev(
these fetters are loosened, or to speak plainly,
tvor1 Tod In.
into another, the thorns and brars 1t encoHnter
It's passage, retain many beauties which are
voldably lost; they are more useless than the
pieces OF wool torn from the back of wande'
lamb with which the sparrow keeps it's nest wd
Another reason for its superiority is its indest|
table purity; it cannot be turned to bad purpd
an advantage which neither poetry nor the al
painting or sculpture can claim. There are 81
poems which have been productive Of great in
10 the morals of youth. Don Jaan, for insta
or the ars amandi, of which there are uniortun|
lv many good tflnslations in every langu|
How many lascivous pictures are there in the wo|
Look only at the shocking stGtuettes in
windows of a store in Broadway, and you
excuse that ultra moralist who vented his al
in hearty curse on Canova and ThorwI
sen. In fact, there is no art, no holy object WI
has not been dehed by evil spirts-even qrl
tions from the Bible are said to be powerful (
pons in the hands Of the devil. Music aIone|
never been pouted-music alone is pure.
The cultivation of music is an object of
highest Importance, which should engage thd
tention OF every Observation-Disclosures il is
of the purest sources OF pleasure-because il is I
nenlly calculated to call forth religious entIj
asm; and last, not least, because it is an unqI
tionable promoter OF morality in the lower CLAD
Ii ls fact, which cannot be denied, thai
those countries in which the knowledge of mi
has been made accessible to the lower classes,
eye is very seldom offended with cases of dr}
enness. | have never seen drunken Ilalianl
his own country. In Germany, where the low
music is stronger than in France, drunkards| !
less frequent than in the latter country. VIII
contrast is TO be found in Russia, England,
America In looking over the statistical table|
criminaity, we find that the amount OF crin|
an English population OF twenty-five millions is|
ly one.ihrd larger than in France. with popula|
OF thirty-f0ur mllllons-la that France which
gious England calls athe:sfical. This dispropor|
cannot, et course, be entirely attributed to ihe|
sence of musical feeling in England; hut il cad
be denied that the degradation of the lower claI
may be, IN some measure, traced to it.
These undsputable facts, (C0rmenin calls q
more obstinate than wOman,) on which myI
partial remarks are based, strongly prove that
promotion of the study OF music requires beyj
private and individual exertion, the fostering
Of legislation. This all the governments of
rope, with the exception OF England, have
and we see there the most gratifying results
duced by their public schools, academies, con-
vatories, &c. Every petty italian principe or d
patronizes the opera not alone with his name
would be palry patronage indeed-but with
purse, IN spite Of the provtrbial tlghne oi RI
purse-strings. The French government allow
the lyrical theatres OF PARIS yearly snbventio|
two hundred thousand dollars, independent
the expenses Of the conserrGtoire royal, whieI
bears alone, and numerous p nsions to meritorl
musicians The provincial theatres are assisted
the cities and the department. In Germany,
country Of philosophy and tobacco smoke, Of mi
and saus,kraM sons-unions: LiedertnftIn, Veri
4cademies. conservatories. dc !, are innumera Al
There rules the goddess Of music with a melodl
hand. How happy are the Germans through md
notwithstanding the political absolutism. H
amlable are the German peasantry, superior 4
" TO the finest plsantry in the world"
Till now very little has been said of musi|
America-lts present state-its future prospe|
This, with OF. c.asionaI glimpses on music and nj
clans in Europe, will be the object of these letl
tor which crave that indulgence of which d
undoubtedly will stand very much in need. U