New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-10-21
ny GREELEY & McELRATH.
The Photography of Music.

| par Mime Emile Cheve (Nsnine psTis) la Psrte
| Iheoreiique par Emile Cheve ID. P. NJ. Paris l-4i
This book has been for year or two lying Pe'a"
in the United States, smothered under the un"boe-
sons taste which our ranslators have unveied rom
its French covering Its discoveries themselves
.en, for many wears even in France bat the voices
Sc pacorro and proOress calling and answering each
-. ~, o,,o,,, side awakened il there and demand
.L,ovvledee of it with Us. II is great Dook-quie
.tre.s of the aeeand containing nothing less than
the unity Of Music both as science and M ART Lat
,erlv we hear on every hand Of the Photography oil
,eccb and hundreds who disbelieve IN all progress
save in the accumulation Of bank accounts have ia
kon /, into their heads somehow TO examine this new
science. and have found it vast and astounding
economv-economy of time, attention. brains-eye-
~ thing they most want Therefore it il that Phono-
GRANNY is every where so favorably talked Of
few wears ago every idea Of the kind was laughed At
Poor old Abner Kneelsnd was more anahematzed
| for his insane efforts to reform written language
than for his hundred other heresies and even good
man Noah Webster-sieeped lp-deep in Saxon and
4 the primitives, could hardly get voice to be
heard in behalf Of his own language even IRON his
own country But now ii almost seems as II me
age were about to be born again. and the curse OF
Babel removed from Man
We'll. ,hen-herc also is the Photography OF Mu-
sjc-,he reformation OF language still more abused
in every way than that of speech for speech is but
the vehicle of the thoughts Of man-Musc the sub
liner uterance of his passions-an utterance always
true and which cannot be hypocriticaL And as this
uterance has been heretofore comprehensive 10 but
here and there human organism peculiarly gifted
in certain respects, but perhaps quito deficient in
others and incapable Of transating or mparting truly
| 70 his fellow mcn--so now the universal language OF
| Music has been discovered, and few lnyarlaole
sicns-each one thus endowed with distinct
thought and meaning open TO the common mind
the whole arena why is it," asks NJ. Cheve in
his preface to his wife book, that music is so lit
tic understood in France p and we beg TO put the
same ques tion in regard to America Is II because
the French are incapable Of comprehending it-that
they are not born musicians, as SO many people 90
compaceutly assert Evidently not tor Music con
ss,s of only few elements nearly all of which are
contained in the first simple air you may hear hum
med in the sireet-and there are very few who do
not know one or several airs II Is then neither the
faculty of intonation nor Of measure or musical &C
ccniuationl which is wanting with us Is It because
50 few people commence the study OF this art ! NO
again: for every one knows that, although the study
of music is not near so general it ought to be, yet
great number of persons do commence 1t; but out
of every hundred who undertake ii nine tenihs halt
on the road, repealed by the seemingly insurmount-
able difficulties which present themselves to every
one not endowed with special organization, with
a will which nothing resist and able TO devote
four or five years the requirement OF an art which
as vet is only known as luxury among US. Is the
scarcity of persons who learn Music then owing to
the want of good musicians ? Certainly not for, in
spite Of the crooked road they have had TO travel we
do not want for great musicians-Gluck, Sacchlni,
Mehul Mozart &c-and, in our own times, Boiel-
deu, Rossini Weber, Meyerbeer, Auber, &c; and
for execution we have our many celebrated artists
TO prove that great talents for Music arc not want
ing with us How is it then that these great mus
clans have not been able 10 open to common travel
the path which they have successfully pursued =
| NJ. Cheve answers these pregnant questions at
| length-but the summing-up OF his reasons Il suif
cient for our present purpose Whatever may be
the reason the fac is plain enough that Music Is not
understood by the great mass of people and this
fact is as plain owing 10 the inadequacy OF the
means employ 81 - impart instruction In word
the written laugu9 &c of Music is radically fase-t
lacks method and by method we mean not the
means of enabling ten individuals out OF hundred
to accomplish the end proposed, but system which
will almost certainly enable ninety of them to do so.
The method of instruction ought 10 be adapted 10 or
dinary orsanizatons-thc extraordinary ones Will
arrive at the end any case and by the easiest
means certainly as Il as others
But before e. ing ourselves with the new
method let as take lance at the present method OF
writing music, and try TO discover the cause or
causes of this radical defect with which we are so
iorcibly struck in attempting 10 impart knowledge
of music TO the masses Nothing appears 10 me more
easy.
Every person engaged to any extent In teaching
music and at all acquainted with the structure OF the
human mind, will be ready 10 admit
list Every idea ought 10 be represented to the
mind of the pupil by clear and exact sign
ed The same idea ought always 10 be repre-
sentsd by the same sign
I'D The same sign ought never 10 represent but
the same specific idea
18th. An elementary work or method of instruc-
ton ought never TO present to the mind two Difficult
ties al once.
NJ Cheye then goes on TO test the present system
OF writing music by the above rules. In the first
place tn notes the scale are represented by points
placed on or between five more black lines The
name is given to each of these points bya clef, which
can change its place the staff so that the same
point can successively become either of the seven
notes of the scale-Ut Re, Mi Fs, Sol. La, 81 Thus
into what despair are even many musicians thrown
when. accustomed TO read in one cei, they are sud
denly presented with another
But agan-each OF these same points can in turn
represent a tone either natural, sharp or fiat; and
each can occupy the position in the scale of Tonic
Mechanic Sensible, Submedate, Subsensible, &c &c.
As to the signs used 10 express the durations OF
notes they are in still greater confusion and perPlex
ity Nothing can be so obscure as these signs.
which offer a, times such complete complication,
such an utter confusion, both Of units and fractions
of idcas grouped iogcth- Is such perfectly unmean
( ING acknowledging more like a dreary landscape
than scientific language-thsi one is forced 10 adj