Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1850-07-03
Vocal Music in Germany How
Taught.

ment. as prominent branch Of popua
education. The child enters school at tn,
age Of eight years, and remains in tn
same school until fourteen or fifteen. NJ
parent is allowed TO remove a child from
one school to another, (uness change o
location renders such removal necessary,
5 under heavy penalty. CommodIous, con
venienr, and pleasant school-houses, ant
! thoroughly qualified teachers in all the res
pective departments. being provided, there
is no other reason for removal than The
change OF residence. The advantages Of re-
naming in the same school and under The
same instructions are very grsat, and will
readily suggest themselves to the minds ol
all friends of education, whether parents.
teachers, or school committees. One Of
these advantages is the opportunity afford
ed to teachers Of studying and becoming
thoroughly acquainted with the natural dis
position, temperament, talent. or turn OF
mind of the pupil. This, believe, COM
prehends almost everything else, and is the
cornerstone of a thorough and useful edu-
cation. both mental and moral.
There seems 10 be three paramount rea-
sons for making music a branch OF school
education in Germany and Switzerland.
First, its power as a direct means Of men,
tai and moral discipline. Secondly, IFS at
tractveness as an amusement or relaxation
from laboaious study. Thirdly. its advan-
! iages in niier life TO the pupil, boIh as So
cial and a religious being. In all these
particulars it is considered Of great impor.
lance and in the best schools ! visited,
VIZ. those of Leipzig, and Dresden, in
Saxony, and Zurich and Berne in Swi'zer-
land, the popular course has been to adap,
each music lesson to one or the other or all
oc these branches. To be more explicit
The music teacher either gives at one sea
son Of the year his particular attention to in
struciion in the elements of music and mu.
sic reading at another to rehearsal or
singing for relaxation or amusement and
a, another to practising the music Of the
church or else, as is more generally the
case, he combines the three departments in
one, and each lesson has its propor,ionate
share, viz: lsi. practice Of the music the
church, tchoraI singing j I'd. instruction
IN musical notation Sd. singing of cheer
ful and lively Juvenile songs. for recre
alton. This arrangement pleased me
much. 1t affords great variety, and does
not become tiresome TO the pupils.
The pupils begin to study note singing
at the age Of nine or ten years. Previous
to that they sing chiefly or entirely BY note.
This is considered advantageous until the
musical ear is sufficiently trained and cpl-
tivaied. The scale is first presented 10 the
pupil, not by sight, but BY sound. The
teacher sings it slowly and distinctly until
all seem TO understand, or at least TO ge,
SOtIC iuCh VI It's CouStIuStsOi, ubu VI tnC
comparative relation of sounds, one to an
other. After explaining something Of the
the teacher writes it upon the blackboard,
or calls their attention TO it in The note. book,
observing particularly the situation Of the
semi.tones. He now tells them that these
characters (lhe no,es) represents the sounds
they have just sung, and tina, each sound
has a name taken from one OF I he letters o;
the alphabet. This method is very ihoro',
although somewhat lengthy The pupils
sing almos, entirely from books, the black
board being used merely for illustrations.
The more advanced classes Of pupils are
improved by the frequent Introduction and
regular practice Of new and interesting mu.
sic, rather than by dry and unconnecied
exercises. Much time is spent. and in the
best schools, in practising the vowels,
merely ariiculating them for the purpose Of
obtaining good delivery both in singing
and speaking.
But one Of the pleasan!est features Of all
is, that the pupils are not wearied by too
hard study, or, if they become little fa-
,igued at any time, they know that some
delightful recreation is to follow. Variety
and entertainment are mingled with in.
struction, land the pleasure of half an hours
social singing is sufficient reward Tor per.
severing in any Of the more laborious and
less interesting exercises. l was much
amused and delighted, on one occasion. to
see the young coun,enances beam with a
smile Of appreciation, amounting TO 81
thank you sir," when the teacher. after a
lesson Of elementary study, said, "Now
we'll sing something lively" for it is natu.
raj COR children 10 love that music bes,
which is mos, like ,hei opwn na,ures-
light, joyous, an1 free. Now they sing
briskly. merrily. heartily, because natural
". The little mili-slream that has been
damned up that i, may accumulate strength
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